Yes, Masters (Book 2 of Desire's Den)

Chapter 21 - Callan

I stared at Haley, not knowing what to think after seeing her again. We'd parted on good enough terms, but our goodbye had been that, a goodbye. Having her back here confused me. It left me surprised, and I hated being surprised.

Unable to help myself, I took in the woman I'd thought I would never see again. She still looked good with her high cheekbones, long silky hair, and smooth skin. Her lips were painted red, which brought attention to her prominent cupid's bow. 

She had more curves than the last time I'd seen her. It suited her. She'd colored her hair, too, making it a dark blonde instead of the inky black she used to have.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, ignoring her title for me. For now.

"I moved back to the city," she said as if that was an answer for why she was here, at my club. The hopeful look in her eyes made me suspicious, though.

Jennifer tried to pretend she was focused on something on the computer screen, but her stillness was proof enough that she was listening to our conversation and being nosey. 

I didn't know why Jennifer was still on my payroll. I'd never liked her. At first, it had been a favor for Mateo's sister, and when I had grounds to fire her, Emma stepped in. Our girl had too big of a heart, but I couldn't complain about that; her big heart had allowed our group to come together, and hopefully, it was what would bring us together again in time.

With a sigh, I signaled for Haley to follow me. "Let's talk in my office." I didn't worry about having her sign a confidential agreement. She'd already done that when I opened Desire's Den years ago, and this type of contract had no end date.

Haley followed me without hesitation; her eyes immediately went to the floor as if she'd taken my suggestion as a command. Trained behavior was hard to unlearn, even after spending years apart. I was almost impressed when we walked across the club, and she made no notion of looking around the place. I knew she had to be curious about what had changed since she'd last been here.

Like an obedient slave, she walked behind me with her head cast down. It grated on my nerves, but I wasn't one to make a scene in public.

The second I closed the door behind us, I spoke in a gentle but impatient tone. "I'm not your master, Haley. I never was."

Her eyes snapped back up. They shone with hurt at my words, almost making me regret them. Almost. 

It didn't feel right to me to not be upfront with Haley. I didn't want her to think of our time together as something more than what it truly had been; training, pure and simple. She'd already been a slave for a few years by then, but she'd agreed that I could...practice my dominance with her. I'd been an inexperienced master, and she'd had the experience to guide me.

"Please, don't say that, Ma–Mr. Cross. You were my master once upon a time. The best one I've ever had." Her voice was timid but with an undercurrent of strength.

Letting out another sigh, I moved to my seat behind my desk and motioned for her to sit across from me. She did.

"We didn't have a true master and slave relationship. It was practice," I calmly explained to her, though I found it unnecessary to even explain it. After all, she'd been the one to suggest it. I'd only accepted her offer. "You remember our agreement, right?"

She nodded, looking unhappy to admit to it. "I do. But it felt real, didn't it?"

"It did," I answered honestly. Our arrangement had lasted a year and a half, and during that time, it did start to feel a bit real, but...it hadn't felt right. However, it had proven to me what I'd already known—I was a master through and through. That had been the only thing about our arrangement that had felt right.