Dylan let out a deep sigh from the comfort of the leather chair in her small, dark office. Once she switched the security camera monitors on, she turned her attention to her computer. Time to get ready for another busy night.
The CityBeats article fallout claimed two more high-profile clients. The name-and-shame exposé had shaken the confidence of Adytum’s discretion. This scandal had taken its toll on everyone. In fact, in the short time since its publication, Maxi went from angry to worried about the business and what it would do to the club. Adytum was still part of a family empire, even though Maxi ran it. Tensions were high because the Delacroix family called a meeting to discuss damage control.
Even Ida worried, sending Dylan a text message that morning: Never liked you working there. Maybe it’s time you come home and refocus your attention elsewhere.
Ari’s presence had impaired her ability to do her job, which was to keep the girls and Adytum safe. She had failed at doing both since Ari came into her life. Dylan needed to refocus. She would not fail again.
With no clue what paperwork she needed to complete to fire Ari, Dylan realized they had never let anyone go at Adytum. Hiring staff was easy. Straightforward. Signatures on nondisclosure and consent forms and that’s it. Firing was a whole new animal, one that Dylan didn’t understand past telling them to never come back.
Never was a harsh word. So final.
Reconciliation didn’t go the way Dylan hoped. She jumped before she even gave Ari a chance to explain, but what explanation could she give? She was a journalist digging around for information to write a story, plain and simple. Or was it?
No. Love wasn’t simple. It was complicated and messy and smacking Dylan across the face because she had fallen so crazily, stupidly in love with this woman. Nothing made sense. She was a jumbled ball of emotions, wishing Ari would slam through the door in defiance, declaring her undying love and devotion.
She laughed at the thought of Ari enduring another round of punishment as a declaration of her love. Maybe others had that type of woman, but Dylan didn’t feel worthy of that amount of unwavering devotion. Just as Dylan pushed away from the desk, her eyes caught the screen. Maxi and Lady Katrina stood together near the stage in what looked like a heated conversation. While it wasn’t uncommon to see these two women in a spirited debate, it never happened in front of the ladies.
Most likely, it was the aftermath of the CityBeats debacle. Dylan brushed it off and made her way to the arena. She leaned against the doorway of La Prizonye, scanning the room of women. While she wasn’t overtly looking for Ari to be in the audience, she wished with a glimmer of hope that she’d shown up. A bratty submissive looking for punishment. However, only the regular Dommes and submissives were in attendance when the staff meeting began.
Cooper sidled up to Dylan with a playful bump to the shoulder. “Where’s your girl tonight? Still recovering from her evening in the stockade? Heard The Twins sullied her real good.”
It was obvious Maxi had told no one about Ari’s connection to CityBeats if Cooper didn’t know. Still, her comments about The Twins hurt. Stifling her pissy mood, Dylan turned away. “She’s not coming.”
“Why not? She must be a glutton for punishment because Maxi will have her hide if she misses another shift.”
With a blank expression, Dylan turned to Cooper. “I fired her!”
When Cooper didn’t respond, Dylan glanced to her side just to see the color drain from her face. Same as it did when she said it to Ari.
THE REST OF THIS POST IS AVAILABLE FOR USERS WHO HAVE PAID FOR BACKROOM ACCESS. IF YOU'D LIKE TO CONTINUE, PLEASE VISIT OUR REGISTRATION PAGE TO RECEIVE YOUR TICKET TO PARADISE.