Chapter 4
Walking out of GH, my smile probably made me look like a crazy person. On one level, I knew I’d nailed it because my answers had been on point. However, it felt like a fifty-fifty split as to whether they would hire me or not. Standing up to Mr. Dakos’ controlling attitude had felt amazing, like we were two fencers facing off with matching foils… lunging and feinting until our time had ended. Unfortunately, in my experience, men often took things like that personally. The way Colin had smiled at the tension probably meant not many people stood up to Gabriel, so what would that mean for me?
I was honestly impressed by my ability to remain coherent after my body’s initial reaction to the man. Mari really should have warned me about his looks when she’d given me the heads-up about his surly personality. It wasn’t just his looks, but the entire package. She knew how much I loved a tall, domineering man, and Gabriel had practically dripped with the strong dynamic energy that drew me like a moth to a flame. Had we met in a club, I would have been all over any opportunity to scene with him. But this wasn’t our alter egos meeting, it was work, and I wasn’t so sure his grumpiness and my sunshine could tolerate each other even if I did get offered the job.
I’d always loved a man who could challenge me without becoming hostile. I was raised by my father, who was a stoic military man who taught me work ethic, control, and pride in one’s work. No matter how hard things got or how crazy I was, he was like an immovable rock. I don’t think I’d ever seen him lose his temper. Finding someone who could live up to his example of what a good man was seemed almost impossible.
Not that I should be wondering about Gabriel that way. I’d read somewhere that when men checked out a woman, it was for a night, but when women checked out men, they usually measured and weighed him in ways like if he would make a great husband or a loving father. Not that I should be wondering about those things, regardless of him being demanding in the interview room.
Being attracted to a man who may become my boss was a horrible idea, but my lady parts were not getting the message. I needed Mari to hook me up with some of the Doms she knew at Midgard, and quickly. The faster I could get rid of the fantasy of Gabriel Dakos, Greek god personified, the better.
I was walking up to my hostel when my phone pinged with a text message.
Mari: I’m in the lounge at the Canopy. Come and join me.
I laughed. Think of the devil and she will text. I quickly crossed the street and changed directions.
Me: On my way. Be there in 5
We’d been planning to meet later for a tour of Midgard before it opened. Why had she changed our plans? Not that I was complaining. Any time with her would be fun. I just hoped it wouldn’t mean the tour was canceled.
As I stepped into the opulent lounge of the Canopy Hotel, I was immediately enveloped in an atmosphere of luxury and sophistication. Mari was never one to pick any place to meet that had less than five stars associated with it. The space exuded an air of refined elegance, with plush furnishings and impeccable attention to detail at every turn. Soft, ambient lighting cast a warm glow over the room, accentuating the rich tones of the mahogany woodwork and sumptuous fabrics.
It was easy to admire the way the lounge evoked a sense of timeless glamour, with velvet sofas and leather armchairs arranged in intimate groupings inviting guests to relax and unwind in style. The ornate chandeliers that hung from the ceiling cast intricate patterns of light and shadow across the polished marble floors below. Mari sat near the oversized windows that offered sweeping views of the Philadelphia city skyline.
“Hey,” I said, taking the empty seat opposite her. “I thought we were meeting later. Did something happen?”
“I couldn’t wait to find out how your interview went and thought we could have a celebratory or conciliatory drink. Don’t worry, later is still on the table.”
I looked at my phone and laughed. It wasn’t even eleven yet. “A little early for a drink.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s five o’clock somewhere. Now stop stalling. How did it go?”
I sat back in my chair and let out a dramatic sigh. “Honestly, I have no idea.”
Mari frowned. “That sounds cryptic. I thought he’d fall head over heels for your no-nonsense attitude and winning smile.” She wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully. “Hot body, luscious ass.”
“Oh my god, seriously, woman, stop!”
She leaned back in her seat with a satisfied smirk. “You look better with your cheeks stained pink.”
“You’re incorrigible! You know you are not my Domme, right? You aren’t supposed to be torturing me.” I stuck out my tongue. “With regards to Gabriel, he was rather grumpy and seemed more offended by my ‘no-nonsense attitude’ than impressed by it. But I think I managed to win over Yula, Lincoln, and Colin. And by the way, why didn’t you mention the men at that company were so hot? Seriously, you broke the girl code by not giving me a heads-up.”
“You’re digressing, but I suppose you’re right. I guess because we’ve been friends for so long I forget they are rather handsome.”
I wasn’t sure I trusted Mari’s smile but decided I wanted her to distract me. “You met these guys in college, right?”
She nodded. “Their core personalities haven’t changed much. But thank god they’ve grown up. Except for Erik and Declan, they were all ignorant buffoons back then. I think those two were born serious and maybe have loosened up over the years.”
Little frown lines formed between her brows as if she wasn’t sure how she felt about her friends changing despite her words. I’d often thought she might have a small crush on Declan with how much she talked about him but she’d never come out and said anything.
“So, how did Lincoln and Colin come to work for Mr. Dakos?”
“Mr. Dakos,” she said with a smirk. “I’m so used to calling him Gabe or Heimdall I sometimes forget he has a last name.”
“Heimdall? I’d wondered which of the Norse gods he had picked for his club name. Is there a story behind that?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “But that is his story to tell.”
I wanted to pout and demand the gossip but decided to be mature. “Okay.”
“Lincoln and Colin don’t work for him, but with him, they’re partners in the company. Though with Gabe’s over-the-top dominant bearing, you’d think he was the sole owner. He did start the company by himself originally, but back then it was a much smaller operation.”
“Why did he bring in the others?”
“Lincoln and Colin, though a bit younger than the rest of us, enlisted in the military after college and we don’t know a lot of what happened in the three years they were gone, just that they were given an early, honorable discharge. Gabe was also in the military, but his stint was brief and he came home long before the other two. He started the business and it seemed to be a natural transition to go into security when they got back. Once they joined, the company took off and expanded quickly. I believe they have had private military contracts as well.”
She shrugged. “I think Lincoln handles the digital side of things and travels with Gabe when he is needed. Colin has recently been promoted to spearheading all the local contracts both existing and new. It’s funny isn’t it?”
“What’s funny?”
“That Colin was promoted. I mean he’s an owner for crying out loud, but that’s Gabe, he has a really hard time relinquishing the reins, even to someone as capable as Colin.”
That was food for thought. Maybe Gabriel’s strong reaction to me was more about him feeling the need to dominate, even at work, versus, having adverse feelings to my sunny, no-nonsense disposition.
“You are way too good at getting people to talk.” Mari’s voice had become serious. “Stop with the distractions, woman, and tell me what happened at the interview.”
I shrugged. “He seemed ready to dismiss me from the moment I walked in. I think I may have been a bit too aggressive for his tastes. The job sounded fascinating, but if Mr. Dakos doesn’t like me, then that doesn’t really matter.”
“Listen to me. He likes you fine. He’s just suffering from testosterone poisoning. Other than the receptionist, I think almost everyone in the company is a man. We all know that will quickly degrade the social skills of a person. I think the only women he spends time with are me and maybe a sub he hooks up with at Midgard or Valhalla. Honestly, I don’t think he’s even done that in a while. His taste in play partners is so boring I honestly can’t blame him for not bothering anymore.”
“Boring?” I knew I really shouldn’t be asking about his taste in women, but I couldn’t help it.
“Yes, women who blindly follow any Dom. At least he is smart enough to stay away from the ones looking to get into his bank accounts more than his pants. But seriously, what is the fun in being with someone who would submit to anyone who can lower their voice and sound bossy?”
I had to laugh at that. Submission was something that was different for everyone and I’d never yuck anyone else’s yum, but I had to agree with Mari. Was it really worth submitting if the Master didn’t prove they were worthy of you?
“Agreed. But his lack of taste in submissives doesn’t really help me on the job front.”
“You wait, I bet he calls you before the day ends and asks you to come back in for a second interview.”
“You think?”
“Definitely, even if it is just to make sure he can tell me he gave you a real chance. When you go back in, act like one of the guys. Lighten his mood and show him you can take and dish it back as easily as him. We both know you would be awesome at this job.”
I would be. If Gabriel’s surliness was due to being bogged down with too much work and no logistics person to help, I needed to give him some slack. I’d worked with much more annoying managers in much less interesting jobs. Since I was going to be in town for Mari for a while anyway, I might as well have a way to make money.
“I’ll do that. And if I can’t knock his socks off, then maybe at least he’ll use me temporarily.”
Mari snorted in a very undignified way. “You’ll have to knock more than his socks off if you want him to use you.”
“Mari!” I laughed. “I think we both need a night to let off steam. Regardless of me getting the job or not, you said tonight was still on the table, so I’ll assume you”re still game for giving me that tour?”
“Absolutely.” Her smile was almost evil. “Did I tell you they have cages you can dance in that are raised off the floor so everyone can see you?”
I shivered and met her smile with one of my own. “I’d forgotten you mentioned that. That sounds like absolute heaven.”
Having people watch me was probably my biggest turn on. The idea of being on display, caged and doing my absolute best to make everyone watching wish they were in the cage with me sounded like a slice of heaven. I knew myself and probably wouldn’t be willing to do an actual scene with anyone on my first night out, but being able to let go even that much would be amazing.
“It’s a good night to go to meet our regular members. Weekends get a little crazy. Once we submit your background check, I’ll take you to Valhalla if you haven’t found someone you like at Midgard.”
That sounded promising. I’d been to a lot of clubs in a lot of countries but the more exclusive ones had always been too expensive to visit more than a few times. Mari had said I’d get a discount since she was part owner, and I was looking forward to it. I should be more worried about finding a place to live other than the hostel or searching out other jobs if this fell through, but I needed to let my hair down.
My phone rang, an unrecognized Philadelphia number popped up on the display.
Mari wore a huge smile. “That’s the office begging you to come for a second interview.”
I shook my head in the negative, not believing for a second that what she said could be true.
“Hello, Rose Dodds speaking.”
“Hello, Ms. Dodds, this is Yula from GH Security. Mr. Dakos has asked that you come in for a second interview at your earliest convenience.”
Across from me, Mari was stifling her laughter. I know my face showed the shock I was feeling at how right she’d been. “Hi, Yula. I would love to come back in. Does 2 p.m. work?”
“It does, Ms. Dodds. I’m looking forward to seeing you again. Goodbye.” And with that, she ended the call.
“What kind of witchcraft is this? How the hell did you know?”
Mari leaned her elbow on the table, ensnaring my eyes with hers. “Those men are my family. Now that my parents have passed, they are my only family.”
The barely concealed grief in her voice hurt my heart.
“So I make it my business to know what they need, and I’m worried about Gabriel. Don’t tell him I said so but the man takes on too much.”
This was the first time since I’d arrived that she mentioned her parents’ death. I understood how much grief could drag you down. How you tried to wake up every day and put a smile on but it felt like a mask. She’d loved them and now they were gone. Sometimes a person could feel guilty for being happy when the person they had loved couldn’t be anymore.
I wasn’t sure Mari realized it, but she had become my only family a long time ago. If these men were her family and there was something I could do to make things better, then I would. Even if it meant dealing with a grumpy boss.
“Well then, I best get moving, I have a company to join.”
“Thatta girl, you got this, Rose. Go and knock it out of the park!”
A new purpose filled me as I left the hotel. Time to show Gabriel Dakos just exactly who Rose Dodds was and what she could do.