Lance stood up and left the man on the floor writhing in pain. Arm in arm she and Lance walked toward the elevator.

The elevator doors closed and she and Lance dissolved into laughter.

“Thanks for taking care of that big dumb behemoth for me. Does he not realize ‘slut’ is a compliment in our world?”

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall. I probably shouldn’t have dislocated his shoulder.”

Nora shrugged. “Kingsley once sanded a guy who got too handsy with one of the submissives.”

“Sanded? Like with sandpaper on sensitive parts of the male anatomy?” Lance winced.

“No, that would have been barbaric.”

“That’s a relief.”

“He used an electric sander.”

Nora and Lance swung by Kingsley’s for lunch and put Mr. Oscar-Winner on the No-Play list. Kingsley had a strict one-strike-and-you’re-out policy for clients. One misstep and they lost any chance to play with his employees, ever. Too bad, the guy was a decent tipper.

After lunch they drove back to her house in Westport where Nora changed back into normal clothes again.

“I hope that wasn’t a total waste of an afternoon,” Lance said as she returned to the living room back in her jeans and T-shirt. She got two beers out of her fridge—Achel Extra Blonde, her favorite—and handed one to Lance. She kept the other for herself.

“And milady’s a beer drinker, too,” Lance said with a heavy wistful sigh.

“Only rare European beers brewed by monks,” she said. “Friend of mine made me try it while we were in Belgium.”

“Good stuff,” Lance said, after taking a long drink.

“Thanks for taking care of that asshole today. I don’t like admitting this, but he did scare me.”

“Scared me, too,” Lance admitted.

“You put him on his face and dislocated his shoulder.”

“He could have done the same to me if he knew what he was doing.”

“I’m still impressed.”

“Dick-swinging bravado impresses you?”

Nora smiled at him. “Acting strong even when afraid impresses me. It’s not courage if you’re not scared.” She leaned forward and they clinked their beer bottles together.

“I’m just glad you’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

“You were with me. Of course I’m okay.”

Lance leaned forward to set his beer on the coffee table. Nora lifted the back of his shirt.

“Hey, yo, what are you doing?” he asked, looking back over his shoulder.

“Relax. I like seeing the souvenirs. My clients rarely book back-to-back sessions with me. I never get to see the aftermath.”

Lance grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked. He bent forward and let her have full access to his back.

“Damn. I do good work. You still have some nice bruises. Want me to get the mouthwash?”

“Mouthwash?”

“Little trick Kingsley taught me. Applying mouthwash to bruises makes them fade faster. They’ll be gone in two days if you want.”

“I think I’ll keep them,” he said. “You’re keeping yours, aren’t you?”

“I always keep mine,” she confessed. “You like your bruises?”