Page 14 of Disciplining Dana

“It’s… umm...”

“Listen”—Dana pointed her wineglass toward him—“could you just cut to the chase here?”

“Rawhide Ranch isn’t for… vanilla people. It caters to a very specific clientele.”

“Vanilla people? A specific clientele?” she repeated, her voice dubious.

“Yeah.” Kurt rubbed his hand over his lower jaw. “Rawhide Ranch tailors its services to people in the lifestyle. It’s a place for Dominants to find a submissive, and for submissives to find their Dominant.”

Dana set her glass down slowly. “Are you yanking my chain?”

“Nope. Swear to God.”

“And you know this, how?”

“Bits and pieces I picked up talking to people at munches, different clubs, other places.”

“So, you mean to tell me the mine I isolated as potentially having a rare earth mineral deposit sits on a dude ranch that’s also a BDSM resort?”

“In so many words.”

“That’s insane.”

And it was. Going into the jungles of South America and slipping past rebels to investigate a mine long dormant was one thing, as Indiana Jones as it sounded. But going to a mine that sat on a resort catering to people in the lifestyle? That was treading into some serious “you can’t make this shit up” territory.

“What was it you said earlier?” Kurt asked pointedly. “‘And yet here we are.’”

Dana shook her head slowly. “Please tell me this is all an elaborate joke on your part.”

“Sorry, no can do.”

Dana eyeballed Kurt across the table as a wry grin tugged up the corners of his mouth.

“This is crazy,” she murmured.

“I agree, but it is a unique opportunity. And it’s certainly bound to be more fun than what we just went through in Argentina.”

“Fun? I think you mean awkward. What the hell would make going to this place fun?”

“Well, I mean… c’mon, Dana.” His grin turned sly.

She gaped. “Oh my God. Are you serious?”

“I’m just saying, as long as we’re there… we could make it fun.”

“No.” Dana shook her head vehemently before taking a gulp of her wine. “Listen, you and I are friends with benefits, nothing more. We made that clear to each other from the very beginning.”

“And how would having fun at Rawhide Ranch affect that?”

“Because I may be a submissive in the club and bedroom, but I’m not looking for my ‘Dominant’.” She made air quotes with her fingers.

“Don’t be pedantic. Just ’cause that’s a service they offer doesn’t mean it’s the only reason people go there.”

“Oh, yeah? You sure of that?”

“I’m…” He paused. “I’m fairly sure.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

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