Page 28 of The Boss

“Not at all,” I said, bending down to snag my jacket. Despite already being overly warm, thanks to Ashlee, I put my jacket back on.

“I’m going to need to clean up before I go back out there,” she said, her skin still flushed.

I wanted to reach out and touch her skin again. Instead, I offered her my arm. “I’ll wait outside the bathroom this time.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to explain everything to her, to make certain she knew that I took my role as Dom seriously, but we weren’t there yet. If I started talking Doms and subs and nipple clamps and butt plugs, I’d probably end up getting slapped with a sexual harassment suit before she emptied her desk…or offered to relieve me of my company.

“I’m not letting that bastard near you again,” I said. “And I won’t let anyone else try it either.”

Her expression softened. “Thank you.”

The gratitude surprised me. Clearly, she knew how to defend herself, and I’d been prepared to have to argue with her about how I’d rather prevent any issues instead of her having to react after something happened. I hadn’t foreseen her thanking me and agreeing to it.

I followed her out of the room and back down the hallway, neither of us saying anything as she entered the bathroom again, and I leaned against the wall next to the door.

The more time I spent with Ashlee, the less I understood her. She wasn’t anything like the women I usually spent time with, not the ones in my personal or professional lives. Maybe that was why I was so intrigued with her. I’d been bored with Roma and even bored with the idea of looking for another sub. Someone who wasn’t already a sub or at least wasn’t knowledgeable when it came to sex would give me a different way of experiencing things.

By the time she came out of the bathroom, I’d decided on my course of action. I held out my arm and waited for her to blow by me. Again, I was surprised by her choice when she took my arm.

“Don’t want you getting any ideas about running off to beat the shit out of Unraveling’s lead singer,” she said as we headed back toward the party.

“That’s some pretty unprofessional language there,” I teased, my entire being feeling strangely light.

This was…new.

Maybe pursuing things with her wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Then I took another look at her and remembered how she’d looked coming apart in my arms. I needed to feel what that was like with my cock buried deep inside her. Soon. Distraction was good some of the time, but if I dragged things out too long, I’d regret it.

“We should check in with Stu,” I said, as much for something to say as anything else. “Make sure everything’s going as smoothly as possible.”

I kept us at the edge of the party as I scanned faces until I found the one I was looking for. As usual, Stu was in the thick of things, smiling and laughing as he moved from one person to the next. If I was the public face of Manhattan Records, Stu was a close second. We had a public relations department who handled announcements, press conferences, that sort of thing. They also handed any press conferences, important announcements, publicity nightmares – considering the sort of shit Zed got up to, they were kept pretty busy. Their faces occasionally made it into media, but Stu was at the parties, and those got a lot more attention than press conferences.

I greeted each person who made eye contact, but didn’t let them stop me, moving past with my most charming smile and polite, vague words. When I reached Stu, I waited, however impatiently, for him to finish his conversation with Saya Wong, one of the few agents I genuinely liked, and not in a sexual way. She had three artists with us and handled each one with a professionalism that was lacking in many other agents. She respected not only them and us, but also the business itself.

“Nate,” Saya said, extending a hand. She smiled warmly as I shook her hand and then she turned to Ashlee, shaking her hand as well.

“Ashlee Webb.” She gave Saya a genuine smile.

Saya glanced at Stu before looking back at Ashlee. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Saya Wong. I represent–”

“Brandy Flick, Golden Words, and The Bright Lights,” Ashlee said smoothly. “The Bright Lights is the newest addition to the label.”

Saya’s smile widened, and her eyes sparkled. “Oh, she’s a sharp one, Nate. Where’d you find her?”

“A&R.”

Saya and Stu stared at me for a minute before laughing. Ashlee’s hand tightened on my arm, and I lightly touched her, an unconscious Dom gesture that I often used on my subs to calm them when they seemed agitated. It seemed to work on her too, and she settled under my touch.

“Miss Webb is my assistant,” Stu said.

The fact that he didn’t appear to be surprised by her presence here told me either she’d told him or he’d heard rumors. Firing Flora had helped curb people’s tongues, but it couldn’t make people unhear what had already been going around.

“Before we get distracted by the fascinating rise of Miss Webb’s career,” I said, “I’d like to know how things are progressing here.”

“I’m going to check in on my people,” Saya said. “It was nice to meet you, Ashlee.” She nodded at Stu and then at me before excusing herself.

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