Page 30 of Dark Bonds

“Be careful, Jason. You need to decide whether you just want her as a sub or if you want something more.”

“I know that. I don’t know what to do. We both agreed that this would be strictly a no hearts and flowers arrangement. I’ve never even had a relationship like that and I don’t know if I would even know what to do.”

“Have you considered just talking to her?”

“Fuck, no. I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now. I’m not going to risk losing her as a sub.”

“Don’t take too long figuring it out. The last thing she needs from you is mixed messages.”

“I’m working on it. I know I need to do something sooner rather than later.”

“Who knows? Maybe she’s starting to feel a little differently, too. Figure your shit out and then talk to her.”

“I will, Sasha. You know I would never intentionally hurt her.”

“I do know that, but she has become very important to me and I have no issue stringing you up in your room and leaving you there.”

“I don’t doubt that for even a minute,” I chuckled.

“Okay, I best get to those applications and you need to get your ass working, too,” she winked.

I rolled my eyes and headed for the bar to make sure all was well. Once I’d checked in, I went up to my office, sank into my chair, and thought about what Sasha had said. The shit with Leah had me more confused than I’d ever been. I was faced with the kind of decision I never thought I’d be facing. The fact I’d brought her into my home was already proof that she was more important to me than any of my past subs. Did that mean I was looking to have more with her or was I simply having some sort of mental break?

Knowing I couldn’t spend all night trying to figure things out, I started making the schedules for the coming weeks. Most of the other managers hated work like this, but I enjoyed it. It was like a puzzle I had to put together, trying to get everything in place. I pulled up the calendar of vacations and requested time off and got to work. A couple of hours later, I had finished them for the next month. My phone buzzed and I smiled when I saw Leah’s name.

Leah: Hey, handsome! How is it going at the club tonight?

Jason: It’s been productive so far. I still have paperwork to sort through, but I’m going to check to make sure everything is still okay downstairs. How is Raven?

Leah: She’s great. I’ve missed her. She’s been asking to get together with me for weeks, but I’ve been pretty focused on other things.

Jason: Like me and the club?

Leah: Yes. I’m not complaining, but if I don’t figure out a way to better balance things, my relationship is going to be even more strained than it already is.

Jason: I understand. Where is she right now?

Leah: She was in the kitchen, but she’s just come back in. I better go.

Jason: Okay, baby girl. Have fun tonight.

Leah: Thank you! Don’t work too hard! I’ll see you tomorrow.

Jason: Definitely. I’ll be at the club around 9:00 p.m.

Leah: I’ll be there

I set my phone down and leaned back in my chair. Maybe I was putting too much pressure on her to come to the club with me. I supposed I should probably talk to her about that, too. With a sigh, I got up from my chair and headed down the stairs. Thomas was running security in the club tonight, so I sought him out to talk to.

“Hey, Thomas. Any problems tonight?”

“No, everything has been quiet. I’ve increased security in the club and added an extra bouncer outside. So far, the only problem out there is that a couple of people who came to the door weren’t members. That’s pretty typical, though. People see the line-up and assume it’s going to be a regular club for them.”

“Good. Let either Cam or myself know if you see anything that shouldn’t be happening.”

“Will do, boss.”

I circled the club, looking for any potential problems. Unfortunately, there was one headed right for me. I groaned internally when Cindi launched herself at me. She wrapped her arms and legs around me like a fucking spider monkey. I carefully extricated myself from her and pushed her away from me.

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