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His eyebrows shot up.
“I mean . . .” She got flustered again. “There are . . . you know . . . rumors about you and your brother. The dominant thing . . . Oh, God, if it’s not true, I literally am just going to give my resignation right now and save us both the trouble. I’m never drinking a glass of wine at lunch again.”
He blinked. She’d heard rumors. She was looking for a dominant. Of course she was. He couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. “Nic, you are barking up the wrong tree. I’m more the type who’d kneel at the woman’s feet than the other way around.”
The words slipped out, a thought that had snuck past the formerly steel gates, and he wanted to snatch them back immediately. He froze. What the fuck? He never slipped up. Never.
Nicolette’s eyes went wide. “Oh. Well. Oh.”
He grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. Not appropriate talk for a work conversation. How did we get here again?”
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She waved a hand. “Oh, no, it’s fine. This is completely and totally my fault. And I didn’t hear a thing. I won’t say anything. I didn’t mean to—”
“But that’s why you’re asking me out? You’re looking for a dominant?”
Her face was so red now, she looked like she’d roasted in the sun.
He lifted a hand. “Never mind. You don’t have to answer that.”
Kade popped his head into the conference room. “You done for the day, brother?” Then he noticed Nicolette. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Oh, no problem at all, Mr. Vandergriff,” Nicolette said quickly, obviously flustered by the conversation and the appearance of the CEO. “I was just leaving.”
Kade tilted his head, sending Gib a curious look, but didn’t say anything more. He stepped inside as Nicolette practically ran to the door and skirted past him with a tight smile. “Have a good evening.”
Kade watched her shut the door and then strolled over to Gibson with a smirk. “Was it something I said?”
“No. More like something I said. We went from zero to inappropriate in about three minutes flat.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. She asked me out. Apparently there are rumors out there that you and I are kinky bastards.”
Kade tucked his hands in his pockets, his tie already loose in honor of the end of the day, and gave him a smug smile. “Well, we are. So what’d you tell her?”
He looked to the ceiling and closed his eyes. “I may have told her that I’m not her type because I’d rather be at a woman’s feet than have one be at mine.”
“No shit?” Kade asked, not hiding the shock in his voice.
“I don’t even know why I said it. It just . . . came out. I think it’s the lack of sleep.”
“You told her and the world didn’t end? Alert the presses.”
He peered over at his brother. “Shut up.”
Kade simply smiled. “Seriously, though, that’s a big deal. She could tell other people. Your whole department could end up knowing. Gibson the slave.”
“Gee, thanks, dude. Way to make me feel better.” Gibson walked to the window that looked out on downtown Dallas, waiting for the familiar dread to take him over at the thought, but surprisingly, very little welled up. Maybe exhaustion trumped anxiety. Or maybe he just trusted that Nicolette wouldn’t say anything.
“I’m really not trying to give you a hard time.” There was a storm rolling into downtown, but in the window’s reflection, Gibson could see Kade perch on the edge of the conference table behind him, expression going from amused to concerned. “I get it, you know.”
Gibson crossed his arms, staring out at the dark clouds that seemed to be hovering right at the edge of the city. “Get what?”
“How hard it is to accept what you are. I’ve been there.”
Gibson scoffed. “Right. Mr. All-Powerful CEO struggles to admit he’s all-powerful in the bedroom, too. It’s not the same thing, man.”
