“You’re very welcome, Abby.” He helped her into her corset, hooked up the front, then adjusted her breasts inside it.

What was wrong with her? Why did she let him handle her like a…a doll?

He picked up his bag. “Come. Stay one step behind and to the right of me.” As they headed upstairs to the reception area, the Dominants stopped Xavier every few feet, wanting to discuss a scene, ask questions, or just say hi. Submissives lowered their gazes, occasionally giving him a pleading look first. And everyone stared at her. Assessingly. She heard whispers, asking if she was replacing the estimable Destiny or if Xavier had actually brought his slave to the club.

AT THE FRONT desk, as Xavier showed his new receptionist the few things she hadn’t managed to figure out, he realized the woman was blindingly intelligent. But inexperienced. “I’d like you to attend the beginner’s classes, Abby. You’ll be more comfortable.”

After studying the schedule on the wall calendar, she shook her head. “I can’t. I teach reading that hour.”

“Ah.” A teacher. He assessed her in light of the new information, smiling slightly. Yes, he could see it. The keen look in her eyes, the way she listened with all her attention on what he was saying. Odd that she’d been singularly inattentive when he’d been playing with her body. Until the sensations overwhelmed that busy brain, she hadn’t stayed in the moment at all.

She noticed him watching and flushed, her gaze skittering away before she straightened and faced him directly.

She was a rather adorable little submissive. “You do want to learn more about BDSM, though?”

“I do,” she said firmly.

“Are you looking for a Dom?” Many of the club submissives requested that he introduce them to Doms he thought they’d suit.

“No. Just information.” She absently straightened up the desk, filing papers as if she’d been born to the task.

“Ah.” His eyes narrowed. “Do you have a Dom to play with here? Or a significant other? Anyone who will be upset if you are doing scenes?”

“No and no and no.” Her lips pursed. “But really, I’d prefer to…observe. See what it all involves.”

Observe? Did he have a watcher and not a participant? That fit what he’d seen of her so far. “I see. Well, as a staff member, you’ll get called on for assistance and demonstrations. That’s part of the job description.” One most submissives enjoyed.

Despite the dismay in her eyes, a flush rose into her cheeks. She wanted to play, yet she didn’t. Interesting.

“Watching scenes is part of the fun in a club, but complete voyeur-only types aren’t welcome. BDSM is a participant sport.” He walked over to the shelves behind her. “Speaking of which, are you allergic to anything? Food, fabric, medicine?”

“No. No, sir.”

“Allergy to latex? Or rubber? Or leather?”

“No.”

“Good.” At the wall shelves, he pulled on a latex glove and smeared each fingertip with a different ointment from the sample case. “Hold your arm out.”

The underside of her arm was the color of cream. He drew his fingers across her inner arm in four long lines, then dotted the lines with a marker. “These are the most common ointments used here. Since not every Dom tests beforehand, I prefer to know you’re not going to react.”

She stared at her arm with wide eyes. Never heard of chemical play, eh? The thought of doing a scene with her was almost too tempting.

After tossing the glove, he pulled a limits list from the form shelf. “Fill this out before you return. It shows what you won’t permit a Dom to do. You’ll of course negotiate beforehand, but I like to know your hard limits as well, so I can keep an eye on things.”

“I don’t plan—”

Lindsey sailed through the inner door and saw him. She bowed her head. Her brown hair, streaked with vivid blonde and red, brushed over her bare shoulders. “My liege.” Her mild Texas drawl managed to turn liege into two syllables.

“Lindsey, this is Abby, who is taking Clarissa’s place. She may have some questions for you.” He glanced at Abby. “You signed the releases and forms, yes?”

“Yes. My liege.” She had a pleasingly low voice, and he firmly put away any curiosity about what she’d sound like during a climax.

He pulled a pink leather collar from a drawer and crooked his finger at her. Her appalled expression had him smothering a laugh. The leather was engraved with double silver stripes on the top and bottom. The dangling tag stated: UNDER THE PROTECTION OF XAVIER. “This ensures that any Dom who wishes to play with you will obtain my permission first.”

When she looked insulted, he ruffled her silky hair. “No, pet, I don’t own you. This is for your protection.”

“Oh.” She considered and then bent her head so he could fasten the collar.

She had a delicate neck with tendrils of downy hair at her nape. He buckled the collar on, then widened her eyes by adding a tiny padlock. She didn’t need to know they kept master keys everywhere in the building. “When you arrive at the club, put on your collar and lock it. Before you leave, find me so I can remove it.”

Her swallow was obvious and delightful.

Yes, he liked this little submissive. “Abby?” he prompted. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, my liege.”

“Very good.” He let his gaze sweep down her body. “Tomorrow I expect you in suitable attire. The corset is beautiful. But not with a skirt and boots. A thong would work.”

He chose to ignore her rebellious look. This time.

“Or a very short skirt. Naked is acceptable.”

She ran her tongue over her plump lower lip. He had a momentary image of sitting on his bed with her kneeling in front of him, her lips around his cock and that small tongue swirling the head. To his surprise he hardened. Receptionist, Leduc. Her job was here. He carefully tucked her into the mental compartment labeled JOB. She wasn’t for his home or for social dating.

Back in the main room, he swung by the bar to get a cup of coffee and looked around. On the stage, deVries was giving a flogging lesson. His student, a new Dom, swung wildly and missed the pillow completely.

Xavier spotted Simon at a table and walked over.

“Have a seat.” Simon shoved a chair out with his foot.

As Xavier sat, he said, “That pretty little receptionist seems to take a messy desk as a personal insult. Where’d you find her?”

“Here. After she taught Dixon how to print out her application, she dared to suggest he do some filing.”

Xavier snorted at the thought of Dixon’s outrage. “A competent receptionist would be a nice change. I was getting desperate.” He’d even asked his elderly accountant if she wanted to moonlight. “Unfortunately Mrs. Henderson refuses to set foot in the club.”

“There’s a shame.” Simon’s brows lifted. “Wouldn’t she make a hell of a Domme?”

The image of the gray-haired Baptist grandmother wielding a flogger rather than her calculator made Xavier grin. “Competent or not, Abby seems appallingly new to BDSM, and she can’t attend the beginner’s classes.” Xavier leaned back and stretched his legs out. “Would you keep an eye on her if I’m not around? Answer her questions?” The little fluff would be a temptation to any Dom.

“Not a problem. And Rona will undoubtedly adopt her.”

“Excellent.” Xavier winced as the new Dom on the stage hit the pillow with enough force to take out a kidney. Hopefully the man would stick with inanimate targets for a good while longer. He took a sip of his coffee and breathed in the fragrance of chicory.

Obviously catching a whiff, Simon made a sound of disgust. “You and your damn New Orleans coffee.”

If the coffee wasn’t thick, black, and strong enough to dissolve an unwary spoon, it wasn’t worth drinking. “Any chance you want to teach the beginner’s class next week?”

“Nope. I got a warm woman at home, and I don’t see as much of her as I’d like.”

“Ah.” When Simon had found Rona, he’d plowed through every obstacle she’d put up to make her his. Probably one of the few battles the woman had lost. They were very much in love. Xavier’s chest ached as he remembered how it felt to have a love like that—and then to lose it.

“You still dating that blonde?” Simon asked.

“Socially? One blonde, one brunette,” Xavier said absently. Who could he get to teach that class? He might have been interested if the little receptionist were going to be in it.

“How about your latest slave? Did you manage to find her a Master?”

Xavier nodded. “Pedro Martinez. She’s been there a week and sounds very happy.”

“So you’ve lost your slave-at-home category and your business minion? You’re down to just a girlfriend or two?” Simon had no patience with Xavier’s inclination for keeping his women in slots. “Who’s your next slave going to be?”

“I’m taking a hiatus from matchmaking.” Sometimes being served was more exhausting than doing it himself.

“House a little lonely now?” Simon asked with a discerning look.

More than he’d ever admit.

Chapter Three

Standing on the richly colored Oriental carpet in her bedroom, Abby dragged on a pair of jeans and yawned so widely her jaw cracked. Her blood felt as if it had been turned into liquid lead, weighing her down until every movement was an effort. Not even thirty, and I’m too old for late nights.

Dark Haven hadn’t closed until three a.m., and once home she’d stayed up to document her observations.

And forgot to set the alarm.

She hurriedly yanked her bra on and yelped. “Ouch!” Pulling the cups away from her tender nipples, she scowled. Wonderful. Every time she moved today, she’d be reminded of Xavier touching her. How it had felt when he’d circled his thumb over her nipple.

Her dreams had been more erotic than any porn movie, and Xavier had been in all of them.

I never dreamed about Nathan that way. Guilt welled up inside as she admitted she’d never let him restrain her like that either. Had she really let another man undress her and touch her? That was just wrong.

But no, it wasn’t. She didn’t have a relationship. Didn’t have a lover. Everything she’d hoped to have with Nathan was gone.

And she was running late. The babies still had to be fed before he arrived.

The sound of whimpering puppies greeted her when she got downstairs. In between heating bottles, she started coffee. No time for a leisurely cup of tea today. From outside her duplex came the muted rumble of traffic, birds awakening, and morning frogs.

Juggling bottles, she crossed the living room to the plastic wading pool in the corner. A puppy resort, complete with a heating pad secured in one spot to battle the moist San Francisco air. At the sight of her, five roly-poly bodies, each the size of a pair of rolled-up socks, abandoned their pile of blankets, whining about imminent starvation.

“Honestly, guys, this is too darned early.” And she was cold, grumpy, tired—and depressed. With a sigh of exasperation, she picked up the black ball of fur that was her favorite. So very, very soft. Blackie’s puppy breath accompanied an adorable, tiny yawn.

Abby’s smile broke free. Really, this was a fine way to start the day. She snuggled him on her lap, listened to the quiet sucking sounds, and hummed a lullaby.

Despite the extra work, she never tired of fostering puppies from the animal shelter.

By the time the fourth tummy was reaching a sweet roundness, contentment pulsed in her heart.

“You’re next,” she told the pup waiting in the pool. Freckles’s floppy ears tried to prick up, but the anticipated food was far more important than listening to Abby. Sometimes she had the feeling her students felt the same way.

Just as she was hoping she’d finish on time, the doorbell rang. “Wonderful. I’m in trouble now.” She pressed a quick kiss to the top of Tiny’s furry head, set the puppy beside its tussling siblings, and hurried to open the door.

Dressed in a conservative button-up shirt and black slacks, Nathan looked wonderful.

Her heart gave a hard stab. Not mine anymore. “Come on in.”

His mouth pressed thin when he noticed her bare feet. “You’re not ready?”

Uh-oh, unhappy camper alert. Anxiety tried to rise, and she shoved it down. “I only have one more puppy to feed. There’s coffee on for you.”

“I told you seven o’clock.”

“I know. I overslept—but we have plenty of time before your plane.” After all, she was taking him right to the gate so he didn’t have to find parking.