Page 105 of Pretty ’n Peak

Wow. That sounded… liberating. Not because he needed to talk about kink all the time, but because this was his community, even if it hadn’t felt that way for a while.

“Are you thinking about it?” Levi asked.

“Maybe… I guess it depends on the job description and package.” Would it make a difference switching to a different company but doing similar work? He didn’t know.

Especially if there were a pay cut, which was almost guaranteed given his current position and industry.

But if it was with other kinksters…

“Well, we’ve got great benefits. All employees can flex-work. You know, work from home a few days a week if you want to. And it’s a good crew—very supportive. We usually go out for lunch together, sometimes dinner with partners tagging along. People tend to mostly leave on time. And it’s a relaxed dress code, which mostly means Daddy wears suits and I wear naughty t-shirts.” Levi laughed, then laid a hand on Austin’s shoulder. “We’d love to have you.”

The idea was tempting. So tempting.

But what if he switched to another job—one with his friends—and still didn’t feel inspired by his work? What if he was just as miserable?

Still… it didn’t escape his notice that Levi hadn’t led with health care and salary. He’d focused on people. Community. Work-life balance.

Austin’s life was not balanced.

Would it be worth a pay cut to walk out the door at five without looking back? To work from home some days? To go out to lunch with his (kinky) colleagues?

“I’ll think about it.”

He needed to look into things first. And talk it over with someone.

Strangely, the first person who popped into his mind wasn’t his therapist.

It was Mateo.

Mateo who played with the idea of getting a certification for higher pay, but hadn’t bothered because he loved his job, being outside and working with his hands. Mateo who painted in the evenings and spent time with his family.

Austin could already guess what Mateo would tell him, but he thought he’d like to hear it from him anyway.

He thanked Levi sincerely and headed out.

The evening was balmy, the sun already set though the streetlights were bright where he was standing.

He pulled out his phone to call a Lyft, surprised that it wasn’t even ten yet.

That wasn’t too late to text Mateo, was it?

He dictated into his phone, testing out three messages and then carefully checking the last one before he sent it.

Austin: Hey Mateo. Am I still invited to your show next week?

There was a long pause. Maybe he was already asleep?

Or figuring out how to politely reject him?

Austin held the phone close to his face. The little gray blob of a chat showed that Mateo was typing.

But what was he thinking? Waiting for the text to arrive was maddening.

“Of course,” his phone finally read in that rapid, robotic voice.

Of course? That was it? Uh…

Austin: Can you send me the information?