“You’re stressed?”
“I wasn’t until yesterday,” Nicki jeered, then said loudly, “And I shouldn’t be now!”
Eric came from the kitchen with the bin full of ice, and Nicki promptly went into the ladies’ room. Eric muttered something under his breath. This didn’t resemble the being-able-to-work-together policy at all.
“I hate to be a jerk about this,” Amanda said, getting right to the point. “But you guys assured me you’d be able to keep it professional. If there’s an issue we have to work out, I’d rather it gets done before we have customers.”
“There won’t be any issue. We won’t be working together anymore,” he said curtly, throwing the ice all around the cooler.
“Don’t even kid,” Amanda said flippantly.
Eric stopped what he was doing to stare at his boss, demonstrating how serious he was. Amanda began to frown as Nicki came out of the bathroom. Eric went back to dealing with the ice after giving a wave in Nicki’s direction. “She can tell you all about it.” He took the bin and went back into the kitchen, while Nicki rubbed the side of her nose purposefully with her middle finger.
Amanda looked at Nicki and said, “Somebody better start telling me something.”
Nicki took a deep breath and extended her middle finger right at the kitchen door before saying, “I guess there’s never an easy way to do this.”
Amanda, like all good employers, knew what usually followed an opening like that. “You got another job?” she asked, trying to be supportive. She knew it was never supposed to be permanent, but she would miss Nicki. Working with a friend had been fun.
“I’m moving to California,” Nicki blurted out excitedly.
Amanda was equally excited after her initial surprise. “Did you get a gig?”
Nicki crossed into rehashing the argument as she must have presented it to herself. “I have an audition for a pilot with USA Network. But more than that, I made a connection. Well, a connection’s connection. The pilot’s a long shot but some extra work rolls through this woman’s agency. At the very least, she knows a restaurant that will hire me when I get there. I have to try. I really feel like I have to take the chance.”
“Of course you do!” Amanda enthusiastically agreed. It was thrilling to watch people take risks, even if she was leery to take any herself. Nicki was always willing to work hard; she deserved to try to make her dream happen. “You can work as many hours as you want before you leave. Do you know how fast you’re going to make the move?”
Eric came out of the kitchen glowering, and Nicki snorted in anger. “That’s the hard part. Seems my roommate is a real buzzkill and doesn’t want to let me out of my lease.”
Amanda sat between Eric and Nicki as they stared each other down. Was Amanda the only one to see that this was about more than a roommate moving? Or was she starting to see everything with romantic overtones? Eric dumped another bin of ice and said, “I told you, get a suitable roommate to replace you and you can do whatever you want.”
Nicki made a face at him and then spat dramatically, “Remember that flaw you told me about before, Amanda? I think I found Eric’s. He’s a monkey-wrench-throwing motherfucker!”
Amanda was grateful they were busy shooting daggers at each other. Now was not the time to inform Nicki or anyone else that she had discovered Chase’s fatal flaw. But damn if Nicki dropping the f-bomb wasn’t an instant and blush-inducing reminder.
Eric and Nicki did maintain a cordial picture as they worked that evening. Amanda would’ve given more thought about what they would do once they had to go back to the same apartment after work, but as Chase’s estimated arrival time drew closer, all her thoughts centered on him. As soon as he came through the door, her excitement gave way to shyness after the first initial rush that seeing him provided. The way he looked at her now held a different type of warmth, the supersecret kind. She didn’t want to ask him any more questions; she just wanted to get back to feeling his hands all over her. She left Eric and Nicki to duke it out and retired for the night after the last customer left. They could make up or lock up. She hoped they would consider doing both.
IN THE END, AMANDA STAYED. At first it was under the guise of Chase’s challenge that submitting to him could actually be enjoyable. And it was. She liked it a lot. When she surrendered all her control, the result was the most intense freedom. She could put all her fears, worries, and decisions into his strong, powerful hands, and he took them willingly. From across his knees, she was released from all her anxiety. It was amazingly cathartic, but still left her conflicted. His reward had to be greater, because he was still a man, and a spoiled one at that. But she couldn’t quite find the words to question him about it without becoming tongue-tied. And he was so comfortable with it. There were no secrets from his past he was tortured by, no deep-seated desire to abuse women hidden behind his long list of good deeds and magnetic smile. He genuinely saw his role as her protector and was a natural at it. She knew there would never be anybody she could ever trust enough to confide in about her newfound fetish, as much for her sake as for his. He’d asked her to keep it to herself, and that wouldn’t be a problem. She didn’t even know exactly how to share it with him, much less anyone else.
Now that Chase no longer had to concern himself with the outcome, he came in contact with her bottom whenever he could. His rascal-like quality was sent into overdrive and it made him all the more lovable. He was a real ass man, and she wondered how he’d been able to conceal it as long as he had. It became a veritable world series of pats, swats, and grabs whenever he was presented with a really clear opportunity. But those opportunities were rare, since there always seemed to be someone in their space. In public they were always proper. Discretion really cut into their fun time.
She waited for him to become an unofficial dictator, ordering her around and forcing her to see his way on any and all things. But that never happened. It was quite the opposite. Chase doted on her in every way possible. He gave no indication he wanted to run her life any more or less than he had before. He valued her opinion and didn’t always have to be right. If he had strong feelings on a topic, however, she better be able to sway him. That was the hitch: If he said no and he meant it, he expected her to abide by it. Not doing so resulted in ramifications that were quick, effective, and came with the voice. She wanted to avoid that.
But he rarely said no. He was usually so indulgent, she felt childish for not going along with him. The pedestal that he put her on was high, and he still was able to shine down on her from it. In turn, she wanted to make him happy. But what do you give the man who has everything, including the ability to make a woman willingly submit to corporal punishment?
“I just hired a manager,” Amanda told him one evening when he came to pick her up.
“A very wise decision.” He couldn’t help beaming.
“I’m glad you think so,” she replied. “Since you’re the one trying so hard to get me to leave the place, it’s only fair you pay half his salary.”
“Angel, I’ll pay all of it. Best money I ever spent.”
She originally was going to hire Liam to take over for Nicki, but he was just so skilled. And the former NYU graduate had such panache. It was a good fit that seemed to come at the right time. He walked in off the street within an hour of Amanda placing the ad online. Nicki was still making her arrangements but took immediate time off to make her West Coast audition and check out the lay of the land. Amanda put Liam on the books the day they interviewed. He worked well with Eric, who looked a little too pleased as the weeks wore on and Nicki struggled to find Eric a roommate, working almost all her regular hours when she returned.