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"Looks like you’re doing so on hed "Bullshit Spill the details, ain What’s going on?"

"Fuck, Cody, I don’t knohere to start"

"I see I had reason to be worried about you Co over the years And I "

"I know that," he said softly In souys at the Rawhide Club than he ith his brothers

"Then talk to me"

"Remember that friend of Layla’s?" Cody nodded "We ran into each other in Sundance after that weekend at the club She’s just moved there, so we’ve been playin’ at my house, on a trial basis because she’s not convinced she’s cut out for a Dom/sub relationship It’s ended up co on because I have feelings for her Like hardcore I-think-I’s"

Cody whistled "Did you tell her?"

"No" Ben knocked back a s of beer "Because I know she doesn’t feel the same way I was an experiment A failed one; she wanted me because I was a Dom, and now she doesn’t want me because I’o, Ben"

"I thought I had Now I don’t know"

Cody clapped hiave et on with it"

Ben snorted "And that’s worked for you…how? You’re still fucking in love with Kristin You’re still waiting for her to walk back through that door"

"And hell will freeze over before that happens, so don’t be a duet with Bennett Line up another sub That’ll take the sting out of it"

But I don’t want another sub I want Ainsley

"I recognize that look Listen to me Don’t be a pathetic motherfucker Move on Because we both know once a sub’s ot an excuse not to be with you as you really are, there’s no going back" Cody squeezed his shoulder and left hiht Which hy Ben hadn’t wanted to talk to him in the first place

Soloo Ben and took seats at his table The couple had been married thirty years and recently committed to a dominant and submissive relationship

Mary Jane liked a bite of pain Cliff, a novice with brute strength, had gotten coer and a cane, but shied away fro the whip on Mary Jane while Cliff watched When Mary Jane reached her happy place, Ben left the scene No hard-on, no hard feelings

"Bennett Haven’t seen you in a while"

"It’s been a fe are things with you?" He addressed his comments to Cliff, since they followed traditional protocol in the club and Mary Jane kept her eyes averted

"Good Is everything all right?" Cliff asked

He sighed "I’ve got a few things onwe can help with?"

Ben looked from Cliff to Mary Jane Maybe it was fated they ended up at his table tonight, given the last couple days He knew Mary Jane had a high-powered job as an oil coht on what’d happened with Ainsley "Would you allow me to speak freely to your sub, Cliff?"

"Mary Jane? You have permission to speak to Bennett"

"Thank you, Sir" Mary Jane raised her eyes to Ben’s "What e question, but would your job be affected if anyone you worked with discovered you were a sexual subht now? Probably not"

See? Ainsley was justup excuses not to be with you

"But bear inwo out? Especially in a male-dominated industry? That would be the kiss of death for my career"

Ben froze

"Also remember I’m a sexual suble wo passed from Dom to Dom in this sex club That’s also an entirely different situation"

Ben’s hopes that the obstacles he and Ainsley faced would soan to fade

Mary Jane tapped her fingernails on the table "The reason Cliff and I insist on almost total privacy here is because ofout I liked to be whipped by a stranger And I’ fro the crap out of women you have no sexual interest in"

Ben frowned

"No offense, Bennett, but I don’t want to get to know you E or floggingthe man I love to whip me until I almost pass out"

"But it’s different when I wield the whip?"

"Yes Because when you’re landing strikes on my body I bear them for him To show him I can take it I share the joy and pain with Cliff, not with you To put it in the siood guy ill take care of me when it’s all done"

Holy shit Was that really how she saw hiize to Bennett for insulting hiht, Cliff," even when it wasn’t Fuck He felt he’d just been kicked in the teeth and kneed in the nads

"I’ll be honest, Bennett Your blows sting like hell I’ve been te whipped does nothing for Cliff, but he understands it does so for me"