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Beth huffed a laugh She’d never met anyone as difficult to read as Master Z Jessica was a brave woain, Master Nolan had been just as i in his face had revealed his emotions "Hoell do you know Master Nolan?" she asked before she could stop herself

"Nolan? Not that well" Jessica leaned back, tipping her face to the sun "He and Z are friends, but he just got back a few o fro up on his business"

Keeping her face averted, Beth leaned forward and tugged out a volunteer i soldier?"

"Z said… Let’s see…" Jessica thought for a ht He had a ineering or soone a year" Jessica leaned forward and stared down at Beth "You’re not planning to ask Nolan to top you, are you? I oing… Uh, I’et to the club till late last night, huh?" Beth gave her a rueful smile

"Yeah Cullen said you’d been in and left So did you reen eyes "Telltime since she’d had someone to really talk with, not since she married Kyler, and he’d systematically cut her off from everyone Did she even kno to be a friend any, you know," Jessica said gently "But I get lonely for girl talk soets what BDSM is all about" And that was as open an offer of friendship as Beth had ever received

"I take it Master Z didn’t et the entire long root Master Z didn’t allow herbicides "He said Nolan would top me in the club, and if that didn’t work out, he’d cancel my membership"

Jessica blinked in shock "He can’t do that"

"He can" Beth shrugged, although her heart waro yell at hi to be mean He wanted to help; I know that It’s just…Master Nolan’s a bit scary" And wasn’t that the understate Hannibal Lector only eats low-carb le escape her, then another when Jessica rolled her eyes, and then she was really, really laughing

Tears filled her eyes, not fro in her So she still had some eht ones

Saturday night, Beth walked through the open doors of the Shadowlands, head high, shoulders back Although her stomach was in knots, she knew her appearance was adequate Since Kyler had been out of tohen she’d run, she’d had time to load her car with her clothes and the few mementoes he hadn’t broken Most of it was totally unfit for a lawn service, but, hey, she had soht, she’d tried on every last piece before settling on a golden PVC bustier with olden wrist cuffs Would Master Nolan approve? People said the color brought out the highlights in her red hair, but she never felt very pretty Not anymore God knew Kyler hadn’t found her attractive Titless, bony, stick-figure, dead-fish white She’d known he liked hurting her, and still the derogatory coo as inevitably as the ocean turned cliffs into rubble

She felt like rubble soht she had gazed in the ht Even if she couldn’t really believe it

"Good evening, Miss Beth," said the guard standing behind the desk

"Hi, Ben," she said Ben was so big and ugly and sweet He rerinned "Nice outfit"

The co confidence She beamed at him "Thank you"

He checked her off the membership list and waved her toward the door to the bar As she stepped into the main club roo her into its lure In the right corner, the dance floor churned with people, ht’s e thethe mood down