Caught Up in You by Roni Loren

you were done with your session. He set aside a few minutes
     to talk to you.”
    She blew out a breath and nodded. She’d made a request earlier to talk to her boss,
     but she hadn’t expected him to free up time so quickly. She wasn’t exactly looking
     forward to the conversation, but hopefully, this would solve her immediate problem.
     “Thanks. I’ll be right up.”
    Kelsey sat in the cozy waiting area outside the office of Grant Waters, owner and operator of The Ranch, and tried to keep her nerves in check.
     She’d worked part time at the BDSM resort for the last six months and had experienced
     nothing but great interactions with Grant, but she still couldn’t stop her knee from
     bumping up and down. The man was downright intimidating, and she knew what she was
     about to ask was outside the rules.
    A few minutes later, the door on the other side of the room opened and filled with
     the impressive outline of the tall cowboy. His girlfriend, Charli, stepped out from
     behind him, a little flushed-faced and sending an apologetic smile in Kelsey’s direction
     before turning back to Grant. She pushed up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss.
     “We’ll finish this . . . discussion later?”
    “Count on it, freckles,” he said, tugging one of her red locks, his adoration for
     Charli like rays of warmth beaming off him. “Meet me in the barn when you get home
     from work.”
    “You got it, cowboy.” A visible shudder went through Charli, giving Kelsey a good
     idea of what the barn would entail. Grant wasn’t considered the Master of The Ranch
     for nothing. He hadn’t played publicly since he’d gotten together with Charli, but
     Kelsey had heard stories of how intense of a dominant Grant could be.
    And though she had a fair dose of jealousy over the couple in love, Kelsey couldn’t
     help but smile for them. She’d met Charli when Charli had first come to The Ranch
     and had liked her instantly. And she knew both Charli and Grant had gone through a
     lot to get to this point.
    When Charli turned around, she headed Kelsey’s way and gave her a quick hug. “Hey,
     gorgeous, haven’t seen you around in a while. We should grab dinner soon.”
    Kelsey returned the hug, standing up in the process. “Definitely. Give me a call.”
    Charli gave her one last pat on the arm and headed out, leaving Kelsey with Grant.
     That alone was a testament to how strong of a relationship the two had. How many women
     would leave their guy alone with a chick in thigh-high boots and a corset?
    Grant nodded in Kelsey’s direction. “Come on in, Kelsey. Marc said you wanted to chat.”
    “Yes, sir.” She followed Grant into his office, the warm woods and stone of the room
     matching the rustic feel of the rest of the resort, and sat in the chair across from
     his desk. “I had a few questions about my position.”
    He settled in his large chair and adjusted the blinds behind him so that there wouldn’t
     be a glare on her face. “Sure. Shoot.”
    She clasped her hands in her lap, trying to keep herself from fidgeting. “Some things
     have come up in town again, and I think the only way out of them is going to be to
     move away for a while.”
    His dark eyebrows lifted. “What kind of trouble, Kelsey? If you’re struggling with
     your sobriety, there are things . . .”
    “Oh, no, nothing like that,” she said, her words rushing out. “This is old trouble
     that won’t seem to go away. I think I just need to cut my losses and start over somewhere
     else. But I need to have more of a nest egg to do that. I thought maybe I could start
     taking on a few trainees to earn some extra money.”
    Grant frowned and leaned back in his chair, considering her in a way that made her
     want to bow her head. “The requirements for my trainers are very clear. Both sides
     of training are required. And you haven’t done the submissive part yet. Believe me,
     I understand why you haven’t been able to do that portion.