Page 2 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

Today, the email on the top of my inbox was the best possible thing that could have happened to my stress level. My all-day meeting was postponed, freeing up my time. But the day wasn’t a waste. I visited each of the restaurant chains in the area that I hadn’t spent much time at lately, doing a random walk-through and checking the quality of the food when they weren’t expecting me. As always, I was satisfied.

That was one thing I could say for my businesses. They worked like well-oiled machines because I was ruthless in my hiring and training.

More walkthroughs. A room inspection at one of my hotels. A conversation with a new manager who was struggling with some of the processes. A spontaneous training session with a new chef. A few new mixed drinks tested out at one of the hotel bars. Then force a salad down my gullet, bed by eleven, and repeat the next day. By the time I returned to my house I was stir-crazy and frustrated, and the only thing I wanted was a glass of wine, a home-cooked meal, and a pretty girl by my feet. Specifically, I yearned for my black-haired mystery submissive, who was still hiding from me.

The past few years had become monotonous, but they’d made me a lot of money. Not only that, I knew I’d done a lot of good. It was hard to see it sometimes because pain and suffering surrounded my life. Since the meeting was canceled, I spent the extra time at the Weston House treatment center, and then visited The Lounge for dinner, hoping to see some of my friends.

Several years after I’d made a killing with my high-end luxury restaurants, I bought a failing sports bar up here in DC and revitalized it,with one exception: the upstairs had been turned into a dungeon. It started as an exclusive, invitation-only club but evolved into one of the safest, most well-trusted BDSM clubs in the area.

Even though I spent a significant amount of my time in DC, I tended to avoid The Lounge. It made me crave what I needed and what I missed. But I also missed my friends, so I tried to force myself to go by when I had the time.

Becca’s face lit up when she saw me, and she hurried over to me, throwing her arms around my neck. “God, it’s good to see you,” she said against my chest.

I rubbed her back and held her close for a minute, allowing myself a rare moment to do nothing but feel the closeness of one of my most trusted friends in my arms.

But Becca was struggling more than I was right now and I reminded myself of that as I pulled away and made her look at me. “How are you?” I asked. She’d recently gotten some bad news about the health of her Master.

“Well,” she pursed her lips. “I’m angry.”

I nodded.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I know. It’s going to be okay. I’m here for you.”

“I know that, Reuben. You always have been, and I trust you.”

I hugged her again, and whispered, “I’ll call you later so we can talk.”

I greeted the rest of my friends, and then forced myself to glance over to where Megan was sitting at the bar, sipping her drink, chatting with Julia.

She was smiling.

It had been so long since I’d seen her smile. Her face was flushed, her lips were pink, and her eyes were dilated. She was excited, engaged, and turned on. And she had a collar around her neck.

A weird flash of cold went through me. Jealousy? Anger? Loss? It had been so long since I’d seen Megan happy, and even longer since she’d been owned. It looked strange to see a collar on her neck that wasn’t mine.

He’s good for her. Let it go. But I couldn’t turn it off that easily. Megan had been mine for over three years. While we both stood by our decisions to end our dynamic, it was still uncomfortable, and I harbored a lot of guilt about the way things had gone.

I felt Mike’s hand on my shoulder, and I tore my eyes away from Megan. I nodded to her while looking at Mike. “She okay?”

Mike and Becca both assured me she was happy. I felt another twist in my gut. I wasn’t sure if it was relief or disappointment.

No time to think about that right now.

“How long will you stay?”

“Just the evening. Heading home tomorrow.”

“Will you come by The Weston House in the morning?” Becca asked. “I have a guy who I think you should talk to. I think he would be good for Mia.”

I nodded. It would put me behind and I would get home late... but the chance of placing one of the girls with a good guardian was worth it.

I spent the rest of the night catching up with my friends and allowing myself a rare cocktail.

It was hard to sitin The Lounge and watch when I couldn’t participate. That was half the reason I’d avoided coming by; these days it felt like everyone was happily partnered but me. Becca had her pup bound and gagged at her feet, and Mike Black had Stormy by his side. Julia, a former playmate of mine, was lying on her back with her head in Paul’s lap, staring up at him with stars in her eyes while he stroked her hair and talked with Jackson, who held Nicole firmly in his lap. Everywhere I looked, I found people grouped into little clusters with their friends and partners beside them.

My friends are beside me,I told myself. But it wasn’t the same. I wanted my own. Ineededmy own. I missed having a submissive, someone who I could tease and spoil and play with. I dreaded the long car ride home, and the empty house that waited for me when I got back.

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