Michael chuckled as they headed into the club. They had about a half hour until the Office, the room he’d reserved for the night, opened up and they spent it at their usual table in the bar area. At first, Ellie seemed nervous he wasn’t immediately taking her to insert her plug, but she stayed quiet about it. Michael decided he’d let the anticipation grow. Besides, it would give him a fun reason to punish her once their scene started. Angel and Adam headed straight down to the Dungeon to play, but Kate and Sharon were already at the bar hanging out while Andrew was bartending. Sharon seemed a little distracted – possibly because Brian, the Dom she’d been seeing for a while, was several tables away with his friends, and they both had their backs to each other.

Not that she said a word about it.

Conversation revolved around Marquis, the custom pieces Michael and Patrick wanted Andrew to make for it, and the possible addition of Luke to the partnership – which was looking more and more likely. He and Patrick had scheduled a lunch with Luke on Tuesday to discuss what a partnership would look like in more detail. Which, of course, Leigh, Sharon, and Kate wanted to know all about. It didn’t take too long before Jared finished his shift and he joined them as well.

As much as Michael enjoyed talking about Marquis, he was relieved when Lisa came by to let them know the Office was ready. Sitting next to Ellie, holding her hand, and pretending his cock wasn’t rock hard had been wearing on him. Especially since, like Ellie, he hadn’t masturbated all week.

While he was a sadist, he also liked to be fair. If she had to wait for him, then he was going to wait for her.

Waiting had been a hell of a lot easier when she wasn’t sitting right next to him, looking so amazing, her soft skin smoothing under the caress of his fingers, and the subtle perfume she was wearing weaving through the scent of leather and sex permeating the club. With her right beside him, waiting had moved from frustrated anticipation to pure torture.

“Where are we going?” she asked, almost a little nervously, as they headed up the stairs rather than downstairs to the private rooms connected to the Dungeon.

“The Office,” he said, giving her hand a little squeeze, and she relaxed. Michael was fairly certain she was relieved he wasn’t taking her to the romantic Arabian Nights room, which was a little disappointing, but it was just another reminder they weren’t quite where he wanted to be yet.

Baby steps.