Laughing, I completely disagreed. Sure, he didn’t want to date the guy, but the whole thing had been too amusing to let go. “But he was so funny.”
“Months, Eli.”
“You need to have some fun.” Okay, who could we call? Oh! “The accountant! The sweet one who was so curious! He’d be perfect to call. What was his name?”
I wasn’t a name person, but faces and curiosity always stuck out in my mind.
“Casey.” Preston didn’t even have to think. The name came out almost like it had already been on the tip of his tongue.
Interesting.
The cute little accountant in the boring business suit should have blended right into the woodwork, but he’d stood out. The way he’d watched everything from Preston to the models had made me think his wide-eyed expression wasn’t just shock.
Casey had evidently been dragged along to go over some numbers with Preston, and it was clear that he hadn’t seen the panties and lingerie that his company produced on a live person before. Evidently, Preston had been just as taken with him.
I’d thought I’d seen the two of them glancing at each other, but the annoying marketing guy hadn’t taken the hint to leave Preston alone, so he’d distracted me. “Do you think he might be someone you could call? He seemed nice and didn’t have an issue with any of us.”
“He was polite.”
“And curious.” I thought it was just stating the obvious, but Preston gave a start.
“What do you mean?”
Lord, he could be dense. “He’s either very new to kink in general or he hasn’t explored it but is really curious. Those quick, envious glances of his weren’t because he had the hots for any of the models.”
“I thought he was getting to know Lane.” Preston said it like it was nothing. We’d only spent twenty minutes showing the guys around the building.
“They talked for a little while, and I think Lane mentioned that they’d gone to lunch, but two bottoms do not make a power couple, so they have to be just friends.” I got another weird look from Preston.
I was surrounded by morons.
“You think?” I wasn’t sure if he was hopeful or confused.
“What? That they’re both bottoms? Or that they’re just friends?”
He blinked at me. “Both.”
Preston was never this nosy. It was fun seeing that side of him again. He worked almost as many hours as I did, and I couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone out on a date. Much less with someone who was remotely interested in the same kinds of things he was.
“Yeah, that little one was just about ready to bend over and beg someone to put panties on him and spank him, and Lane has the hots—well, I’m not supposed to say that part, so just forget it. But let’s just say he’s not looking right now.” I’d promised Lane I’d keep his business private, and I wasn’t going to break it.
Preston’s brows pulled together, worry clear on his face. “But he’s okay? Lane always seems very naïve.”
“He’s fine. I’m keeping an eye on it.” Everyone had to fall for a bad-ass straight guy at least once, but it wasn’t going to kill him. Especially since the bad boy he’d fallen for was the tattoo artist down the street. He might look a little rough around the edges, but any guy who read Harry Potter on his lunch break wasn’t that dangerous.
I was waiting for Preston to get back around to the little accountant, and it only took seconds. “I guess I could give Casey a call then. Not to pump him for information, but just to make sure there isn’t anything we need to know.”
“I think it’s a good idea.” Wheels spinning, I tried to figure out how far I could push Preston. “You know, you might offer to show him around again or take him out to lunch. He might feel less pressured if it’s a casual environment.”
“Possibly, but I wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea.”
Yeah, like the idea that Preston had the hots for him and wanted to spank him and have sexy fun. Nope, wouldn’t want anything like that to happen. Even in my head, I sounded sarcastic. “Do you want me to email him then?”
“No.” That answer shot out of Preston before I could even take a breath. “I’ll figure something out.”
And I was going to bug Lane and see if he knew more about Casey. Might as well make sure if pushing Preston in his direction was a good idea. It was too late for lunch, but if I remembered things right, I’d seen tattoo guy go to the coffee shop down the street for a midafternoon pick-me-up several times. It might work out well for both of us; I’d get caffeine and gossip, and Lane would get a peek at his crush.
“Alright, I’ll leave that part up to you. And if you want, because I’m feeling very generous, I’ll even look through part of the IT applications that come in.” That would be miserable, but if it helped get Preston a social life I would do my best.
“You actually want to help hire someone?” Preston didn’t bother to hide his shock. He looked like he was ready to start planning for the zombie apocalypse.
“Want to? Hell no, but if I can narrow down the list before you start making calls, that might help.” And might earn me some brownie points for the next time I drove Preston nuts.
“Okay, maybe, depending on how many we get in. I’m hoping this time a few more take five minutes to look us up and actually see what the company does before applying.” Preston gave a half-smile and shook his head. “Some of those conversations were very awkward.”
Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. “The damned company is named Leashes and Lace, how in the hell that doesn’t stand out I’ll never know.”
Preston laughed. “That one poor guy thought it was some kind of specialty pet product company.”
Thankfully, I’d been spared the task of talking to them, but Preston had started to groan every time he’d needed to speak with another applicant. I’d said he needed to delegate some of the work, but he’d said he didn’t want an admin until it was absolutely necessary.
We had a small HR department, two women who actually spent most of the day doing weird stuff with the benefits people and insurance that no one else wanted to understand. So once he hired someone he wouldn’t have to babysit the rest of the process, but it was still time-consuming.
“Maybe we should make everything more clear in the next ad?” I wasn’t sure how, though. The company logo was a pair of panties with a dog collar and leash, for crying out loud.
Preston shook his head, clearly seeing the ways it could go wrong. “No, I think you guys would have entirely too much fun designing the ad in that case. We might end up banned from posting on the online job boards.”
“And we’re back to you’re no fun.” He needed to get laid.
Rolling his eyes, Preston wasn’t offended. “Someone has to be the grown-up around here.”
“Not it.” I had enough real shit going on outside of the company to agree to be an adult there too.
Chuckling, Preston shook his head. “I didn’t think you were going to volunteer. You want to go over the spreadsheets before you go, or do you have class?”
I groaned. “No numbers today. I have all kinds of shit to do tonight, and I can’t use my brain cells now. Depleting them before I start class would be a terrible idea.”
Rolling his eyes, Preston didn’t seem to find me funny. “They’re not batteries. But I’ll let you escape this time.”
Perfect. I had coffee to drink and a Lane to quiz. “See you later, then. I’ve some new stuff to put on the blog. I was going to start posting the pictures from today as soon as Roman sent them in, but do you think I should wait?”
“It might be a good idea, but I want to see the reaction to the new line. Just tease it with a caption that it’s not a done deal yet, but they’re getting a peek anyway.” Preston waved his hand around. “You can play it off like you’re doing something naughty, they’ll love it.”
I smirked. “Because they love me. I’ll just tell them you’re going to spank me or something for showing them things that I shou
ldn’t be.”
Preston laughed. “Thanks. Glad to be the bad guy for you.”
Smirking and giving him a little wave, I hopped up to go track down Lane. I’d seen him earlier writing his blog post, so I was hoping he hadn’t left yet. Coffee and a sexy man was just what my afternoon needed—even if the man wasn’t for me.
Chapter 5
Roman
“Landry Photography, Roman speaking.” Answering the phone when I didn’t recognize the number was my first mistake. Not hanging up immediately was the second. My only excuse was that I was just getting back in the apartment and juggling bags when the phone rang.
“You changed your number.” The accusing tone set my nerves on edge.
Shit.
“Yes, that’s what happens when your number gets blasted all over the internet as a sexual deviant.” I’d gotten calls from everyone from local daytime talk shows to people wanting to save my soul. A new phone number had been the easiest way to shut them down.
“They took things the wrong way, and it got out of hand.” The whiny tone was probably designed to remind me how cute he was when he was bent over my knee, but all I felt listening to it was frustration.
“Bullshit. Why are you calling me, Ken?” If he’d called after everything had first happened, he might have been able to play me enough to convince me to take him back. Fortunately, I was smarter now.
“I miss you.” I could almost picture the pout he was trying to give me through the phone.
Another bullshit line. “Money’s all gone?”
“Roman.” He dragged out my name like he was exasperated with me.
It wasn’t going to work.
“Ken, I’m not sure what possessed you to blast my private business all over the goddamned internet, or why you thought anyone needed to know what we did in the privacy of our home, but I’m done. You burned this bridge.” He’d burned it the first time I’d had to explain to my mother why someone would want to be spanked.
By the third time, because she really didn’t get it, I’d never wanted to even hear his name again.
“I was drunk. I didn’t mean it.” His voice dropped quieter, and he tried to use a teasing sexy tone, but it went over flat on me. “I was bad and need my Dom to punish me. I’ll be good.”
“Don’t call me again. You ruined my business. You made it look like I was abusive. And I had to move cross-country to get away from it all. Don’t call me. Don’t even think of me. Find another sucker to steal from.” Maybe I should have been more upset about the explosion of my relationship, but at some point, I’d moved on.
“You said the money belonged to both of us.” The pout in his voice was starting to drive me crazy.
“Because you were trying to break into modeling and weren’t earning enough to pay for ramen noodles, much less help with bills or have fun. I was trying to be nice, not give you every dime I’d earned!” Taking several deep breaths to try to get my anger under control, I almost missed it when he started to speak.
“But I am a model. People loved my pictures. They want to use them in some kind of European ad. You said they couldn’t. Roman, they’re my pictures. You’re being mean to me.” Now it sounded more like he thought I was an irrational master who didn’t understand that I was being ridiculous.
“No, they’re my photos that I took of you. I never signed any kind of release and still own the photos.” I’d spent days chasing every one I could down and getting them off the internet.
There were still a few floating around, but because I’d owned the rights, reputable news outlets had taken them down fairly quickly. The threat of a lawsuit had worked wonders, even though at that point there wasn’t money for rent, much less a high-powered lawyer.
But no matter how quickly I worked, it hadn’t been fast enough to keep my family from seeing them. As long as I could tell myself that he hadn’t been able to profit off of them, it somehow made it less maddening.
Ken sighed dramatically. “But Roman, I look so good in the pictures.”
“Tough shit. Don’t call me again and don’t try to use my pictures anywhere.” Then I did what I should’ve done when I first heard his voice—I ended the call.
Maybe I was a selfish ass, but he was never going to make a dime of profit off those pictures. I was going to go to my grave waving those damned photos in front of him, not destroying them, but still making sure he knew he’d never see them anywhere.
I’d had several people say that I should be the one making money on them. They thought I should sell them at an outrageous amount and use it to help me start over, but I wanted Ken to suffer more than I wanted money.
It was too bad they were such good pictures.
Erotic, but not porn; romantic, but with an edge that made you take a second look at them. Even I had to admit they were some of the best I’d done. It was really too bad they’d stay in my computer forever.
Trying not to let the growing frustration get to me, I finished setting my stuff down on the table and started browsing around for food. Past lunch but not quite dinner, it was a weird time to be eating, but I was starved. Eli’s drama had made what was supposed to have been a short shoot go on forever, completely throwing my day off.
Looking in the fridge, my options were almost nonexistent. It was either a freezer dinner or leftover Chinese food that had seen better days. Giving the lo mein a sniff and deciding it wasn’t too bad, I dumped it in a bowl and threw it in the microwave.
The rest of my afternoon and much of the evening were going to be spent editing photos and getting the new website updated. It was almost blank at the moment with no personality or good explanation about what kinds of pictures I took, but it was all my brain had been able to come up with.
Something was holding me back and until I figured out exactly what it was, I had a feeling my business wouldn’t be going anywhere.
* * * * *
Sorting through photos of a half-naked Eli was some kind of punishment. There was no other word for it. Editing was even worse. It was a weird kind of torture because each photo had to be analyzed, and there was no way to ignore the passion and fire coming from him—or the erection that filled and strained the panties.
I must’ve had a screw loose to take the job.
Watching a sexy brat parade around nearly naked just for attention was not a real career path. Instead of tasteful photos like the other models tried to take, it was like some kind of live-action porn that I’d gotten dragged into photographing. The way his body moved and his hard cock filled the fabric made it impossible to maintain my distance.
As his erection continued to fill the screen on my computer, and I had to watch him trail his fingers over his cock frame by frame, my blood pressure started to rise. Just out of anger, nothing else, but it was making it even more difficult to think and to be objective about which pictures were the best.
Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t looked at the blog. In my defense, I’d wanted to find out the reactions to the new photos. Seeing what they were responding to would help me see what direction I needed to take for the edits and even for future shoots.
I’d only sent him a few, but he usually didn’t take too long before he posted something from a shoot. He was a bit of an attention whore and would want to get his followers all stirred up. Eli usually posted about everything, from how the shoot went to random facts about his day, all while showing off his body and the lingerie.
I might have been stupid for looking at the blog, but he was just an ass.
It was one long rant about me. Well, it didn’t start that way. Toward the beginning, he was teasing about the new shoot and giving vague hints about how they were going to love the new pieces. How he wasn’t really supposed to be sharing them, and how Preston would punish him for even thinking about letting the pictures out, but he just couldn’t help himself.
The way he wrote, I could almost hear him purring in my head about how naughty he’d been and how he needed to be
spanked—but that he would do it anyway just for them. It made me want to pull my hair out and then demand to know what was going on between him and Preston. If he was screwing the owner, I was going to be out on my ass as soon as the brat batted an eyelash at him.
And if he was bending over for Preston, why in the hell was he flirting with everything that moved?
As he started to ramble on, oversharing and talking about the shoot itself, I could almost feel his anger rising. No comments about his own idiotic behavior, just random notes that they knew how a shoot affected him, and that he wanted his passion to come through in the photos.
Then it took a turn for the nasty and absurd.
Every little comment I’d said, and some I couldn’t even remember making, was laid out on the website. He told them I called him a hooker and said he should be making twenty bucks a blow job on the corner. I never said an amount or what activity he should be doing.
Not that the specifics would matter much if Preston saw.
The brat was clearly trying to get me fired.
By the time I’d finished more of the edits and sent the photos off, my messages were getting terse, and I was a bit…frustrated. The comments on the blog were clearly supporting Eli’s fucked-up version of events, and I was getting tired of reading about what a horrible person I was.
Finally giving up, I closed the computer and walked away. Hours of staring at the computer screen had my head hurting, and hours of watching Eli’s long, naked body had lower parts of my anatomy rebelling.
As much as my head realized how difficult he was and how I was never going to get involved with someone like that again, my cock didn’t have the same aversion. Knowing that my own body was betraying me, and making it harder to do my job, just made my frustration rise even higher.
Everything in me knew Eli and everyone like him was bad news, but my goddamned dick couldn’t get the message. The last time I’d had a shoot with him, I’d had to break down and jerk off. I wasn’t sure what I’d been angrier about when it was finally done, myself for being weak, or Eli for being a temptation I didn’t need.
Leashes & Lace Books 1-3: MM Romance Boxed Set Page 20
