There was a slight murmuring over the phone, and she knew before he spoke that break time was over.

   “I have to get back to the set,” he confirmed. “I’ll call you tonight before it gets too late.”

   “Okay. I’m going to go for a walk and grab something light for dinner.” Maybe she’d call her parents, too. Assure them she was fine and everything was covered. That way maybe she could go a few days without calling again. She didn’t want them to suspect anything.

   They said their good-byes, and Andie slipped her phone into her purse, determined not to let her nerves get the best of her.

   * * *

   Fulton Matthews knew he was going to have to tread carefully with his boss, Lennox McLure. After all, the man had just promoted him a month ago. At the time, Fulton had been thrilled with the new responsibilities, but he was starting to see they came with their own set of problems.

   The door to Lennox’s office opened, and his boss waved him inside. “Come have a seat, Master Matthews.”

   Without waiting to see if he’d listen, Lennox walked over to his desk, sat down, and templed his fingers. Fulton crossed the room and took a seat in the leather chair across from his boss.

   “I know why you’re here.” Lennox nodded toward the papers Fulton brought in. “Those are the papers I gave you yesterday, aren’t they? Andie Lincoln’s application packet.”

   “Yes.” And that was one of the questions he had. He was in charge of the new enrollees who would be arriving tomorrow, and one of his duties was to create a tailor-made curriculum. Why had Lennox waited until the last minute to give him the information?

   “Go ahead,” Lennox said.

   He was a smug bastard—Fulton gave him that. Of course, he had reason to be. He’d single-handedly made the academy into what it was today: an elite BDSM learning center, known and respected throughout the kink world. Lennox himself was just as respected, although Fulton had never seen him participate in a scene. He’d once asked another staff member why that was, and the person shook his head and told him to leave well enough alone.

   “My first concern is why I was only given this yesterday,” Fulton said. “The other enrollees have had their curriculum set for months.”

   “I have my reasons. And I know you’ll have her curriculum ready by the time she arrives tomorrow.”

   Not if I can help it. But he kept that thought to himself.

   “What else is bothering you?”

   “To be perfectly honest, I’m wondering why she’s here. She’s not our typical student, and several red flags came to mind twice while I was reading through her file.”

   “You’ve heard of Terrance Knight?”

   Fulton frowned. “The actor?”

   “Yes. Terrance and I go way back. Ms. Lincoln is to be trained to be his submissive.”

   The situation was worse than Fulton had thought. He tried to think of a way to discreetly tell Lennox he had a potentially fucked-up mess on his hands, but he couldn’t come up with one. Not one that wouldn’t get him fired, anyway.

   “It appears to be a really bad idea,” he decided on.

   “Which part?”

   “All of it.” He took a deep breath. If Lennox wanted reasons, he was going to give him reasons and damn the consequences. “Ms. Lincoln is a virgin with zero BDSM experience. And apparently she’s only interested in submission because her hotshot Hollywood boyfriend is a Dominant.”

   “Is that all?”

   Was that all? Hell, he was serious. “Isn’t that enough?”

   “No, unfortunately, it’s not.” Lennox pushed back from his desk. “Ms. Lincoln arrives tomorrow. I want you to do her initial interview and assessment. And I’d like to see the curriculum you design for her by five o’clock today.”

   And just like that, Fulton was being shown the door. Heading to his own office, he resisted the urge to crumple up the papers he still held in his hand.