Page 38 of Faith

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Nicola tooka sip of her yummy lava flow and looked out over the rooms in Rough ‘n Ready. One of the things she loved about the club was the ability to see some of the play rooms. The private rooms were even better, although she hadn’t been able to use them. At least tonight she knew she was free. Jensen wasn’t coming back until tomorrow and she had wanted to see her friend’s club.

“I see that my wife made your favorite drink of the islands,” Micah said, having to lean down closer for her to hear.

She smiled at him and motioned with her finger so that he would bend down a little.

“Your wife makes the best damn lava flow.”

“I thought you would play tonight, given the outfit.”

She shook her head. “Not really in the mood.” The outfit was another matter. It wasn’t even that, but she wore a mask. There was no need for her to be accidentally recognized there. Granted, she normally wouldn’t excite most people, but if it were to get back to Jensen, she would never hear the end of it.

Truth was, it had been a long time since she’d been in the mood. Probably when they went to Tokyo last year.

“Is there something wrong?”

One of the great things about having Micah as her first Dom was that he was so intuitive. He knew just how far to push her. It was also one of the most irritating things now that they were just friends.

She shrugged. “Nothing wrong. I’ve just been out of sorts lately.”

None of her friends in the life intrigued her anymore. Worse, she was comparing them to Jensen, or at least what she imagined Jensen’s behavior as a Dom would be. After her talk with Serenity the other night, her worries had increased. If this wasn’t just some kind of funk, what would she do?

“Can I give you some friendly advice?”

“Can I stop you?”

His lips twitched. “Stop ignoring your instincts.”

“What the bloody hell do you mean by that?”

He shook his head. “I taught you well. Figure it out yourself, Nic.”

Without another word, he turned and sauntered off. She cherished her friendship with Micah, but sometimes he was a real pain in the ass.

* * *

Jensen had plannedon going home, but when he found out that Nicola wasn’t there, he decided to head over to Rough ‘n Ready. He stepped into the club, which was packed. It was spring break, or so more than one person had told him, and it meant a crowded gathering. The fact that there was going to be a demonstration tonight by well-known Domme Heather D made the crush even worse. He had gotten to the main platform when he noticed Micah making a beeline his way.

“How’s tricks?” Micah asked.

He shrugged. “Got back from Maui early, so I thought I would come in.”

But now that he was there, he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t even feel like looking for a sub. What he wanted to know was where the hell was Nicola? All he was told was that she was out. Probably with Serenity. Still, when he called her phone, she hadn’t answered and that worried him.

“Earth to Jensen,” Micah said.

He blinked. “Sorry. Obsessing over something at the moment.”

Micah smiled. “Why not come up to the office?”

Without the burning need to find a sub, Jensen went along with him. He had never been invited into the inner sanctum, but he had heard about it. It wasn’t that it was overly special, but he knew that Micah rarely invited patrons up to the room.

He followed the club owner up the stairs, then into the office. One wall was a floor-to-ceiling window, allowing a full view of the club. The wall next to that held a bank of screens showing all the public areas of the club.

“You know, I had the same issue you have right now.”

He turned. “What the bloody hell does that mean?”

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