He chuckled, his grip far less punishing than the first time we’d shaken hands. “No problem, it was actually fun. I wouldn’t be opposed to doing it again.”
“Well then, consider yourself their official handler for the next show,” I replied. “You might even wind up doing a few gear changes yourself now that I have time to plan.”
“Hey now, don’t make me regret making that offer,” he said, but there was a smile on his face as he headed for the door.
Aspen locked up, then pulled me aside before the boys and I could head upstairs to the loft.
“Honey, the fox suits sold out,” he said. “As did the unicorns and almost all of the dragons. I’ve got six special orders for you to look at on Monday and a list of requests in the book from handlers with unique pets. It was a smashing success. I lost count of how many items we sold off the racks, in addition to accessories. That’s not counting the orders that came in online during the livestream. I’ll have the full numbers for you once I get everything packed and shipped.”
“Those numbers can wait until Monday,” I declared. “You are taking tomorrow off, the same as I am, and I won’t hear any more about it.”
“You know you don’t have to tell me twice. I will be on the couch with my feet up and a pitcher of margaritas at hand. I plan to do nothing but binge-watch season 2 ofThe Traitorsand order in some prime rib fromFranklin’s on Main.”
“Good, you’ve more than earned the treat, my friend.”
“You’re damn right I have,” he replied, winking at me. “I was fucking fabulous today. Now go see to your sleepy-eyed friends. They look half out on their feet.”
“Yeah, I’d better get them tucked in. Who knows, maybe they’ll stick around tomorrow, and we can just relax and not have to think about anything to do with designs, poses, or worrying about how something fits.”
“I hope it works out for you,” he replied. “And if it doesn’t, you are always welcome to join me, but you make sure you bring your own margaritas.”
“Will do,” I replied, chuckling as I headed over to where Murry and Raleigh stood near the rear door, Murry leaning against Raleigh’s chest as Raleigh held him.
“Ready, guys?” I asked.
“More than ready,” Murry muttered.
“You can shower in the primary bathroom,” I told them on the way up. “The shower is more than big enough for you both.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Murry moaned. “Because I’m so tired, Raleigh is going to have to help me, or I’ll fall asleep.”
“Who’s going to help me?” Raleigh muttered.
“I can, if you want; three can fit in there as easily as two can,” I offered.
“That must be one big-ass shower,” Raleigh said. “Even the one at the club doesn’t fit three people.”
“I may have been a bit indulgent when I had it designed.”
“Works for us,” Murry said. “Right, Raleigh?”
“Hell yeah, it does.”
8
RALEIGH
Waking up to the scent of something sweet, sticky, and cinnamon-scented was one of the best feelings in the world, especially when I got to do it cuddled up against Murry, who still slept deeply after how exhausted we were when we crawled into bed last night. We were used to entertaining people, from a distance, with a strict no-touch policy unless they were stuffing our G-strings. Yesterday, we’d played, really played, with the other pets, touching, grooming, laughing, and nuzzling, and there had been no fear of inappropriate behavior from them or the handlers who’d come to check on them. The best part was that I never got the sense that it was because Phoenix was watching over us. Working with Mr. Dorian had started opening our eyes to a world beyond the one we’d been embroiled in since we were barely legal.
Hell, when we’d started dancing at Hot n’ Bothered, we hadn’t even been old enough to legally drink a beer, and let me tell you, no one tried to offer us one, either. James had made sure to let the rest of the staff know we were underage and warned them that anyone slipping us anything would be fired on the spot. When we finally had been old enough to drink, we discoveredthat beer was kind of disgusting and the buzz of hard liquor was disorienting and a bit scary too.
Yesterday, we’d seen people sipping wine and champagne, but there had been plenty of sparkling juice and mocktails on hand for us pets and the other non-alcohol drinkers in the room. At the club, James kept bottled water and sparkling lemonade behind the bar for the dancers, since there was a strict no-drinking policy while we were on the clock.
No drugs either; that was another hard and fast rule. He said it was so we were clear-headed while up on the stage and able to keep our reflexes sharp in case anyone tried to grab or yank one of us down off something. When we’d told him about yesterday’s fashion show and the extra job we’d picked up, he’d rearranged our hours for us so we wouldn’t have to rush from the event to dance. He’d also pulled us aside and quietly told us that if modeling turned into something we could support ourselves doing, we shouldn’t feel obligated to keep dancing for him.
“If you two find a way to make a better life for yourselves, you take it,” he said. “Don’t stick around until you’re bitter, jaded, and have lost your sense of self-worth like some of the folks around here.”
We knew who he was referring to. Some of them had even helped us find our footing when we’d first started dancing there. It was sad to see people we’d once admired become shells of themselves. It would have been even sadder to fall into that same trap ourselves.
