Page 5

Andreas

My office was every bit as nice as any of the other owners, but it was still not large enough for everything it had to contain, and I’d gradually taken over the conference room. Although I’d sold my company and the building it inhabited, I’d had many supplies at home, like easels. The long, glossy table was ringed with them. Even though the demo had not begun, we were well along in the planning of the new wings of the club. By taking the adjacent structures down to the meter walls, we were able to avoid a lot of the nightmares involved in “new construction.” Instead, our work would be classified as a remodel, saving us tens or maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars. And we were connecting only with pathways and elevated walkways, giving us space for some really special spaces our members were dreaming of.

“What are you working on now?” Jabez, our resident healer stood in the conference room doorway, a small grin ticking up his lips. “You know the club is jumping, and you could be out there enjoying yourself.”

“Hmmm?” I stepped back from the easel I’d been studying. “I wish I knew more about landscaping, but I do know some who are great at it.”

“Don’t we need to get the demo part done and maybe the building and remodeling before we worry about that?” Jabez came in and stood beside me and took in the drawings. “Wait, that’s not landscaping.”

“No.” I contemplated the drawing some more. “It’s a challenge to get playground equipment for our littles, but I think it will be worth the effort, don’t you?”

“Genius.” He stepped back a couple of feet. “How did you come up with the idea?”

“They asked.” I shrugged. “And I thought, why not? But it took me a while to find someone who makes custom playground equipment locally.”

“Oh, yeah, I imagine. Bronson and Tate are going to be blown away.”

“Tate has been giving me input.” His daddy, Bronson, was another owner here. “Actually, they both have.”

“That explains the glitter motif in the powder coating. Must have been hard finding the right size for our big littles.”

“It wasn’t that I couldn’t find anything that would support full-sized boys and girls; it was just that they were all so boring. Basically porch swings when I wanted, well, what you see here. Slides and monkey bars, all kinds of things for climbing on and real swings that can send the rider up into the sky.”

“Is that a zipline?”

We talked for a few more minutes before Jabez was called away to deal with something, and I decided to shut down the plans for the night and go out to the floor myself. It was a standing joke that my kink was construction—and I couldn’t blame anyone for thinking that. But it was easy to get caught up in this project. Other than my home and the building I’d handed over to the new owners of my company, this was the first time I’d gotten to do something I had a real stake in. All the buildings I’d worked on for my customers had been to their tastes, and my partners here had been very good about letting me run with my ideas.

We’d have the little playground on one side of the existing one, and a more mature sort of outdoor space on the other side. All would be protected by high stone walls from prying eyes and nosy passersby. It was going to be so good.

Closing the door behind me, I headed for the main floor. Not on duty at the moment, I could watch for an empty station or even skip the line for one as an owner—not that I would take a member’s time. But it was kind of nice to know I could… The crowd tonight was lighter than usual, and I strolled around taking in the various activities, considering whether I wanted to play or not. As I paused near each couple or threesome, I was aware of the eyes of various single omegas watching me. I’d been here long enough that they knew I wouldn’t welcome being approached, preferring to invite someone to play myself, but the longer I wandered, the less likely it became that I would be doing that this evening.

Each scene was being played out by people who seemed so in harmony with one another. Not all of them were couples, but many were. And the others had a rhythm and feel indicating they were regular partners for their particular kinks.

Pausing by the spiderweb, which was unoccupied and one of my favorite stations, I tried to summon the interest to pick an omega to pass the time with, but I just couldn’t. I’d heard a vanilla friend say once that she got no satisfaction from sex unless there was a strong emotional component, and I wondered if that was starting to be me as well.

Certainly it made things better, more intense, but it had never been a deal-breaker for me when I was not in a relationship before. With zero mates on the horizon, if this was more than a one-night grumpiness, it was going to be a real problem.

And even if I did find someone, what guarantee did I have that they wouldn’t leave? What guarantee did any of these couples and throuples have?

None.

Turning on a heel, I went to my office and slumped behind my desk, waiting to get the energy together to go home. I didn’t even feel like working on the plans for the expansion. Nobody at Cuffed needed a downer like me around tonight.