In the Zone Read Free Page B

her breath away. But he made it clear to everyone that he was devoted to Karyn, his sub. He taught an occasional class, but he wasn’t available for anything more.
    He waited until she finally said, “I want it to be more serious than it is. I don’t want to be the chambermaid who didn’t polish the silver correctly or the vanilla girlfriend who flirted with another man at a party.” She played with her hair.
    “If you want to take a leave of absence, I have no objection,” Master Marcus said. “Zones only employs the best, the most dedicated.”
    She winced. That used to be her.
    “I want to make a couple of things clear. You would be welcome to return, with stipulations. You’d go through an abbreviated version of the training process.”
    Despite her best intentions, her shoulders slumped. Except for participating in scenes with one of the club’s trainers, she’d hated the training process. For weeks, someone had followed her around constantly, making sure she followed the club’s decorum.
    “If you choose to return, you’ll start as a regular employee, not a manager.” He took a breath. “You’re a valuable resource to us, Alani, and not just as a sub. Your financial acuity and the way you interact with other employees is a bonus. If you complete your sixty-day probation successfully, you’ll be added to the management team again.”
    More than anything she loved being on the management team. During the day, she worked from home as a bookkeeper. Zones was a big part of her social life. She appreciated that her opinions were sought and listened to. She loved being part of the strategic planning. Knowing the team would be talking about her stung.
    “The thing is, Alani,” he said, his voice gentle and reassuring, “this isn’t about the club or our clients. In the right mindset, you would have been able to get into a scene. A true sub, which I had thought you were, would have focused on pleasing her dom.”
    The words stung.
    “Think about this situation from Master Richard’s point of view. He specifically requested you. Because of his position in the media, he’s not comfortable having a BDSM relationship made public, so he comes here. We respect his privacy; we give him a safe place to escape the pressures of being on camera. He pays his membership fee, and he’s a generous tipper.” He raised his brows, as if in question.
    She nodded and shifted.
    Master Marcus was right. She was making this all about herself.
    “You’re behaving as an employee, not a submissive.”
    “Is it possible to be a sub and want more?”
    “Of course it is,” he said. “Relationships and jobs end in the BDSM world just like they do everywhere else. What’s at issue here is your mindset. You’re not surrendering.”
    She’d screwed up by not talking to Master Marcus. She exhaled. She kept her hands folded in her lap so she didn’t betray her nerves. “What next?”
    “It’s your choice. Time away from here for you to evaluate what you want is good. We can do it as a leave of absence. Or we can do it a more formal way. We can document your behavior, give you a verbal warning. You can take some vacation time if you want, clear your mind, see if it helps.”
    She’d had jobs all the way through high school and college. Never once had she received a reprimand of any sort. All of a sudden, the idea of being away from Zones terrified her. “So those are my only choices?” she asked. “I take a leave of absence and get retrained, or I get a verbal warning?”
    “You’ll be monitored and retrained, either way.”
    She wrung her hands together. Master Marcus had never been this inflexible before.
    There was a knock at the door. Master Marcus called out, “Come in.”
    She resisted the impulse to turn around to see who’d entered.
    “Ah, Master Nathaniel.”
    She squeezed her eyes closed. Bastard. Tattletale. She’d rather have a meeting with the devil.
    “Since Master Nathaniel is home, he’ll be