On my way to our booth, I saw the omega gulp his drink and head for the door, looking so stressed, I wanted to veer off and catch him, find out what was wrong and fix it. My wolf agreed that was the perfect idea. But it made no sense. I didn’t know the guy, and he hadn’t acted as if he wanted to change that. Besides, I was here only for the meeting, not to meet someone.
If only my wolf hadn’t awakened and wanted to spend more time with the omega. Like me, he was also worried about what had the omega sad. He wanted to do whatever it took to make him smile.
“Earth to Liam?” Andreas was looking up at me from the leather seat. “You’ve been standing there for at least two minutes holding our drinks. Unless they’re both for you?”
“No.” I set the two glasses down and slid onto the bench across from him. “Sorry, woolgathering.”
“This place can have that effect. After we talk, if you like, I’ll give you the grand tour.”
“I’d appreciate that. Just the stations I can see from here are intriguing. The clubs I have visited over the years were not anything like this.”
“Right? This one is pretty extraordinary, and that’s why I bought into it instead of just being a member. That’s great, too, but it’s so well managed that my investment is already paying.”
I sipped my whiskey, considering what he’d just said. As my business thrived, I was putting away a nice chunk of change. “Interesting.”
“So, about the project I brought you here to discuss. If you haven’t guessed, it’s club-related.”
Pushing the omega and an inkling of another idea to the back of my mind, I pulled out my phone and prepared to listen. “Go on.”
“We’ve purchased the buildings on either side of this one and are expanding the club. That’s going very well, but we find ourselves with open space, essentially the side yards of each building, which we can adapt to our needs. The other owners have tasked me with finding someone to design and execute two outdoor spaces to meet our members’ needs.”
“Can I see the spaces we’re discussing?” I asked, doing my best to sit and not bounce out of my seat. “You can show me what I have to work with and explain what you have in mind.”
“Now?” Andreas paused with his glass halfway to his lips. “In the dark?”
“Yeah?” I was already looking for a door that might take me where I wanted to go. “Is that a problem?”
“There aren’t exactly any lights out there, and I thought you’d enjoy seeing all the stations, what we get up to around here. It’s pretty much why people come here.”
“No lights? I don’t suppose you have a flashlight? Headlamps?”
His laughter washed over me. “This is why I always enjoy hanging out with you. You have a one-track mind.”
“And you need to let me redo your yard.”
“Julian agrees with you. But right this moment, that’s not what we’re talking about. Maybe we can stay inside for tonight and I’ll send you some notes in the morning—then we’ll pick a time to walk the property and discuss everything. Deal?”
“I think I have a headlamp in the car…”
“Liam, really?” He tossed back his drink and stood. “Meeting over. Now I’ll show you what people around here do for fun and stress relief.”
“Fun? I’ve heard of this concept.” I followed him out of the booth. “But I don’t really have time for it.”
“Starting to think you need someone to tie you up and whip you until you relax.” Andreas led me through the club, showing me the various stations, most of which were occupied. Cries of pain and ecstasy accompanied the crack of whips, slap of palms, and all the other sounds that made me feel comfortable and welcome.
There were other areas separated from the main dungeon with various functions, but Andreas stopped by one with wide observation windows. Inside, littles and their caregivers were playing games and reading stories and generally appeared to be having a great time with glitter art. “Nice room, but not my thing,” I told him.
“I know. That’s not why I wanted you to get a good look. One of the outside areas is geared toward this type of play. We’ve ordered swing sets and slides and other equipment in appropriate sizes already. What do you think?”
“First, when I arrived, I wasn’t really paying close attention, but those side and backyards are not private, are they?”
“Not yet, but they will be. Can you create a little paradise?”
I watched a little on his hands and knees pushing a toy train around a track. “Do you think they’d like a real ride-on train?”
He held up his hand and high-fived me. “Does a bear shifter shit in the woods?”
“Probably, but I’ve never wanted to know for sure.”