No matter how frustrating it would be if she’d changed her mind about a club contract after getting his hopes up.

It had been clear from the beginning she wasn’t going to be an easy submissive, so he was just going to have to be patient. After all, she’d warned him and so had everyone else.

As soon as he was done talking with her, he’d be headed into Marquis... which was what they’d decided to name the new club. He’d been stopping by every night ever since renovations started, just to see what had been done. Not because he didn’t trust the contractors or Patrick, but because he liked to see the club coming together and being there just made it more real. More tangible. Pictures didn’t really do it justice, especially since some of the daily changes weren’t obvious at first glance.

So, if Ellie hadn’t changed her mind about a club contract, visiting the club site would be a nice cherry on top of the day; if she had changed her mind, visiting would hopefully cheer him up.

It was time.

Pulling up her number on his cell phone made him feel awkward, like a gangly, unsure teenager. Definitely not a fun way to feel, but one he’d become somewhat accustomed to while pursuing Ellie.

She picked up on the second ring and, as a sop to his ego, sounded just as nervous as he did.

“Hello?”

“Hello Ellie,” he said, keeping his voice smooth, glad of his theatric training which, hopefully, allowed him to sound a lot less nervous than he actually was. Strangely, hearing the slight tremor in her voice made him feel calmer and less anxious. “How was your day?”

“Pretty good. Long.” She paused for a moment and he could imagine her fidgeting. Poor little subbie wanted him to get right to the point. He’d thought maybe a bit of mundane conversation might help ease her, but apparently not.

“Well, you know why I’m calling,” he said, and he thought he heard her let out a quiet sigh of relief. He modulated his voice, trying to keep his tone completely neutral so she wouldn’t feel pressured or like she was disappointing him if she had changed her mind. “Would you like to sign a club contract with me this weekend?”

The pause before her answer had his chest tightening in anticipation. Please say yes, please say yes...

Her voice was a mere whisper when the answer came, her words spilling out so fast they practically ran together. “YesIwouldliketosignaclubcontract.”