Chapter 3
THREE
Kingston
“I’m taking some more time,” I say.
Before I got together with Ella, I was one of those workaholic freaks who loved Mondays. I liked the possibilities that lay ahead, the tasks before me that I would crush throughout the week, the meetings I knew I’d have to navigate, the contacts I’d need to nurture.
Now, I still love Mondays and all that shit, but a large part of my mind is consumed with the knowledge that this daily grind and hustle is keeping me away from my girl. I no longer want to arrive at the office at six a.m. and stay until eight or nine p.m.
Kristin sits across from me in the more casual area of my office, with two loveseats facing each other, and an armchair.
She freezes with her fingers above her tablet and says, “Wait, can you repeat that?”
“I’m taking some more time.” I lean back against the cushions and flick a piece of lint off of my suit’s cuff.
“Yeah, I definitely didn’t hear you correctly,” she says, a faint smirk on her lips.
“Very funny. I love this place, love everything I’ve built here. But I have other priorities, now.”
I had other priorities before—my family that I made with Rayanne, our son, Joel. But she pushed me to work hard all the time, because there was never enough wealth for her. And then, she traded me in for a wealthier model and kept my son from me.
It takes conscious effort for me to stop clenching my fists every time I think of them.
“Hey, sorry for making fun,” Kristin says. “I think it’s good for you to step back if that’s what you want.”
“Thanks,” I say, “and I’m not frowning at you, just at…old memories.”
She nods.
“But this is what I wanted to speak with you about,” I say, shoving aside the unpleasant thoughts.
“How do you feel about taking on more responsibilities here? You’ve gone through a lot lately.
The plan had always been for Joel to eventually step into my role, but obviously that’s never going to happen… .”
Because he’s stuck in jail. And after sentencing, there’s no question in anyone’s mind that he’ll be in prison for a long, long time.
“Mentally and emotionally, I’m ready,” Kristin says. “But I’m hoping this will be a gradual shift in responsibilities? The Ruberetta accounts alone are enough to make a grown Domme cry.”
I chuckle. “Ruberetta’s a piece of work.”
“Did you know he’s trying to buy shares of this company?” Kristin asks.
“Doesn’t surprise me. I’m not worried about it—I’ll always have the majority of the shares.”
She nods. “Good. Something about him makes me feel slimy.”
“He’s never been my favorite client,” I say. “Don’t worry. If things get bad with him, we’ll kick him to the curb. He makes up a lot of Tyler Analytics’s business, but he isn’t the only part.”
“Good point.” She jots something in her tablet. “Do you want to discuss logistics of how you want to transition the company’s leadership?”
“Sure,” I say, then look at my phone. “Actually, it’s nearly five, and I want to leave on time today.”
She smiles. “That little girlfriend of yours sure has you whipped, doesn’t she?”
“Pretty much.” But I think to myself, if Ella’s lucky, I’ll be whipping her.
* * *
Sebastian
I shouldn’t be nervous. I like Helena, and Helena likes me. She’s a great agent, and she knows talent when she sees it.
But will she see Ella’s talent?
She must have—otherwise she wouldn’t have asked for me to put the two of them in touch. It’s absolutely insane of me to be nervous about making a damn phone call to my own agent.
But this call isn’t for me. It’s for Ella. Something about that makes it feel more important, heavier. This is for Ella’s dream .
Helena already said she wanted to speak with Ella. That’s a great sign. And Ella’s channel on VideYou is still going strong, despite the hiatus she had to take from it after her kidnapping and everything that happened with Joel, the dumbass.
Prison will be too good for that asshole.
At the moment, Ella’s in the living room, reading a book on her phone that’s making her alternately blush and bite her lip.
What on earth is she reading? She won’t say, but I’m going to wrangle that secret out of her soon.
I peer through the doorway and see Schrodinger on her lap, curled up like he’s in the best place in the world.
Can confirm: he is in the best place in the world. Lucky little fur ball.
Easing the door shut, I take out my phone and dial Helena.
“Sebastian,” she says, “are you all set for Vegas?”
“Yeah, can’t wait,” I say.
“Excellent. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”
Helena cracks me up. One minute she can be joking about farts with Pat Chrome and the other Church of Fortune band members, and the next she sounds like she’s going for tea at Buckingham Palace.
“I’m calling about my girlfriend, Ella. She goes by Cinderella, on VideYou.”
“I know who you’re talking about, you weirdo,” she says. “I’ve been waiting for you to call, actually, while I watch her subscriber count grow. Someone’s going to snatch her up if I don’t get in there soon.”
“I can give you her number, if you like.”
“Is she with you at the moment? I have some time. Put her on the phone.”
“You want to talk to her? Right now?”
“Well, yes, Sebastian,” she says, amused. “She’s the one I want to talk to, because this is her business. As much as I admire you, et cetera and so on.”
“I feel so special,” I say in a wry voice.
“As you should,” she croons. “So…can I talk to Ella?”
“Oh, yeah,” I say. “Let me see if she’s available.”
I should’ve checked with Ella before calling, shit. I didn’t think that Helena would want to talk to her right now. Hopefully Ella won’t feel blindsided by all of this.
“Hang on a second,” I say to Helena, before muting the call. I open the bedroom door and call out, “Hey, Ella? Um…I have my agent here on the phone, Helena. She wants to talk to you.”
Ella’s jaw drops and she gives me a disbelieving look. “Helena. Helena Tran?”
“Yeah. I can tell her you’re busy?—”
“No, wait—I’m not busy!” Ella gets to her feet. The cat gives her an affronted mrfff sound before settling back into the throw blanket. Then Ella’s in front of me, bouncing on her toes. She doesn’t reach for my phone, though, and instead whispers, “Is it on mute?”
“Yeah.”
“What do I say? What will she say? I want to talk to her, but what if I’m weird?”
I kiss her forehead. “She’s a human, just like you. All you have to do is talk to her. She might want to set up a meeting to chat in person. And remember, you already have one huge thing in common—you both love music. So go from there.”
It’s not quite the pep talk I had in mind, but it seems to calm Ella’s nerves, and she nods.
Unmuting the phone, I say into it, “All right, Helena. Here’s Ella,” and I pass the phone to Ella.
“Hello,” Ella says.
I turn to walk away and give her some privacy, but she snatches my hand to keep me here with her. I give her fingers a gentle, supportive squeeze while listening to her side of the conversation.
“It’s great to speak with you, too…. Uh huh. Yeah.… I’m free tomorrow, sure, but not until one…. Yes, that would be great, I can do that…. Okay, thank you. I’m looking forward to it! Okay, bye!”
She ends the call and hands the phone back to me, looking dazed.
“It sounded good,” I say. “ You sounded good.”
“I can’t believe I have a lunch date with an agent,” she says.
“I can,” I say. “You’ve been working your cute little ass off, princess. It’s about time you were rewarded.”
Raising her eyebrows at me, she says, “Are you going to reward me…Daddy?”
I take step after step, forcing her to walk backward with my advance.
Finally, her back hits the wall. I take each of her hands and raise them above her head, then nuzzle her neck.
Keeping her wrists in place with one hand, I trail my other hand down her front, between her breasts, and to the waistband of her loose sweatpants.
“Yes, baby girl. I’m going to reward you.”
* * *
Ella
Morning dawns cooler than usual, with the May heat cut by a freak coastal fog rolling inland.
I curl against Kingston’s chest, stealing his body heat.
I don’t want to get up and go to work. It’s not that I mind it—in fact, I’m grateful to still have a job, and I’m thrilled I’m no longer working as much as I was.
It’s just today I want to sleep in and enjoy Kingston and Sebastian being here in bed with me.
But Kingston rouses himself and slowly sits up, trying not to disturb me as he goes.
“It’s okay, I’m awake,” I tell him in a quiet voice so I don’t wake Sebastian. I sit up, too.
He leans over and kisses my cheek. “Good morning. Are you excited for your meeting with Helena?”
“Oh, shit, I nearly forgot,” I whisper, starting to scramble off the bed.
Kingston wraps his arms around my waist and hauls me into his lap. “You have plenty of time. Calm down, sweetheart. Take a deep breath.”
He’s right. I have time to get ready. I have a shift at Dorado Terrace, then afterward is my lunch with Helena. I pull in a deep breath and release it, enjoying the comfort of Kingston’s embrace.
“All right,” he says, “go turn on the shower. I’ll join you there and make sure you’re extra clean, you dirty girl.”
* * *
Ella
Helena Tran is probably in her late forties or early fifties. She carries a little extra weight around her middle, her brown eyes are large and perceptive, and she’s absolutely gorgeous. Stylish, secure, everything I want to be when I grow up.
I love her immediately.
“So I’ve watched every one of your videos,” she says once our meals have arrived—large Caesar salads with breaded shrimp for each of us. “What you’ve been doing is incredible, and from what I can tell, you haven’t been riding on anyone’s coattails to do it.”
“Yeah,” I say, “I really wanted to do it on my own. I loved music before I met Sebastian, and I didn’t want him to feel like I was using him. I also wanted to know that my success came from my own work and craft.”