On the rare occasions I’d been able to afford clothes, I definitely didn’t go to a high-end boutique to outfit myself. No, I tended to frequent the bargain department stores. I was rather good at making a dollar go a long way. Them, not so much.
When I tried to argue with Mr. Snowden after at least an hour of protesting, he’d gone all Dom on me, putting his finger over my lips and insisting that I not talk back. It was a move that I, being innately submissive, couldn’t fight, so I had backed down. Quite frankly, it had been intensely sexy, and for whatever reason, that side of him tripped my trigger. I’d seen the caring side of him last night at the club, but the sexy, dominant side was what had me eager to get this meeting over with so I could see what might come of the rest of the day.
Ding.
Son of a bitch.
I tugged on the hem of the shirt once more as I waited for the doors to open on the thirty-third floor so I could meet the woman and man who would be interviewing me. The upside was, I was no longer thinking about the cost of the outfit or the delicious gleam in Mr. Snowden’s golden eyes when he’d seen the final product.
No, now I was trying hard to keep from sweating instead.
When the elevator doors started their slow glide open, I took a deep breath and stood up straight. The damn five-inch heels Mr. Snowden had selected were murdering my poor toes. As it was, I could hardly keep myself upright, being that I wasn’t used to them at all. Granted, I had to admit, they were quite sexy, if, you know, heels were my thing. Again, Mr. Snowden hadn’t given me a choice with those, either.
The doors opened to a beautifully designed lobby area where two equally beautiful people were standing near a desk, chatting quietly.
The woman turned toward me and I suddenly felt completely lacking in the fashion department. Her cute heeled booties matched the black sleeveless silk shirt she wore and the flirty skirt was perfect for summer. She looked her age, unlike me. I felt like someone’s grandmother in this get-up.
As for the guy, he appeared quite comfortable in a pair of khaki slacks and a royal blue polo that brought out the color of his eyes.
Yeah, I seriously doubted I was going to fit in here at all.
But the good news was, I recognized them.
Or maybe that wasn’t a good thing considering they were members of the same club I was. For some reason, that seemed as though it would make things uncomfortable. What if I saw them playing at the club? Would I still be able to look them in the eye? Take them seriously when it came to business?
Or what if I saw them playing in the office? After all, Mr. Parker had informed me that discretion wasn’t a prerequisite.
Hmm.
Questions to ponder.
Thank goodness Luci’s smile seemed genuinely warm when she walked toward me, holding out her hand. “You must be Addison.” Her grin widened and I was blinded by pretty white teeth. “I’m Luci and this is Jordan.”
I nodded, unable to find my voice.
Luci studied me for a moment, her smile never faltering. “I know you, don’t I? From Dichotomy?”
I managed another nod.
“Ah, yes,” Master J said, reaching for my hand. “You’re the pretty little submissive who works the bar a couple of nights a week.”
“Yes, Sir,” I said, dropping my gaze. Master J was a very popular Dom at the club. He was quite adept with the violet wand and I’d always found myself fascinated by his scenes.
“Oh, no,” he said more firmly. “Here in the office, I’m not Sir or Master J or Knight. I’m merely Jordan and we’re friends. High protocol is off-limits where I’m concerned.”
A small smile tilted my lips. “I’ll try to abide by that, Sir, but it probably won’t be easy.”
“Sure it will,” he insisted.
I felt my face heat, but I had no idea why I was embarrassed.
“We’ve got a shy one,” Jordan said with a chuckle, his hand circling mine. “Don’t worry, honey. I promise, we don’t bite.” He cut his gaze over to Luci. “Well, I don’t bite. The jury’s still out on Luci. But I’m here to protect you, so it’s all good.”
I found myself smiling despite my nerves.
“Seriously, we’ll take good care of you. Come on, let’s go have a seat. We’re going casual for this meeting, so you don’t have to sweat.”
I instantly liked the laid-back, non-dominant side of Jordan, even if I didn’t outwardly show it. I was still on the fence about Luci, but I figured that had more to do with the fact that I knew she had been intimate with Mr. Parker and Mr. Snowden at some point. That still bothered me for some unknown reason. I wasn’t usually the jealous type. Hell, I’d watched Josh feel up a couple of submissives at the club back when I’d first brought him there. Aside from being annoying, it hadn’t bothered me in the least.
