Chapter 1

Kate Dubois was bored.

She looked down at the man nuzzling her bare ankle. She’d let him strip off the leather boot after he’d pleaded for the privilege, begged for ten minutes.

His lips ran over her ankle, soft kisses caressing her skin. He sighed as he worshipped her body.

A memory resurfaced of Carl, kneeling at her feet and doing the same. It’d been different, felt different—his body tensed up like a watch wound one twist too tight.

He looked up, and she knew it was over.

Kate gulped.

“Mistress?” Dan looked up at her with wide eyes. “Am I doing something wrong?”

Damn.

“No, pet. You’re perfect.” She reached down and patted his head before tangling her fingers in his long black locks. A gentle tug brought a moan from the kneeling man. “But I don’t recall giving permission for you to speak.” Kate ran her fingers along the leather collar. “Do you?”

The momentary flash of panic in his eyes warmed her heart.

She tapped the leather paddle she held in her left hand against her leg. “I thought not. I think a few strokes should remind you of your manners. Continue your venerations while I make my decision about how many you’ve earned with your disobedience.”

He shook with a mixture of need and fear before bending down.

Kate switched the paddle to her right hand and eyed the already pink skin on Dan’s exposed behind. She’d worked him over for a good half hour, bending him over his couch like an errant schoolboy.

He could take ten more strokes.

Maybe twenty.

Dan gasped as the black leather snapped against his sensitive skin, but said nothing, continuing to lick and kiss her bare foot.

Nineteen to go.

The soft chime from her phone reminded her she had fifteen minutes left. Kate smiled and continued the count.

Never leave a good job unfinished.

Never leave them fully satisfied.

She’d pulled on her track pants and sweatshirt while Dan was in the washroom, trading her boots for a pair of comfortable sneakers. Most times she could slip her trench coat on over her attire and leave, but it was a bright and sunny day outside and the coat would only raise more questions than it’d quell.

Dan met her at the door, wearing a pair of shorts and with a damp towel around his neck. The leather collar was gone, safely tucked away. He was still munching on the chocolate bar she’d given him during their post-session hugging. His pupils were focused and clear, showing her he’d come back to himself after the intense emotional trip.

“Thank you.” He held out his debit card. “Really needed this today.”

She smiled. “Glad I could help you.”

In another life, Dan was a high-priced lawyer, one of the best in the city. He ran his law firm with an iron grip and was famous for his vicious verbal attacks in court that eviscerated lesser lawyers and their clients.

Here, he was a bad boy needing to be punished and put in his place for imagined slights.

Dan couldn’t go to a regular BDSM club—the danger was too high he’d be recognized. Thus he’d become a client of Hooded Pleasures, the company Kate worked for.

In retrospect, she wondered why no one had thought of doing something like this before. Safe, sane, consensual and all within the privacy of your own home. There were plenty of men and women who wanted the experience but couldn’t or wouldn’t go to a club. Or who wanted the thrill without the relationship.

This was perfect.

She ran his debit card through the slot on her cell phone and handed it back to him. “Two weeks from now, then?”

He nodded, his steely blue eyes a thousand miles away from the meek sub she’d had at her feet earlier. “I have a big murder case coming up. Definitely need the time.”

“I understand.” Kate hefted the duffle bag onto her shoulder, the leather paddle safely tucked away with her other toys. “Please call the switchboard if there’s any change. I’ll see you then.”

He opened the door to let her out. “Nice sweats.”

Kate smiled, going with the joke. “Feel the burn.”

“Next time, then.” Dan raised his voice as Kate walked out into the hall. “Need to work on my cardio.”

It wasn’t for her benefit.

Kate nodded at the nosy little old lady neighbor who peeked out from two doors down.

Mrs. Henderson never missed a chance to eavesdrop on what happened on her floor.

Good thing Dan enjoyed the ball gag.

The woman scowled at her and shut the door, her regular routine accomplished. Kate resisted the urge to wave at her. There was a chance it might lead to a conversation, and she couldn’t risk it. Her cover story was good, but a dedicated busybody might try to poke holes in it, and that wouldn’t turn out well.

As far as anyone knew, Kate was a private trainer, coming to work Dan hard for two hours every two weeks.

Which she did, with pleasure.

Which he paid for, with pleasure.

Everyone got what they wanted.

Another success for Hooded Pleasures.

Her phone rang as she strolled out onto the sidewalk. She looked at the display and saw HP’s number come up.

Kate frowned. This wasn’t usual.

She’d sent her safe-word text to let Dispatch know she finished her appointment and was free to leave right after caring for Dan. It was mandatory at the end of every appointment without any exceptions, keeping both of them out of trouble.

Safe-words worked on both ends of the equation.

“Hello?”

“Kate. Tracy here.”

The head dispatcher. The one woman who, aside from the owners, knew who was where doing what to whom across the board. A powerful position, which was why Kate was very sure Tracy’s name wasn’t actually Tracy.

“Wendy wants you to come in for a meeting.”

Kate jaywalked across the busy street, hopping over the streetcar tracks. Toronto might have a great mass transit system, but she didn’t need to twist her ankle trying to avoid the thick metal strips.

Her car sat around the corner in a public parking lot, one of many set around the downtown core. There were few visitor spots at Dan’s apartment building, and she didn’t want to take one up on a regular basis.

“Is everything okay?” she asked. For a frantic second, she considered her last few minutes with Dan. “Are there problems?”

If he called and complained—

“No, no. Nothing like that. She wants to discuss a new client with you.”

Kate popped the trunk of her Ford Taurus and dropped the bag in. “I’m not interested in taking on anyone new. I’m happy with the workload I have now.” She resisted the urge to look around and see if anyone was listening.

“It’s a special case, and Wendy wants you.” The tone in Tracy’s voice left no room for argument. “Tomorrow morning at nine would be good.”

A Saturday? Must be special.

“I’ll be there. Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Tracy smoothly replied. “Dan called in and put a nice tip on your bill today. You must have been good.”

Kate laughed as she fumbled with her car keys. “Only he’ll ever know.”

The sky was a lovely combination of reds and blues, the cool breeze coming off of Lake Ontario racing through her open car windows. It was a lovely drive with little traffic and it wasn’t long before she pulled into her condominium’s underground parking.

The elevator let her off in the main lobby in front of the security desk, a necessary evil to keep the building as secure as possible.

She nodded at the security guard as she moved to the second set of elevators, the ones leading to the suites. He stared back, a stoic statue. Three years and he’d never said a word to her, never offered to call the elevator for her when she had packages, never looked curious when she came in at odd hours of the day and night and he was on duty.

He did his job and nothing more, nothing less.

The condo was a present from her parents, a graduation gift.

Guilty compensation for her years spent at boarding schools, far away from her mother, currently on her third marriage, and her father—last time she had heard from him he’d been dealing with yet another divorce, his second. They only got together for weddings and funerals, and there had been too many of the first and not enough of the second, in her opinion.

She tapped the light switch upon entering her home and toed off her sneakers to kick them against the wall. As she headed for the shower, she stripped off her clothing and tossed it into a nearby hamper. The condo offered laundry services, and she fully intended to take advantage of them as she always did.

Of course, some things she wouldn’t trust to the industrial-strength washers and dryers downstairs.

Like the leather corset in her duffle bag. Or the elbow-length lace-and-leather gloves that fit perfectly. The fishnet stockings.

And of course, the equipment.

There was a time when Carl had taken it on himself to clean it, to hand wash the delicate clothing and make sure the leather stayed supple and soft where it needed to be, stiff and unrelenting when it called for it.

Now she took care of it herself.

For the other intimates, there was a private dry-cleaner around the corner who didn’t ask any questions and delivered wonderful service.

The steam swirled up around her as the hot water washed off the last of Dan’s touches and heightened her annoyance with herself. She’d zoned out during their appointment, and that wasn’t good.

Zoning out itself wasn’t the problem. A good sub drifted into subspace, a good Domme into a glorious mindset where it all came together in a perfect fusion of mind and body, feeding off the gift her devoted sub gave her. Even if he was only hers for an hour or two, it was her job to be all she could be for him, to steal a popular phrase.

Flashing back to a failed relationship wasn’t acceptable.

It wasn’t professional.

It wasn’t healthy.

Dan deserved better.

She ducked her head under the spray and reached for her special shampoo before hesitating.

She shouldn’t use it, considering her failure with Dan. Her mind warred with itself, making arguments pro and con.

Pro won out. After all, he had left a tip instead of filing a complaint with Tracy.

She’d only received one complaint in her year of working for HP. A client who not only had whined about not getting his money’s worth but demanded a refund and extra for the loss of his expensive time.

He’d been stripped from her client list and, Tracy had whispered to Kate during the debriefing, dumped from the company after a second and third issue with the staff.

Kate hadn’t been his first Domme, but she’d been his last from Hooded Pleasures.

She scrubbed the peppermint-scented shampoo into her long black hair. The smell was lovely, a present to herself after every appointment.

After a good half hour of searing her skin, she stepped out and snagged a soft white robe off the waiting hook.

Another client.

What is Wendy thinking?

Kate rubbed her hair with a towel as she padded into the kitchen to select a snack. She’d eaten dinner before meeting Dan, but her stomach was growling, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep without something in her tummy.

She looked over the fast-food containers before picking out the remains of a steak burrito she’d had yesterday. All it needed was a few seconds in the microwave, and she’d be chomping down on a nice fat bundle of meat and rice.

I have a full schedule. Wendy knows that.

Tracy would have let me know if there’d been a problem with anyone else. Had there been, and she’s hiding it so Wendy can yell at me?

The inner dialogue continued on through her snack, an hour of late-night television, and followed her into bed.

Did I mess up again?

Like I did with Carl?

She forced the thought out of her mind. There was no reason to bring him into this.

No reason at all.

Kate fell into a troubled sleep, wondering how she’d managed to screw up this time.

“You got to be kidding me. A blind date?” Alex shook his head at the talking head on his computer screen. “No way.”

Mike was a good friend and a decent brother-in-law, but there was no way Alex was going to let him play matchmaker.

Hell, the guy couldn’t even make it to level ten of Skullbreaker IV.

With the cheat codes.

Mike took another sip of his soda. “I’m only trying to help you out.” He leaned back in the office chair and pointed at Alex through the screen. “You’re going to go nuts sitting there all day and night working. You need a break.”

“And going out to a club with some bimbo who only wants me to put a ring on her finger is the only option?”

“Whoa.” Mike put up his free hand. “I said nothing about bimbos. Jane and I know a lot of nice women who aren’t out to snag a husband on the first date. And who don’t want to go to clubs with a man who doesn’t dance. A nice restaurant, a nice evening out, maybe go see a movie. There’s plenty of lovely ladies out there searching for a good man.” He leaned in toward the screen. “Don’t paint them all with one brush because you had one bitch back in college bust your balls.”

“Madeline.” The name burned his lips. “Yeah, I know.”

His stomach churned as if he’d had five espressos in a row.

“She did you wrong,” Mike continued. “No one here disagrees with that. But you can’t let something that happened years ago keep you from finding happiness.”

Alex chewed his lower lip. “Yeah but—” He waved a hand at the computer monitors around him, the 3-D images swirling and dancing. “What woman is going to want to talk about computer games, much less date someone who helps make them?”

“Are you kidding me? You know well enough there’s plenty of women playing games online. The geek force demands it. And there’s plenty who would find coding damned sexy, or so I’ve been told by your sister. Not to mention you’ve been running your own business for years and rank right up there with the best when it comes to freelance programmers.” Mike pressed on. “But you won’t find anyone by sitting in your house all day. You’ve got to get out, find others who think the way you do.”

“And that’s by letting you two set me up?”

“You won’t know what you like until you try it,” Mike replied. “You’d be surprised at how interesting some of Jane’s friends might be. They’re into a whole lot of different things.”

Alex glanced to one side where a stack of books sat, the pages well-worn and creased with use.

I doubt they’re into my “different things.”

He chewed on his bottom lip again.

It wasn’t the right time to tell Mike.

It probably would never be.

Jane was a great sister and Mike a fantastic brother-in-law. But for all they shared in their lives, there were definitely some things Alex wanted to keep private.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find the right woman in time, I haven’t given up. But I want to find her on my own, not through friends setting me up on blind dates.” He smiled. “Nothing personal.”

Mike laughed. “I get what you’re saying. I told Jane you wouldn’t go for it, but you know her—gets an idea in her mind, and she’s like a dog with a bone. She just wants her little brother to be happy.”

“I love my sister, but tell her to butt out,” Alex said, grinning. “I’ll find someone on my own.” He looked at the digital clock at the bottom of the screen. “And I have to get back to work. We’re on deadline for Mercy Killer VIII.”

“Ooh.” Mike whistled. “Can’t wait. Be sure to send me a promo copy, ’kay?”

Alex nodded and waved good-bye before cutting the connection.

He waited until Mike’s image had faded fully from the screen before picking up one of the tattered books. The cover image was clear about giving clues as to the content, the leather collar prominently displayed on a field of black.

Alex swallowed, thinking of the application he’d filed a few weeks ago. He had been told he’d hear back this weekend regarding his inquiry.

He wasn’t sure what they were looking for but he knew what he needed.

The question hung in the back of his mind.

Am I really a submissive?

Or am I just playing a game with myself?

Alex fumbled through the book, finding the passages he’d marked with yellow highlighter. The sensual passages leaped off the page, sending a warm flush through his body at the vivid descriptions.

He bit his lower lip, resisting the urge to touch himself. It’d become a welcome habit, reading the erotica before going to bed and dreaming of being tied up, at the total mercy of a woman who would use and abuse him as she saw fit.

But that wasn’t what he was.

Was it?

He scanned the pages again, ignoring the sex scenes. He focused in on the descriptions of the men, their personalities and dialogue building the mental picture for him.

I’m not like these men, scraping and whimpering for attention, desperate for a woman’s touch.

I like being in charge. I built my business from scratch, I dictate my own terms of employment, and I’ve walked away from deals that didn’t work for me.

I can have any woman I want.

I’m an Alpha male.

Are you now? his inner voice barked. Then why do you love reading about letting go, letting someone else have the reins? Taking total control away from you? About handing yourself over to a woman and letting her do what she wishes with you?

He answered himself, closing the book with a snap.

Because there’s a void in my perfect Alpha male life.

I need to make my life complete, and this is it.

But I’m not sure.

And there’s only one way to find out.

Alex shifted, aroused by simply skimming the familiar chapters. It never failed to turn him on, making him want to find out his true nature even more.

None of that. You’ve got work to do.

He looked at the clock. Well past midnight, and he had another thousand lines of code to work on before going to sleep.

Putting the book to the side, he cracked his knuckles and pulled up the proper screen.

All work and no play—

The company’s office was set in downtown Toronto, taking up a whole floor in a very expensive building full of people who never would have guessed the listing of “HP” on the directory stood for Hooded Pleasures. Security at the front desk had strict instructions that any visitors had to be approved before going up to the offices, the same as many other businesses.

Kate tapped the ID card clipped to her belt and nodded to the guard as she walked by, heading for the elevators. She’d worn a simple T-shirt and jeans for this meeting, her leather jacket enough to keep the cool autumn weather at bay.

The middle-aged man didn’t say anything, but he glanced down at a clipboard on the desk before returning her greeting.

Guess I’m not on the banned list. Yet.

It was a short ride up to the fifth floor, the doors sliding open to admit her to what at first looked like a generic office space awaiting new residents.

There was no neon logo flashing the company name, no business cards on display, nothing to signal what HP was all about.

Which was exactly the way Wendy and Evan had designed it.

Kate turned to her left and headed down to the lone desk, smiling as she spotted Candy, the receptionist.

Behind the smooth smile, Candy was a black belt martial artist who drew a paycheck not only to watch the switchboard but also to keep the peace both inside and outside the offices. She helped keep the façade up and would expertly dispatch any curious wanderers with a smile and a gentle push back toward the elevator.

“Wendy is waiting for you.” The redhead nodded toward the door on her left. “Third door down the hall.” She resumed her reading of the latest issue of Mercs for Hire.

Kate walked through and heard the door lock behind her as she headed down the hall.

The majority of the rooms were for meetings with clients and prospective clients. At times, Hooded Pleasures ran training seminars offered free of charge for those Dommes wanting to take their skills to the next level.

It went without saying that all were soundproofed.

The third unmarked door led into a boardroom, the rosewood circular table stretching almost the length of the room. The plush leather chairs circled it like guards protecting the queen who sat at the opposite end.

Wendy McMaster stood up with a smile. “Kate.”

She wore her usual power suit—black and tailored to her body perfectly. Given Wendy was a plus-sized lady, it was a wonderful fit and flattering. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a tight braid, and she looked every inch the professional.

Her gentle smile belied a spine of steel, a plus in any business.

She took Kate’s hand. “Haven’t seen you in a while. Come on, sit down. I’ve already ordered coffee.”

Kate sat down beside her, sliding into the leather with an audible sigh. “I love these chairs.”

“Aren’t they the best?” Wendy ran her hand over the polished wood. “I schedule more meetings than I should in here just to enjoy myself.”

The door opened to admit a young man, no more than twenty, wearing only a black leather collar and black silk boxers. He held a tray in one hand and kept his gaze on the floor.

“Peter. Come in.” Wendy waved him onward. “Milk and sugar for both of us, correct?” She looked at Kate for confirmation.

Kate nodded.

Peter moved to the far end of the table and busied himself with making two cups, handling the delicate china with care. The silver set was polished to a bright shine that kept catching Kate’s attention along with the well-tanned man working with it.

“We have a new client.” Wendy slid the folder over to her. “A newcomer to the scene. I’d like you to take him in hand, so to speak.”

She opened the folder and looked at the photograph clipped to the front page.

Early thirties, dark short hair, a devilish smile.

Cute guy.

Kate forced her mind back into professional mode and looked over the pertinent details on the questionnaire.

Freelance programmer, specializing in online games. Came from money but worked hard to build his reputation and now in demand for his skills by a handful of major game manufacturers.

Interesting.

Kate hid her smile as Peter advanced on Wendy, holding the cup in both hands. He knelt down on one knee and offered it to her, eyes down.

“Thank you.” Wendy took the cup.

He returned to the far end of the table to retrieve Kate’s coffee and came back to assume the same position in front of her.

She watched him carefully, noting the way his hands began to tremble the longer she waited.

Kate looked at Wendy, waiting for her permission to take the coffee.

It was her scene, not Kate’s.

Wendy smiled and nodded.

“Thank you.” Kate took the china cup from the waiting man.

Peter let out a ragged sigh and returned to Wendy’s side. He knelt on the floor at her feet, eyes down.

She reached down and tugged at the metal ring at the front of the leather collar. “Well done. Now go, dump the coffee and clean the coffee set with the toothbrush I placed by the silver cleaner. I want to be able to see my reflection when you finish.”

Peter got to his feet. He bowed politely at Kate before retrieving the tray and leaving the room.

Wendy looked after the young man with a wistful sigh. “I’d keep him here and let us both have some fun with him, but I don’t like discussing clients in front of other clients.”

“I didn’t know you had some in-house,” Kate said.

“I usually don’t. But Peter is a friend of a friend, and I said I’d bring him in for a little training. He’s a fast learner—only a few disciplinary incidents, and I’m not sure if he didn’t misbehave on purpose to see what we’d do to him.” She smiled. “Love the young ones. So much easier to train. Anyway, back to our new client.” She reached over and tapped the file. “Alex Hanson. Read the books, watched the movies, and now wants to know what it feels like.” She paused. “Another curious one.”

“Another poser.” Kate frowned. “I’m tired of them. Suddenly it’s become chic to get into this, and it’s not—” She paused at Wendy’s upraised palm.

“You, me and everyone else in the lifestyle, trust me. I’ve bounced more than a few applications when we check into their references and it looks and smells odd. I don’t need any journalists exposing our clients to public scrutiny, and Evan doesn’t need to bail me out of jail after I slug a few of them for writing crap about us.” She tapped the file. “He’s passed through the preliminary checks. No news connections, nothing setting off alarms.”

Kate couldn’t help scowling. “Doesn’t mean he’s serious.”

“We were all new once, Kate.” Wendy ran her hand along the leather armrest. “We all started from the same place without anything more than a desire, a bit of research and a whole lot of curiosity.”

“True,” Kate conceded. “I’m just apprehensive about newcomers, I guess.”

“Tell me about it. Right now, it takes six weeks to get through our system and be accepted. There was a time when it was only four.” Wendy took another sip of coffee before continuing. “You’re a ‘light’ Domme, if I recall your preferences correctly. No shibari, no branding and so forth. Correct?”

Kate felt her cheeks burn.

Wendy shook her head. “I’m not judging you, believe me. Nothing wrong with what you do or what you like. It’s actually a fine fit for us to have a Domme who can play with the new kids without scaring them. I consider it a plus, not a minus.” She gestured at the file. “Especially when someone wants to see if it’s right for him. He doesn’t need a hard hand, not at least to begin with.”

Kate studied the photograph.

Definitely cute.

Kate looked up to see Wendy watching her.

She pushed the file away. “Why me?” Kate asked. “I’ve got a full schedule as it is. It’s not fair to my other—”

“Fair to Dan?”

That stopped her cold. Kate licked her lips, unsure of how to proceed.

“No, he didn’t complain. He wouldn’t. But Tracy picked up on your tone when she called you. You sounded wrong, out of sorts.” She frowned. “Are you burning out?”

Kate shrugged.

Wendy waited. She took another sip of coffee, her long slender fingers caressing the fine china.

Kate sighed. She knew better than to try to lie to Wendy. In this business, maybe more than any other, honesty was vital.

“Maybe. I don’t know.” She drank some coffee to delay more of an answer. “I zoned out for a minute or two while working with Dan. He never caught on, thank goodness.”

For a second, she flashed back to her good Catholic schoolgirl days and babbling her sins to Father Murphy.

Except she wasn’t going to get out of this one by murmuring a few Hail Marys.

“Let me guess. Carl?” Wendy sat back in the chair. “Am I right?”

Kate felt her chest tighten.

“You know it wasn’t your fault.”

She couldn’t breathe.

Wendy pointed at Kate’s coffee cup. “Drink something before you faint. I’m not going to have Peter come in here to drag you out by the elevators for the paramedics.” She huffed. “Not going to have them poking around my offices, thank you very much.”

Kate picked up the delicate china.

“I know the power of memories.” Wendy lowered her voice. “They can fuck you up something awful.”

Kate choked on the coffee. She’d only heard a handful of swear words from Wendy in their time together.

“When I offered you this job a year ago, it came with the promise you would be able to do what you like, what you love without any emotional attachments. That’s what you wanted, what you needed back then.” She reached out and squeezed Kate’s hand. “You’re a good Domme. An excellent one. And a good woman. You deserve happiness. Don’t let this one stumble define you.” She scowled. “The fault lies in Carl and the decision he made.”

Kate nodded. She didn’t know what to say, what argument to make to counter Wendy’s faith in her.

If she was a good Domme, she wouldn’t have failed Carl.

Or let Dan down.

“Don’t do that,” Wendy warned. “I can see what you’re thinking.”

No you can’t, Kate’s inner voice screamed. You can’t know how afraid I am that you’ll fire me.

“Don’t worry.” Wendy took another sip. “I’m not going to fire you. It happens to all of us at times—your mind ducks out of the scene, and it takes a few minutes to bring it back.” She eyed Kate. “But you know that. You spent enough time at the club, you know how your mind works.”

The words scalded Kate’s soul. She nodded, staying quiet.

“You know you aren’t banned from Boots ’n’ Chains,” Wendy said softly. “You can come back anytime. Matthew made it quite clear. Anyone opens their mouth and—” She snapped her fingers.

“I know.” Kate waved her hand in the air. “I’m still too burned out to go to the club and look around. With Dan, it was just a case of getting tired, letting the mind go wandering instead of focusing on the task at hand.” Kate pushed the empty coffee cup across the polished wood. “It happens. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of employees with the same issue.”

“Yes, we have.” Wendy nodded, rolling with Kate’s change of topic. “It’s a vocational danger.” She swept one arm at the walls. “People come and people go. No one stays here forever.”

“You do. And Evan.” As soon as she said it, she regretted it.

Wendy smiled. “But we own Hooded Pleasures. Not the same thing, hmm?” She put her cup down, carefully positioning it on the saucer. “People burn out all the time here. Employees and clients. Employees burn out because they don’t have the ability to stay disconnected from their clients, keep that emotional space between them. Clients decide they want a change, so they ask for another man or woman and/or get the nerve up to go to a club and seek out a more personal commitment. Some people come in for something, find it and leave. Some stay out of fear there’s no other place for them to go. Nothing in this business lasts forever.”

“Love does.” The words were out before she realized what she was saying.

Wendy arched an eyebrow. “Yes, it does. And those are very deep thoughts for so early in the morning.” She rotated the cup a fraction of an inch, lining the handle up with the delicate brushstrokes on the saucer. “I want you to assess Alex before adding him to your portfolio. He’s done the questionnaire and cleared our investigations. The next step is an interview here in the office, where you can decide if you can work with him. He clears that, and we schedule your first appointment at his house. You’ve done this before, nothing new.”

Kate touched the glossy photo again. “If I’m burning out, why do you want me to interview him? Wouldn’t it be better to fire me and be done with it? What makes you think seeing a new client is going to make a difference?”

Now it was Wendy’s turn to shrug. “I’m a kind and generous woman. Not to mention I hate the word ‘fire.’ Maybe you need a breath of fresh air, a new challenge.”

“Fresh air?” Kate repeated. “Have you been reading those psychology magazines again?”

Wendy laughed. “Everyone needs a bit of a shake-up in their lives now and then. If you were a sub, I’d give you to Evan for a few sessions, let him clear your mind. Since you’re not, I’ve decided to try something else. I’ve already sent a note over to Dan. I asked him if he’d allow Lydia to visit him and see if he’d approve. Give him a bit of a change, and she’s in the market for a new client. If he likes her, it works out well for all involved.”

Except for me.

“So, you are punishing me.” Kate sighed.

“No,” Wendy said. “There’s no one else who I feel is right for this fellow. In my opinion, he’s looking for a gentle but firm hand, and I trust you to do what’s right for him. If he’s a poser, you toss his ass—if he’s a natural sub, you smack it. I’m pulling Dan because I need you focused on Alex Hanson. No distractions.” She reached over and tapped the folder. “Let me have him come in for an appointment, and you check him out. See if he’s seriously interested in pushing his limits or just blowing smoke from all the smut he’s been reading.”

“Okay.” Kate closed the folder. “But no promises. I reserve the right to toss him back if I don’t want him.”

“As with all your clients.” Wendy smiled. “You know it’s in the agreement you signed with us. If it doesn’t work out with him, I’ll find someone else and give you another client. It’ll all even out in the end. Okay?”

“Yes,” Kate admitted.

“Tracy will call when she’s got the appointment arranged.” Wendy gestured toward the door. “Thank you for coming in. I hope we can make things work out for all of us.”

Kate stood up, accepting the dismissal.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Kate,” Wendy said as Kate walked out. “You don’t deserve it.”

Yes, I do.