Page 16 of With this Ring

“Catrina is at a conference.”

Explains a lot.

A lifetime ago, Gregorio had been married. Maybe he still would be if he’d paid half the attention to his wife as Damien did to Catrina. “When is she back?”

“Monday night.”

By unspoken accord, they moved into Damien’s office.

“Whiskey?” Damien offered. “Cheap-ass owner of the company finally sent me a bottle.”

Gregorio schooled his face. Cheap-ass Damien could afford as much of the world-renowned single malt as he wanted. Maybe that hadn’t been true for a time, but Damien had pulled himselfback from beyond the brink of disaster to reach even higher levels of success, something Gregorio admired.

“Thanks.” He shook his head. “No.” Because he wasn’t a cheap-ass, Gregorio had his own bottle of the limited release in his cottage.

Sometimes the fine distillate was the only thing that got him through the night, but because he wanted to be as sharp as possible, he never drank while on duty.

Damien nodded. “Don’t mind if I do.”

He pulled out the exquisite bottle and a glass, then measured out a couple of fingers. Drink in hand, he took a seat behind his desk and leaned back. “Update me.”

Gregorio dropped into a nearby chair.

Because Damien had been busy, they’d missed their last couple of weekly meetings, which likely said something about how much he trusted his second in command to keep things running smoothly, confidence Gregorio appreciated. “First cabin was finished this week.”

Damien lifted his glass in Gregorio’s direction. “Ahead of schedule.”

“Ready for your inspection.” The designer would be adding final soft touches in the coming days.

Plans to expand the property and add more amenities had been underway for years. Focused on that goal, Damien had methodically acquired adjoining pieces of land.

Not only did he plan on maintaining the Den’s status as the premier BDSM club in a five-state region, but soon members would be able to stay overnight instead of being shuttled back and forth to Winter Park.

“Bunkhouse is almost done.” And it was looking good. “The hall should be finished within the month.”

“Impressive.”

The gathering space with a full chef’s kitchen would be an ideal setting for weddings, collaring ceremonies, special events, parties, maybe even slave auctions.

Which meant Gregorio would be assuming a bigger role, but he wasn’t always around to fill it.

Recently they’d hired Ryder Wolfe, a young Dominant who’d turned out to be a great asset, even if he was too damn cocky for Gregorio’s tastes.

As if following the direction of his thoughts, Damien asked, “How’s the pup doing?”

“You mean the internet sensation?”

Damien sipped his beverage.

A BDSM video production company filmed at the Den, and Wolfe was their new super star. The videos he appeared in had more downloads than almost all of the other talent combined.

No doubt the Dom was part of the reason this ladies’ night had sold out.

But Gregorio wasn’t complaining.

The production company had just signed a new contract, booking additional days every month. As a result, he’d bumped the fee substantially. Wolfe’s appeal was putting cash in everyone’s pocket, which had been part of the reason they were able to speed up development of the rest of the property. “He’ll be doing a demo with Lillith.”

The woman was beautiful and willowy. He’d watched Wolfe interact with professional submissives in videos. Even though Lillith was not an actress or model, the pair promised to make a captivating team.

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