Chapter 3
Iwas fucked. Mari had well and truly screwed me, and I wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or if it was some sort of cosmic joke. How the hell had she found someone in a single day whose resume and body could have been pulled straight out of my fantasies? I either owed my friend a bottle of scotch or a spanking.
“If my opinion matters, she’s perfect.” Colin smirked. Neither his opinion nor his knowing look were appreciated.
“Of course, your opinion matters. I’m just not sure it’s a good idea to hire a woman for the position.” I knew how much of an asshole that made me sound like, but the last thing our operatives needed was a distraction, especially one with all her assets. No. Truth was, they’d be fine. Whereas, I was the one who didn’t need her kind of distraction.
“Not going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. I’ve got to get ready for my flight, so I’ll leave you with this parting advice. Don’t be an idiot!” Colin narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and left the conference room.
Rose was going to be trouble.
As a child, during lightning storms, I’d stand on my porch for hours. I remembered the thrill of gazing out at the tumultuous sky, loving how the air crackled with anticipation. Unlike most kids, I hadn’t been scared. I’d felt excited seeing the lightning dance across the horizon in fleeting bursts of white-hot light. Each jagged bolt seemed to reach down from the heavens, and I’d wanted to dance among them.
There’d been a mesmerizing beauty to the chaos that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from. Adrenaline would course through my veins, reminding me of the awe-inspiring might of nature. I’d felt like I was witnessing the same awe-inspiring phenomenon while watching Rose, with her flame-red hair and flashing green eyes, stand up to me. The wild look in her deep sea-green eyes, shot right to my cock, but coupled with an intelligence that impressed, made Rose a force to be reckoned with.
When I wasn’t stuck gazing into eyes that flashed warning signs in my direction, then I was immersed in studying her soft, lush lips and wondering how they would feel on mine. My reaction to her was visceral and called to the dark part of me that wanted to tame and control something wild.
Other men might want a pliant, gentle sub but that had never appealed to me. Where was the challenge in someone following your commands instantly? I wanted the thrill of knowing that not only did her submission have to be earned, but she would only bend for me. It was a true thrill to imagine, and together we could be a force no one else compared to.
The memory of Rose as she straightened her body, faced me directly and attempted her dressing down was nothing less than foreplay for a man like me. She would prove challenging, but not in a rigid way, where bending was not an option. Having the only choice be to break, had never been for me.
Despite her aggressive, sure behavior, she wasn’t a Domme who wanted others to kneel at her feet. She was a wild mare daring someone to have the skill to run with her. I could picture her legs spread at my command but her cat eyes would be narrowed, challenging me to bring her to orgasm.
Perfect. I snorted. She was perfect all right, but could I work with her without constantly wanting to bend her over my desk? I thought of what Erik had said when he described his interview with Raia. But she’d been interviewing for a job as a server/submissive at a BDSM club. Would Rose be interested in anything more than the job?
What the hell was wrong with me? My mind was spiraling and I needed to get a new perspective. I left the meeting room and grabbed my jacket from the chair in my office as I headed for my car and placed a call.
“Hello, Gabe.” Erik’s familiar voice answered the call.
“You at work?”
“Well, good morning to you, too. And yes, I just arrived. Did you need something?”
* * *
As I pushed open the door to the diner across the street from Midgard, the familiar sights and sounds calmed my racing mind. The scent of sizzling bacon mingled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee were comforting touchstones recalling memories of the hundreds of times we’d come here over the years. The interior was a fun blend of retro charm and urban grit, with vinyl booths lining the walls and checkered tiles underfoot.
The jukebox in the corner randomly played a medley of oldies and current music so you never knew what you would hear at any given time. The walls were adorned with vintage posters and neon signs, reminding me of long nights in college after a drinking binge trying to eat greasy food to forestall the inevitable hangover. I’d been to hundreds of high-end restaurants in the city but it was places like this that brought back fond memories. Erik sat in a booth near the window. I made my way through the maze of tables and joined him.
Sinking into the faux leather of the booth, I could feel the weight and stress of the past few weeks like a cloak around my shoulders. At this rate, I would start aging prematurely. I needed to get my business and my libido under control. Maybe I could do a scene at Midgard to help relieve the pressure? But at this point I wasn’t sure I had enough energy to play with anyone.
“Well, you look like shit. I’m assuming you demanded this impromptu get together because you’re unhappy about something.”
Before I could speak, a cup of steaming hot coffee was set down in front of me along with a plate loaded with waffles and bacon. This is why we were still very close friends after all of these years—Erik’s superpower to know what someone needed and to somehow make it happen without ever being asked. Since I hadn’t eaten breakfast, I wasn’t going to complain.
“You’re not eating?” I asked after taking a few bites and calming my hunger.
“I already ate, but I know you rarely take time for breakfast or lunch unless you have a meeting with clients,” he said with a smirk.
He wasn’t wrong but that didn’t mean I had to admit it. “Not all of us have a pretty little slave to make us breakfast.” I took a sip of coffee and smiled.
“Jealous?” Erik’s quirked eyebrow made me chuckle.
“You are a lucky bastard, but you know that isn’t my style.” I took a deep breath. “I need your advice.”
Erik nodded. “Must be personal not professional if you are asking me instead of Colin or Lincoln.”
“Actually, it’s a little of both. Mari has put me in an awkward position. I think that woman is up to something.”
Erik laughed. “Isn’t she always? But you’ll have to catch me up. What did she do this time?”
I shared the conversation I’d had with Mari and how she sent one of her friends to interview with me this morning.
“Is her friend qualified for the job?”
“Brother, you have no idea. The woman she sent has a resume better than I ever could have hoped for. Absolutely perfect to take on what I need done.”
“So what’s the problem?”
It was embarrassing to admit the problem, but unfortunately, it was necessary if I was going to get Erik’s take on the situation. “She’s gorgeous and has a fire in her that flares so bright it’s hard not to get burned.”
Erik chuckled. “That is very poetic of you.”
“Fuck you. She’s so hot, I want to bend her over my desk to spank and fuck her. Is that better?”
“I’m guessing that’s a bad thing?” Erik leaned back in the booth, his smile at my dilemma not a welcome sight.
“Be serious, Erik. We all know that fucking around at work only leads to drama. Plus, I can’t walk around my office all day with a hard-on, I won’t get any work done.”
His laughter made me regret calling him, but eventually, he settled down. “Aren’t you slated to leave town in a few days?”
“Yes, I have to do the in-person work for that Tech Conference. Then I need to go to Prague and meet with a potential new client. Not to mention I have two jobs that David didn’t finish planning before he left with his boy toy for Greece, and I don’t have the local contacts to make things work on such short notice.”
“Then it sounds to me like Mari has dropped a gift horse in your lap. Hire the woman under the condition that she can manage those two jobs for you. Call it a temporary recruitment, based on performance, and if she can pull it off, then you can decide what to do about the situation. If she’s that good, and you can’t keep control of your dick, maybe she can work remotely.”
I gave my friend a look that lesser men would run from and took a few more bites of my food. His logic was sound and would at least give me a temporary fix for my problem. I would have to review whatever she set up, but hopefully her hotel management skills really would translate well for what I needed.
“It’s not an awful idea,” I conceded.
A small crease formed between his brows. “Gabe, you need help. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this tired. I know this company is your baby, but you need to delegate or you are going to end up burnt out. Colin said the company is thriving, and I know you’re not hurting for money, so why are you pushing so hard to do everything yourself?”
His accusation was more than accurate; he’d hit the nail on the proverbial head. I knew it was a downfall, or con of being a Dom. I had issues with handing over control to anyone. It was only by necessity that I made Colin head of all the local contracts so I could focus on growth strategies. My problem centered over the fact that not being in control didn’t come naturally for me. I needed to come to terms with that and soon. Regardless, now wasn’t the time to get philosophical. When the current rush was over, I would talk to Colin and Lincoln about restructuring. We were equal partners, but I’d always felt like I had to keep my hand in every part of the business since I had started the company before bringing them on.
When we’d been smaller and only dealt with local clients, it had been easy enough. Lately, it had become evident that it just wasn’t possible to be in every place at the same time anymore. Honestly, more and more of the joy I’d felt in the beginning had disappeared. Now, I felt buried under a blanket of obligation, and I didn’t like it.
“Habit I guess. That and finding time to make changes.”
“Trust me when I say slowing down and actually enjoying life is one of the best decisions I ever made.”
The smile on my friend’s face was genuine. He’d recently started hiring more management staff to take over the day-to-day operations of our clubs. I hadn’t really thought about why, but now that I took a moment, the reason, and the results were apparent, and he’d never looked better.
“You have a good reason to spend less time at work.” As the words left my mouth I realized how bitter they sounded. “I’m happy for you, Erik. Don’t get me wrong, but it’s not like I have someone waiting for me at home.”
“Ah, the causality dilemma. It’s a classic.”
“Excuse me?”
“The chicken and the egg.”
I looked at my friend as if he’d lost his mind because I wasn’t sure he hadn’t. We’d just been talking about working too much and now he brought up fowl?
“Yeah, you’re going to have to explain that one to me.”
“What comes first, the chicken or the egg? In your case, how are you going to find the time to find someone who is worth cutting back on work for if you don’t cut back on work to have the time to look for someone?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “I may have become a poet, but you, my friend, have become a philosopher.”
“It’s all the amazing sex.” Erik smirked.
“Asshole. Fine, I’ll take your advice and offer Rose a trial. But if this devolves into drama, I’ll blame you.”
“Sometimes the drama is worth it.”
Maybe it would be, but in my experience, it wasn’t. I had to pull together everything I needed to test her. My lips tipped up in what was probably an evil smile. I would put her to work right away and see if she buckled under the pressure or shone like a diamond.