I don’t want to think about the fact that the dirtbag Tony got all of my hard-earned things in the breakup, simply because I couldn’t afford to ship it all across the country. And while furnishing a new apartment will cost me almost as much, I can do it at my own pace, and my stuff won’t be tainted by sour memories.

Reece exits the closet, and I follow him back out to the living room. “I’ll help you move whenever you’re ready.” He thumbs through his stack of magazines and cocks an eyebrow at me.

Embarrassed, I glance away. They’re now organized by issue date. I seriously feel like an idiot for going through all of his stuff. My intention wasn’t to snoop, just to keep myself busy. I’ll need to look for a job sooner than I realized.

I can only dodge Cameron’s questions for so long about which friend I’ve been staying with. I’ve been vague up until this point, knowing he won’t take the news well that I’ve been sleeping just down the hall from Reece. He’s always been the consummate older brother, concerned and overprotective, even more so after our parents passed.

When I sit down on the couch, Reece settles across from me in his leather armchair. “I talked to Hale about your request.”

A flash of nerves hits my belly. I can only imagine how that conversation went. I’d have literally died of embarrassment if I’d been present for that conversation. “What did he say?”

He licks his lips and a crooked smile forms on his mouth. “If it weren’t for him being madly in love with Brielle, I’m fairly certain I’d have ended up in the hospital.”

I chew on my lip. My brother? In love? I’ll need more information on that soon. “That bad?”

“No, actually. He agreed that you and I could work together on exploring BDSM.” His gaze skitters away from mine, and he’s entirely too calm. Not to mention, it doesn’t sound like something Cam would agree to. Like ever.

He’s leaving something out.

“That’s it? He was fine with it?” My voice reveals my disbelief.

“The only caveat is there will be no sex.”

I glare at him as if he’s grown three heads. That’s the point. The entire fucking point. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I don’t whether to laugh or to cry. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” There’s no way in fuck I’m agreeing to that, but I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot before we even begin. “Cam’s an idiot,” I say instead, waiting to feel him out.

Reece shrugs. “He’s your older brother. It’s to be expected.”

“So . . . how do we do this?” Do I drop my pants here, or are we venturing down into the club?

“It’ll be three lessons. I think you’ll be satisfied with that.”

My heart hammers wildly in my chest at the knowledge we’re actually going to do this. Three lessons. With Reece Jackson, the Dominant. “When do we start?”

“Tonight. I have work to do today, but we’ll have dinner and discuss your goals and limits. Do you like Cuban food?”

I level him with my stare. “I lived in Miami for two years. Of course I do.”

“Perfect. There’s a good restaurant we can meet at tonight just down the street. The food is excellent, and the lighting is low. It’s quiet enough to talk, but loud enough to not be overheard.”

“Okay,” I agree.

“Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“I always exchange numbers with submissives I’m working with.”

He says it so dismissively, as if I’m nothing more than one of his playthings, as if we don’t have a deep and complicated history. I hand my phone over reluctantly, probably some leftover reaction from Tony’s constant distrust and questions. He used to read my texts, even though I was nothing but faithful to him.

Glancing at me curiously, Reece adds, “And I’m going to text you the address of the restaurant.”

“All right. Sounds good. I’ll see you there.”

“Seven o’clock. Don’t be late, Macey.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.” I can’t help the sass in my voice. One way or another, I will get my way.

Chapter Five

Reece

When I got home and saw what Macey had done to my apartment, she thought I was mad, but I was actually kind of in awe. I’ve never had a girlfriend, never had someone who cared enough to spend her time doing little things just for me. Thoughtful things like organizing and tidying up my place. Facing all my damn hangers the same way. Or making sure I had a soft, fluffy rug to step out on after showering, versus the cold tile that I was used to.

I’m just glad she didn’t find my stash of toys. I can only imagine the butt plugs would be organized by size, the vibrators by color and intensity. A little bit of chaos in life is a good thing. Not to mention, I don’t want to scare her off before we even begin. She might be putting on a brave face, but I know that I’ll be opening her up to a whole new world. I could smell the fear and uncertainty on her during that club tour as if she was wearing it like a perfume.

Needing to keep busy before our meeting tonight, I find myself in my office down on the main floor of the club, catching up on business. As I gaze at my laptop screen, I realize I’ve been staring at the same blank spreadsheet for twenty minutes. Shit. I’m not even sure what I’m hoping to accomplish right now, just that I can’t hang around upstairs with Macey so close in my personal space. It’s throwing me off my fucking game, but I intend to get back control tonight.