One week later…

Sasha was on her knees, naked, her hands clasped behind her back, her shoulders thrust back, making her breasts jut forward. Just the way Lincoln liked her. Often.

She didn’t argue because damn the position made her at least as horny as him. Or perhaps it was the look in his eyes when she submitted to him like that. Like he wanted to devour her.

But it wasn’t his turn to do the eating. So far he’d permitted her only a few fleeting tastes of his cock, muttering something about preferring to be buried in her pussy and not wanting to come prematurely in her mouth yet.

A half an hour ago, they’d been at the site of the house he was in the middle of flipping. She’d lifted onto her tiptoes, set her hand on his ass, and whispered in his ear. “You have two choices.”

He’d flinched and then lifted an eyebrow, a smirk playing with the corners of his mouth. Before she knew it, he had her fingers threaded in his and he was hauling her into what would one day be a renovated bathroom. At the moment it needed a lot of imagination.

But it had a door, which Lincoln had shut. He flattened her to the surface, pressed his cock against her belly, and cupped her face. “Do you have any idea how hot it makes me when you do that?”

“Do what?” she’d asked, trying to sound innocent. She knew him well enough after one week to grasp that while she damn well better not top him when they were playing, she could get under his skin easily when they were not in the role.

He’d shook his head in dismay. “You’re not fooling me. Lay it on me, baby. What are my two choices?”

She’d almost lost her nerve, but steeled herself and licked her lips. “Either you agree to let me suck you off at home tonight, or I’m going to lean over your lap during the drive and make it super difficult for you to stay on the road.” Bold. Brazen. Risky?

For a second, she wasn’t sure how he would react, and then he’d pushed off the wall, taken her hand, and tugged her out of the small bathroom as fast as they’d entered.

Carter had been working in the kitchen. He’d lifted his head as Lincoln ushered Sasha toward the front door.

Lincoln had barely paused to speak to his friend. “Gotta go. I’ll see you here tomorrow to go over the tile samples for the bathroom.”

Carter had chuckled as he shook his head and bent back to his task. “Whatever.”

Sasha had been completely flushed and rather embarrassed as she nearly jogged to follow Lincoln to the car. Maybe her plan hadn’t been a great one.

Lincoln had opened the passenger door of his SUV and lifted her around the waist to set her in the seat as if she weren’t capable of doing so herself—or he was too impatient to wait. He even reached across her, buckled her in, and tugged the belt tighter. His gaze met hers, his eyes burning. “Do. Not. Move.”

She had correctly assumed he’d chosen option number one.

Twenty minutes later, here she was, on her knees, ready to service her Dom. He was stripping slowly, circling her, making her pant with the desire to suck him. The only thing was he hadn’t taken her home. He’d brought her to the club. It was closer. She’d fought the urge to giggle over his impatience when he’d pulled into the parking lot.

His shirt hit the floor first, his shoes were kicked off next, and then he popped the button on his jeans.

Her mouth watered. Twice he had permitted her to lick a line up his cock. One time he’d allowed her to slide his thick length between her lips. All three times, he had stopped her too soon.

Honestly, by today, no matter what he murmured about how talented she was with her lips, she had a bit of a complex.

“You’re nervous,” he pointed out as he lowered his zipper, standing two feet in front of her. “You don’t have to do this, you know. You can back out.”

She lifted her gaze to meet his for a moment before jerking it back toward the floor. “I know I’m not very good at it, Sir, but if you’d teach me.” She wanted to please him. Men liked blowjobs. She knew they did. His reticence about this topic unnerved her.

He froze, his hands on the sides of his jeans now, tugging the denim over his hips. “Baby, you’re totally misunderstanding.”

“Enlighten me,” she told his crotch.

He continued to remove his jeans, finally kicking them aside to reveal his unbelievably sexy naked body. And then he stepped closer, his cock bobbing in front of him. He cupped the sides of her head and tipped her face back, forcing her to look up at him. “You can do no wrong in that department, Sasha. As long as you keep your teeth off me, there’s nothing I won’t enjoy the fuck out of. The reason I haven’t let you suck me off has nothing to do with your skills.”

How would she know?

“My cock is greedy. It likes to be buried in your pussy.”

She smiled. Maybe his motives were legitimate after all. “I’m glad, Sir, but I bet I can tempt you to enjoy my mouth too.”

“I’m certain you can, sweetheart. And I’m going to grant you this. Your terms. Your call.” He released her and stepped back to sit on the loveseat. “Explore all you’d like, baby.” He set his hands at his sides.

Would he really let her do whatever she wanted? She released the tight grip she had behind her back and crawled forward on her knees.

His face was tight when she glanced from his thick length to meet his gaze. He fisted his hands at his sides on the couch as if he thought she might bite him. “Can’t promise I’m going to have enough control to keep from coming in two seconds all over your face, baby.”

Ah, so this was about control, not pain. She wrapped her hand around his cock and gently stroked from the base to the tip. Precome dripped from the head, and she leaned in to flick her tongue through the slit.

Lincoln moaned.

Emboldened, she lowered her face, sucking him into her mouth as far as she could while inhaling his scent. Clean fresh soap and Lincoln. Intoxicating. She tightened her lips around his cock as much as she dared, experimenting.

His thigh stiffened under her other hand, but the soft groan coming from his mouth told her he was the complete opposite of uncomfortable. “Baby…”

She sucked him in again, her hand still wrapped around the base, her cheeks hollowing as she lifted off a second time. On the third pass, he lifted his hips into her mouth, deepening the blowjob. She forced her throat to relax and let him in. It was awkward, but she managed.

She enjoyed the power she felt. This man who was always in control, making her body hum, was completely at her mercy. Maybe he’d known that would happen, and that’s why he’d been reluctant to permit her to suck him.

It was heady. She wanted more. Perhaps too much more because after sucking him a bit deeper with a few more bobs of her head, he grasped the back of her neck. “Sasha…” he warned.

Her pussy clenched. She let her nipples rub the edge of the leather sofa with every move. If she thought he wouldn’t break the scene and punish her, she would have reached between her legs to masturbate while she sucked him.

She shook the thought from her mind, not wanting to risk his reaction, and lowered her face again, farther, deeper, tighter.

His hand tangled in her hair, gripping, though she doubted he was aware of his actions. Besides, she loved the feeling of having him hold her like that.

And then he stiffened, deep inside her mouth. He groaned loudly as he came, every pulse of his cock shooting his come into her mouth.

She swallowed, working hard to keep up. She wanted to catch every drop and leave him empty. It was important to her for some crazy reason. And she succeeded.

When he finally lowered his hips to the couch, sighing, his hand slid from her hair to her shoulder. “Jesus, Sasha.”

She licked a line up his length as she lifted her head. He was staring at her, his face relaxed, his lips turned up in a smile. “Next time I’ll choose option two and pull over to the side of the road,” he teased.

She grinned. “Glad you liked it, Sir.” She was relieved and pleased with herself.

Suddenly, from one second to the next, she was no longer on her knees, and Lincoln was no longer lounging languidly. He grabbed her by the waist and hauled her up to settle her straddling his lap.

Her legs were forced wide, her pussy so wet she thought it might drip on him.

When he reached toward the end table next to the loveseat, she giggled. A glass bowl filled with a colorful array of condoms sat in the center of the table. She’d never seen it there before. He snagged one. Purple. Apparently he’d made a few changes to the office. She shivered at the way he’d so obviously become Mr. Prepared.

As he opened it and then reached between their bodies to roll it down his length, she watched. How the hell was he already erect again? And then he grabbed his still-stiff cock, rubbed her slit with it, and lowered her over the length.

She gripped his shoulders and let her head fall back on a moan.

“That’s it, baby. So sexy.”

When she started to lift off him, needing the friction, he stopped her with a hand on her hip. “Don’t move. My play now.”

She lowered her face, her vision clouded with lust. A whimper escaped her lips before she could stop it.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna let you come.” His hand reached between their bodies to find her clit, and then his fingers worked their magic. His other hand held her firm, his cock buried inside her, thickening, filling her, so tight.

She wanted to move.

He had other plans.

“Greedy girl. Stay still. Stop fighting me.” His fingers kept circling her clit, teasing it, flicking over the top and then retreating. “Hold still and I’ll let you come.”

Was she moving? She glanced down. Yes, she was squirming, trying to get the friction she desired from twisting since he wouldn’t let her lift off him.

“Look at me, baby.”

She met his gaze, blinking. Her mouth hung open. She was panting. Sweat had built on her forehead. “Please,” she begged. She rarely took that risk. It often didn’t end up in her favor.

But this time he smiled. “My girl likes to suck my cock.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I think she deserves to be rewarded then.” He released her hip, set his hands at his sides, and nodded. “Go ahead. Fuck me, baby. Make yourself come. I want to watch.”

Her eyes flitted shut as she braced herself on her knees and lifted halfway off him. She didn’t waste time. She set a pounding pace, needing the friction more than her next breath. In moments, she was coming around his cock. It wasn’t enough. She didn’t stop. She held on to his shoulders tighter and kept bouncing over his length.

He was so thick.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me again.” He grabbed her hips then and helped her, lifting and lowering her over his cock.

When she blinked at him, her second orgasm so close she couldn’t breathe, she found his teeth gritted tight. That was all she needed. She tipped over the edge, her entire body shaking with the force.

Lincoln was right behind her, burying himself deep. He set his forehead against her shoulder when he came, a deep moan filling the room. She had no idea which one of them had made the sound.

* * *

An hour later, Sasha lay curled against Lincoln’s chest on the loveseat, a soft throw covering her lower body. She wore his T-shirt. He wore his jeans. He was smoothing her hair from her forehead while he used his free hand to flip through different sites on the laptop that rested against his thighs.

She had never been so content. Peaceful. Perfect.

They didn’t need conversation. The silence was comforting. Normal.

A knock at the office door caught her attention.

Lincoln swiveled his head toward the door as he tucked the blanket securely around her body. “Come in.”

The door opened and Rowen stepped inside. When his gaze landed on the two of them, he hesitated.

“It’s okay,” Lincoln said. “Everything vital is covered,” he teased, hugging Sasha tighter against his chest.

Rowen’s brow was furrowed, raising an alarm in Sasha’s mind. She started to sit upright, but Lincoln stopped her with a firm grip.

“I saw your car outside when I pulled up. Didn’t realize you were both here. I can come back.” He started to back out through the doorway.

“No need,” Lincoln said as he sat up straighter and closed the laptop. “What are you doing here in the middle of the afternoon?”

Rowen stepped farther into the room and then lowered himself onto the armchair across from them. His brow was furrowed, but he forced a small smile. His gaze searched Sasha’s. “You look good. Happy.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. “You look like shit.” He did. His face was a dichotomy of expressions. But his eyes looked sad. Distant.

He tipped his head to the floor, and, ignoring her comment, spoke again. “It might take me a while to get used to seeing the two of you together, but I’ll get there. Give me time. It’s weird.”

Sasha shifted her gaze toward Lincoln, her brows lifted in question.

Lincoln responded. “We’ll do our best not to rub it in your face, and I promise we won’t play in the club in front of you. I wasn’t expecting you to be here this afternoon. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. It was insensitive of me to come here.”

Rowen shook his head, glancing up. “No worries. This is your office.”

“I should have locked the door. I wasn’t thinking. It’s the middle of the day. I didn’t expect you. But, Rowen, what’s going on? You’re here for a reason.”

Rowen smiled wanly, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back. “We must have had the same idea. I thought I would be alone in the office.”

“What’s wrong?” Sasha asked tentatively. Something was definitely not copacetic.

“Rayne and I broke up.”

She blew out a breath. “You and Rayne break up about once a month. That’s not news.”

He met her gaze. “This time it’s over.”

She stiffened. He seemed serious. Definitive.

So did Lincoln, his arm trailing down to her waist. Stiff. “What happened?”

Rowen shrugged. “We realized we just aren’t compatible. It’s amicable. I mean, I think we’re both mature enough for her to remain a member of the club. We’re friends. But something’s always been lacking in our relationship. It’s time to stop pretending otherwise.”

“I’m so sorry, Rowen,” Sasha stated. She flattened her hand on Lincoln’s chest. “I know she isn’t really into the lifestyle.” Rayne never had been completely comfortable at Zodiac. Sasha couldn’t imagine why her brother’s girlfriend would continue to be a member if their relationship was over.

Rowen shook his head. “It’s not that. For a long time, I thought the same thing. So did Rayne. But the truth is not quite as simple.”

“What do you mean?” Lincoln asked.

Rowen sighed. “I mean, I think she really is submissive. We’ve had some intense scenes together. Just a few weeks ago, we did a spanking scene that was smoking hot. She has it in her. It’s like we just don’t click with each other. I think there’s a Dom for her. It just isn’t me.”

“Are you okay?” Sasha asked.

He nodded, forcing another smile. “It’s sad. Not going to lie. We’ve been dancing around each other for a long time, but I’m also relieved, and so is Rayne.” He set his hands on the arms of the chair and pushed to standing. “Didn’t mean to bring you guys down. I’ve got some paperwork to take care of in my office.”

“Okay,” Sasha whispered. She felt bad. For both Rowen and Rayne. Rayne had been so kind to her the last few weeks. “Let me know if you want to talk.”

Rowen headed for the door. He turned around before leaving, his hand on the doorframe. “Do me a favor.” His gaze was directed at Sasha.

“Of course.”

“Don’t act differently around her. I meant what I said about this being amicable. I know you two have gotten close lately. Don’t let my break-up get between the two of you and your friendship.”

Sasha nodded.

Rowen left, the door shutting behind him.

Sasha slouched against Lincoln’s chest. “How could it take one couple over a year to figure out they don’t belong together while you and I managed to know what we had was special within a few days?”

Lincoln set the computer aside and pulled her sideways onto his lap. He cupped her face and tipped her head back. “I don’t know, baby, but you’re half wrong.”

She cocked her head to one side as much as his grip allowed. “How?”

“I knew you were mine in less than a few minutes. Not days.”

She furrowed her brow. “That makes no sense. You chased me out of your house after one day.”

“I’m not talking about last week. I’m talking about the day I first laid eyes on you.” He kissed her forehead, and then her nose, and finally her lips. “Five years ago, I walked into this club, spotted you across the room, and knew. I might have been too stupid to admit it, but I knew.”

She slowly smiled, her heart soaring. “I was a little young back then.”

He winced. “Yeah. I had no business lusting after you. That’s for sure. So, I kept it to myself. But waiting five years might have been overkill. I intend to make up for lost time starting now.” He angled his head to one side and kissed her again, this time deepening the kiss into something far more heated.

She held on to his biceps with both hands, the blanket sliding down to her lap as his hands eased from her head, down her neck and shoulders to her breasts. His thumbs teased her nipples mercilessly as she arched into his touch.

When she whimpered, he broke the kiss to murmur against her lips, “You’re mine now, Sasha. I will never let you go.”

“I intend to do everything in my power to ensure you never want to.” She meant those words. Every one of them. She was committed to this relationship in a way she’d never sensed from Rowen and Rayne. Perhaps their break-up was for the best. After all, Sasha never would have settled for less than what she had in the arms of Lincoln Walsh. She never had, and she never would.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she? It’s like watching a moving piece of art.”

Rowen didn’t acknowledge Carter’s statement. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d blinked in the last ten minutes. His mouth was too dry to speak.

Carter was right. The petite woman currently circling the man lying over a spanking bench was spectacular. Her thick blonde hair was pulled up in a high ponytail that swayed across her back as she moved. Her skin was alabaster pale, standing out in stark contrast to the black leather skirt and corset she wore.

She wasn’t tall by any stretch of the imagination, but the dainty black heels she wore made her legs appear to go on forever.

Faith Robbins. He knew her name, but he hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting her face to face yet. Subconsciously, he had to admit he’d probably steered clear of her out of self-preservation.

From his vantage point, Rowen didn’t think she had a single flaw. He’d caught a glimpse of her clear blue eyes on a few occasions since she’d joined the club a few months ago, so he also knew a man could get lost in those orbs for days.

But none of that mattered at the moment. Not her beauty or her legs or even her fucking fantastic cleavage pushed high under the corset.

What mattered right now was the way she moved, the way she held the long black flogger, and the way she kept her gaze locked on her submissive as she slowly glided around his body.

She could easily star as the Domme in any movie and make millions. Anyone watching this scene would agree in a heartbeat. But Rowen sensed something was off. He couldn’t put his finger on it. But he knew.

“Is this the first time you’ve watched her play?” Carter whispered from about a half a step behind Rowen.

“Yes.”

“Breathtaking, isn’t she?”

“Yes. I don’t know the man subbing for her. Are they a couple?” he asked, trying not to sound too interested.

“That’s Levi Calloway. He’s also a new member. I think the two of them met recently though. I don’t think they’re together.” Carter nudged Rowen with his shoulder. “You interested in having her hands on you?” He chuckled softly.

“Hardly.” But I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on her.

“It’s been months since you and Rayne officially broke up. Maybe you should get back out there. When was the last time you scened with someone?”

Rowen glanced at Carter, his brows raised. “What are you now, my dad?” He let his gaze roam back to Faith as she dragged her fingers across Levi’s shoulder blade. They looked fantastic together. Levi’s skin was dark against Faith’s nearly white complexion.

Levi’s was resting on one cheek facing Rowen. His eyes were closed, but his mouth was open, and he licked his lips every time Faith stroked his skin. He wore nothing but a black G-string that left his butt exposed. He gripped the padded section of the bench where his fingers wrapped around the edge, and it appeared it took an incredible amount of energy for him to remain still as Faith circled behind him and gripped his butt cheeks.

When her small hand smoothed down between his legs to cup his cock, Levi moaned.

Rowen almost moaned too. Luckily he managed to bite the inside of his cheek instead. Carter would never have let him live that down.

But Carter Ellis knew Rowen well. They’d been friends for years ever since they met as enlisted men in the army when they were eighteen. Now they were business partners, each owning a share in Club Zodiac with their third partner, Lincoln Walsh.

Carter chuckled again. “Not gonna lie. She makes my dick hard too.”

Rowen didn’t comment. His own cock needed to be adjusted inside his jeans, but no way in hell was he going to reach around and touch his junk in front of Carter and risk hearing the man’s laughter again.

Faith was a piece of art. Nothing more. Anyone would be mesmerized by her scene. Her clothing alone was mouthwatering. Lots of women wore corsets and skirts similar to hers, but none of them wore the two pieces quite like Faith. It was as if the black leather was custom made to mold to her body.

Finally, she took a step back, lifted the flogger in the air, and let it sail down to land on Levi’s ass. It wasn’t hard. She was warming up. But it was enough to make Levi flinch and Carter groan.

Rowen turned his head to smirk at his friend. “You gonna become a bottom now?”

Carter rolled his eyes. “Hardly. Not any more than you are. But you can’t deny she is smokin’ hot wielding that flogger. There’s something super sexy about a confident female dominatrix. Not saying I want to be on the receiving end, but I can appreciate beauty when I see it.”

Carter was not wrong.

Faith exuded a level of authority no one could dismiss. But something was still off…

“Did Lincoln say she transferred her membership from Breeze a few months ago?”

“Yes. There’s a story behind that, but I don’t remember what he said.”

I bet there is.

Carter kept talking. “You should see the SUV she drives. That tiny ball of power drives a fucking ninety-thousand-dollar Range Rover. I saw her pull up in the parking lot.”

Holy shit. Rowen’s eyes widened, but he kept it to himself. Maybe the thing he was noticing about her that seemed off was simply that she was wealthy and carried herself in that manner. It would sure explain the clothing.

Rowen was not fond of rich people. Or more accurately pretentious people. He’d met many over the years—both members of the club and clients of his accounting firm. He found that frequently the richest clients were the most entitled, nickel and diming every single cent to avoid paying their share of the taxes. And wealthy men and women who came into the club often thought they knew everything about BDSM because they googled it and had the cash to buy thousands of dollars’ worth of toys.

In his experience, wealth did not make someone a good Dom. He and his partners went out of their way to ensure rich visitors didn’t overstep their bounds in their exuberant desire to master the art overnight. They were statistically more likely to have a safeword called on them.

And rich submissives could be worse. Sometimes it even hindered their ability to let loose and be authentic. If they treated the lifestyle like it was a game, they also stood a higher chance of getting hurt—emotionally or physically.

But damn, Faith moved fluidly like a seasoned Domme. She might have money, but she took her role seriously and didn’t mess around.

“I didn’t say that to put you on edge.” Carter leaned closer. “I’ve seen no evidence that Faith is anything but the perfect Domme.”

Rowen nodded, not glancing away from the scene.

Carter spoke again, lowering his voice. “She’s not Brenda.”

Rowen winced.

“Nor is she Lori. Not everyone with money is stilted.”

How the hell did Carter remember the names of so many people from as far back as five or more years ago?

Brenda was a woman who came in while John Gilbert still owned the club. Rowen was unfortunate enough to be the one to greet her at the door. She flung her wealth around and demanded an “experience” as if the club were a place people paid for services.

To this day Rowen had no idea what the woman had hoped to get from her “experience,” but he suspected she thought rough sex was on the menu. She was loud and belligerent and demanding. She disrupted the entire club before John escorted her out.

Rowen would never forget her because she was shouting that she was going to sue Zodiac for treating her unfairly. Apparently Carter hadn’t forgotten either.

Lori. Lori had actually joined Zodiac soon after Lincoln bought the club. He’d been a little too lenient about vetting applicants in the early days. Lori had slipped through the process and then brought her own “Dom” one night to play.

From the moment Rowen saw the man, he’d rubbed him wrong. He was cocky, too loose, and he swung a whip around beside his leg like a crazy man would walk through a department store swinging a semi-automatic weapon while shouting about his second amendment rights.

And the unease had been warranted because Lori let the man tie her to a St. Andrew’s cross and blindfold her. She insisted she didn’t want him to go easy on her, and he did not. Within minutes she had blood running down her belly from two long cuts. Rowen had rushed forward to intervene, but he was about two seconds too late to stop the damage.

Lori had glared at Rowen with the most evil eyes he’d ever seen and blamed him for not doing a better job monitoring the scene. She had also threatened to sue.

Luckily neither woman had sued the club. But they had both left a sour taste in Rowen’s mouth that would never fully go away.

“Rowen?” Carter interrupted his thoughts.

“Yeah?” He glanced at his friend. Had he missed a question?

Carter frowned. “You good?”

“Yep.” He turned his gaze back to Faith. Carter was right. She was not Lori or Brenda. She was totally in control. Calm. Stunning.

When she lifted the flogger a second time and rained several blunt strikes over her submissive’s butt cheeks, she bit the corner of her bottom lip.

Rowen’s breath hitched. He watched her expression instead of her movements for several minutes. She was good. Well trained. Exacting with every strike. She took the time to soothe Levi’s skin with her palms at perfect intervals. She kept him on edge by lightly grazing her nails over his cock every once in a while too.

Her perfectly manicured nails… So, not just the SUV. She literally carried herself like someone born with a silver spoon. They had a “look.” The way she moved, walked, held her head, her hands. So…proper. Stilted. Or maybe that was simply part of her act? Was he judging her too harshly?

So what if she had money? It shouldn’t bother him. She didn’t belong to him. Besides, she was no slacker in the world of D/s, so Rowen needed to stuff his judgmental side down and give her a break.

Levi was in subspace within minutes. His head tipped back, elongating his neck as his body relaxed. The only time he stiffened was when Faith touched his cock through the bulging material of his G-string.

Rowen’s gaze went back to her face. That lip…

He wanted to bite that damn lip. Pink. Swollen. Lush. Her perfect white teeth gleamed where they pressed into the soft flesh.

She exuded power. Except for that lip…

The room was so silent watching this piece of artistic perfection that every small noise coming from Levi echoed.

It had probably been nearly half an hour before Faith circled to Levi’s head, set her flogger on his back, and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

Levi groaned, his torso squirming on the bench, as he rubbed his cock against the leather edge. Suddenly, he moaned loud, arching his back as his hips thrust forward in the sharp rhythmic movements of an orgasm.

“Fuck me,” Carter murmured. “I’ve never come on command.”

Rowen hadn’t either, but if Faith Robbins sauntered over to him at that moment and demanded he come too, Rowen was fairly certain he would comply instantly. He was that hard.

Carter wandered away, muttering something about needing to jerk off in private.

Rowen didn’t move a muscle as he watched Faith help Levi off the bench and over to a love seat. She wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and then squatted down in front of him with her hands on his thighs and her head tipped back.

Rowen couldn’t hear what she was saying, but her body language spoke volumes. When she leaned closer, her breasts rubbed against Levi’s knees, but she didn’t seem to notice.

People moved away to watch other scenes happening in the corners of the main play room at Zodiac. The lighting was dim. The walls and ceiling and floor were all black. But Rowen continued to watch from his vantage point partially hidden in a dark corner.

Levi nodded a few times and accepted a water bottle from someone. After he drained half of it, Faith stood. She didn’t stroke Levi’s face or run a hand through his hair or caress his chest. She didn’t take a seat next to him either. Instead, she waited until she was certain he was okay, and then she left.

Rowen’s breath hitched again as she headed his direction. Her face lowered. She bit that lip again. And then she lifted her hands together at her waist and threaded her fingers delicately.

She didn’t acknowledge Rowen as she passed. He doubted she even noticed anyone was standing there. She was in her own world. But she was not satisfied. The air around her was tense. Frustrated.

The beauty that was her dominance for the better part of the last hour had disappeared, replaced with uncertainty and…sorrow.

Faith Robbins may very well have been the best actress in the world, and her performance was breathtaking, but was it authentic? He suddenly doubted that whatever felt off about her had anything to do with money. It had to do with her role. He didn’t think she was a Domme. It didn’t suit her. He had his doubts about her even being a switch.

He’d bet money Faith was a submissive.

If Rowen’s cock could get any harder, it did. As he watched her back—shoulders squared, head tipped toward the floor, feet spread slightly farther apart then necessary—he finally gave up the battle and adjusted his dick. Not giving one solid fuck who saw him.