“Mmmm. It could happen, eventually.”

“Not yet?” Fuck. It was like poking at a sore tooth. It hurt like hell, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Actually, that’s what I came to talk to you about.”

Of course. Damn.

Ambrose got up and closed the door, then reclaimed his chair. Great. This visit just kept getting better.

“I know it’s only been about a month, and Kate’s training has been going really well, but I think it’s stalled.” He scratched at his head. “She’s a dream sub, really. She does anything I ask her to without complaining. Sure, she brats sometimes, but you know I like that.”

Visions of Kate giving Ambrose a blow job in the parking lot of the farmer’s market sprung to mind. He knew the two of them had a standing date to go there every weekend, not to mention the fact that they’d gone to almost every classy restaurant in town together.

He should have taken her out on a date or something himself, when he’d had a chance. It was too late for that now. Hopefully, Ambrose was more of a gentleman with her than he’d been.

Did he hold doors for her? Did he bring her flowers? Or did he finger fuck her while the waiters weren’t paying attention?

“Are you okay?”

“I think I’m catching a cold or something.” Maybe that explanation would cover the jealous heat he could feel creeping up his neck.

“That sucks.” Ambrose grimaced. “So, she kneels like a pro, knows the positions I want her to know, walks at my elbow, makes good eye contact, pays attention to my cues.”

Fuck, what was Ambrose doing with her? She wanted to be a submissive, not a slave.

“I can imagine some of that went over like a lead balloon.” Banner tried not to look annoyed, but he really should have been paying closer attention to the girl’s needs. “Submissive, not slave. That’s why I gave her to you, remember?”

“Yeah, that’s mostly stuff she learned from you, though, dickhead. I’m not usually that thorough with protocol.”

She was still doing the things he’d taught her?

“I saved you some work. What’s the issue?”

Ambrose sucked at his even white teeth and leaned forward in his chair. “She’s not . . . fully submitting to me. You know what I mean? I can feel her holding back.”

Traitorous hope welled in his chest. Maybe she didn’t like Ambrose as much as she had been saying.

“She was doing that with me too. Maybe you’re not the right guy for her either.” They stared at each other in silence until it became uncomfortable.

“So now you want me to give her to Konstantin to see if they hit it off?” Ambrose’s expression went bland. With him that meant angry.

His guts twisted. Envy was making him say stupid things. “Well, no. I . . .”

“Just because you’re lazy and self-centered, doesn’t mean I’ll give up on her too.” Ambrose said quietly. Fighting words. “Kicking a new sub aside because she doesn’t learn fast enough is cruel. Not the behavior I expected from you, of all people.”

“It wasn’t like that!” Was that what Ambrose had been thinking? “I told you, she needs someone who isn’t as extreme. The idea of being a slave horrifies her. Would you force a girl you were in love with to try your kinks if she wasn’t into it? Kate deserves more consideration than that.” He hated the way his voice had wobbled when he’d said her name, but maybe Ambrose wouldn’t notice.

“She’s a grown woman. Why wouldn’t you let her decide for herself?” Ambrose grew quiet again, studying him. “You know what? I really like Kate. I enjoy domming her.”

It knocked the wind out of Banner’s lungs. “I can’t listen to details. Please.” He held up his hands, and Ambrose glared at him.

“It’s still early in my relationship with her. I’m not in love with her. Yet. And I doubt she’s in love with me.” Ambrose sighed and shook his head. “Why don’t you just talk to her and try to work this out? You’re being an idiot. What happened to your interpersonal skills?”

“I’m not good enough for her,” Banner blurted.

Ambrose’s brows shot up. “Whoa. Fuck. Where the hell is that coming from?”

“Rook.”

Several emotions registered on Ambrose’s face in succession. Mostly confusion and disbelief. “Your baby brother, the kid who idolizes you, said that you weren’t good enough for Kate?”

“No. He said he thinks that was why I gave her to you. That I think I don’t deserve her. Maybe he’s right.” Banner wrapped his hands around the cup of hot chocolate and realized that his hands had gone cold.

“See? Now that’s love talking. It’s a crazy, creepy love. But it’s love. You can work on your shit. She’s a patient girl.”

Banner considered that, but the truth was his crap shouldn’t be her problem. She was a counselor, but it wasn’t fair to expect her to be his counselor.

He struggled for words, but he drew a blank. “If you love something, set it free.”

Ambrose growled in exasperation. He crumpled a piece of paper and threw it at Banner’s face. It bounced off and landed in his lap.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. You’re right. You are an idiot. You don’t deserve her.”

Banner brought his hand up to his chest, feeling as though he’d been stabbed.

Ambrose pushed his chair back, rose, and walked out.

Chapter 15

“That’s good. Now open them wider.” Ambrose bent down and tapped her thigh with his forefinger.

Kate rolled her eyes but complied. How long had they been doing this? Positions, protocol, form. She felt as if she were in fucking ballet class or something. Even Banner wasn’t this picky. Why did it feel like Ambrose was stalling? They hadn’t even played yet. No sex, no bondage, not even any spanking. Fuck, she hadn’t even taken her clothes off in front of him yet! Was the man a eunuch?

Ambrose nodded in approval, then sat back in the recliner, leaving her on the carpeted floor. “You’re a quick learner.”

“We’ve only been doing it a month,” she muttered.

He didn’t hear her, or at least pretended not to. She waited, impatiently, for his next command, trying her best to look sexy and desirable. With Banner, big doe eyes always worked. She looked up at him, widening her eyes, and bit her lip.

He looked interested for a moment. Hope blossomed. But then his expression went blank again and he said, “Will you get me a soda from the fridge, love?”

Her shoulders sagged, and she stifled a disappointed sigh. She hadn’t signed up to be a service sub, but at least it was something to do. “Yes, Your Majesty,” she grumbled as she rose from the floor.

The sarcastic remark would’ve earned a punishment with Banner. Of course, with Banner he wouldn’t be wasting their time together having her fetch him drinks. And if he had happened to ask it of her for some reason, she didn’t think she would have minded.

Ambrose only chuckled at her brattiness. She threw him a glare, hoping to get a rise out of him, something, anything. Things had grown stale between them fast. They’d had chemistry to start. He was Dommy like Banner had said, but they never actually did anything. It was just instruction. Over and over. He nitpicked every form, every position, every action. Frustration was mounting. If she didn’t masturbate to thoughts of Banner nearly every night, she’d have died from boredom by now.

She walked back into the living room to see the TV had been turned on and fought the urge to chuck the bottle of Jennings Cola at his head. Why didn’t he want to have sex? Was she unattractive? Did she smell bad?

Sighing, she knelt back on the floor. Ambrose was watching the nature channel. Something about ant communities.