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Derek smirked, clearly amused. “You know he’s a lawyer, Sadie. Stop teasing the man,” he added meaningfully.
“Well, he just has a way with words.” She shrugged, ignoring the warning. Derek leaned down and kissed Sadie before whispering something in her ear that had her giggling.
“See you later, Master Gray. Please come to the Big House tonight and join Derek and me for dinner.”
“Will do. Bye, Sadie.”
We both watched her skip away before Derek turned his attention back to me.
“Erika is prepared to take you over to the employee housing, and the college afterward to show you around. But before that, why don’t we chat in my office?”
His question was less a question and more a gentle command, and he didn’t wait for my response before heading up the stairs and into the main building. I followed, prepared to tell him everything and hope that his offer to hire me wouldn’t be in jeopardy after the New York scandal.
“Take a seat,” Derek invited as we got into his office, and he closed the door behind us. I kind of felt like I was in the principal’s office. Derek sat in his large chair behind the polished wood desk. “So tell me, how did a young man with a stellar education and a family with strong ties to the community decide that Rawhide is the best choice for building a future?”
“Straight to the point, huh? Well, it’s no secret I feel at home here. I’ve visited enough times for you to know that.”
Derek nodded. “Those frequent visits and the feedback from my staff and some of the submissives and Littles who have had experiences with you are the main reason I agreed to hire you without a formal interview. But there is more to your story, isn’t there?”
“There is.”
I took a deep breath and told my new boss the entire thing. I confessed my mistakes and shared the empty accusation made by Harmony. The board had found her claim that I’d tried to have sex with her unfounded since I was openly confessing to the spanking, and the school wanted to keep any scandals out of the press. They may not have said it outright, but I knew I would never be able to open my own law firm, no matter how hush hush The Etiquette School of New York was willing to keep things.
Derek was silent the whole time, listening with mild amusement mixed with a little bit of annoyance etched into his features.
“On top of all of that, Rawhide is the only place I have ever felt truly content. So maybe it was not the best way to get to this point, but I’ve made peace with it, and I’m actually more excited about the future than I ever thought possible.”
Derek nodded. “There is always a silver lining, and their loss is truly our gain.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“My pleasure. We have a fully furnished apartment in the housing building for you to stay in until you decide what your long-term plan is. Erika will show you around and then give you the keys to your new home. Anything else I can do? Any questions you have for me?”
“I’m good so far. Thank you again. I really appreciate you hiring me on.”
“We all deserve a second chance. It sounds like you were at your wits end and acted without thinking. You’re young, it happens. Thankfully, nobody here is getting fired for giving a well-earned spanking.” He winked.
“That is definitely one of the perks.” I laughed.
He nodded again and hit a button on his desk. “Erika, Gray is ready for his tour.”
He sat back in his chair and smiled. “Get settled in and we will see you for dinner.”
“Will do.”
We both stood and shook hands and said goodbye just as Erika peeked her head in, and I let her lead the way to my new classroom.
Even though I had been to the Ranch on multiple occasions, I’d never seen the inside of the college as it wasn’t really open to visitors, only students and faculty. If a visitor wanted a “school room” experience, they could find that in the Littles’ wing. I’d gotten the chance to act as a “substitute” during one of my visits and it had been a lot of fun. But no matter how much fun and excitement might come with it, my new job would not be all for play. These students were here to get an education at an accredited college, and that was what they were going to get from me.
The college facilities were top of the line, just as I would expect from a place like Rawhide. The classrooms were not overly big, which Erika explained was because they liked to keep class numbers down. There were a few bigger classrooms and one large auditorium. Each teacher had their own office connected to their classroom, and the library was… impressive to say the least. After getting a good look at my classroom and office, Erika gave me directions on how to get to my apartment and gave me my key. It had been a long day and I still had dinner with the boss and his wife, so when I got to my new temporary home and saw that it was clean and fully furnished with an inviting bed, I decided I should relax and recharge before I began to unpack.
Harmony
The drive from the airport to Porters Corner was cathartic. I was alone for the first time, like really alone. There were no spies here to tell my parents what I did every second of every day. But the massive expanse of sky and land was almost too much to comprehend. The traffic and noise of New York was as different from Montana as my Jimmy Choo stilettos to muck boots. As excited as I was to start a new chapter in my life, one filled with independence and hot cowboys, I had to admit it was also intimidating.
The driver dropped me off at the bakery, where Jacob was meeting me. He had today off and was going to help get me settled. I watched him pull up in a beat-up truck and was struck by the physical changes in him as he made his way to the door. He had always been in shape, but he’d filled out, and seemed like a larger version of the cousin I’d known in New York.
But when he saw me, a smile lit his face and he was the charming boy I remembered, dimples and all. “Hey, cuz.” He opened his arms and wrapped me in a bear hug and swung me around.
