The guilt was a small thing to fold up and put away. The job would give me the in I needed.
“I participate in age play activities at a club in Brooklyn once a month.” I stared at Patrick’s face, not able to read anything in his expression. “They have a little’s night and I participate. It’s more like a release, playing with the other littles, sceneing with caregivers.” My knee jumped. I settled it with my hand. “It’s just an outlet. A place where I can forget about the pressures of my job. Give up control in a safe environment. I can give you examples if you want.”
“No,” he said quickly. “No, I think I understand.”
“But I have little friends–other regulars at the club, and I do understand the mindset ...”
Patrick’s gaze unfocused as if he were looking at something far beyond the office walls. He was no longer in this office with me. His lips thinned, and he resumed tapping the desktop with his fingertips. He blinked rapidly when he realized I had stopped talking.
He looked away toward the window. His cheeks tinted pink again. “So, about the job.” He pointed to the contract in my hand.
“I read over the offer and it’s more than generous.” I flipped through a few pages. “It mentions an apartment. Where?”
I dared to look up at him. The pink had faded. It was a shame because his embarrassment was cute. Or was it an attraction? Was Patrick Carmichael attracted to me?
“Here in the casino.” He leaned forward. “We have a couple of floors of employee apartments in both Quad II and Quad III.”
I blinked, trying to remember the question I asked and not go down that rabbit hole in my brain.
“Do you live here?” The question was out before I could stop it.
“Yes. My place is on the same floor as Kyler’s.” He fidgeted with his phone. “He and Rayna are my main priority; it made sense.”
“You and Kyler are close?”
“We’ve been friends for a long time, yes.”
“Interesting.” I nodded.
“What is so interesting?” He narrowed his eyes.
“You work for your friend. It’s interesting.” I flip to another page of the agreement. “Between the two of them, who’s priority number 1.”
The room fell silent again.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“If you had to choose between Kyler and Rayna, who would you save first?” I thought it was a logical question. If they are together, I assume there must be a contingency for it. Or maybe they weren't as well-oiled a machine as they appeared.
Patrick’s phone beeped and saved him from answering.
“Excuse me for a second.” He rose and disappeared through a door behind his desk.
I hadn’t noticed it before. I needed to pay more attention to my surroundings.
He returned a few minutes later.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” He waved his hand. “Do you have any other questions regarding the offer?”
“Well, Kyler did mention something about rules.” I placed the contract on his desk and sat with my hands in my lap. Thankfully, my knee stopped bouncing. I had wrangled control of this meeting back.
“You can start with these.” He pulled a spiral booklet out of a draw and passed it to me.
Grant Enterprises, Inc. Employee Handbook was embossed across the front. Maybe we should let you get settled first before getting into all of that.”
“The rest we’ll make up as we go along.” He tapped the desk with the fingertips of his left hand.
