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Somehow, Beau made it through the week. His latest research paper kept him busy during the day and by the time Friday finally rolled around, he’d made good headway on the project. He’d spent his evenings quietly, working out, reading and watching the rest of theJustifiedseries.
He hadn’t yet returned to The Garden, not wanting to run into Lia. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her. It was that he wanted to see her too much.
His microwave dinner had just dinged when a text came in from Mark.
Hey, there. I know it’s last minute, but why don’t you pop up to The Enclave tonight around 10? Julian’s got some buddies in from London and we’re having a dungeon party to celebrate. Bring Lia.
Beau sank into a chair as he thumbed back a response.
I haven’t been in touch with Lia since last Friday. The training contract ended and I thought it was best to set some boundaries.
Even to himself, he sounded like a pompous ass. But Mark, being a guy, took him at face value.
No kidding? Okay, then. Bring anyone you want. Or just come solo.
Having his pick of trained slave girls and the use of their awesome dungeon facilities should have been a no-brainer. If nothing else, it would be an excellent distraction from his looping thoughts. So, why was he even hesitating?
He still hadn’t replied to the text when Mark sent another.
And be sure to bring your ropes, man. That kinbaku scene you did with Lia for us was so hot I thought the dungeon was going to burn down.
Beau had almost forgotten there had been anyone there witnessing their final, intense session together. He’d been so utterly focused on Lia as he lovingly wrapped her like a gift in his ropes. Her delicate beauty, her vulnerability and her trust had taken his breath away. With each added loop and knot, the bond between them had deepened.
That was the problem in a nutshell. As ridiculous as it was to admit, he didn’t want to scene unless it was with Lia. Christ, what was happening to him?
Thanks for the invite, but I think I’ll take a raincheck.
What’s going on, dude? You sure you’re okay?
Sidestepping the question, Beau thumbed back:
I have no idea how you guys do what you do and stay sane. How do you avoid getting emotionally involved with your trainees? How does that kind of intensity not fuck with your head, not to mention with your personal relationships? Do you have some kind of emotional switch you can just turn off at will? Because try as I might, I wouldn’t be able to manage that, and especially not week in and week out.
Instead of an answering text, a call came in from Mark.
Before Beau could even say hello, his friend blurted, “What’s really going on here, Beau? If I read between the lines of what you just wrote and factor in your comment about boundaries, I’m getting the strong vibe that you’re not really asking a generic question about training. I think what I’m actually hearing here is that you’re falling in love and it’s freaking you out.”
Beau barked a harsh laugh. At the same time, he couldn’t deny the jolt of truth in Mark’s words. But, no. That was crazy. Impossible.
“In love?” he exclaimed. “That’swhat you got from my texts? You’re nuts. I worked with her for six days. End of story.”
“No,” Mark asserted with a chuckle. “It’s actually just the beginning, assuming you can get your head out of your ass. But I think I just figured out what the hell your issue is.”
“Oh, great,” Beau replied sarcastically. “I can’t wait to hear this.”
“You’ve never trained objectively before.”
“Meaning?”
“Before Lia, your past experience with slave training was within the context of a personal relationship. Am I right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“You haven’t had the chance to train people with whom you have no emotional connection. Because that’s how we do it here at The Enclave, Beau. We work with dozens of trainees every year, and while we always strive to bring out the best in them, we’re not emotionally invested. Except when we are,” he added with a guffaw.
Beau blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay. I have no fucking idea what you’re saying, Mark.”
