Page 25 of Chosen

“Yep. Hey, Jacob,” I started. “How’ve you been holding up—”

“We should be able to get a Jeep out to you by tomorrow,” he interrupted, all business as usual.

“Right. Got it,” I replied. “And Jacob, I just wanted to say sorry about being M.I.A. at HQ. It’s just that this storm really knocked everything off its axis—”

“You don’t need to apologize for that,” he interrupted me again. “The storm wasn’t your fault. Besides, you’ve got a few vacation days saved up. We can just chalk it up to that. And as long as we get you back soon, we won’t be completely up shit’s creek. We have another guest coming in—”

The rest of Jacob’s words faded into the background as I watched Sam step out of the bedroom. He glanced down the hall, a smile appearing on his face when he spotted me in the living room. He made his way over to me, not stopping until he was seated beside me on the couch.

“Is that your boss?” he mouthed, nodding toward the phone.

“Yes,” I mouthed back.

Sam nodded again before he pressed the speakerphone button on my screen, a mischievous expression spreading across his features.

“As for Mr. Watson,” Jacob continued, “maybe we could consider offering him some kind of comp package for his troubles—”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Sam casually jumped into the conversation. “Damon has been the ultimate Wild Woods host during this whole experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better guide through that awful storm. Plus, he practically kept me alive the whole time, too, making sure I had enough to eat and drink.”

“Why, thank you, Mr. Watson,” I said, beaming over at Sam. “That’s very high praise.”

“Eh. You’ve earned it,” Sam went on, beaming right back at me. “I’ll be sure to leave five-star reviews wherever I can. Maybe even do a few social media posts about this place, get my network of folks excited about booking a stay.”

“All of that sounds wonderful, Mr. Watson. Thank you so much for your generosity!” Jacob added, before his tone went back to being flat. “As for you, Damon, I’ll keep you posted on the status of the Jeep’s arrival.”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Jacob.”

“You’re welcome.” It was the last thing he said before ending the phone call with a click.

“Did I do good?” Sam playfully asked. “I was honestly angling to get you a promotion or raise or something.”

“You did very good.” I smirked. “And while I don’t think a promotion or raise is feasibly on the table, since I’m a co-owner of the business and all, I do appreciate you praising me like that in front of Jacob. He’s a pretty hard sell.”

“Is that code for asshole?”

“No. Not an asshole.” I shook my head. “Just a guy who takes his job seriously, which I can appreciate.”

“I’d say you take your job pretty seriously, too, Damon.”

“Not as serious as Jacob. Trust me.” I lightly chuckled. “If you think I’m bad, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

“I don’t think you’re bad.” Sam’s words were soft and light. “Even if you did spank me a little hard last night.”

“Right…” I coughed to clear my throat, my attention now on Sam. “We should probably talk about that.”

“Talk about what?”

“How you felt about it, if you’re okay,” I suggested. “The whole Dom/sub thing isn’t for everyone, Sam, and it’s okay with me if it’s not for you—”

“What are you talking about?” Sam’s eyes widened with surprise. “Damon, what about last night makes you think I didn’t have a good time?”

“I was just checking in with you—”

“Not necessary.” Sam laughed, his expression warm. “But thank you for checking in.”

He leaned toward me, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Although, speaking of checking in…”

He groaned under his breath, as his hand went toward his pocket. A few seconds later, he placed his phone on the living room table, his finger tapping the speaker button.

---