Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
Caleb
I rapped on the doorframe leading to the office of my best friend and technically kind of my boss, Mason. He stood about a head taller than me, thick where I was cut, and made women drop their panties with his roguish smile. At least that’s what the subs who were part of his unofficial fan club called it, his roguish smile.
Personally, I didn’t trust that smile.
The more Mason smiled, the bigger a pain in the ass he was going to be.
Before he could launch into whatever he’d been planning to say, I held up my hand as he loosened his navy and orange tie from around his neck. His light-brown hair stuck up in clumps, and he had bags beneath his blue eyes. We’d both been putting in a ton of hours recently lining up talent to work at the Ranch as guest speakers, entertainers, and professors. Hell, I’d drawn up contracts for everything from a series of classes on baking erotic cakes, to securing a neuroscience professor and his staff for a new college course.
Vastly different people brought together under the umbrella of Rawhide.
When Eli and Georgie has finally admitted they needed help, Derek had let them interview interested parties. Mason and I had been thrilled when they’d asked us to join the Ranch’s Event Planning team. While they would handle the weddings and holiday parties, as the newly created marketing and talent acquisitions department of the Ranch, Mason was responsible for special events while I was Rawhide’s new talent scout. We both worked on marketing and had more than a few people on the Ranch who lent a hand now and again. Eli and Georgie had our backs, giving us sound advice and helping out when we needed it. We worked hard, but it was worth it. Mason and I wanted to prove to Derek that he’d made a wise choice investing in us. And we wanted Eli and Georgie to know that they could trust us with their business.
So far, I think we’d done a great job. Every spot on the roster had been booked out for the next year, and we were close to landing a few contracts that Derek had showed personal interest in. It had taken more than a few seventy-hour work weeks, but I felt like we were at a point where I could finally take a breath.
I was exhausted.
Mason would probably flip out, he was an even bigger workaholic than myself, but I knew he’d understand. He’d just gotten back from a week in the Bahamas with his daughter, and he looked and acted well-rested. I’d handled everything while he was gone, including dealing with the high-maintenance cat girls. Those women could drive a saint to drink.
He owed me.
With this in mind, I bit the bullet and said, “I need the rest of the week off. No, make that the next two weeks.”
Mason jerked his head back, his heavily gelled and messy hair barely moving. “Come again?”
Closing the door behind me, I moved through his large office to where he’d sprawled out on one of the sofas. The other sofa held his gray suit jacket and his shiny black shoes. His laptop sat next to him on the dark-green corduroy cushion, the screen showing an image of the Ranch in the summer. I glanced out the window, the snowy emptiness stretching out before the second-story window. Here and there warmth glowed in the form of lights, but they seemed few and far between.
Leather creaked and I turned away from the window to see Mason approaching me. His tailored slacks were wrinkled, and he had lines on the side of his face that told me he’d fallen asleep on his sofa. Again.
His eyes grew wide as he said, “Man, I don’t know if this is the best time. We’ve got a lot on our plate and a crazy amount of paperwork to do.”
I tilted my head and gave him a look that called him on his bullshit. “Things are crazy because you made them that way. I warned you that we were taking on too much, I told you that I wouldn’t be responsible for your over-extending yourself, and I told you I needed a break. Well, I’m taking it now. You can either find a way to cover for me by yourself, or you can hire an assistant or two. Derek has offered to provide us with a staff multiple times, and Eli has been wanting you to take on an interior design intern from Rawhide University. Take them up on their offers. Either way, I’ll be off the clock at midnight which is in… a couple hours.”
Mason wheezed.
I fought a smile as I said, “Oh, and Georgiana and Petal are your problem now. Good luck with those two crafty kitties.”
“Nooo,” Mason moaned and clutched his head. “They are so high-maintenance. In every sense of the word. Fuck, why do they have to be so good at what they do?”
Laughter burst out of me as I thumped my friend on the back, torn between concern that my buddy might finally have been stressed into a heart attack, and laughter at Mason getting what he deserved.
“You can’t leave me alone with Petal and Georgiana, that’s unfair,” he said after he’d finally sucked in and expelled a couple breaths. “And there’s Spirit Week. I need you on the ground, making sure everything goes smoothly with the people we’ve brought in. This is the first event staffed strictly by people we’ve recruited for it. I need you giving these people some face time to reassure them that we’re here if they need us.”
“Oh, I’ll still be there. As an attendee.” I grinned at Mason and he stared at me with wide eyes. “I found a girl. She’s here for Spirit Week and I want to see if I can get her to spend it with me. I’m telling you, Mason, she’s something else. I saw her and just like—bam—instant attraction.”
He squinted, then held a hand to my forehead. “You don’t feel warm, but your eyes are kind of glassy.”
I smacked his hand away. “I don’t have a fever. Wait until you see us together, then you’ll understand. When I look at her my whole body feels like I’ve been hit by lightning and?—”
“You’re right,” Mason interrupted me, “you have been working too hard. Take some time off. I’m worried about you, buddy. You’re not acting like yourself.”
Ignoring him, I continued, “Mason, I’m telling you, there’s something between us. I don’t know what it is, I can’t explain it, but the feeling is electric. When I touched her, I swear my skin hummed like I was touching a low-voltage live wire. Not in a bad way, it felt… intense. And that was just from touching her face when I was afraid she had frostbite. Poor girl’s lips were purple.”
“Wait, wait,” Mason wandered back to the couch and slumped onto it with a defeated sigh. “Why did you think she had frostbite?”
I smiled at the memory of her indignant expression when I’d scolded her for not having a jacket. “She was distracted and forgot her coat. She didn’t think it was a big deal and refused the shuttle driver’s offer of having a jacket brought to her from the Ranch. Then she said she got distracted by admiring the full moon and spaced out a bit. By the time she made it up the walkway, she was frozen. In her defense, she’s from Miami and she’s never experienced weather like ours. You wouldn’t know it, though. She has pale as cream skin and the prettiest blonde hair with hints of red. And her lips, man, when they weren’t blue they were a very lush pink. Full, kissable, pink lips…”
“My, my, my,” Mason drawled as he crossed one leg over the other and tapped his finger to his chin. “Look at you, all starry-eyed and shit.”
“Fuck you.” I moved his jacket and shoes to the side, then sat on the couch across from his.
Mason gave me a cocky grin that made me want to punch him. “Sensitive about her, aren’t you. What does she look like?”
“Sexy,” I said instantly. “Maybe late twenties or early thirties with a slender body. Except for her ass. She has a round, full ass.” Mason grinned at me and I smiled back. “Yeah, you know I’m an ass man. Anyways, she also has this air of… I don’t know… confidence about her. Like she knows who she is. I can’t explain it. She’s just very sure of herself and I find that sexy as hell.” I realized I was babbling about her by this point but didn’t seem to be able to stop myself. “Also, she’s a brat. A funny one. I’ll be laughing as I spank her fat little rear, that’s for sure. She’s petite, and pale enough that even a hint of a blush turns her cheeks pink. Hazel eyes, little more green than gold, and a smirk that makes me want to tie her up and make her scream out her orgasms. I swear she mouths off just to see what I’ll do. Daring me to punish her.”
I had to adjust myself and Mason rolled his eyes. “You like your subs sweet and cuddly. Obedient rule followers. I can’t even picture you with a brat.”
“I never thought of topping a brat, until I met her.” I held my hand up to just under my chin. “Little thing, only comes up to my chin, but her attitude—her confidence—makes her seem ten feet tall. She doesn’t back down and she likes to poke the bear. Weirdest thing is, when she stood up to me, when she told me flat out her rules and boundaries, I liked it. I enjoyed how she was being honest, how she was clearly laying out how she felt, no mysterious bullshit. I like her, Mason, in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. I want to take care of her. Discipline her. Watch her have fun and laugh with her. She is so funny, in an odd way, and we click.”
“And you just met her,” he drawled before letting out a sigh. “Caleb, maybe you need to slow down for a minute and think about this.”
“I have thought about this. Yes, I just met her, but I have a feeling about her and I need to chase it.” I shrugged. “I didn’t get her last name, but I know she’s here for Spirit Week. I’ll attend the event, then I just need to find her and convince her to give me a chance. If I’m right, and the pull between us goes both ways, she won’t be able to resist me for long. I’m going to make that Middle brat mine.”
“Whoo hoo, Middles are usually full of saucy fun.” Mason shook his hands as if they were hot, the thick silver cuff he wore on his left wrist catching the light. “You ever topped a Middle before?”
“Not that I can remember. Why?”
Mason smiled and shook his head ruefully. “Like I said before, you like your women obedient. I personally, find that boring but it seems to be what you enjoy. If this is true, you may not vibe as well with someone who is really in touch with their rebellious teenager side.”
I let out a low hum. “Actually, I think I’d do well with that dynamic. It could be lots of fun, with the right woman. Yeah… I’d like to have a bratty Middle to call my own. I’d have so much fun punishing her. I wonder what she likes…”
Sighing, I let some of the tension that rode me ease away. Forcing my shoulders to drop, I took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out, my gaze going back to the window. I did my best thinking outdoors and found the solitude of the wilderness recharged my batteries. As a talent recruiter I spent a lot of time surrounded by large masses of humanity and noise. The deep silence of a snow-filled country night healed something inside of me. There were fewer lights out there now than before, and a darkness had settled over the vast landscape on this overcast night. More snow was on the way, and I wondered if we’d get buried one more time before the warmth of spring started to show up.
“Spirit Week starts tomorrow,” Mason said as he grabbed and opened his tablet. “I’m giving you a VIP pass. That, along with your relationship with the staff, should get you into whatever classes you need. As a talent recruiter you’ve interacted with all of professors and instructors at some point or another.”
My heart beat a little faster and anticipation had my blood rushing. “That’ll work. Look, I’m not going to stalk her or anything. I just want a chance to get to know her.” The memory of her feisty smile made my heart warm and my dick hard. “Wait until you see her. She lights up a room with her presence.”
“Uh-huh.” Mason looked up from the keyboard, his expression serious as he said, “I don’t need to tell you that asking myself or the staff for any information on her is strictly forbidden. For that you need to ask Derek directly. And I don’t need to mention that you must disclose to her that you work here before you become intimate with her. These are things you know and understand, correct?”
After an initial flash of offense, my logic prevailed as I reminded myself that despite all his kidding around, Mason was a stickler for the rules and consent. He liked to make sure everyone was on the same page, and while it annoyed me, I respected his work ethic.
“Yes, yes. She already knows I work here. And I’m not going to be all weird. When have I ever taken time off in order to spend it with a guest? Never? Besides the fact that I would never do it, we have software that tracks my every move. You’d know if I was browsing Rawhide’s records where I didn’t belong. But I wouldn’t do that because I have ethics.”
My voice came out a bit loud by the end, but it did piss me off to have my integrity questioned.
Mason rubbed his face so hard it stretched out a bit before he slapped his cheeks, then let out a harsh breath. “Right, sorry, but it had to be said. Now, with that bit of nastiness over, let’s talk clothing and character. Who are you going as?” Sitting back, Mason recrossed his long legs in the opposite position as he gave me a critical look.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your character.” Mason held his hands out to me with his eyebrows raised. “This is a theme week, my friend. The good old 1980s. These people take their Spirit Week themes seriously. I’ve been working with a student council volunteer group that helps host this event. They have invested a lot of time and effort into making sure our events are up to their standards. When you walk into Spirit Week, you’re supposed to feel transported to whatever time period this year’s event is. I swear I have told you this before.”
“You have.” I sighed and placed the heels of my palms against my eyes. “Sorry, my brain is fried.”
Mason gave a heavy sigh, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders and he had to explain something obvious to a moron. “If you don’t blend in fashion-wise, you won’t stand a chance of winning your fair maiden’s hand. And you need a haircut.”
I ran my hands through my hair, now reaching past my ears and down almost to almost my jaw. “I don’t like to get haircuts in the winter. You know this. It makes my head freeze.”
Rolling his eyes, Mason drummed his fingers on his knee as he returned to examining me. “What role are you going to play? You’re a Dom so you can pretend to be teacher if you want, but it might limit some of the social situations where you’d find your bratty Middle. You could be a Senior. Maybe one of the burnout crowd.”
“The what?”
“You know—metal t-shirts, muscle cars, sneaks out of class to drink and get high.”
I shook my head, pretending I didn’t see him smirk as I had to brush my bangs out of my eyes. “I rarely drink and even more rarely get high. Besides, it doesn’t matter what the state of Montana says about legalities. Drugs are absolutely forbidden on Ranch property and cause for immediate dismissal.”
Mason gave me an innocent expression. “No need to preach to the choir here. You do your job, and you do it sober and well.”
“Right, so you think I fit that role?”
Mason’s broad shoulders rose up as he shrugged. “I have no idea. That’s up to you to figure out. I will say that these role-playing crowds tend to build their own personas for the event. You might want to come up with some kind of role play that ties you to her in some way. Like you’re next-door neighbors or some shit. I don’t know. That’s for you to figure out.”
Leaning back a bit, I grinned as I considered a bunch of different characters I could play with Ivy. “It’ll need to be something original. Something she’ll find fun. I could be her professor, or maybe her dad’s best friend.”
Mason shook his head. “You could, but that might work better for a Little. Try being like her tutor, or her older brother’s best friend. Damn, I’m jealous of you now. You’re going to have two weeks of fun while I slave away here, covering your ungrateful butt.”
Not feeling sorry for him in the least, I grinned. “Yep.”
“And she’s a redhead,” Mason said with a mock sigh. “You know I love redheads.”
Something pinched in my gut and I gave him a hard glare. “Hands off, she’s mine. Besides, she’s kinda more blonde than red. But either way, hands off.”
“No worries there. If she’s a brat I have no interest. I have enough almost teenage drama to deal with at home from my daughter, thank you very much.” He briskly clapped his hands together. “Speaking of which, it’s time to head out. You coming with? I can hook you up with some clothes at my house. Everything you have is either corporate or grungy from working around the Ranch. If you’re going to fit an 80s theme, burnout is your best bet. Luckily for you I have quite the collection of 80s metal band shirts and black hoodies. Add some jeans to that, style your hair a little different, and you’ll be good. June has some magnetic earrings, you want one of those? The earrings are a pair of baby blue kittens, but I’m sure no one will notice.”
“Ha ha. Who’s cooking tonight? You or your aunt?”
When Mason had become a single father, his favorite aunt had moved in to help him with June when she was a toddler. Aunt Ginny ended up getting a job at Rawhide working in the catering division and stayed. Now she came over a few nights a week to Mason’s place and fed us “proper” dinners. Proper meaning she buried you in good food until you were too stuffed to move.
Then she made you play, and lose, poker with her.
All the while she packed you even fuller with delicious desserts, thus rendering you unable to leave.
Or even move.
“Afraid it’s just me tonight, my man,” Mason said as he clapped my shoulder, pushing me ahead of him out of the office. “I’ll meet you at my house and we’ll work on your outfit. I’m sure June will love to help. She’s been obsessed with John Hughes movies lately and 80s tv shows.”
“Great, I’m getting dressed by an eleven-year-old.”
“Yep.” Mason locked up his office, then shrugged on the thick black coat he’d grabbed before we left. “See you soon. I’ll have a beer waiting for you and steaks in the oven.”
“Sounds good to me. Just promise me that I won’t be June’s dress-up doll. Last time I let her style my closet it took her three hours. I swear my skin was chafed from trying on things before she was done.”
“And how many items did she find in your closet that had holes in them, or bleach stains, or no longer fit.”
I grunted, unable to say anything in rebuttal. “Whatever. I have to go talk with Derek, but it shouldn’t take long. He’s been after me to take a vacation.”
Mason jingled his keys as we walked down the interior hallway. “Nice to have a boss encouraging you to have a life, huh?”
“Never thought my dream job would be at a sex-positive resort, but here we are.”
We both laughed and I waved goodbye before stopping by Derek’s office.
A quick knock later and Derek’s broad and tall figure filled the doorway.
“Come on in, my friend,” he said with a smile glinting through his salt and pepper beard.
“Hope I didn’t keep you from heading home,” I said as Derek led me into his office and over to a pair of high-backed chairs arranged before the fire.
“Not at all. Mason already texted me, you have my permission and blessing. Go enjoy Spirit Week. Your hard work was a big part of why we were able to pull off such an amazing roster of talent for this event. Our attendees have been thrilled so far, and we certainly benefited from the high profile speakers and guest lecturers. Tickets sold out to the public in fifteen minutes. And the VIP tickets in five.”
I let out a low whistle. “Wow. I didn’t know that.”
“We raised a lot of money this year, Caleb. Thanks in no small part to your efforts.”
Shifting back on my heels, I exchanged a smile with my boss. He owned Rawhide and had a heart as big as anyone I’d ever met. Some people might think the owner of a sex positive resort would be sleazy, but Derek was anything but. A genuinely decent guy, an old-fashioned gentleman, and a shrewd businessman with a strong moral compass. I was glad I was working for him.
This Spirit Week charity thing was one of his babies, and all the proceeds went to a great causes like Rawhide University’s Scholarship program that grew larger every graduating class. This year, in addition to the usual charities, Derek was supporting a small apartment complex that housed kids who had aged out of the foster system and were attending the University of Montana or the nearby community college.
Pride filled me and I answered him honestly as I said, “My pleasure.”
Derek picked up his thick sheepskin jacket and shrugged it on. “Stop by the front desk. They’ll give you your welcome packet and make sure you are registered for the classes you wish to take. I may have put a star next to a few that I think you should take. Heard a pretty redhead might be in them.”
Blinking hard, I stuttered out, “I will. Um, thanks. How do you know she’s a redhead?”
“I watched the security tape.” He smiled at me, his eyes filled with warmth. “Could feel the chemistry between the two of you through the cameras. I’ll be interested to see how things go.”
“Thanks, again,” I said as my excitement grew. “You really did me a solid. I had no idea how I was going to find her.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I merely gave you an opportunity to attend two of the same classes tomorrow as Ivy. The rest is up to you. I truly hope you enjoy yourself, and I want to remind you, as of midnight you’re on vacation. No more working. Just have fun.”
“I’ll try,” I said as he hustled me out the door.