Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lex
The coffee mug felt heavy in my hand. Too heavy. Like someone had filled it with lead instead of caffeine.
I blinked hard, trying to focus on the words swimming across my laptop screen. Supply orders. Vendor contracts. The kind of administrative work that normally took me thirty minutes but had somehow consumed the last three hours.
My eyes burned. Dry and gritty like I’d been staring at a screen for days without blinking. Because I had been.
The vendor call last night had turned into a crisis negotiation.
Their shipment was delayed. Equipment we needed for next month’s workshops was stuck in customs. I’d spent four hours on the phone, then another three drafting emails and researching alternatives.
When I’d finally looked up, it was 2 a.m.
Majesty had been awake too, working on scheduling conflicts. We’d compared notes, made decisions, pushed through the exhaustion because the work had to get done.
I’d meant to go to bed after that. Had fully intended to climb the stairs and slip into bed with Cami.
But then I’d seen an email from another vendor.
And another scheduling issue. And suddenly it was five o’clock and starting a new day felt easier than trying to sleep for an hour.
So here I was. Running on fumes and sheer stubbornness.
“You look like hell,” Majesty said, appearing in the kitchen doorway.
I glanced up. He didn’t look much better. Dark circles under his eyes, his usual easy energy dimmed to something more brittle.
“Speak for yourself,” I managed.
“I’m serious, Lex. You handled observations yesterday and now you’ve been up all night. When did you sleep last?”
I had to think about it. “Day before yesterday? For a few hours.”
“Jesus.” He moved to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup. His hand shook slightly. “We can’t keep doing this.”
“It’s just until observation week is done. Three more days.”
“Three more days of running ourselves into the ground.” He took a long drink of coffee and grimaced. “This tastes like battery acid.”
“It’s been sitting for a while.”
We both looked at the pot. I’d made it almost four hours earlier.
Footsteps on the stairs pulled my attention. Cami appeared, already dressed for the day, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked at us and stopped.
“Morning,” she said, her voice careful.
“Morning, beautiful,” Majesty said, but even his usual warmth sounded forced.
She moved to the kitchen and started pulling out breakfast ingredients. Eggs, bread, fruit. Her movements were efficient but stiff.
“I’ll make breakfast,” she offered.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said, my words coming out slower than intended. Everything felt slower. Like I was moving through water.
“I want to.”
She cooked while Majesty and I sat at the table, both of us struggling to stay upright.
When she placed plates in front of us, the smell of eggs and toast made my stomach turn.
I picked up my fork anyway. Food was fuel.
I needed fuel. Cami sat down with her own plate, but she just moved the food around. Not eating. Just rearranging.
“You okay?” Majesty asked, his voice rough with exhaustion. “You barely touched your food.”
She looked up, and I tried to focus on her face. She looked pale. Drawn. When had that happened?
“Just tired,” she said. “Still recovering from the scene the other night.”
Scene. Right. The fire play scene two nights ago? Or was it three? Time was blurring. Then there had been her scene with Majesty…
“Makes sense,” I heard myself say. “That was intense.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Majesty pressed, but his eyes were struggling to focus too.
“I’m fine. Really. Should I start the truck?” She stood and started clearing dishes, even though none of us had finished eating.
Work… right.
I stood, and the room tilted slightly. I caught myself on the edge of the table.
“Lex.” Majesty was at my side immediately. “You’re swaying.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You need sleep.”
“I’ll nap during lunch.” The words came automatically. “I just need to make it through the morning sessions.”
Cami was watching us with concern in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. Just handed me a travel mug of fresh coffee.
“Thank you,” I said, and meant to say more. Meant to ask her how she was really doing. Meant to notice that she’d barely eaten anything. But the words got lost somewhere between my brain and my mouth.
The morning sessions were brutal.
I watched scenes with half-focused attention, catching major safety issues but missing subtleties I would normally pick up on immediately. My notes were sparse. My feedback generic.
A submissive approached me during a break. Alexandra, I think. Or maybe Alexandria. Someone I’d worked with at past workshops.
“Lex, can I get your opinion on something?” She touched my arm lightly, familiar and casual.
I tried to focus on what she was saying. Something about rope tension and weight distribution. Important. I should care about this.
“Try redistributing the primary support points,” I heard myself say. Technical. Accurate. Automatic.
She laughed at something. Had I made a joke?
I didn’t remember making a joke. My eyes drifted across the room, looking for Cami.
She was standing near the wall, watching another scene.
But she was looking at me. At us. At Alexandra’s hand on my arm.
I should go to her. Should explain this was just professional.
But Alexandra was still talking, and my brain couldn’t process two things at once right now.
By the time I looked back, Cami had turned away.
Lunch couldn’t come fast enough.
I was swaying on my feet when Majesty finally pulled me aside. “That’s it. You’re done. Go rest.”
“I can make it through the afternoon.”
“No, you can’t. You almost walked into that suspension rig.” He gripped my shoulder. “I got Derek and Arlo to help supervise. Go to the cabin. Sleep. That’s an order.”
“Majesty—”
“I mean it.” His voice was firm despite his own exhaustion. “You’re no good to anyone like this. And you’re going to hurt yourself or miss something critical.”
He was right and I knew it.
“Okay,” I conceded. “But just a few hours. Wake me if—”
“I’ll handle it. Cami!” He called across the room. “Can you drive Lex back to the cabin? He needs to rest.”
She appeared at my side almost immediately. “Of course.”
The walk to the truck was harder than it should have been. She had to steady me twice when I stumbled over nothing.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Tired.”
“I know.” Her voice was soft. Sad… but why?
The drive back was short. She helped me out of the truck and up the stairs, her arm around my waist, supporting more of my weight than I wanted to admit. In the bedroom, I sat on the edge of the bed and started unlacing my boots. My fingers fumbled with the simple task.
“Let me.” Cami knelt and unlaced them for me, pulling them off gently.
“Thank you.” I lay back, and the mattress felt like heaven. “God, I’m so tired.”
“I know.” She helped me get undressed down to my t-shirt and boxer briefs, then she covered me in the blanket. “Is there anything else you need?”
“Just...” I struggled to keep my eyes open. “Eat something. I noticed you didn’t eat breakfast. Promise me you’ll eat.”
There was a pause. “I promise.”
“Good.” My eyes closed. “Good girl.”
I felt her hand on my face, gentle and warm. Heard her voice, distant like she was already far away.
“I miss you,” she whispered.
The words didn’t make sense. Miss me? I was right here. I tried to respond, tried to ask what she meant, but sleep pulled me under like a wave. I dreamed in fragments.
Work. Vendors. Schedules. The same administrative details my brain had been chewing on for days. And somewhere in the middle of it, that voice again.
I miss you.
But that didn’t make sense. She was here. At the Ranch. With us.
My brain filed it away as dream logic and moved on to more pressing matters. The supply order that needed attention. The scheduling conflict that required resolution. Even in sleep, I couldn’t stop working.
I woke to darkness and the smell of food. My phone said it was 7 p.m. I’d slept for six hours. Downstairs, I could hear voices. Majesty and Cami.
I dragged myself out of bed and down the stairs, my body protesting every movement. They were at the dining table. Majesty looked slightly better than this morning, though still exhausted. Cami was pushing food around her plate again.
“Hey,” I said, my voice rough from sleep. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep that long.”
“You needed it,” Majesty said. “Feel better?”
“A little.” I moved to the table and sat down. “How did the afternoon go?”
“Fine. Derek and Arlo handled it well. No major issues.”
We talked through the day’s observations while we ate. Or rather, while Majesty and I ate. Cami was still just moving food around.
“Cami,” I said, noticing finally. “You’re not eating.”
“I had a big lunch,” she said quickly. “I’m not that hungry.”
Had she? I tried to remember if Majesty had mentioned her eating, but my brain was still foggy from sleep.
“We were thinking about doing a scene tonight,” Majesty said, looking at her. “Something light. Just to reconnect.”
I watched her face carefully. Something flickered across it. Panic? Fear? But it was gone before I could identify it.
“I’m still really sore,” she said, her voice apologetic. “From the flogging scene. Can we skip tonight? Maybe tomorrow?”
Concern flared through my exhaustion. “Are you okay? I should have checked on you more. Did I miss something during aftercare?”
“No, you were perfect.”
We had pushed her hard that night. Multiple intense scenes in a short period.
She probably needed more rest. However, something was off, but I couldn’t see to connect the dots.
I didn’t know if I was still waking up or if I needed to go back to bed because I still felt tired.
It was almost as if I hadn’t gotten any sleep.
“We can talk about it more when I’m more alert,” I said.
“Thank you.” She stood and started clearing plates. “I think I’m going to go to bed early. I’m exhausted.”
“Want company?” Majesty offered.
“No, it’s okay. You two probably have work stuff to catch up on.” She kissed his cheek, then mine. “Goodnight.”
She disappeared upstairs, and Majesty and I looked at each other.
“She seems off,” I said.
“She’s tired. We’ve all been pushing hard.” Majesty rubbed his face. “We should probably take a break after observation week. Actual time off. Just the three of us. I don’t know what her plans are for the week that she goes back, but if she can handle a mini vacation, she’s more than earned it.”
“Good idea.”
I should have gone upstairs because my eyes wanted to close so badly, but the blinking light on my computer caught my attention. More emails. More work that needed done.
“I should answer a few of these,” I said, already reaching for it.
“Don’t stay up too late,” Majesty said, standing. “You need actual rest, not just a nap.”
“I won’t.”
But even as I said it, I was opening my email. Scanning through messages. Prioritizing responses. There was more emails than normal with people submitting questions to the online forum from the recorded classes. There were messages asking about the times for the rest of observation week.
I wanted to go upstairs and cuddle with Cami and Majesty, but this stuff needed to be handled first. I gave it a solid two hours of attention before I felt myself nod off.
I closed my laptop immediately and climbed the steps.
Stumbling into my room, I fell back into bed and my eyes closed before any other thought registered.
Cami…
I fought to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t budge. Everything felt heavy, but I wanted to cuddle. Needed to feel her next to me.
“Cami…” I called out to her, hoping she’d hear.
I waited…
The silence pulled me under and as I dreamed, I still waited for her to hear me.