TheOneandOnly (2 page)

Next he gave Steven a call. “I found a bartender. She’s been
working at some nightclub near the university. I’m bringing her in this
afternoon to meet with you. If she’s competent enough to not poison people,
hire her.”

“What the fuck, Sean? Since when do you tell me who to hire?
I control the service side of Cat Tails.”

“In all the time you’ve worked for me, have I ever come to
you with such a request?” Sean remained calm. He could afford to—he owned the
motherfucking club. He’d hire or fire anyone he wanted to. Although he’d prefer
not to lose Steven. He was a competent and hardworking employee. But Sean was
standing firm on this one.

Sean couldn’t explain why it was imperative to hire
Michelle. He had no idea how she’d gotten under his skin, but she had, and
neither Aiden nor Steven were going to stop him.

“No.” Steven’s tone had changed from angry to resigned. He
was probably waking up and engaging his brain.

“This is important to me, Steven. She’s a sweet girl and she
needs the job. She’s a lot like you, very conscientious and hardworking.”

“All right, boss. But you realize you’re setting this girl
up for failure, right? First night on the job, no training, no mentor—it’s
trial by fire. Jared’s on vacation and I have to cover his station. I can’t be
holding her hand this evening. I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

“No problem, Steven. I’ve got this.” He hung up the phone.

Sean looked at the clock, then headed for the shower. Time
was tight, especially since he had to stop by Aiden’s and pick up the
employment contract for Michelle. As he stepped into the hot water, he felt
guilty knowing she was still at that crappy-ass diner working. Despite his
friends’ well-meaning advice, he was more determined than ever that Michelle
would take the job. And if the stars aligned just right, she would also agree
to be his submissive.

After a few moments of imagining how he’d like to train
Michelle, he spun the water temperature to the frigid zone, knowing a glacier
couldn’t do much to curb his appetite for her. Her auburn hair and striking
green eyes haunted him. Daydreams, wet dreams, it didn’t matter, there she was.
He’d never had such a reaction to a woman before. At first, he was sure it was
just lust. Then after she ignored his advances, he’d been convinced it was
forbidden fruit. Now he had no idea what his feelings for her had morphed into.

Sean arrived early to find Michelle had reserved his normal
seating area. Only five people had RSVP’d, so it should go quickly. Of course,
there was no telling how many would actually show up. He brought enough packets
for twenty, just in case. Michelle was busy, but she looked as beautiful as
always. No one would guess she was nearing the end of a twelve-hour shift.

“The usual, Mr. Jameson?” she asked, walking by with another
order.

“Yes, thank you.” Why the hell didn’t she call him Sean? Did
that mean she was going to turn down his offer? His stomach began churning and
he realized just how much this meant to him. One way or another she was
quitting this job. No way was he going to allow her to work herself to death.
Three jobs and taking a full class load was too much for anyone.

Thirteen people ended up coming to the munch. Four couples,
one threesome and two singles. He suspected seven of them would apply. Not a
bad ratio, since his mind was completely focused on Michelle instead of the
perspective members. This had to end. He looked at his watch. Eleven
forty-five, so she was off in fifteen minutes. She’d been all business since
he’d come in and he didn’t like it one little bit. A confident approach, he
decided, was needed.

“Let’s go shopping as soon as you’re off, then we’ll run by
the club and you can meet Steven. I know you need to get some sleep, so we’ll
make it quick and then I can drop you back here so you can pick up your car.”

“I have one more table, then I can go. It should just be a
few minutes.”

The relief he felt was all-consuming. She was at least
willing to hear him out. He paid the bill, left a hefty tip and went outside to
wait and check his phone. While meeting perspective members, he tried to give
them the courtesy of his full attention by putting his cell on silent. However,
there was little to be done about Michelle distracting him every time she came
into view.

Sean was leaning on the fender of his Jaguar XK going
through his messages when Michelle walked up to him. With her tight jeans,
formfitting blouse and a leather jacket hooked on one finger over her shoulder,
she took his breath away. She’d taken her hair out of the ponytail and allowed
her auburn locks to cascade down her back. The whole package sent his cock
twitching. He could feel his hand fisted in all that hair as he thrust inside
that perfect ass of hers.

She was right about one thing—her horrible diner uniform
left a lot to the imagination. Even his vivid imagination hadn’t envisioned her
looking this hot.
Oh fuck no.
If he had known, he would have been more
aggressive in his pursuit.

“Sorry I kept you waiting. It took longer to cash out than I
expected.”

He noticed her voice quivered and that she was fidgeting
with the strap on her purse.

“No problem. I’m glad you decided to give this a try.” He
unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her.

“I don’t honestly know if I can do this, Mr. Jameson. I’ve
never been to a fet club and I certainly never considered working at one. No
offense intended. I’m sure it’s a very nice place.”

“No offense taken, Michelle. I’m well aware that my club
isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so to speak. Tell me this, how did you learn about
the lifestyle?”

“I love to read. I’m always searching for new authors and
new series. A few months ago, I bought a book without realizing it was a BDSM
romance. The author was amazing, her characters were very real to life and I
enjoyed the dynamics of the story. After reading that one, I checked out others
in the genre.” She shrugged. “I’ve been hooked ever since.” She looked toward
Sean and blushed. “Of course, reading is very different from seeing or
especially from doing.”

“In your past relationships, you haven’t experimented…” He
was feeling the gap between them widen. She was right that reading about it was
very different from partaking in it.

“Nope. I’m a pretty boring person really. I can’t tell you
the last time I even went out. It had to be over the summer. I haven’t had the
time or energy for a relationship since classes started.”

That explained a few things. “Is that why you always ignored
my attempts to go out with you?” Her shocked expression caused him to laugh.

“When did you ask me out?” Her scrunched face—with her eyes
darting back and forth as if she were scanning her memory banks—was cute as
hell.

“I left you my phone number every time I came in. You never
called.” Damn, his voice echoed his hurt.

“I…” She shook her head. “I just thought you wrote that in
case there was trouble with your credit card or something. A lot of older
customers do that. I assumed it was a habit of yours too.”

“Older customers? Ouch! Now I gotta ask—how old are you,
Michelle?” He was getting really worried now. What if she were under
twenty-one? What the hell would he do then? Because he knew his obsession with
her wasn’t going to just go away.

She laughed, causing his cock to strain against his pants.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I don’t consider you ‘older’ and to answer your
question, I’m twenty-three going on sixty.”

His heart began beating again. Thank God she wasn’t
underage. Still, at thirty-two, he had no business considering a relationship
with her. Not that the age difference would change his course of action. “Why
sixty?”

“I’m not exactly living the college party life. I graduate
in May and so far I’ve managed to make it through without any loans. I figured
that would be more meaningful in the long run than hangovers and sketchy
memories.” She gave another nervous giggle.

“Smart girl.” They drove in silence for a few miles.

“Oh, I forgot.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out some
money, “I brought your change from this morning. You left before I could give
it to you.”

“It was for you, hon. I didn’t want any change back.”

“That’s silly. It’s way too much.” She put the bills in the
cup holder on the console.

“Take the money, Michelle. It was meant for you.”

She shrugged and left the money right where she’d put it.

“Michelle, I want you to work at my club, and I’d also like
to see you on a personal basis. The job isn’t a factor in us dating. Whether
you want to go out with me or not, the job offer still stands.”

“Sean…I don’t date people I work with. If it gets messy, it
impacts too many others. Maybe we should forget the job and try just going out
a time or two and see how that goes.”

He should take it and run, but that wasn’t the type of
person he was. He wanted it all. “You said yourself that with your current
schedule you don’t have time to date. If you accept my offer, you’d be quitting
your other jobs and thereby freeing up time for more enjoyable pursuits.”

“You make it sound so easy, when I’m sitting here
practically hyperventilating at the idea of just dating you. I can’t imagine
working in a kink club. It’s more than I can wrap my mind around.”

Sean knew what he had to do. At the next intersection he
made a U-turn. “Let’s go to the club. No one will be there right now and we can
have a serious conversation and hopefully put some of your fears to bed.”

“Okay.” She kept twisting her fingers, obviously nervous.

Sean reached over and laid his hand over hers. “Why are you
so afraid of me? Have I done something to scare you?” Everybody had hidden
triggers. Had he somehow touched upon one of hers?

“No, you haven’t done anything. Your manners are always top-shelf.
I just…you’ve been coming into the diner for months now. You’re very handsome
and a little mysterious. I had no idea who you were meeting with or why.” She
laughed. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you were a club owner.”

“For many generations, the men in my family have been
businessmen. It was expected of me from the time I was born.” He grinned,
remembering the look on his parents’ faces when he told them what type of club
he had opened. “After I graduated, I looked at my options and went my own way.”

“Did you go to the University of South Carolina?”

“No, I went to school in Boston.” He left his answer vague,
not wanting to widen the gap between them any further by pointing out his Ivy
League education. After pulling into the drive, he went around back to his
office entrance.

“Cat Tails. That’s a cute name. I’m probably showing my
ignorance here, but how did you come up with the name?”

“A cat- o’-nine-tails is an impact toy some people enjoy
playing with.” He gestured with his right hand as he spoke, trying to draw a
connection to the words. “Cat, pussy, tails, ass, I don’t know. It made sense
at the time.”

“Ahh, I thought it was something like that.” She should have
figured that out for herself.
Come on, Michelle, engage the brain before he
thinks you’re a virgin.
Not that she was terribly far from it, but he
didn’t need to know that.

“Wait here and I’ll get your door.”

She couldn’t remember the last time a man had opened her
door. Oh now she remembered…never. A girl could get used to this. After getting
the door for her, he held out his hand and helped her from the car. His
mannerisms brought out her femininity and made her wish she had paid more
attention to her grandmother’s etiquette lectures.

Sean unlocked the door, turned on the lights and punched a
code into a keypad beside the back door. He locked it again and if she read the
lights on the panel correctly, he’d reset the alarm. “My office is through here.”
He led her down a short hallway and to the right.

Michelle was surprised and impressed by his office. It was
furnished in light woods and steel, just like what she hoped to own one day.

“Why don’t we sit on the couch? We can talk easier there.”

She looked in the direction he’d pointed and fell in love.
The couch was low and made with a linen-colored fabric. “Your office is
beautiful. I’m jealous.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you like it. I spend entirely too much
time here, so I wanted it comfortable and homey. Have a seat.”

Michelle put her purse on the floor beside the sofa and sat
near the armrest. Her heart was pounding. She was alone with the man of her
dreams, in a kink club that he owned. Good lord, what was she doing?

Sean sat sideways near the middle. “Come on, Michelle, meet
me halfway.” He patted the cushion beside him.

She smiled and slid toward him.

He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Is it me or the
job you’re so nervous about, hon?”

“Good question. Bartending is a breeze, but tending bar in a
club where people are having sex a few feet away and clothing is optional,
that’s a different story. Dating you, I’m cool with, but knowing that if we hit
it off—” She shook her head. “You’re way out of my league, Sean. I might be
able to handle one at a time without feeling like I’m following the yellow
brick road, but not both.”

Sean tipped his head back and laughed. The sound made her
happy and she started to relax a little. “Everything that goes on in this club
or between us is consensual, Michelle. I suppose I’m being greedy, because I
want it all. I can’t force you to take the job or to give us a try, but I will
do anything I can to persuade you.” He shrugged. “Short of lying. I want honesty
between us.”

She’d never known a man capable of communicating honestly
before. It was a novel concept. In the books she’d read, the Doms were always
big on talking and knowing what the sub was thinking. She wondered if that was
what he was getting at. “I’d like that.”