Slave To Love by Bridget Midway

rocks and fire.
    “So would you all like a tour of the place or you want to sit and talk?” Jace scanned their faces.
    Vern kept his gaze down to the floor. Kitty and Ananda looked at each other.
    “I know you’re on a time crunch. Let’s take a look around first and then we can discuss the dos and don’ts of being in your home. Sound good?” Ananda asked.
    Jace nodded. “Of course this is the living room. I’m assuming you’ll do most of the filming in here.”
    Kitty looked around. “Maybe.” She screwed up her lips. “Unless you have, like, a family room that works better.”
    Jace led the group to his open dining room. When he built his own home after years of working hard and growing his business, he never imagined he would be alone in it. He thought by now he would be married and had at least two or three kids. He had no one to blame but himself. A hard schedule, hard living, and lack of trust kept him from having a relationship.
    “This is a great size, don’t you think?” Ananda strolled around the table already set with ten settings. “The table itself is big enough to do a formal service with at least ten people, and you can get a camera crew in here.”
    “Yes, I think this would work.” Vern spoke up, but quickly turned away when Jace glanced at him.
    Jace chalked up the strange reaction to the guy being shy or nervous, although the longer he stared at him, the more he thought he had seen him before. Maybe he’d built a house for him or one of his family members. Jace had done a lot of jobs over the years and had encountered many people.
    “Here’s the kitchen.” Jace looked at Ananda. “Will you move out all my dishes and utensils?”
    “If you don’t want us using them.” Ananda pulled out her tablet and started tapping over the screen.
    “I don’t.”
    “Fine. Noted. Along with your furniture and belongings, we’ll move out your dishes and utensils. Can we use the appliances?”
    “That’s fine. You’re in luck. Since I knew I would be gone for a few weeks, the fridge is empty.” That sounded like a rational excuse. When he had no one to cook for, he didn’t bother keeping it or his pantry stocked.
    “Good. We can fill it with fresh items when the contestants show up.” Ananda kept her stare on her tablet as Jace continued on with the tour.
    “Here’s the family room.” The expansive place nearly ran along the backside of the two-story home from one side of the house to the other.
    He’d intended for this room to be the one he, his family, and friends would spend the most time in together. The large glass window faced out into the well-manicured backyard that surrounded the in-ground pool. Jace could have gone for a much-needed dip right now if he didn’t have guests and a plane to catch.
    “Awesome room.” Kitty beamed and clapped her hands. “I’m sure your dungeon is just as impressive.”
    “I don’t have a dungeon.” Jace noticed the confused looks on Ananda and Kitty’s faces.
    “I thought you said he was in the lifestyle.” Kitty faced Ananda.
    Jace shook his head. “I used to be. Haven’t been for years.” He would have said since his brother did his show, but he would keep that thought to himself.
    “The backyard looks huge.” Kitty stood in front of the window with her fists to her hips like a superhero. “Any close neighbors?”
    “Not close enough to see in my house. Why?” He strolled up to her.
    “We could use this as the play room. We can equip it with our own toys. I’m sure the Doms and Dommes will be bringing some of their own stuff, too. It’ll be fine. We can work around this.” Kitty’s light-brown eyes carried both a sinister and a soft expression all at once, like the woman could kill with kindness.
    “I may not have close neighbors, but if people get wind of where you all might be taping, they’ll try to take a peek. My suggestion…” He went over to the fireplace mantle and picked up a slender, black remote. With a