Chapter Six #2
“Yes, please.”
With the folder tucked tightly under my left arm, I lead Cassius to the private conference room in the back by the storage rooms. It’s used for nothing else than this.
It’s smaller than my other rooms, and a bit darker as it was meant to be an additional storage room, but I’d changed it into a small meeting room when I decided this was the best place to conduct my private business.
The lights flicker on when I flip the switch, and I gesture to the table big enough to seat eight. He moves directly to the small window and looks out of it, getting another view of the city. I close the door behind me and take the head seat.
It’s your basic conference room, bland and boring. Other than the table and chairs, there is only a small rolling cart with a pad and a few pens, in case they are needed. A phone hangs on the wall, and a few abstract paintings too.
Cassius takes the seat to my left, and I carefully open the folder.
“I have something for you to fill out. Sort of like a questionnaire. It will allow me to know what you are comfortable with doing, trying, or not doing at all. It’s imperative that you fill this out with 100% honesty. The last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable.”
“Understood.” He nods, resting his forearms on the table.
I hesitate to hand it over, the little voice in my head still telling me this is a bad idea. I tell it to shut up and give Cassius the packet and my pen.
“It will take you some time, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to go through some emails?”
“Sure thing. Do what you need to do.” He smiles, picking up the pen.
“Let me know if you have any questions.”
He gets busy on the paper, reading through everything carefully.
His brow furrows and his lips move as he reads the words, eyes darting across the paper.
He takes his time getting through the first page, so I can only assume he will do the same with the rest. I pull my gaze away and turn my attention to my phone, where I look through emails.
Somehow, in the few hours I’ve been away from my computer, I’ve accumulated nearly fifty emails.
A good portion of them I am CCed on by my COO, so I’m in the loop.
I can see that he’s handling everything just fine, so there is no need for me to respond.
I file them in the proper folders and keep scrolling.
Now and then I glance at Cassius to make sure he doesn’t look confused or isn’t crying.
My gaze lingers for too long, and it’s sometimes a struggle to look away.
He’s taking this seriously, and I appreciate that.
So far, he’s intrigued and his focus is like that of someone taking an important test.
“Would you like a drink?” I ask.
“Oh, uh, sure.”
“Water, tea, juice, coffee…”
“Water is fine. Actually, do you have iced tea?”
“I believe so.”
“That, if you have it. If not, then water.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I leave him in the room alone and go back to the small cafeteria. The stock man is here, filling the cooler with drinks. The food is sitting on his cart, waiting to be put away as well.
“Is there any iced tea?” I ask.
“Yep. Here you go.”
He hands me a bottle.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
I go back to the room to find Cassius leaning back and scratching his head. He looks up when I walk in.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, already knowing something is off.
“Am I going to be treated as a dog?”
“Not unless you want to be.” He narrows his eyes, and I see it isn’t the time to joke. “Where does it say that?” I take my seat, sliding over his bottled drink.
“Head patting, kissing, petting…” he reads off the paper.
“That is standard physical praise. If you’re not okay with it—”
“It feels pet-like.”
“And did you think being a slave would be humanizing?” I question.
“I—” He cuts off the moment his mouth opens, then it closes and he looks at me even more confused. “I guess I didn’t think about it.”
“I’m not into degradation. Praise is more of my thing, and I will tell you that physical praise is one of my favorite things. In fact, it is a requirement.”
“It’s not a problem, I… I guess reading all this, it’s hitting me what this means. You know, all the details?”
“And if it’s too much, you will tell me,” I say firmly.
“It’s not that it’s too much, but it’s a lot to wrap my head around all at once. You were right… I wasn’t thinking this through. Now I am. It’s… a lot to take in, is all. I don’t hate it, I’m just trying to understand.” I open my mouth to speak, but he speaks first. “I am not changing my mind.”
“Very well.”
He holds my gaze. “Is there a trial period?”
“No, not exactly. Both of us are free to end this at any point, no questions asked.”
“So, if I do this for a day and realize I hate it…”
“Then you are free to never come back, and I will pay you a full week’s worth for your trouble.”
“Five grand for one day?” he gasps.
I don’t say anything for a few moments, just study his surprised face.
“If five grand will solve all your problems, I’ll gladly write you a check right now for this inconvenience. If that’s all you want, I’d rather you tell me now, than going through the rest of the paperwork and wasting my time.”
His jaw drops, and that adorable little squeak escapes him again.