AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nope. I’m not gonna tell him either. But he was sketching bodices the other night and muttering about summer sewing classes, so I’d say he’s close to volunteering himself and Liam for the job.”
“Good. Not surprised Liam and Andre have all but adopted him. They’re good people.” The world of veterans involved in Hollywood productions was surprisingly close-knit, and Harley had already known Andre through some of his own security assignments. Like me, Harley found them to be the ideal mentors for Avery—like the uncles he’d never known he needed. We had dinner with them a few times a month, and their support was a big reason Avery was blossoming in the new job.
“They are. Much prefer dinner with them to Avery’s folks, but hey, we survived Easter.” Barely, but who was counting? Easter dinner had been awkward but not terrible. Brian made a few ill-timed jokes, Avery’s mom was cordial but cool, his dad and Jaden were wrapped up in watching some basketball game, and Megan had been nonstop wedding chatter. And we’d been there, and like I’d told Avery, every gathering was a little easier.
“Us too. Had a full house of niblings over.” Harley grinned wide, clearly pleased. “Grilled some first-class lamb. And before I forget my real reason for finding you, we have four new personnel starting Monday.”
“Four?” A-List was growing by leaps and bounds. “Love to see it. All vets?”
“Yup. And guess who gets to onboard them?” He stared right at me.
“Oh, that’s way better than losing my Friday night.” I’d been in ongoing talks with Duncan and Harley about getting more involved with training and supervision duties. “Yes, Chief. I’ll get them trained up for you.”
“And then they’ll be part of your crew for your next assignment. Largest contract yet. Brand-new reality show filming here in town. You’ll handle managing them fine, but just in case…” He slapped a slim rectangular box down on the desk. The black cardboard lid slid off to reveal a neat line of business cards.
“Business cards? For me?” I’d never worked the type of job that required them before, especially seeing as so much of my work for the navy was highly classified. But there was my name in embossed type. Vice President of Personnel. “Whoa. That sounds awfully official.”
“You’ll find something extra on your paystub too. Congrats on the promotion.” He offered me a hearty handshake. “We thought about calling you a manager, but we’re a small company. Vice President sounds better, and we don’t have one of those yet. And you care about the employees and all their needs in a way that should be rewarded.”
“Vice President sure does sound impressive.” I whistled low, turning over one of the thick cards in my hand. Good quality. A-List Security logo. Wow. I really was part of the future here, part of what Duncan and Harley were building. “I may have to mail one of these to my mom.”
“You do that. She should be proud of you.”
“She will be.” It might not be a Ph.D., but she’d spin it into a suitable brag for the aunties and her academic circles. “Her latest obsession is getting Avery into a fashion design program, so go me no longer being her academic pet project.”
“I’m glad things are working out for you.” Harley smiled again, giving me one last clap on the shoulder. “Enjoy your night.”
I certainly planned to. I texted Avery a pic of my new business cards before I went back to my place for a fast shower and change, and his row of reaction of emoji was every bit as satisfying as my own excitement.
“Mr. Vice President,” he greeted me at his apartment door. “I’m hungry. Your reservation better be good.”
“Someone’s in a sassy mood.” I looked him up and down, trying to decide whether we had enough time to squeeze in a pre-dinner spanking. He looked particularly edible in the sexy jeans that hugged his world-class ass just right. And he’d added a slim-fitting dress shirt, impressively managing the buttons himself, but it was the shimmery pink fabric that caught my attention first. “Love the shirt.”
“You think? It’s not too much?” He gave a quick spin. The shirt appeared like any other designer men’s dress shirt, but the fabric set it apart. Soft, like high-thread-count sheets, with a hint of sheen to the light-pink fabric and matching pearl buttons, it had the perfect cut for Avery’s athletic build. “I found it on the last shopping trip with Megan.”
“It’s perfect.” I pulled him close for a kiss and whispered in his ear, “Hope your undies match.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” His fingers flirted with his belt like he might be about to show me right there.
“None of that now.” I captured his naughty hand and kissed the knuckles. “We’re gonna be late.”
