“So you think he loves being praised….” It made sense, I supposed. Ross liked feeling important.
“I don’t know the man. I can only tell you what I know as someone who enjoys DD, and he screams someone who loves having his work recognized by people. He’s not mayor anymore, so he needs an outlet.” He shrugged. “And being a housebitch, houseboy, househusband, whatever anyone wants to call himself, gives you that when your Dom tells you what a good job you’re doing. You make him dinner or clean the house and you take care of him, so he’ll take care of you.” Eli grinned at me. “My bet is that right now you bring home the bacon, right?”
“Yeah. I work for the New Gothenburg Blizzards.”
Eli whistled. “Nice. So, you work all day, and he’s at home. He cooks and cleans. When you get home, he cantake care of youas your sub. It’s the pleasure we get from domestic discipline.”
“That makes sense,” I murmured.
“Does he know what it is yet?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. When Ross was my client, he was vanilla in a lot of ways. He didn’t do much kink, although he was all about public sex. When he became mine, I guess I was the one who suggested he wear aprons and clean while I was at work. He so clearly needed something to keep him busy. He needed someone to tell him how to stay occupied.”
“And now he enjoys it?” Eli grinned and stood from his chair. He grabbed a zucchini this time and sliced it with expertise. “If I were you, I’d explain to him what he’s up to, and if he needs to talk to someone about it, you have my number.”
I smiled at him. “Thank you, Eli.”
“You’re welcome, but that’s not the only reason you’re here.” He gave me a long look that had me wincing. “I’ve paid you to be my Dom for over two years, Stormy. I know that expression on your face. You have more to say.”
“I’m probably asking too much….”
“What did your cards tell you?” He winked at me. Like Ross, Eli was more practical and didn’t believe in tarot cards or star signs, but he liked to tease me.
“To take a chance.” I stole some raw diced bacon and threw it into my mouth. He gave me an unimpressed glance because he hated me eating uncooked meat like that, but as far as I was concerned, it tasted just like ham. I didn’t give him a chance to lecture me about trichinosis. “You’re connected in New Gothenburg. You know people.”
He raised his light eyebrows at me. “Yes.”
“Ross needs a job.”
“And nobody wants to hire him because he’s a disgraced ex-mayor who was caught with his pants down in a stairwell with a professional,” he said as he went to dice the slices of zucchini he’d already cut.
“Exactly. I… kind of want him to think he got it himself, too. I want to help him get his confidence back, Eli. He’s depressed right now, more than he wants to admit.”
Eli stopped what he was doing and raised his eyes to me. “You care about him.”
“A lot,” I admitted. He was the first person I’d said anything in depth to about Ross. Not even my parents knew. I wasn’t hiding him, but I knew Dad well. He’d question me every day about Ross and comment about how he wasn’t good enough for me. Dad worried, and it was still hard for him to admit I was an adult.
“What makes him so different from your other clients? You’ve been with plenty of men, Stormy. I’m sure they were handsome, too. Why is Ross different?” He didn’t seem irritated, rather, curious. Eli had always been a sensible man, calm and difficult to anger, or at least that’s what I’d seen since I’d met him.
“I… don’t know,” I said honestly, staring at his still hand that clutched the knife. He had nice fingers—long and sturdy—but they weren’t like Ross’s. He’d always worked in an office and barely used his hands, and his skin was nice and callous free, but they were also similar to Eli’s in that the nails were cut neatly and his hands were always clean. “I just like him a lot. One thing I’ve learned while being a Courtesan is that feelings are unexplainable sometimes. They just happen.”
He nodded with a smile and placed the knife on the cutting board again. Walking around to my side of the island, he leaned his body against it near me and crossed his arms. “You’ve helped me a lot in the last two years, Stormy. You’ve made me more confident in my needs and desires. You have never treated me as though I was strange for liking domestic discipline, and I can’t thank you enough for the conviction you’ve given me in what I enjoy. But I can give you something in return. I’ll put in an ad online for a personal assistant. I need one and have been putting it off for a long time. Get Ross to apply, and I’ll even interview him before I hire him.”
I widened my eyes at him. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I have a feeling he’d know what a PA does, and if he truly is into domestic discipline, he could use another friend. We both could.” He glanced at the ingredients on the counter and smiled. “I also think he’d enjoy being my PA. It involves a lot of food and cooking.”
I jumped off my stool and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He laughed and patted me on the back. “You’re the best, Eli.”
“Yeah, yeah. Come on, get off me.” He shoved me back gently and smiled again, lines around his mouth crinkling. “Us DD guys have to stick together.”
“Thank you.” I placed a hand over my chest. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Just make sure he applies for the job, okay?”
I nodded fast. “Definitely.”
Now all I had to do wasaccidentlysee the ad online and order him to apply for it.
