Page 37

“ B ry, you know you are not allowed in my kitchen. And you are especially not allowed to do dishes. You are a guest.” Kevin gave me a disapproving glare as he took the large ramen bowl from my hands.

“ You know that I hate being a lazy houseguest. You went out of your way to make dinner. And you take care of my dog so often…I feel guilty, Kev. Let me help, dammit.”

“I get paid in cookies. And I get to snuggle with the goodest boy, so consider it even.”

At that particular phrase, Lug Nut sauntered over, plopped his butt on the floor next to the treat cabinet, and gave Kevin his most endearing look. Con artist.

“That dog has your number, babe,” Phil said with a laugh. Kevin gave a good chin scratch and crooned to the dog about how good he was and how much fun they always had together.

Lug Nut’s ears perked up and he gave his best meatball smile when Kevin began to reach into the cupboard. At the sight of his favorite treat, he gave a soft woof in thanks before gently taking the treat and padding back into the living room.

“He does have your number,” I said. We had formed an interesting little family unit among us, and I simply could not ask for anyone better to look after my dog.

Kevin sighed and relented part way, telling me I could finish clearing the table and bar, but under no circumstances was I allowed to wash a single dish. I considered that a victory and did just that.

Sometime later, we were in the living room, and I was being peppered with questions about Adrian. It was comical because they were both very direct with what they wanted to know. If I didn’t like him so much, I might be offended that Phil was asking, too.

“So,” he said, eyes dancing with mirth. That had been one of the first things I noticed about Phil. Sure, he was physically gorgeous with his lean, athletic build, dark hair, dark eyes, and masculine features; but it was those eyes that had captured my attention the first time I had been introduced. He always looked like he had a secret he was busting to tell. He was good for Kevin and that’s all that mattered, really, but I did genuinely like the guy.

“Sooooo,” he said again, “tell us about your Hot Rod.”

“My who?”

“Your Hot Rod,” Kevin interjected. “I’ve seen the car. I’ve seen the driver. GURL. You’ve done well. Tell us more.”

I shook my head with amusement. “Please do me a favor. Should you all meet, please don’t call him that. I might get fired.”

“Wait. Waitwaitwaitwaitwait. He’s your boss?! This just got even better.”

I held up a hand. “In my defense, it didn’t start out that way. It just sort of happened. I met him online. We had a few conversations. The whole mess with Randall came up…”

“Scumbag,” said Kevin.

“Douche canoe,” Phil replied. I raised an eyebrow in Kevin’s direction. He shrugged.

“I needed a new job. A headhunter called me, I interviewed, yada yada. Adrian became my boss.”

“Oh, he looks like an Adrian,” Phil said.

“What exactly does an Adrian look like?” I asked.

“Intense. Mysterious. Driven. A man with secrets,” he said. He certainly wasn’t wrong about any of that. Adrian was all those things and more. Talking about him with these two made me realize there was a lot I really didn’t know about him. I had no idea how I could learn more about the person who I not only worked for, but I also shared my most intimate self with. I would have to figure out something. He had so many layers, I knew he would be fascinating.

I answered a few more questions until I saw Lug Nut beginning to get a bit restless. I knew what time it was, and I was grateful for the distraction. I enjoyed Kevin’s company, and I liked getting to know Phil better, but I was ready to not have to answer questions for the rest of the evening.

Saying our goodbyes, the dog and I then took our nightly stroll and were back in the house within the hour.

It had been weeks since I had even bothered to log on to Olympus because while Adrian had been out of the country, I had been busy; but also, I really wasn’t interested in connecting with anyone in that space. Now, though, the small, petty part of me wanted to know if anyone would talk about him being at Lotus.

Booting up, I scrolled through the channels, read through announcements, saw familiar names online, and generally just let the server exist in the background while I organized myself for the next day. A soft ping made me raise my head. I saw a dot by my name, meaning someone had DMed me. It was PAINSLUT987.

She and I had never been super chummy…not to the level that Anya and I were…but we always said hello in group chats and would send waves back and forth now and then. She’d never sought me out before, so my interest was piqued.

Hey girl! I hope you’re well. It’s been awhile.

I know. I’ve just been so busy with work I haven’t had any time to relax and chat.

Ewwwww. Work. That’s a four-letter word.

LOL Tell me about it. What have you been up to?

About 3 times a week :D

NICE.

Right? Anyways, I was kind of disappointed to not see you at Lotus tonight. You haven’t played in awhile.

Okay. Why should that matter? My spidey senses began to tingle and I was reasonably certain I wasn’t going to like this conversation.

That’s cool. Who else was there?

Oh, the usual. The Doms were sitting at the bar shooting the shit. A few of us girls were “keeping them company” you could say.

That sounds like you had a good time, then.

Oh, we had a good time. So did the Doms. You could say we all had a blast, if you know what I mean. You should have been there.

My stomach rolled at her implication. I knew what she was trying to say. She didn’t have to be specific. I did my best to act casual, but I wanted nothing more than to get off that damn server. Finally, after making small talk for a few more minutes, I was finally able to log off.

Feeling dizzy, I laid my head on the cool wood of the table, slowly inhaling and exhaling to get my bearings. A cold, wet nose butted against my upper thigh and it was followed by a small snort. My boy was worried about me.

I sat up then and looked him in the eye so he could see I was okay. “I’m alright, buddy. Or I will be. I promise.”

PainSlut hadn’t come right out and said that Adrian had partaken in the evening’s entertainment, but she’d certainly insinuated enough. Part of me felt like an idiot, while the other was angry. Was this a case of revenge? Was he saying all the right things and doing the right things to my face, while lying to me behind my back? Obviously, he knows I don’t really chat with other subs. I had mentioned more than once that Anya was about the only one I communicated with in Olympus, so I guessed there would be little reason for him to be worried about me finding anything out. How wrong he was.

There was no way I could just stand back and let this play out. I had too much self-respect to be involved with someone who was deceptive. As much as I didn’t want to, I would need to find another job because working alongside the man…knowing what he was doing at the club…I wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Dejected, I got ready for bed and crashed face first into it. I slept fitfully, tossing and turning until the first dim rays of sun began to appear. One glance in the mirror showed me that I would need my heaviest concealer to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. I looked defeated. How the fuck was I going to get through each workday now?

A couple of hours and three cups of dark roast later, I was adding the last few notes to a proposal deck when I heard the elevator ding. He was here.

I had earbuds in, but they were for show. I wanted as little conversation as possible until I could sort things out in my head.

Adrian strode toward his office and I knew he would pause at my desk, so I got up and walked toward the kitchen before he could address me. When I returned with yet another cup of coffee for him, I saw in my periphery that he was still at my desk. I simply went and placed the cup on his desk before darting off again, hoping he would just go in his office. When I got back this time, he was nowhere to be seen and I breathed a small sigh of relief.

Finishing up the proposal, I sent it his way, leaving my desk again before he could call for me. I would certainly get all of my steps in before lunch at this rate.

I found every excuse I could think of to keep busy and not talk to my own boss. It worked pretty well as his morning was full of the usual calls and meetings.

I knew my luck ran out, though, when I came back from a bathroom break to find Adrian perched on the edge of my desk. His eyes narrowed when he saw me, his jaw clenched in annoyance.

“Ms. Davis. My office. Now.”

Fuck.