He let her lead him to the playroom she used when she entertained.It was all lilac, purple, and rose colors, soft cushions draped on ottomans and on the floor, and plenty of silk restraints.Peter knew Celeste also kept crops and floggers in a drawer, as well as a selection of masks and other fun things.Before opening, she’d given him a tour, showing him what she’d built.
“Should we sit?”she asked.
“This won’t take very long,” Peter said.“It’s really quite simple.I find myself in a somewhat…delicate situation.”
“Is that why you came in with one of my employees on your arm today?”
Her tone was light, but that didn’t fool Peter.
“You may or may not know that he has a bad vampire in his past.”
Her professional mask shifted.“Shit.I…he worked online by himself at first.That’s how we met.I told him he could work here.What happened?”
Peter shrugged.“It was broad daylight out, so not much.It was pure luck I ran into him though.Into Theo.”
Celeste smoothed her expression out.“Who?”
“Puck.He told me.Celeste, you know me.The vampire wanted to grab him outside the university library.I happened to be there, took him home with me.”
“Did you punch that vampire?”
“Yes.”
She sat on an ottoman.“Good.I thought you had a savior complex for a while, but maybe it’s just scary good timing.”
“Begging your pardon?”Peter looked around but wasn’t sure where he should sit.The bench was not for sitting, judging by the restraints, and he didn’t want to give Celeste any ideas, so he remained standing.
“You know I’m not a romantic, but he… Peter, I care for Theo.A lot.He started as a camboy early, and he was good.Behind the camera too.He’s smart.”
And so pretty.Sweet too.“No doubt.”
She crossed her legs.“I knew you would like him.”
“Oh, me liking him would not be a problem, Celeste.If I just liked him, I could come here once a week, and that would be that.”Peter sighed.“I told him I want his blood, that it tasted like ambrosia to me.Well, I may have phrased it differently.I made him hot chocolate.”
Celeste’s eyebrows flew up.“You made Theo hot chocolate?In the middle of summer?”
Peter crossed his arms to keep himself from pacing.“You are missing the point, Celeste.”She was also missing how good his hot chocolate was.
“The point is that you took him home,” Celeste said.“I didn’t miss that, I just thought the hot chocolate was weirder.”
Oh, the never-ending bother that came with other people’s judgment.“Forget about the chocolate,” Peter said, once more not bothering to point out how good it was, no matter the ambient temperature.“The point is, I took Theo home with me, and I want to keep him there.”
Celeste nodded along.“You know, Theo isn’t really made for this life.The camboy thing, sure.But this?I could tell during training.”She shrugged.“But he needed the job.Which is why I hired him.”
“Only to set me up with him?”
Celeste innocently brushed her fingers through her beard.“I introduced you, and nothing more.”
Peter narrowed his eyes at her.Celeste had learned to be tough where she needed to be, not just in this business, but also when people looked at her and failed to see her, really see beyond the outer appearance.Deep down, she had a stubborn motherly streak.
“At any rate, I told Theo I’d write up a contract to get exclusive access to his blood, told him I’d work something out with you so he wouldn’t lose his job here.I assume that isn’t going to be a problem.”
Celeste leveled a thoughtful gaze at Peter.“You want him to keep on working nights?Peter, you already booked the entire week with him, so you obviously don’t want him seeing other men or women.I thought you were good at contracts and all of that?”
Peter was wondering that too.He wondered whether just a bit of compulsion wouldn’t have made all of this easier, both for himself and for Theo, but that was a fleeting, dangerously possessive thought, and he pushed it far away from him.
“Theo wants his independence, and I have no desire at all to take that away from him.I will not make him a prisoner of my selfish needs, Celeste.”
