Controlling Interest by Francesca Hawley Read Free Book Online

discreet dungeon monitors keeping track of whether
someone is behaving badly so you can just quit channeling my mother.”
    “Tor, just because it was your mother who commented does not
mean she was wrong.”
    “Look, Mouse, why don’t you just observe operations for a
night or two to see how things go before you start suggesting changes.”
    She pressed her lips together to silence her irritation.
“Fine I’ll observe… tonight . We’ll see how that two-drink maximum
functions in reality.”
    “Right. Let’s move on.” He rolled his eyes and headed for
the stairs to the upper level.
    She followed. Mouse looked up the stairs as she started to
follow Tor, and even as obnoxious as he was, she couldn’t keep her mind on
business. He had such a fine ass. She wished he would have gotten naked
on Saturday night. That was the only thing missing from making that evening a
perfect fantasy experience. He reached the top and turned to face her, only to
catch her staring. He grinned when he realized what she’d been staring at .
She looked away as she joined him on the upper level. There was an open space
at the top of the stairs with a reception desk.
    “What’s that for?”
    “We have someone on duty to coordinate the private rooms.”
    “Is that all that’s up here?”
    “No. We have a large public water bondage area up here along
with locker rooms so people can keep a change of clothes on-site. In addition,
we have small private dungeons for use by couples or small groups under five.
We also have some large dungeons for private parties. One can accommodate up to
twenty, the other will hold up to fifty.”
    “Do the dungeon monitors stand watch at private parties?”
    He colored slightly. “They’re private parties.”
    “But if someone is hurt here or something, aren’t you liable
even though it’s a private party?”
    “We have our members and their guests sign waivers.”
    Mouse thought about it and raised her brows. “Okay that
covers your ass, but what if someone really messes up? This isn’t a video game
arcade. Someone could get seriously injured, and if they did, the club’s reputation
would be damaged and you could still be sued.”
    His face reddened and he gritted his teeth. She could tell
he was counting again. She should not have been with him on Saturday—not
when she had to work with him on Monday morning. It bothered her to press him
about club operations because she could see it upset him. So how stupid was
she? Their working relationship was already going south because she was
addressing Regine’s list and she hadn’t even been here for an hour yet. He
obviously wasn’t going to handle any of her questions well.
    “Mouse, I know my mother is behind this. So fess up. What’s
the deal?”
    “It’s a legitimate question, Tor. Your mother has nothing to
do with it.” Which was a lie, but she wasn’t ready to deal with that yet.
    “Nothing to do with it? Bullshit .” He shrugged his
shoulders to ease some tension then went over to the reception desk. Tor moved
behind and grabbed a set of keys. “Let’s get this damn tour over with and then
you can start finding fault elsewhere.”
    “Finding fault?” She frowned as he stalked past her and
quickly unlocked the rooms along the main corridor and flipped on light
switches.
    “Yes. You don’t like anything here and I know why.”
    “Why?”
    “Mother. She disapproved and she infected you.”
    “She did not infect me.”
    “If you say so.” He sighed and pointed. “The water play room
is straight back behind the reception desk. Along the hallway on either side of
the desk are a series of rooms with different themes. The party rooms are at
either end of the floor.” He tossed the keys to her, but she didn’t get her
hands on them before they hit her in the tummy and dropped to the floor at her
feet. “Go ahead and explore, and I’ll wait for you in the office downstairs.”
    As he all but ran down the stairs, she sighed.