Crack the Whip by Desiree Holt Read Free Book Online

in a separate office building. I hadn’t planned to use my degree to be a bookkeeper, but the salary they were offering was too good to bypass.” She drained her coffee cup and poured fresh liquid from the carafe. “After the interview he told me what kind of clubs they were and said I’d need to see them before I could agree to take the job. If I turned it down, he’d completely understand.”
    “I’d give my best breeding bull to have been there when you got your first look at it,” Reece said.
    “Yes, well, it certainly was…mindboggling.” She gave him a tiny smile, remembering the first night she’d walked into one of those clubs and the instant turn-on she hadn’t expected. “But I was curious, too. I wanted to know what interested and excited you so much that you wanted to bring it into our relationship.”
    He leaned forward, his eyes darkening. “And what did you find out?”
    She shrugged, determined to be as casual as possible. Not to give any hint of her fascination—make that obsession—with D/s play. “I found out it didn’t offend me the way I thought it would. Especially after I started working for the business and met a lot of the people.”
    “But you said the offices were in a different place.”
    “Like I told you, those were the corporate offices. They owned a lot of properties and businesses besides the clubs they managed at their headquarters. I had a tiny office in each of the clubs where I split my time. The hours were weird because a lot of my work was done in the evenings, checking receipts and inventories, but the pay was outstanding.”
    Silence lay between them like a living thing.
    “And now?” Reece asked finally.
    “And now I’ve seen pretty much everything and it doesn’t bother me. There are a lot of things I’d never want for myself, but I think it’s that way for everyone.”
    His eyes glittered. “Do you mean there are things you want ? Things you’ve done?”
    She pushed away from the table, unable to take this discussion any further. She was already wet and throbbing, visualizing herself with Reece in his private room. She had to make an exit before she gave herself away. He’d obviously moved on with his life. Well, so had she. Sort of.
    “I don’t think my private life is part of my business contract with you.”
    “Hands off?” He leaned even closer. “Is that what you’re saying?”
    “I think it’s for the best. Don’t you?”
    God, could I sound any more priggish? I don’t think I’m anything more than unfinished business to him anyway.
    He studied her for a long time. Finally, he nodded. “Okay, fair enough. For now. I won’t crowd you, Katie, but I’m not going away. Maybe things will just follow the natural course of events.”
    Katie stood up. “Thanks for the coffee, Reece. Be sure to let me know if you have any special needs.” Before he could make a crack, she added, “Just as with any other member.”
    Reece refilled his coffee cup and leaned back in his chair, his eyes following Katie as she moved through the lounge. He was amazed at her matter-of-fact attitude when she passed clients in various stages of undress caressing each other.
    Even the threesome on the curved settee didn’t seem to affect her, nor did the flogging demonstration being performed on stage in the big glass-enclosed area. Her head swiveled one way, then the other, but it was no more than an efficient manager checking the club activities. He watched Dane flag her down at the hallway to the private rooms. She paused for a moment of conversation, and then the two of them headed off to the big locked supply area.
    He still couldn’t quite get his mind around Katie Warren managing a fetish club. His fetish club. And that in itself presented a big problem. No fraternizing with the employees.
    He and Clint had established the hard and fast rule when they opened Rawhide. If a relationship ended badly, it could create a sticky situation in the club and a