Exclusive Enterprise Pt. 02

He looked at her for a long moment, then turned to look at Michael. "I like this one Michael. Don't lose her. She's got a good head on her shoulders." Turning back to Juniper, he murmured, "Thank you, Juni. Sometimes... it's easy to forget... things you shouldn't forget." He smiled softly. "So... new club owners have to be vetted by us personally?" He looked at Tanner, who nodded in agreement.

She released a soft breath and backed up to lean against the wall, her fingers were trembling and she was still worried she was in trouble, she glanced at Michael who just had an approving smile on his face.

The group talked for long hours about the details, producing many ideas and things to investigate. Annabelle took dutiful notes on a small laptop she was using. When it started getting late, Michael asked, "How about dinner? The hotel here has a wonderful restaurant. We can pick this up tomorrow morning."

Brandi cleared her throat softly, "If it's all the same, Master Michael, I think I'll get home to my Master."

Michael smiled at her and waved. "Of course, Brandi. Give Gerald my best and we'll see him for the munch next weekend, yes?"

"Of course," she smiled. She glanced at Juniper, "Plus, Juni has the notes if you guys have any questions." She patted Juniper's shoulder when she made a soft squeak. "You're doing great, baby girl."

"Yes Miss Brandi," she breathed, relaxing at the words. "Thank you, Miss Brandi." Brandi nodded and slipped out, leaving her with the rest. She gave them a shy smile, "I can stay if you'd like. I have no plans."

William looked at her expectantly. "I certainly hope you don't expect me to go to dinner with these two gentlemen and their beautiful slaves with an empty arm. How could you? That would be cruelty...," he observed, a twitching lip and a twinkle in his eyes the only signs of his teasing.

Her nose crinkled slightly, "Very well, Master William," she smiled slightly, "And I promise not to gush over your voice acting." She giggled softly, then moved to collect the documents and folders, neatly putting them in her briefcase.

"Oh please... feel free. Gush away," he said magnanimously, his face slipping into a grin.

"Don't you dare charm part of my marketing department away from me, Bill. I keep losing people to Future Power. I don't need to be losing people to Hollywood too."

William made a face. "Hollywood," he spat. "Bah. Independent stuff's the way to go anyway. More freedom. Less... bullshit."

"Unless you're involving cows," Juni said softly, then squeaked and blushed, "One of the videos I worked on during college was a cowboy movie. The main actress kept whining about cow patties. At least they weren't fresh." Her nose crinkled and moved back to stand near William. Another soft squeak escaped as she blew her hair out of her face. "All packed up, Master Michael."

"My God, she's adorable! I swear, if you lose track of this one... I'll never forgive you, old friend," William said, jabbing his finger at Michael with a grin. "Come on, little one. I hear that the hotel restaurant is fabulous and Michael's buying..." He winked up at her and rolled his chair back to head toward the door.

She quickly moved to open the door, holding it so he could easily get out, then moved to walk beside him. "I don't know, I haven't eaten at this restaurant. Master Michael is usually a good judge of restaurants. As long as you don't let him pick the sushi restaurant," she glanced over her shoulder with narrow eyes. "He thought they were all the same, the nerve." She squeaked as William laughed.

"I said I was sorry, besides, Annabelle picks the restaurants now," Michael said, his voice jovial and teasing.

"Yes, Master Michael," she turned to rest her hand on William's shoulder. "I don't want to interfere with your pushing, but you did say you wanted someone on your arm," she giggled. "Tashin Tin is my favorite anime, but I think I liked the voice you did in Rosenbloom Destruction better, it sounded like it was less strain on your voice."

He nodded and began to tell her about the recording process for both of them, including some funny behind-the-scenes antics with his fellow voice actors. They quickly got to the restaurant and were shown back to a private room where a spot had been cleared for his chair at the table. "It's funny. You mentioned earlier how Michael is a good judge of restaurants. It's not fair. As healthy of an appetite as he has, the man is in absurdly good shape for his fifties. Me? I've got massive arms from this thing and a dad-belly with no kids. At least Kaia still loves me."

"Kaia?" she asked softly, her brow furrowed, "Why isn't she or he with you?"

"Kaia is my german-shepherd. She's my service animal. I didn't bring her because I didn't want anyone to be uncomfortable. She's not exactly... small."

"But... she's a service animal?" Her nose crinkled slightly, "As in trained to provide a service, do a job..." She swallowed, "Well, if you didn't bring her because of me," she paused and squeaked, "Please don't refrain from it in the future because of my account. My former Daddy trained service animals." The tone she said Daddy in held a wealth of significance.

He smiled and reached up to pat her hand. "She's on vacation at the moment. There's a luxury pet hotel in Seattle where I'm from and she is sitting in the lap of luxury while Daddy is away working here." The way he said it could easily be a double meaning, she determined.

She blew out, a soft squeak escaping, "OK," she bit her lower lip, then reached into her purse and pulled out a card. She placed it in his hand. "If you need anything while you're here I would be happy to help you." She nodded firmly, then gave him a small smile. "Now, lets' see how much we can break Master Michael's wallet," she winked at him.

He tucked it into a breast pocket and smiled up at her. "Now that... is something I can drink to," he said. "Come, little one. There's money to be spent!" He wheeled himself to the table and opened up the menu.

She giggled and carefully sat down on his right, opening up her menu. She peeked over the menu and looked at Annabelle who was beaming brightly. She made a soft, huffed squeak and hid behind the menu again.

Dinner was fantastic, Juni was quiet when the waiter got annoyed by her soft squeak. She just focused on her meal and didn't speak up, even to ask for more water. She gave the group a small smile at the end, "Thank you for having me for dinner. I enjoyed it," she squeaked softly. "I'm going to head for home now."

"I'll walk... er... come with you to your car," William murmured as she got up. He wheeled out with her and stayed by her side as she walked slowly out to her car. "Did I... offend you somehow tonight, Juni? If I did, you have my most humble apologies..."

Her brow furrowed, and she looked at him, "No Master William, you didn't offend me at all. The waiter was glaring and I didn't want dinner to be ruined because of me being so annoying." She blew out and a soft squeak escaped, "And I was trying not to give Miss Annabelle any more ammunition as well."

He was silent for a moment as they arrived at her car. Then, looking up at her, he asked, "Whose arm were you on tonight, little one?"

Her brow furrowed, "Yours, Master William."

"You weren't annoying to me...," he said softly, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips. "Thank you for accompanying me tonight. I try never to pass up an opportunity to converse with such a remarkable lady as yourself. I wish we'd been able to do so more...," he added.

She blushed and bit her lip, a soft squeak escaped, then she softly murmured. "I enjoyed my time with you tonight." She leaned in and cupped his face to look at him seriously, "You can also call me. You have my number, Master William."

"I would like that," he murmured. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Juni," he said, a wistful smile on his face as he backed up so she could get in her car.

"You as well, Master William." She gave him a small smile, then climbed into her car to leave. She waved to him one last time as he waved back, then pulled out to drive home.

"You like her," Annabelle murmured from behind him.

He nodded, turning his wheelchair to look at her. "But it is not an easy life taking care of a cripple. And I... do not live close by. Her future Daddy, however, is going to be a very lucky man," he said, before wheeling back to the hotel to go to his room. He needed a drink. A stiff one.

Annabelle grumbled and stomped her foot, then went to Michael, "He likes her."

"Yes, he does," Michael observed. "But he's still trying to get over Naomi and the way she abandoned him."

"She was a bitch," Annabelle grumbled, "I'm gonna talk to her tomorrow, see what her thoughts are."

"That's a good plan, my Annabelle," Michael kissed the top of her head, "But no pressure."

"Do I ever?" she asked petulantly.

Michael laughed. "No, but she works for me and presents as a little. There's a whole different level of pressure she might feel. Even from you. Just be gentle, that's all I'm saying." He tugged her in close and kissed her softly. "I love you, my slave."

"I love you, my Master. I promise not to pressure." She snuggled into him, "Let's go home, I don't think Master William wants to talk to anyone right now."

Tanner and Juniper were standing near, and Tanner spoke up, "He's got it as bad for her as I do for my Juniper, I can't blame him, that squeak was fucking adorable. Kinda reminds me of when Juniper and I are in the bedroom."

"Right?" Michael asked. "It will work itself out. These things always do. Despite any meddling...," he smirked, glancing at Annabelle.

"Oh please, you meddle just as much as I do," Annabelle rolled her eyes and poked his side. "Now, home, and ravishing time."

The next morning, when they arrived at the hotel for their meeting, Annabelle promptly ambushed Juni and led her off. "OK, spill, you like, Master William, don't you?"

"Yes," Juniper said honestly, "He's a good man."

"So why don't you go for it with him?"

"Cause I'm going to need more," she responded simply. At Annabelle's look, she blew out and a soft squeak escaped. She leaned against the wall and hugged herself, "I need a Daddy and a Mistress. I can't work well with just a Daddy. The other problem is, the Mistress would need to be subordinate to Daddy as a slave. So I can see her being... you know," she sighed, "That's why my former Daddy left, he didn't want the burden of dealing with me anymore."

"Oh Juni," Annabelle stepped forward and folded her in a tight hug, "It's OK, we'll figure things out together. I'll find you a Mistress and a Daddy. I've got connections."

"Plus, Master Michael doesn't want me to be with Master William. He told Master William not to charm me away. So the only way that would work would be if Master William moved to Minneapolis... but he's not going to do so..." Juniper sighed and trailed off. "We should probably get in there. I did some more research last night."

Annabelle put her hand on her shoulder. "Juni... trust me. Michael was only joking with William last night. They've known each other for almost fifteen years now. That's the way they talk to each other. If you... and William... decide that you're interested in pursuing something, he and I will be absolutely over the moon for you. Honest." Her eyes held Juni's and her tone was as sincere as she had ever heard.

"Thank you, Miss Annabelle," Juniper murmured. "But nobody wants to be a Daddy and a Master. It's too much work." She squeaked softly, a sad note, then wiped her face and straightened her back. "Time for me to get to work." She walked with Annabelle back to the conference room and started talking about how she found a new recipe and would like to try it for the munch next Saturday.

Annabelle sighed. She would have to work on that. The right person, the one that was meant to be with her, would be able to be what she needed. That isn't to say that it would be effortless, but it wouldn't be 'too much work' either. She followed Juni into the conference room and they found William already there, looking as if he either hadn't gotten much sleep or hadn't gotten good sleep. He looked up at their presence and smiled at Juni, a warm, welcoming smile. "Hello, little one. It's good to see you again."

"Hello, Master William," her brow furrowed, "Are you OK?" She walked over to check on him, her wrist automatically pressing to his forehead to check for fever. "Did you not sleep well?"

His smile turned wry. "Not really. I'll be all right, though. I haven't been sleeping well for a while. Some nights are worse than others. Last night was one of those."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she smiled at him, then blushed and squeaked at how familiar she was with him. "I know it can be hard, but each day you're moving forward is a beautiful day indeed."

He touched her hand gently. "I'm glad you came back," he confessed softly.

"Why wouldn't I?" Her nose crinkled slightly in confusion as she touched his hand in return. "I'll keep coming around as long as I'm allowed." She smirked slightly, "Or until Master Michael gets all grumpy about you stealing me away." She squeaked and giggled softly as Annabelle giggled behind her.

"It's OK. I'll just have Annabelle distract him with her breasts or something while we make our escape," he waved his hand vaguely, but the twinkle was back in his eye again.

"She does have magnificent breasts of distracting, they're almost as mesmerizing as your eyes," Juni said quickly, then blushed and squeaked again, ducking her head. "So, discussion time?"

His look of surprise lasted only a moment and though her head was ducked, she caught it as he tried to compose himself. "Yes, I suppose it is discussion time," he murmured.

Brandi took the lead and started, then after a bit, the presentation was handed over to Juni. She stepped forward and bit her lip, "Since I know we're still keeping this under wraps, but I wanted to be able to give a bit more solid numbers for you, I reached out to one of my friends. I used a slightly modified NDA from Tanner's employer, Future Power Industries since they deal in government contracts as well as consumer stuff. He runs a club similar to what we're planning, his patrons pay a small percentage for privacy and peace. He and his husband gave me some ideas of different directions to take the clubs. So I spent most of the evening last night compiling reports." She clicked on the screen. "His club's average profit margin stands about here. His husband runs the Kitten Capers over on seventh, their profit runs about here." She talked through it, "They also umm..." she pulled a file from her briefcase. "They'd like to be the first clubs to join... they think it's a... fantabulous opportunity."

"They do realize that it's going to drastically limit their clientele initially, right?" Tanner asked. "I mean, a ten kay entry fee per year is not chump change for most people..."

She shrugged, "They said that the limit to their clientele was a save on their insurance fees from drunken idiots." She handed the papers to William first. "I told them it was still in the planning stage and was told that if I convinced you guys to do it, they'd take me for fantabulous shopping and 'doll me up proper'." Her nose crinkled slightly, "I'm not sure how I feel about that one but I did say I'd bring it up. Besides, these are their two dungeons, they also own two pubs that... 'make bank'." She paused and swallowed, "However, in the interest of honesty I will state that one of them has ties with the Nicolozzo Family in New York. They're distant cousins. They've offered their family connections as well to help... get the word out when or if you want to move forward with them. They view me as their sister from another mister."

"The Nicolozzo family...," Tanner murmured, tapping his lips. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"They're Mafia," Brandi offered. "Old-world Mafia. White Wolf just had a big case, it was all over the news for about a month. White Wolf won."

He snapped his fingers and pointed. "That was it. I remember seeing the brief for that case."

"Well, to be fair, if someone had messed with kids on my turf, I would have done bad things too," Juni murmured. Then squeaked softly at the looks and ducked her head. "Jimmy gave me a copy of the police report and I asked about it. One of their competitors was selling drugs to kids. The competitor mysteriously vanished. No witnesses, no evidence. Just 'Angelo must have done it 'cause he's the bad guy'." She swallowed and straightened her back, "However, I understand if you want to reject them because of their connections. I simply wanted to ensure you had full disclosure before you took any further steps." She squeaked softly at the end as she blew the hair out of her face then stepped back behind Brandi again.

"Little one?" William murmured.

She looked up at him, her head tilted slightly, "Yes, Master William?"

He pointed a finger firmly down at the chair next to him. "Sit. Your constant hiding is distracting. You do not need to be shy here...," he stated before looking at Tanner, obviously expecting to be obeyed. "People are people. As long as there is no illegal activity whatsoever at our clubs and they don't bring their business in our walls, I don't see as it matters as long as we know ahead of time," he shrugged.

She obediently sat where he pointed, her fingers twisted in her lap as she tried to relax. She hated the anxiety that overwhelmed her sometimes. She froze as Brandi stepped forward and pressed a hand firmly on her shoulder. Brandi leaned down, "Breathe. You're doing just fine, baby girl. Everyone is proud of you and you're doing a good job." She squeaked but her breathing steadily slowed, then Brandi stepped back with a wink at Annabelle.

Tanner shrugged as well. "As long as we're not breaking the law, I don't see a problem with it either. We just need to be careful that we protect ourselves and know who the sharks are. We can protect our clientele better that way too."

As she sat down, William leaned his head toward Juni and murmured, "Good girl," before returning his attention to the conversation Tanner and Juniper were having with Michael and Annabelle, who was once again taking notes of the proceedings.

Juniper stayed quiet as they talked, she had nothing to contribute at the moment. Her mind was circling the praise William had given her, a small kernel of warmth inside her. After a few moments, she finally cleared her throat, "What about video? Maybe ask the computer security specialist if we could do video with sound that could keep an eye on things, that way it's not just an eye witness of, he said - she said, but actual recorded evidence. We could put the fact that they'd be recorded in the contract."

William turned and smiled at her. "That's a good idea, Juni," he murmured. Turning back to Michael, he observed, "We're going to have a lot to discuss with your boy when he gets here."

"My... boy?" Michael coughed. "When did he become my... boy?"

"Just now, Oh great and powerful mastermind," William smirked. Michael wagged his finger at him with a very dramatic disapproving glare that only made William grin bigger.

Juni giggled from his side and ducked her head but tried not to hide. "Master Michael does like being a Mastermind. Miss Annabelle prefers making matches."

"Oh, Michael's got a matchmaking streak in him too. Your girl there, Brandi? She's a recipient. And there was this fella out of Las Vegas too... Can't remember his name though. They got him as well. Even Tanner here...," he jerked his head in Tanner's direction who shrugged and smiled, squeezing his slave's hand in affection.

She smiled softly, "Sounds like a wonderful thing to me, Master William." She ducked her head as her stomach grumbled, a blush and a squeak escaping. "Dinner time?" She didn't notice William's eyes widen or his soft smile as he was looking down at his notes.