Before we made it three feet past the first office, a bubbly woman with long hair, light blue eyes, and skyscraper heels stepped out.
“Master Ramsey!” she squealed. “You’re here.” The woman’s eyes darted over to me and Troy. “And you brought company.” She quickly reached for my hand before I could offer. “You must be Clarissa. I’m Luci. I work for Master and Sir.”
My eyes widened when her words registered.
“Relax, pet. Don’t overwhelm our guests before you even offer them something to drink.”
“I’m sorry, Master,” Luci stated quickly, a blush stealing over her youthful features.
“She’s not usually quite this chipper,” Luci’s Master stated. “She’s a little star struck when it comes to Trent.”
Trent’s hand was still on my back as he motioned to the handsome man who had joined us. “Clarissa, this is Langston Moore. He’s the Master in Luci’s Master and Sir.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Tinsley,” Langston said, offering his hand.
I shook it respectfully and smiled up at him.
“My brother’s around here somewhere. Luci, why don’t you show them to my office while I wrangle him up.”
Based on that accent and the colorful words, I would bet my bottom dollar Langston Moore was from Texas. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ask before Luci was steering us to the office on the farthest side.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Luci offered the three of us. “Coffee, tea, water?”
“I’ll take water if you don’t mind,” I told her. I would’ve preferred coffee, but my hands were already a little jittery. Probably best to lay off caffeine.
“And I’ll have coffee, Luci,” Trent said, his hand guiding me toward a leather sofa.
I took a seat on the opposite end. Trent sat directly beside me with Troy on the other side. I distracted myself by admiring the space. The room had a rustic flare, accented by the furniture. It was nice, spacious. A relaxing spot for an interview.
I was just managing to get comfortable when the door opened and Langston appeared. Behind him trailed a man who was evidently his identical twin. They were mirror images of one another, with the exception of the glasses the other man wore.
“Landon, meet Clarissa Tinsley.”
Before I could stand, he was at my side, reaching for my hand. “Please, don’t get up on my account. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to stay for this meeting.” His eyes cut to Trent. “I hate to impose, Trent, but I was wondering if you and I could meet for a bit.”
Trent didn’t move. “About?”
“Well, your proposition, actually. Something’s come up and I think now would be a good time for us to jump in with both feet. I know you weren’t expecting that today, but I’d like to outline a few things with you. After Langston’s finished with Miss Tinsley, I’d like to ask her a few questions as well. Then I’ll introduce her to our business partners.”
Trent peered over at me. “Do you mind?”
I shook my head. “No. Not at all.” In fact, it would put me at ease. Not that I told him that. I think Trent liked the fact that he kept me tightly wound when he was around.
“Thank you for understanding, Miss Tinsley. It’s not often we can get Trent in the building for this type of conversation. It’s been in the works for a while, and I think it’s time we put our money where our mouth is. I look forward to speaking with you in a little while.”
“Thank you, Mr. Moore.”
“We’re not formal here. Please call me Landon.”
“Of course.”
Landon turned and left, Trent and Troy following behind him. Before he stepped out of sight, Trent offered me a smirk and a wink.
Luci bounded into the room with a bottle of water—it was in a fancy glass bottle—as well as a glass with ice cubes. She set it down in front of me, then turned to Langston.
“If you need anything, Master, just let me know.”
“Thank you, little one.” He watched as she closed the door on her way out before turning to me.
I couldn’t help but smile. “I can only assume Luci is the submissive you and your brother have recently collared.”
“Word gets around,” Langston said as he took a seat on the opposite couch. “Not only did we collar her, we also married her.” He had a very commanding presence, I noticed. Not much on smiling, but at least he wasn’t frowning.
“Congratulations,” I said with a smile.
His face was beaming when he said, “Thank you.”
“I had no idea your submissive worked for you.”
“That she does.” He grinned, and I realized then it probably was a good thing Langston Moore didn’t smile often, because it transformed him from handsome into something lethal. “It’s an opportunistic arrangement.”
I felt my cheeks warm, understanding all too well what he was referring to.
“Do you have a Dominant, Miss Tinsley?” he inquired.
That was a rather personal question, but for whatever reason, it didn’t bother me. Considering I’d launched right into his personal space, I figured it was only fair.
“No, Sir. I do not.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“Excuse me?” That seemed a rather rude thing to say.
“Oh, no. I apologize.” He appeared sheepish. “You misunderstood. It’s not because you do not have a Dominant. I’m simply not surprised Trent has his eye on you.”
“Me?” I shook my head. “No. I don’t think that’s true.”
“Don’t you?”
I wasn’t exactly sure what I thought anymore, but I opted to clear the air. “I do not. I learned recently that Mr. Ramsey has eyes for his assistant.”
That seemed to settle Langston somewhat; however, he did continue to smile. “So, he’s coming around, is he?”
I didn’t know what that meant, but I feared if we continued down this line of questioning, we would never get to the reason I was there. “Mr. Ramsey informed me you’re possibly in need of a contract lawyer.”
“We are,” he said with a nod. “For obvious reasons. However, I think it’s fair to tell you up front that we’re looking to hire one in house. Full time, benefits, the whole shebang.”
Well, that was definitely news to me.
Langston continued, “While it’s suited us up until this point to have a firm at our disposal, we’re looking to bring a few things under the umbrella of our business.”
“Because it allows more control,” I said, understanding.
Langston smirked. “Yes, Miss Tinsley. You’ll soon learn that in our world, it’s all about control.”
I didn’t doubt that.
“Now, if you wouldn’t mind, why don’t you run through your experience for me. Let’s see how well-suited you might be for what we have in mind.”
Now this was the part I could handle.
And handle it I would.
Trent
I FOLLOWED LANDON OUT OF Langston’s office and directly into another that looked remarkably similar.
“I see your taste didn’t change even with an update,” I told my friend.
Landon peered around his office and grinned. “No. Not really.” He turned to look at me. “Then again, we let Luci design it, so it doesn’t surprise me. I think our girl has a cowboy fetish and she’s hoping with enough hints, we’ll let her saddle up and ride.”
I chuckled. “Landon, you remember my assistant, Troy.”
“I do,” he confirmed, turning to Troy. “I’m glad you’ve come along to keep this man in line. He needs someone looking after him.” Landon motioned toward the chairs across from his desk.
I walked over and then stopped when Luci scurried into the room, a cup of coffee in her hands. “Here’s your coffee, Master Ramsey. May I get you anything else?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Moore. I’m fine.”
She blushed, as usual.
“We need to work on your excitement, sweet girl. I’ll come find y
ou when I’m finished.”
“Yes, Sir.” She grinned and then practically skipped back out of the room.
I turned to look at Troy. “I’d like for you to kneel beside me. Exactly as I requested on the plane.”
Troy’s eyes widened and there might’ve been a hint of fear reflecting in his gaze. I couldn’t quite tell for sure. Regardless, he didn’t budge.
“I recall you saying you wanted what I could offer. If that’s the case, then you’ll understand this is something I can give you. And you will take what I offer with appreciation.”
“Yes … Master,” he replied quietly.
“What was that?” If I was going to train this boy to be my submissive, I knew I had to be hard on him in the beginning. There was no place for shyness in my world. I expected far too much for that.
“Yes, Master,” he stated dutifully.
I took a seat and Troy immediately obeyed, dropping to his knees beside me, his head tilting down, his hands on his thighs.
When I looked up, I noticed Landon watching us. “Submissive in training, I presume.”
“My submissive,” I clarified. I figured if Troy could give me his all, the least I could do was reciprocate. I reached over and fisted Troy’s hair in my hand, then tilted his head back until he was looking up at me. “And I’m certainly looking forward to the journey. How about you, boy?”
“I am as well, Master.”
I repositioned his head so that his gaze was on the floor before I released his hair and turned my attention to Landon, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“What?” I asked.
Landon shook his head, his hands still shoved in his pocket. “Nothin’. It appears I owe my brother some money.”
“For?”
He waved me off with a chuckle. “Just a bet I lost.”
I wasn’t about to step on that land mine, so I took a seat. “So why do you have a bug up your ass? I thought you’d need some time before you made a decision.”
“Well,” Landon said as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and took a seat in his desk chair. “As it turns out, my partners are extremely excited about this venture. I expected a little pushback from Justin, but he’s the one with the bug up his ass, as you so eloquently put it. You might’ve heard that Chatter PR Global has recently undergone some big changes.”
“More so than merely redecorating?” I asked.
Landon leaned back in his chair, apparently getting comfortable. “Justin seems to think we haven’t reached our full potential, which is the reason we’re on a hiring spree.”
“But you’ve made it pretty far without overloading payroll,” I said. “So, it wouldn’t surprise me if you wanted to coast for a few years.”
Landon smirked. “Coast? What does that even mean? I’m pretty sure Justin and Langston forbid anyone to use that word when it comes to this company.”
“Of course they do.” I wasn’t one to coast through life, content with only what I had. I was the sort of man who always wanted more, so I could understand where they were coming from.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not,” Landon continued, “but Justin recently hired Greg.”
“Edge and I are good friends. He might’ve mentioned it a time or two,” I offered with a grin.
“Did he tell you it wasn’t an easy sell?”
I nodded.
“Justin was on Greg to come work for the firm for years. The man pushed back until recently. We’re happy he’s made the leap over to the dark side. Along with him, Justin’s also hired Jane and Zeke for positions within the company.”
I was familiar with everyone because they were all Masters at my club. Mistress, as was the case for Jane.
“What’s Zeke’s background? Why did I think he was in security?” I’d known Zeke for quite a while. It wasn’t official, but Zeke assisted at the club when brute force was necessary which was the reason I’d reached out to him for this temporary job of watching Clarissa.
“That’s what I thought, too, but it appears he has quite the portfolio in technology.”
Interesting. Perhaps he was in cybersecurity. That would make sense.
“And Jane?”
“Jane previously worked for one of the Big Five publishers. Although it was quite some time ago. She’s the perfect fit on my side. However, we’ve brought Jordan up in the ranks as well. Langston and I have given him his own account set and he’s settling in nicely.”
“With Dale backfilling as the receptionist?”
“Naturally. Although, we’re hoping to bring on a few more secretaries as well. People who can help manage the day-to-day, but we’re leaving that to them.”
“Well, I think Jordan deserves it. He’ll be good at interacting with your clients,” I told Landon. “Professional and friendly. I think your author talent will appreciate that. And what about Case and Brax? What’s your interest there?”
Landon chuckled. “That’s an entirely separate business venture. Justin wants to meet with them to gauge their interest.”
“Please tell me he’s not planning to pilfer my employees.”
“Oh, he is,” Landon said matter-of-factly. “However, it would be a joint venture with you, of course.”
“The man’s planning to open a restaurant,” I said as it all came together.
Landon grinned. “If Brax’s interested.” He motioned toward the wall. “Justin has the idea to add a restaurant on the main floor. Open to the public. High-end. Quite frankly, I think he’s tired of sandwiches for dinner all the time.”
That made me smile. “And the gym?”
“Second and third floors,” Landon replied easily. “He’s even got the plans drawn up. He’d want Case to manage it, but he’s open to negotiating.”
“Justin doesn’t do anything half-ass, does he?”
“Not at all.”
While this was all news to me, I liked the idea. Granted, it would mean I would lose two valuable employees, but who was I to stand in their way if they wanted to take an offer like this? Brax had always wanted to open his own restaurant. Now would be the perfect opportunity for him to make a name for himself. And Case … well, Case was the laid-back, easy going one. He would likely go wherever Brax went. They were close.
“You’ve definitely got me curious, but what does any of this have to do with expanding into Hollywood talent representation?”
“You never were one to beat around the bush, were you, Ramsey?”
“It’s a waste of time.”
Landon chuckled. “Well, Langston and I were talking last week and he mentioned your contract is about to be up with your current agency. He said you were entertaining them and I wanted to understand where you were with that.”
“I haven’t confirmed with them that I have no intention of renewing the contract, but that’s the plan. I’m simply buying time while you make a decision. Even if I have to go on my own for a bit.”
I had no intention of re-signing with my current agency. Ken and I were on the outs regarding what was best for my career. He was simple-minded, and I needed someone who had a greater outlook. But I wasn’t letting anyone else in on that strategy yet. I’d been hoping this meeting would come sooner rather than later.
“Are you still looking for the same percentage?” Landon asked.
“Yes,” I said, holding Landon’s gaze. “I believe my original offer was fair across the board.”
Landon pulled a sheet of paper over in front of him. “You’re asking for four percent equity in Chatter PR Global as a whole.”
I nodded. “I figure each of you giving up one percent is fair.” While I would’ve preferred more, I wasn’t a greedy man.
“And you’re looking for sixty percent of this venture?”
“Correct. Considering I’ll fund the initial start-up, plus my name does bear some significance within this industry, I think it’s more than reasonable that I be the majority shareholder.”
“A slight understatement,” he said wit
h a smirk.
I could only offer a grin.
Landon steepled his hands and stared me down. I knew he was attempting to intimidate me. Plenty of people thought that would work. It never had before, and I certainly wasn’t going to give in now. If Landon and Langston opted not to accept my offer, that was their prerogative. However, I would branch out on my own. I’d merely been interested in joining forces in an effort to benefit all of us.
Landon finally nodded. “I’ve been given the go-ahead to make a deal.”
“That’s good to hear. I fully believe this will be mutually beneficial, provided the offer is along the lines of my original proposal.”
“Actually…” Landon pushed the sheet of paper toward me. “When we got together, we hashed it out and thought you were asking for … too little.”
Too little? That was a first.
I didn’t look at the paper, wanting to hear what Landon’s offer was.
He sighed, obviously wanting me to look. “Justin and Ben thought your original offer was more in our favor. And you know Justin. He’s willing to pay if it means having you more involved. We agreed to each hand over two and a half percent of Chatter and only take twenty-five percent of the new venture.”
“Really? Why not simply take what I’m asking for?”
Landon grinned, his gaze moving to Troy briefly. “With the shift in our personal lives, we’re all looking to work less, not more. We figured bringing you on will allow us more flexibility. And by opting for less in the new venture, it’ll give you some wiggle room in the event you need to bring on some additional people.”
This time I did glance down at the paper, wanting to see it in black and white. Needless to say, I was pleased with this turn of events. I smiled when I looked up at Landon. “I’d be honored to do business with you.”
“My friend,” Landon stated, “this is going to make us a lot of fucking money.”
Yes. It was.
Landon’s eyes glanced toward the door. “I really should go talk with Miss Tinsley. We did some checking into her background, so this is just a formality. From the information we received, she’s more than qualified should she be interested in the position. The only obstacle will be her passing the bar in Illinois. Unfortunately, it’s only offered twice a year—February and July—so the timing will be a bit off. But we’ll still welcome her on board if she’s willing.”
Their Famous Dominant Page 20
