In the Zone by Sierra Cartwright

up two stools at the far end, hopefully where no one would bother them.
    Marcus went for a light beer. “Watching my physique,” he explained.
    More likely it was because he was working tonight, and the man was all about restraint.
    Nathaniel ordered a whiskey, straight.
    It was a fine bourbon, but he didn’t sip; he swallowed in a single gulp.
    “Tell me what happened,” Marcus said.
    Nathaniel didn’t know where to begin. He’d been intent on doing what was best for the club, offering to retrain her. But when he’d seen her responsiveness, the hunger in her wide, brown eyes, he’d wanted to please her, wanted to give her what she craved but couldn’t get anywhere else. How big of a fool was he?
    Alani was an employee, not his submissive. He’d never wanted a full-time sub, and he sure as hell didn’t even need to play with someone like Alani. But damn, his cock was still fucking hard. “She’s complicated.”
    “I suspected as much.”
    Nathaniel rolled the empty glass between his palms. “She’s a masochist.”
    Marcus raised his brows, then took a second drink from his glass.
    “Punishing her physically won’t change her behavior,” Nathaniel said. “The worst thing for Alani is not being here.”
    “It’s also the worst thing for the club on a Friday night.”
    He winced. “Sorry about that.”
    “She was thinking of asking for a leave of absence anyway,” Marcus said. “Maybe this way we’ll get her back on staff faster.”
    Marcus was a pragmatist. AJ tended toward optimism. As for Nathaniel, he’d been born a pessimist. He rarely thought anything would work out well, whether in war or in his personal life. Over the years, the three men had annoyed the hell out of one another. It was amazing their friendship had survived since college. “If it helps, I did have her sign the verbal warning before she left.”
    “Great job.”
    He considered ordering another whiskey. But that wasn’t how he dealt with problems. “I’m not sure what to do about her retraining,” Nathaniel admitted.
    “You beat her?”
    “I made it clear between us that she was off the clock,” Nathaniel said, recalling the sight of the red-striped X on her exposed buttocks. “But yeah. I did.”
    “That really wasn’t what I was hoping would happen.”
    “There’s a reason you run the club, not me.”
    “Despite the fact Zones is a BDSM club, we generally don’t beat our employees to improve morale.”
    There was no doubt he’d colored outside the lines. And it had been a first for him. “I shouldn’t have interfered.”
    AJ joined them at the bar. “Willow said you sent Alani home.”
    “We were just discussing that,” Marcus said. He looked pointedly at Nathaniel. “And he made sure she won’t be sitting comfortably for a while.”
    AJ whistled. “Sounds serious.”
    Nathaniel and Marcus moved to accommodate the stool he dragged over.
    The bartender slid a soda water with a lime attached to the rim down the length of the polished wood…without spilling a drop.
    “I thought you didn’t play our subbies,” AJ said. He squirted the lime into the glass.
    “I don’t. And I’m not sure it was a good idea this time,” Nathaniel admitted.
    “He’s feeling guilty,” Marcus said. “But he shouldn’t. Alani told me she wanted more. There’s no policy against employees and owners being involved. Karyn sometimes serves as a monitor on theme nights, and she’ll fill in if someone is sick. It can work. I just want to be sure it’s consensual.”
    AJ shrugged. “If she’s playing with you, she obviously has terrible taste in men.”
    There was nothing like being among friends.
    Marcus took another drink of his beer. A few more people drifted toward the bar. Friday night was picking up.
    “You sticking around?” Marcus asked.
    “Haven’t I caused enough damage?”
    Willow headed in their direction. “There are a couple of people who want a club membership,” she said. “But they have a few