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As Charlotte ushered Hannah inside the club, she said, “You must have made quite an impression last night, girlfriend. Anthony told me of his invitation to you to spend a little time up at The Enclave. You totallyhaveto do it. You know that, right?”
“Um,” Hannah hedged. “I should probably wait and see what theterms are?”
Charlotte chuckled. “Okay, okay. For me, it would be a no-brainer. I keep forgetting how new you are to all this.” She placed a light hand on Hannah’s shoulder. “Listen, I have to handle some club business on my laptop, but it shouldn’t take too long. After you talk to Anthony, let’s grab a quick bite? I want to know every detail about what happened last night and whatever y’all talk about this morning. Deal?”
“Deal,” Hannah replied with a grin.
“Come on back. I’ll let Anthony know you’re here.”
Hannah had never been in the club except at night when it was dimly lit and filled with people. The place looked and felt different in the daylight. Windows that were covered with black blinds at night were now open. There was none of the edgy, breathy excitement, no sounds of whips snapping and subs moaning, no crush of people clad in leather and chains, gear bags slung over their shoulders, craving adventure. Even so, just being in the presence of all the sexy bondage, torture and restraint devices caused her panties to moisten, her nipples to stiffen.
As she followed Charlotte toward the back of the dungeon, she noticed a bondage rack identical to the one at The Enclave where she’d experienced her virgin BDSM scene. Her imagination immediately placed her under the rack, arms raised, wrists cuffed, Mason standing behind her. The memory awakened a number of conflicting feelings, none of which she had time to ponder just then.
Charlotte lifted the red satin drape that hung over the pocket door that led to Anthony’s office. She tapped lightly on the door. “Hannah’s here, if you’re ready for her.”
A moment later, Anthony emerged from his office. He looked elegant, as always, today dressed in dark gray slacks and a white linen shirt.
“So nice to see you again,” he said, taking both Hannah’s hands in his as he had done the night before. “Please come into my office. We have much to discuss.”
Hannah glanced back at Charlotte, who gave her a thumbs up.Stomach fluttering with nerves, she followed Anthony across the threshold. The space was set up more like a sitting room than an office, with comfortable-looking caramel-colored leather chairs and a matching sofa dominating the space. There was a small desk with a marble top in the corner, atop which sat an open laptop.
“Please, have a seat,” Anthony said. “We have soft drinks, water and white wine.” He waved toward a small refrigerator with a glass front. “Would you like something?”
“Water would be good,” Hannah replied, her mouth suddenly dry.
She perched on one of the chairs, as nervous as if she were at a job interview. Anthony handed her a bottle of water and sat in the chair catty-corner from hers.
They exchanged a bit of small talk, during which Hannah relaxed somewhat. She set the bottle of water on the small table beside her chair and sank back into its comfortable cushions.
“So,” he said, leaning back and crossing his legs. “Now that you’ve had a little time to process your feelings, are you still interested in returning to The Enclave?”
Hannah instantly thought about the way she’d flounced out of Mason’s kitchen. It would be embarrassing to see him again. On the other hand, no way was she going to blow an amazing opportunity because she’d overreacted to the cocky chef’s teasing.
“Yes,” she said to Anthony, putting Mason firmly out of her mind. “I’m very interested. I would like to learn more about how the slave training program operates. And I’m very curious about the day-to-day dynamics of a 24/7 BDSM community. With your permission, I’d love to write an Angelique Rose series about The Enclave—of course changing the names and location to protect your privacy.”
“I’m sure Lucia and the other girls would love that,” Anthony said. “And, yes, as long as I am afforded the right to review your manuscript to assure there’s nothing there that might compromise our privacy, I am amenable to your presence as a writer-in-residence.”
Writer-in-residence. That had a very nice ring to it, and Hannahsmiled. “That would be wonderful. I think I’m finally ready to get back to work. I haven’t been able to write a word since…” She hesitated, but then remembered Anthony had lost his wife as well. “Since my husband passed away.”
Anthony nodded soberly. “I understand. Grieving can feel so large that it crowds out everything else. Loss can feel so all-consuming that you doubt you’ll ever recover.”
His sad tone and the flash of pain that momentarily lit his features made it clear to Hannah he was talking about himself.
He blinked suddenly, the pain replaced by a sympathetic smile. “I’m glad you’re finding yourself able to return to the business of living. And I’m glad you found the courage to scene with us, Hannah. That was an act of bravery. Don’t think I’m not aware of that.”
Hannah smiled, both pleased by his praise and a little embarrassed. “I guess it was pretty obvious, huh? I might as well have been wearing a sign on my back: clueless newbie.”
“Not at all,” Anthony said, smiling back. “Lack of experience is not the same as cluelessness. You handled yourself exceptionally well, especially when things took an unexpected turn.”
Hannah barked a nervous laugh. “Unexpected is one way to describe it.” Heat rushed into her cheeks as she recalled Mason’s large hand between her legs, his erection hard against her back as he brought her to the most powerful orgasm of her life.
Anthony frowned. “Mason was out of line last night. I spoke to him just before I came down the mountain. He hadn’t realized quite how inexperienced you were.”
Oh, great. Mason got yelled at because of her. No doubt it further confirmed his belief she was an imposter wannabe, hanging on the edges of the scene like some kind of groupie. She didn’t know how to respond directly to what Anthony had just said, so she sidestepped it.
“So, what would it entail, exactly? Me coming to The Enclave as a writer-in-residence?” She definitely liked the sound of that.
“Well, to tell you the truth, Hannah,” Anthony said, leaning forward in his chair so their knees were almost touching, “I have something more in mind.”
