Page 76 of Seduce

“Yes. After Wednesday night, I realized the book club needs its own space, and Destiny has been after me to carry more books. I have limited space, so it makes sense.”

“That’s great.”

“You don’t sound all that excited.” Damon pushed his empty plate away.

“I am, it’s—” She broke off. “It’s not my place to say.”

He reached across the small table and took her hand. “Didn’t we confirm we’re in a relationship?”

“Yes.” She swallowed.

“So tell me what you’re thinking, Tessa.”

She stared at him. There was honesty in his voice. “Are you, maybe, overextending yourself?”

“Is that what you’re worried about?” He stood up, crossed over to her, and pulled her out of her chair into his arms. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”

“You might think that, Damon, but all of this is going to take time from you. The club, the adult store, now you want to expand the bookstore, and your toy business picked up a huge contract.” She shook her head. “You can’t do it all. I’ve seen too many people in DC overextend themselves and run into issues with their business.”

Damon’s lips brushed her cheek. “I promise you I’m not overextending. But I thank you for worrying about me. Trust me?”

“Yes.” She did. In her heart and in her life.

“Then trust me on this. Now, let’s clean up dinner and go back to bed.”

Tessa nodded and slipped out of his embrace, but her worry lay like a lead ball in her stomach.

* * * *

Damon met the real estate agent at ten on Saturday. The storefront had been empty for a while, so there was going to be work to do to clean it up and get things ready, but it made sense. He noted everything that needed to be done and put in an offer.

The real estate agent smiled, telling him she’d talk with the owner. Damon was aware he might have low-balled the offer a bit since the place had only recently been put on the market.

After meeting with the real estate agent, Damon went to the bank and talked with the loan officer. He was assured there would be no issue with a loan to buy the store. Damon also transferred money from his account into the Wicked Sanctuary account.

Once outside the bank, Damon called Max. “Hey Max, an FYI: I transferred money into the club accounts to help with the expansion.”

“You didn’t have to do that so quickly,” Max said.

“I was at the bank anyway, so figured it would be better to do it now than have to worry about it later.”

“So you’re in town.”

“I put in a bid on the store next to mine.”

“That’s great. Are you going to be able to float a loan to get it?”

Damon laughed. “I’m financially fine. There’s no reason to worry.”

“Sorry. Habit to worry about my friends.”

“Same goes here. Is there anything special on the agenda for the club tonight?”

“Nope. I’ve got you on DM duty from eight to ten and two to four.”

“Late night tonight.”

“I also figured we can talk with Colby and Zeke tonight to see if they’re willing to accept extra duties.”

---