Page 56 of Too Hot

“Rafe, I studied your questionnaire and hers before I gave them to you. You two fit well together. I knew you’d hit it off.”

“Are you playing matchmaker?” Somehow, it didn’t surprise him. All the women Max had paired up with Doms so far were in committed relationships.

“No. Most of the guys were already interested in their subs before they were put together at the club.”

“I was interested even though Brianna and I had only met once before we met at the club.”

“You did? Where?”

“Logan and I gave a talk at the elementary school where she teaches.”

“I didn’t know that.” Max polished off his sandwich. “I’m going to tell you what I tell a lot of the Doms who come to me for advice. Be open and honest with Brianna. I watched your scene last night; you two have a connection that is rarer than you think.”

“I’m being open and honest with her.”

“And encourage her to be the same. My experience with Sierra was once she became comfortable with me and the lifestyle, things fell into place. Also, you say this whole relationship thing is new to you. Maybe it’s new for her too.”

Rafe nodded. He’d never considered or asked if Brianna had been in any long term, committed relationships. Though just the thought made him want to snarl.

“I talked with Zeke and Gabriel. They believe they’ll have your fire play room ready in two weeks. Can you do a final walk through with them?”

“I can do it on Thursday after work or anytime on Friday when they’re done.” Anticipation flowed through Rafe. He was excited about this new venture with Max and the club.

“Okay. Do I need to provide you with any equipment?”

“Outside of what we’ve already discussed, no. I have all the supplies I need. I do have a question for you. What if there isn’t enough interest in fire play? You went to a lot of expense to create the room.” Rafe didn’t like the idea that Max might have wasted his money.

“There’s enough. Even if it’s just to watch. I’ve had more than a two dozen members ask me about it. Even more since the room has been modified.”

“You were always against it, so why now?” It had been part of the rules when he joined, which is why he only did it with his mentor or with specialized parties.

“Members were asking, and one of them is my wife. I reconsidered my stance, plus I spoke to King, and he made me aware how careful you are. That was enough for me.”

“I’d forgotten you talked to King.” Rafe shouldn’t be surprised. A lot of people knew of the others in the lifestyle.

“Yeah, we go way back.” Max grinned. “King mentioned to me he mentored you in fire play about two years ago so when the request came in, I decided it was time to chat with you.”

Rafe shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I like keeping my finger on the pulse of my members and my club. Once we expanded, I knew members would start asking for other things. Especially when more people were interested in Anthony’s knife play.”

“He handles knives the way I do fire. With finesse and care.”

“Which is why I asked you. Having the special room to do it in makes sense. I want us to be as safe as possible.” Max sipped his water. “That also reminds me, are there any areas of the club that you see need attention?”

Rafe thought for a moment. “Not really. You have fire extinguishers around the club; there will be two in the fire play room. Lara is extra careful with the hot food and the small hot boxes to keep the food warm. You also keep tape over the cords so no one trips. Are you concerned about something you want me to look at?”

Max shook his head. “Not really, but let me know if you notice something. Since the expansion was never part of the original house, I wanted it to be seamless. My great-grandfather used the original as an illegal gambling den. When I inherited the property, I knew it would be great for a club; it just took some years to get it up and running.”

“I’m glad you did. It gives us a safe space to play and has become quite popular.”

“I know.” Max rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “People have asked me to open a second one.”

“Are you?” That would be interesting.

Max shook his head. “I don’t have the time or the resources. Not that I would stop anyone who wanted to open a club. There are more than enough people in the lifestyle to go around.”

“But not everyone would run a club like you do.” Max was very safety conscious. While there had been incidents, most were in the first months after Wicked Sanctuary had opened.

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