motion if I hadn’t been looking in his direction. I gave his arm a squeeze until he looked up at me.
“That’s really cool, man.”
“You don’t think it’s weird?” Chase chewed on his bottom lip.
I glanced over my shoulder, both to make sure no one needed me and to see if William, Jack, or
Sam were around to rescue me. I wasn’t the guy people talked to when they were insecure about
kinks. I was the one who listened when their boyfriend was being a dick, or they couldn’t catch the
attention of the Dom they were dying to play with.
Lately, a lot of the grumbling had been about how Jack’s new partner wasn’t even active in the
scene. That complaint always got under my skin, and I was just waiting for the night I’d finally heard
it one too many times and snapped. Who cared if the guy he was seeing was some buttoned-up, bland
vanilla actuary or some shit? As long he kept Jack in a good mood, he was just fine in my book.
Unfortunately, there was no one nearby to rescue me. It was time to suck it up and do my job.
“Listen, I see a lot of strange shit here. Weeknights are pretty tame, and even the weekends aren’t
orgies and public beatings in the main area, but it’s not exactly Cheers, either. If it makes you happy
and you’re being treated well, I don’t see any harm in it.”
“Okay, so since you see and hear things, how would Chase go about finding someone to help him
out?” Jayden asked.
I shrugged. “I think your uncle would be a better one to ask for advice on that.”
No matter what I thought of William, he was more experienced and knowledgeable than I was.
Then again, I’d be willing to bet Chase knew more than me, too.
Before long, another surge of customers approached the bar. This was one of the best things about
working Wednesday nights; it was busier in the front than back in the members-only part of the club.
That meant more tips. As much as most bartenders relied on weekends for the majority of their
income, working at The Lodge was good for me because I could never devote every weekend to a
job. It was hard enough on both Willow and me when the store was short-staffed, and I had to drop
her off with a sitter for the day. I didn't like losing any of the time I had with her.
By the time I had everyone served, the young guys from earlier had disappeared. Too bad.
Listening to them talk—or the one guy talk while the other listened—was the best entertainment I'd
had in a long time.
As I started cutting fruit to fill the garnish trays for tomorrow night, I replayed everything Jayden
