Page 104 of Choosing Stella

“You also said she might need a second notebook.”

“That was before page three.”

Geo picked up a dark glass ornament.

“And the Network call?”

“That went well too.”

Between tarot appointments, I’d spent twenty minutes talking to one of the newer escorts who wanted advice before accepting her first primal booking. She knew what she liked in fantasy and wasn’t sure how to translate it into terms another person couldn’t misunderstand.

That was exactly the kind of question Locke had hoped I could help with when he offered me the consultant work.

“She had good instincts,” I said. “She was worried that adding more limits would make her sound difficult.”

Geo’s expression hardened slightly.

“What did you tell her?”

“That anyone worth booking won’t have a problem with clear limits. We went through her boundaries, her stop signal, what she wanted negotiated before the scene, and her exit plan if the client started trying to change terms after she arrived.”

“That’s the right advice.”

“I also reminded her that she can decline the booking completely.”

“That’s even more important.”

I smiled.

“You’re very invested for someone who doesn’t work for The Network.”

“I’m invested in people being able to leave when they want to leave.”

I hung another ornament.

My own Network profile was still there, but I hadn’t reopened it for sexual bookings after Halloween. I still used the app, still talked to Locke, still cared about the women working through it.

I simply wasn’t taking clients anymore.

Geo picked up another ornament and handed it to me instead of attempting independent placement.

That was progress.

“You know,” I said, “I think you’re learning.”

“I learned not to put anything on the tree without approval.”

“That’s not the lesson I meant, but I’ll accept it.”

We finished the last few ornaments together.

By the time the box was empty, snow was falling harder beyond the windows. The room had gone darker around us, making the tree lights brighter against the glass.

Geo stood behind me and wrapped both arms around me.

I leaned back against him.

His mouth brushed the side of my neck.