Page 131 of Healing the Heart

“Huh...”

“She likes the idea, Doc,” he said, chuckling. “That’s another vote in your favor.”

She wasn’t totally opposed to the idea. In fact, the more she thought about it the more she liked it. And Noah liked “showing her off.”

Putting public demonstrations on the back burner for later, she went onto another item on his “cons” list. “Aren’t the meetings held during off hours?”

“Usually on a weekend afternoon,” Axyl also supplied. “You could hang out in the lounge with the other masters’ subbies while we meet. And they have a submissives group that meets monthly I believe. You’d have to ask Val.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting to know the other submissives. I know Val and Esme, but I’d like to build my girl posse here.”

“Your posse? How did you go from California girl to a yellow rose so fast? You were only in Texas a month?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice.

“That’s what Regan called it. If it didn’t mean moving, I’d become a Texas girl in a snap. I clicked so well with the subs in San Antonio. I’m going to miss them.”

“They’re good people, but we have good people here too,” Axyl stated. “It would be good to expand your circle of friends. Not having one to turn to in the beginning was part of the problem. Besides, Val is going to recruit you anyway. I’m surprised she hasn’t already.”

Noah stopped in the middle of the traffic in the upper hall and turned to him. “That’s the second time you said we. Are you going to be a club master at both places?”

“I’ve decided to make LA my home—permanently.”

“You’ll be around all the time, then,” Fiona said excitedly, smiling at the big guy who was not only a trusted dom but whom she considered a friend. “With Noah off the market, you’ll be the most eligible bachelor. Are you ready for that?”

He grinned. “It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it. What do you say, Doc? Have we got a new club master? Eric had two slots open. He’ll be heaving a sigh of relief if we fill them.” Suddenly, his eyes narrowed on something down the hall. “Dean, hold up,” he bellowed loud enough to stop all activity in the hall. “I heard Samson tell him he’d surpassed his drink limit an hour ago,” he muttered as he took off to intervene.

“You’re wishing babysitting this lot on me, pet?”

“Like Axyl said, someone has to do it.” She hugged his arm as he started them walking again. “What if you hadn’t been there for me that night?”

“I wasn’t the DM.”

“No, but your instincts were spot-on, and you interceded before it got a lot worse.”

“I’ll think about it.” He slung his arm around her shoulders and steered her past the other theme rooms to the rear of the mezzanine.

As they rounded the rail along the back wall, she asked, “Where are we going? Aren’t the stairs the other way?”

“Eric lent me an apartment for the night.”

“How nice of him.”

“He’s trying to butter me up. One of the partners is moving to Europe, and he wants me to buy him out.”

“Partners? In the club?”

“And in Rossi. It would be a good investment. Both businesses are successful with a healthy bottom line.”

“It sounds like the pros outweigh the cons. What’s holding you back? If it’s me, don’t let it. I enjoy spending time here, especially now that I have someone to spend it with.”

“Okay, you’ve convinced me.”

She laughed. “That didn’t take much arm twisting.”

“I was leaning that way but didn’t want to say until I discussed it with you. But don’t tell anyone yet. I want to seewhat other carrots Eric dangles in front of me trying to get me to say yes.”

They arrived at the rear elevator, and Noah punched in a code on the keypad. A thought occurred to her. “Would you get an apartment, too?”

“Yep. One comes with the partnership.”

---