I said, “I only met Victoria once. Is she as terrifying as she seems?”

“I wouldn’t cross her. But she’s a decent person and she looks out for us at work.”

“Here’s another thing I’ve been wondering,” I mumbled. “Why do men as wealthy and powerful as your clients settle for the no-sex rules? Surely, they want everything you provide and to have their dicks sucked.”

“Some of them do. Some are relieved those things are off the table because they can get the other stuff they want without that pressure. Some have arrangements with their wives that allow for dungeon rules but not anything goes. I’m sure some of them also work with private dommes who let them do more. And that’s fine. We just can’t operate a business that way in California. The trade-off is that with us, you know it’s secure, that you’ll get the highest level of service, and your privacy is guaranteed. Had the VP conducted his session in the dungeon, he wouldn’t be in the mess he’s in now. With a private domme, you might get laid, but who knows about the rest of it.”

“Have you dated any other clients in real life?”

A teasing smile tugged at her mouth. “Are we dating in real life, Mr. Chase? I thought this was a contract relationship…”

Dammit. I’d broken our unspoken rule and acknowledged out loud that there was something more happening between us. “I’m too tipsy to bullshit, smartass. We’re pretending to fake date. Or fake pretending to date or…something.”

She looked like she was smothering a laugh, but there was tenderness in her expression. “No, I’ve never pretended to fake date or any other kind of dated any clients. Coworkers, yes. It’s an incestuous business.”

“I know how that goes.”

“Have you ever fallen for a costar?” she asked.

Fuck it. I needed to tell her before it was too late. “No. But I’ve fallen for you.”

She froze.

“Don’t say anything back. Not now. I don’t want you blaming any of it on me being drunk. But we’re going to talk about it.”

She laid her head on my chest and ran her fingers through my hair.

Did she pity me? Was I just one more pathetic schmuck who’d lost his mind over her? Joshua Tree felt like something real, but now she’d shifted her focus to what came next, back to work and her clients. Maybe it was real, but it wasn’t enough for her.

Thoughts I should’ve kept to myself tumbled out of my mouth thanks to the scotch. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the first time I saw that video. And that first night.” I laughed. “I really believed you had no idea who I was. And it might’ve been the first time I’d ever actually wanted someone to be impressed by me.”

She lifted her head, smiling wickedly. “You were a smug bastard. I had to take you down a few pegs or I wouldn’t have stood a chance against your ego.”