Standing from the table, I walk over to the bar to order my second drink. After gesturing for the bartender, I let my mind wander back to the interaction with Charlotte today. I’m not sure why I reacted the way I did. I never should have cornered her like that. Fuck, I’m out of my element here. What the hell do I know about working with a twenty-one-year-old girl?
Charlotte is more curious about the business than I expected, and I’m struggling with how fucking adorable that is and how much that shit will get me in trouble. Even I have to admit, unabashed curiosity, especially when it comes to kinks and sex, is a major fucking turn-on. It would do us both a lot of good if she’d be a little more quiet and terrified and not go exploring and getting into trouble.
Did the image of her on that throne embed itself into my brain? Of course it did. She’s a gorgeous girl, and I spent the bulk of my day trying not to stare at her tits through that translucent shirt.
But she’s my son’s girl—past, present, future, doesn’t matter. What the fuck is wrong with me?
When I get back to the table, Garrett is watching me. “You look all up in your head,” he says. The others are talking about something on their side of the table, so he mutters quietly to me to keep things between us. “Everything okay?”
I rub my hand over my face. “Everything’s fine. Just stressed. We open in six weeks and that building didn’t look anywhere near done.” I glance sideways at Drake, to make sure he didn’t hear me, but he’s too busy telling some elaborate threesome story loud enough for the whole bar to hear.
Garrett slaps a hand on my shoulder. “Relax. It’s not as bad as you think. Once they pull the equipment out of there, it’ll look ten times better, you’ll see.”
I nod, trying to let his words of comfort seep in. “You’re right.”
His hand stays on my shoulder as he watches me take a sip of my drink. “Hey, we’re good, right? I didn’t mean to overstep today…”
Quickly shaking my head, I give him a reassuring expression. “Yeah, we’re good. She’s just my secretary. I was serious.”
Holding his hands up in surrender, he nods. “I believe you. I was just having a little fun. I didn’t mean to—”
“Garrett, it’s fine. She’s just…too young for all of this. I didn’t really want her getting involved.”
I know before the words are out of my mouth that it’s a hypocritical thing to say. We have plenty of twenty-one-year-old women working for us. Subs, Dommes, dancers, waitresses, performers, whatever. As long as they are of age then age doesn’t matter.
“You were about to tell me where you found her,” he says with a quizzical wrinkle in his brow.
A minute ago, I was about to tell him, but suddenly I’m not ready. Once I let it out that I’ve hired my son’s ex-girlfriend, things will get complicated. It’s almost like I don’t want them judging me for something I haven’t even done yet. Nothing sexual can occur between me and Charlotte. I hired her solely for the purpose of trying to get my son back—how, I’m still not quite sure, but it has to work. All that matters is I don’t cross that line.
“Another time,” I mutter over the rim of my glass.
“Hey,” Hunter says, holding up his drink, “can you guys believe we’re finally doing this? We need to toast.”
“We’re still six weeks away,” Maggie reminds him. “Don’t jinx it.”
“I’m not jinxing it. The sign is on the door, the opening event is scheduled. We’ve hired a staff and have a full membership. You guys…we’re opening a fucking sex club.”
“Cheers to that,” Garrett says, lifting his drink.
The rest of us echo him, clinking our glasses before throwing them back, and then we fall silent as the words settle in. We’re opening a fucking sex club.
RULE #11: DON’T COMPARE YOUR HOT BOSS TO YOUR DAD MOMENTS BEFORE TOUCHING HIS HEART LINE.
Charlie
“Oh my God,” I stammer, opening my email to find a picture of a woman suspended from the ceiling, naked and wrapped in black cord. She looks like she was caught in a fishing net, and although I can’t see her backside clearly, I’m willing to bet it’s in a prime location for…access.
Emerson furrows his brow as he glares at me.
“Everything all right?”
“These applications…”
A deep chuckle echoes from his corner of the room, and I look up at him in shock. “I mean, what even is this?”