I walked off thinking that Sharlena’s talk of auras, need for reassurance, and other quirks might scare away most men. But there had to be someone out there who wouldn’t be afraid to be with her. She had such a good heart. She deserved someone special.
I took my time circling the second floor. We’d been seated together in an alcove in a small seating area. I scanned constantly to see if anyone captured my attention, either to play with or to do more.
I saw a few of my previous partners of both varieties. Two were with others. But one wasn’t. She saw me looking and rushed over. Tessa had once been Mikhail’s submissive. It was over long before he met Tajah. Tessa hadn’t committed to a permanent Dom since Mikhail. She seemed content to play the field. She and I had scened together a couple of times, and both had ended in sex. She was fine as both a rope bunny and a casual sex partner. She didn’t make me want to run screaming to get away from her.
“Hello, stranger, it’s been too long since I saw you. Where have you been hiding?” she asked.
“Hello, Tessa. I haven’t been hiding, just not here.”
“Well, since you are here now, would you have a drink with me? Let’s catch up.”
I allowed myself to say yes. We caught a waitress and asked for drinks. Since we were up here, we refrained from requesting anything alcoholic. Tessa led me to a dark corner that had a chaise.
We chatted about superficial stuff. At Lustz, I was known as Savage Sinner, or Sinner. I kept my true identity protected. I refused to have my company targeted due to my personal life. Not everyone used false names, but some did. I wasn’t sure whether Tessa was her real name. It had never mattered enough to ask.
She told me her job had been good lately, but she wanted to change it up. Tessa wasn’t sure where to go. I knew she worked in marketing, but that was it. My company was looking for a new marketer. I hesitated to mention it because it would cross a line, so I kept quiet. If by some chance she were to apply, I would give her the same consideration as any other applicant.
I shared that I was in the middle of some changes at work that should improve things. I hadn’t told her that I owned the company. Our drinks came. As we drank them, we kept chatting about Nashville news, restaurants we’d tried, and more.
It was about half an hour into it that Tessa asked, “Sinner, I love spending time with you. I’ve missed our other time together even more. Would you like to play tonight? Or do more?”
Tessa was an attractive woman who had no problem getting men and women to hit on her and more. However, as I let her words sink in, I knew what my brain had been telling mesince we sat down. I wasn’t interested in tying up or fucking her. My cock didn’t even twitch at the prospect of it.
“Tessa, I appreciate you giving me a part of your night. It was good to catch up, but I have to say no to anything more. I’m not feeling it tonight. I’m sorry.”
Her disappointment was clear to see, but she gave me a tight smile. “I wish there were something I could say or do to convince you to give it a try, but I won’t. I can see you mean it. Hopefully, the next time I see you, you’ll be in the mood to have fun. I should go.”
I stood when she did. I hugged her. I watched as she walked off. Men and women turned to watch her. I knew she wouldn’t be alone for long. I made my way back to where I left Sharlena and Sawyer. They were gone. I made a full circuit of the floor, waving and acknowledging those I recognized, but I kept moving, discouraging talk or more.
When I left Lustz, I was alone with my mind occupied by thoughts of Anastasia Shah. Clearly, I needed to think through Sawyer’s suggestion to ask her out. First, though, I needed to be sure it was for more than sex.
Anastasia: Chapter 5
I wiped my sweaty palms on my scrub bottoms, made sure my shirt was tucked in neatly, and that my face wasn’t too flushed. Noting I was as good as I was getting, I left my office and made my way to room two. Before knocking, I took a deep cleansing breath and blew it out. My knuckles rapped twice on the door.
Hearing the word “Enter,” I opened the door and walked into the room.
“Good afternoon, Reign. How is your back feeling?” I asked.
I finally met his gaze after I got the greeting and first question out of the way. It didn’t help. His intense green eyes were glued to my face. He wasn’t exactly frowning, but he appeared to be concentrating on something. I waited for him to answer. It was a few heartbeats before he did.
“Hello, Anastasia, I’m doing okay. The back feels decent. The pain is certainly less. I still feel twinges at times when I twist too far. But compared to when I first came, it’s much better.”
“I’m so happy to hear that. The twinges, as you call them, will happen for a while. The muscles, ligaments, and tendons in that area were beaten and stretched further than they should’ve been.”
“I get that. How many more sessions do you think it’ll take to have me fully back in business?” Reign asked.
“It depends on what you mean by back in business. If it’s being able to move and do ordinary things without pain, then I’d say at least this week, possibly next. If you mean able to go out on a rope and do that kind of dangerous work, where you’re lifting and tugging on things as well as shielding people, I believe you should rest it totally for two months, at a minimum.”
“Goddamn it,” he muttered.
“Why are you asking? I thought you were the boss. Surely, you don’t have to do that kind of thing often.”
“Have to? You’re right, I don’t. Want to? That’s another story. I like to keep myself in practice and condition. You never know when I might need to do it. Plus, I like the work. It’s what I did for years before I started my own company and grew it large enough to hire others to do it for me. Do you have to take patients’ blood pressures, or help get them into position, or all the other stuff you do?” Reign countered.
“No, I don’t, but I enjoy doing it,” I replied.
“Then you know what I’m talking about. What would you like to do this time?” he asked.
