Just One Taste (Topped #2)(17)

She shook her head and took the seat in front of him. She didn’t want to get Eric in trouble with Chef. “No. It’s nothing bad. Eric is a great guy. I mean he did spank me, but I agreed to it.”

Ian’s brow cocked. “You were first day spanking girl?”

Damn, she already had a nickname. “I’m afraid so. Master Alex pretty much demanded it.”

“If you pissed off Alex on the first day, you likely deserved whatever Master Eric gave you,” Taggart stated flatly. “So what is the problem? Did you disapprove of his spanking method? Are you a connoisseur? What exactly do we call those? Spankpert? Do you have a checklist of how you need to be disciplined when you get out of line? Perhaps Master Eric needs one of those. Put some glitter on it so he can’t miss the salient points.”

Wow, those words were icy cold coming out of his mouth. When that man got pissy he could practically frost over a room. “I didn’t have a problem with the spanking. It was fine. I had been rude and I agreed to all the parameters of discipline at Sanctum. The problem is Eric himself. I don’t think we can work together.”

Taggart went still as he watched her. “Do you have a degree in psychology? Because the man who paired you up with Master Eric does. Several of them, in fact. Are you telling me Master Kai has made a mistake and you know of a better partner for you? Because I believe you plainly stated that you had no preference and would be eager to work with any of the Doms.”

That was because she’d never dreamed Eric would be there. “Master Kai is brilliant, I’m sure, but I would be more comfortable with someone else.”

Taggart sighed. “Good. I’m glad you felt like you could express that feeling, and I think you should look forward to lots of spankings in your future. You can go now.”

She stood up. That had been easier than she thought. “Okay. So, I’ll meet the new training Dom tonight?”

Taggart was back to looking at his maps while he unpacked his lunch. He grimaced at the salad, but picked up the fork anyway. “Not at all. You can accept the Dom who was given to you or you can leave the program. Welcome to Sanctum and all that.”

What had the man misunderstood? “But I can’t be with him. I can’t. I have to work with him so I can’t have a relationship like that with him. He’s kind of my superior. I think that would be inappropriate.”

“It sounds perfectly appropriate to me. He bosses you around at work. Now he bosses you around in the club. You should be used to it.”

She could feel the beginnings of tears because he wasn’t listening to her. “I don’t think it’s going to work.”

“Then the door is right there. Feel free to walk out it.”

She stood. This was useless. There was no moving him. It looked like she was going to have to leave the program. She turned to walk out.

“I hate crying females. I guess I hate crying anyones. Except for Adam. It’s fun when Adam cries. And the twins. I can’t ever hate them. Stop and tell me why you don’t want Eric as your Dom. You’ve got exactly one minute to tell me the truth and if you don’t, I’ll let you walk out and you won’t be welcome back. Don’t bullshit me about him being your boss.”

Her stomach was in knots. “I don’t want to care about him.”

“All right. I believe that. Is it only him or any male you don’t want to care about?”

A very good question. “Any, I suppose. I was married and I don’t want to do that again. I don’t want to do any of that again.”

“Then maybe a club where people do kinky sex things is not for you,” Taggart said. “Might I suggest a nunnery? I think there are a few of those left.”

She nearly groaned her frustration. “I want to have sex. Sex isn’t the problem. Well, it was one of the problems with my marriage, and that’s why I want to explore it. I don’t want to have a relationship.”

He nodded as though he finally understood. “All right. I’m sure someone can find the number of a male escort service for you.”

“That’s not what I want at all.” How did anyone deal with this obnoxious man?

“Let me see if I can figure this out, Deena. You want sex without emotion. I don’t know that you’ll find what you’re looking for with Sanctum’s brand of D/s. Certainly not since all the * Doms went and found the feels and shit. Li was your best shot and he’s all about his wife now. Communication is important and that means getting to know a person. Contrary to popular belief, you won’t find hundreds of unattached Doms willing to service your sexual needs. There are maybe ten Doms without subs. What happens when you run through them?”

She stared right back at him now because she wasn’t going to take that. Not from anyone. “I thought you were different. I thought I wouldn’t get slut shamed at a place like Sanctum.”

A long sigh came from Taggart and he sat back. “I wasn’t shaming you. I don’t care how much uninvolved sex you have. It likely won’t touch what I did when I thought my wife was dead. I was only pointing out a few problems with your plan. My point is that you will get to know all of these men. You’ll get friendly with them and you will develop feelings for them because you’re human and that’s what we do even when we don’t want to. If you weren’t capable of caring, Kai would have disapproved your application. Me? Now I think every club needs a cold-ass bitch, but every time I bring one in, my wife kicks her ass. If you’re looking for a quick, anonymous hookup, you should go to a bar because the men I bring into Sanctum will try to take care of you, and that seems like something you don’t want.”