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“I can handle it. I mean, I knew some of these guys were coming back. What’s the rule? Three turns
through S.E.C.R.E.T.?” I asked, keeping my voice from breaking. Why was I suddenly so upset?
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And how many more fantasies does Jesse have left as a participant?”
“He’s performed two. So … one more,” Matilda said gently.
“Pierre’s name is scratched out, I see.”
“After the way he treated you at the burlesque revue? The Committee feels he is no longer
S.E.C.R.E.T. material.”
“I agree, which is such a shame. He’s very … well, you know. Have you told him yet?”
“No.”
“I’d love to listen in on that phone call, when the Bayou Billionaire’s told his services won’t be
required.”
“Powerful men aren’t used to being rejected. Pierre Castille will probably be no exception.”
“So … Jesse. Is he completely off limits while he’s on the Fantasy Board?”
Why did I ask that? I knew the answer! Oh god, I sounded like a lovelorn teenager.
“Yes, he’s off limits. Unless you’re participating in a threesome scenario or training him. We may
tee him up with Dauphine if her fantasy folder indicates an interest in his type.”
“Right. I see,” I said, hardly camouflaging my disappointment.
“Cassie, if you want us to put you and Jesse together again, to see if there’s still a spark, that can be
done. But the rule is you then have to find a similar replacement recruit. Are you ready to replace
him? To recruit a new man?”
She had me there and she knew it.
“I thought you only wanted to guide this year.”
“I do. I’m happy to guide.”
“So everything is as it should be.” She looked at her watch. “Why don’t you put some coffee on?”
I headed to the kitchenette off the foyer. I thought of the way Jesse had kissed me. That kiss. That
hungry, searching kiss! The way he pressed me against the cool tiles. How he lifted me onto the prep
table, bringing me to orgasm with his mouth, that mouth, just his mouth, because he never entered me
… Oh god, there I was getting wet just thinking of the possibility of Jesse inside me, moving on top of
me, his arm muscles flexing in the light … I had the sudden urge to waltz back into the boardroom and
remove his name.
Danica stuck her head in the kitchenette.
“She’s here. Dauphine. She’s out at the gate. Ready?”
“Yup, sure, ready,” I said, my hands deep in my front pockets. “Let’s go!”