Page 16

BDSM in all its flavors requires an incredible level of trust from all participating parties. If the wrong person were to become involved… Well, it hasn’t happened since I’ve been here. We get assholes sometimes, but no one who actively ignores the rules, both explicitly stated and generally understood. Anyone who plays here is guaranteed a consensual good time, no matter what they’re looking for.

Which means I need to check this guy out before tonight. Hades wouldn’t actively undermine our operation, but he often plays deeper games that make my life difficult. Sending a submissive who doesn’t realize they’re a submissive even out into the lounge without the proper preparation is a recipe for disaster.

Training them himself…

He hasn’t been that hands on in training since I was new here.

What the hell is going on? I blink to find Tink still watching me with her pretty green eyes. “Was there something else?”

“I’m coming up on the end of my contract.” She props her hands on her hips, drawing my attention to her floral romper and black strappy heels. A black cropped jacket pulls the outfit together just like Tink always seems to. She makes my suits and slinky dresses feel mundane sometimes, but no one can pull off fashion the way she does.

I lean back. “Two months. You’re not quite there yet.”

“Compared to the last four years and change, two months is almost the end.” She considers me. “Is staying on an option?”

I blink. Tink hates Hades. Actively loathes him. I can’t imagine she would be content to work for him unless under duress. “Do you want to stay on?”

“I don’t know yet.” She shrugs. “I’m exploring my options.”

If I were a better person, I’d guide her out the doors and tell her never to look back. Tink was meant for greater things than working as a combination assistant manager, costumer designer, submissive, and general fire-put-outer.

I’m not a better person. She’s worth her weight in gold, and I’d be a fool to let her go. “Of course. You’ll always have a place here.”

“Oh. Okay, then.” She nods a little too fast. “My shift starts at eight, but I’m going to give this dude a run-down at seven.”

“Does he know that?”

“He’s staying in the building.”

I’m not expecting that, though I should. Tink also lives here, courtesy of the terms of her deal. Of course this new toy for Hades will be under our roof. “I’ll talk to him now.”

“Thanks.” She turns and disappears through the door.

I stare blindly at my office. I’ve put this room together over the years. It’s the one place in the Underworld that’s mine. That I earned through actions and time and trust from my employees. I indulged myself with the pretty teal color on the walls, the one that makes me think of the trip Hades and I took to the Maldives on our first anniversary. I don’t like clutter overmuch, so all the important information is filed away in the classy cabinets that have locks on each door. I keep my desk clear, which isn’t a positive right now, because my hands itch to fiddle with something and there’s nothing but my computer marring the smooth mahogany surface.

There’s no help for it. I’m not going to be able to focus until I’ve gotten to the bottom of this particular mystery. I could ask Hades directly, but I can’t guarantee he’ll tell me the truth. Beyond that, I’m curious.

Sure. That’s it. It’s simple curiosity.

As I push to my feet, I take a moment to be honest with myself. I’m a little jealous, too. It doesn’t make sense, and it’s not something I’ll ever admit, but I like there only being Tink and me in here as permanent deal-related employees. As Tink said, she’s up in two months. I can’t imagine what that would be like. Mine is a lifetime contract. There’s no end in sight, and I made my peace with that a long time ago.

No use thinking about it now.

I make sure to lock my office door before I head down the back stairs to the employee floor. It houses a dozen apartments, though only five were in use until today. I step through the door to find Allecto leaning against the wall.

She raises a dark brow and pushes her long black braids over her shoulder. “That didn’t take you long.” She’s a beauty like all Hades’s Furies are—me, Allecto, and Tisiphone. Her dark brown skin is flawless, and she wears a sports bra and high-waisted workout pants. Obviously she’s on her way to the gym.

I could play it cool, but she and Tis are as close to sisters as I’ve ever had. I lean around her to look down the empty hallway. “Don’t act like you’re not curious too.”

Allecto gives me a sly smile. “You should go introduce yourself. He’s in number six.”