“Not at the moment. If all goes well during Wednesday’s meeting, we might spend a few days in Chicago next week. But I have some things to take care of here before that can happen.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“Possibly interviews at the club.”
“Interviews?”
“For membership. I’ve put the Dallas memberships on hold temporarily, but I can’t postpone it for too long. I’m going to need your assistance with getting the members vetted.”
“Since you seem to be letting me cross over to the dark side, is there anyone you’d like me to talk to at the clubs? Anyone who can ramp me up on the process? I can make a list of contacts to ensure everything’s taken care of.”
I expected him to be reluctant with his answer because that had always been the case. Whenever I’d asked about the club, Trent usually insisted he was handling things himself.
“Gregory Edge is the resident Dom at Dichotomy in Chicago,” he said easily. “I’ll send you his information. I’ll make sure he knows to contact you in the event he can’t reach me in the future.”
“Is there a resident Dom in Dallas? You know?” I said with an embarrassed laugh. “I’m not even sure what that is.”
Trent’s eyes never left the road. “A resident Dom is the equivalent of a club manager. Greg is one of Dichotomy’s Masters and he manages it while I’m not there. And no, I don’t have anyone in place here. We’ve had an issue because of the sheer number of people submitting applications. Once I get a few Masters in place, I’ll have some options.”
“Is there anything I can do to help with that?” I offered, because what the hell. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“As soon as we can get by there, I’ll introduce you to Sarah and Dylan. They’re overseeing the business for all the clubs. I’ll make sure they know you’re coming on board.”
“How many clubs are there?”
“Two right now. I’ve got a third in the works. I just purchased a building in New York. We’ll likely be checking it out in the coming weeks.”
I typed the information in my notes app figuring it would be good to have in the future.
“Okay, so Gregory Edge is the resident Dom in Chicago.”
“You can call him Master Edge,” Trent stated.
“Right. Master Edge. And Sarah and Dylan—should I call them something specific?”
“Sarah and Dylan will do fine.”
“Okay. And they oversee the business and they’re the go-to people here in Dallas. And you’ve got one up and coming in New York. I’ll make sure the plane is prepped for Chicago on Wednesday. Is there anything I need to have for you?” I looked up at him.
His eyes cut over to me briefly. “Just my kit.”
“Your … what?”
Trent smirked. “My toy bag. I keep one in my office. I may not need it, but it’ll be good to have just in case.”
Okay then. I noted it. I was curious as to what a Dom kept in his toy bag but I kept the question to myself. No sense pushing.
We drove in silence for a couple of minutes and then I blurted the question that kept running through my head. “Why are you including me in this now?”
“In what?”
“This … side of your life.”
His eyes never left the road. “Because I want to.”
What was I supposed to say to that? Not like I could interrogate him. Trent was my boss. He called the shots.
“On another topic,” Trent said as we pulled past the security gates to his mansion, “I want you to call Case.”
Case was Trent’s personal trainer. “And tell him … ?”
“Tell him I’d like him and Brax to come to Dichotomy on Friday night. There’s someone I think they’ll be interested in seeing.”
“I assume he’ll know what I’m talking about?”
He gave me that what do you think? look.
“Got it.” As he pulled into the twelve-car garage, I glanced down the row of cars.
“Any questions?” His eyes cut to me.
“No, boss. I can handle all of this today.”
“Good. Because when it’s just you, me, and Clarissa, I expect you to give me every ounce of your attention.”
I looked over at him and that was when I noticed he was serious.
“Starting tomorrow, I’m going to introduce you to my lifestyle, boy. We’ll take it from there.”
I nodded, that irrefutable excitement once again churning in my gut. I had no idea what I was in for when it came to Trent’s lifestyle, but I couldn’t deny that I was eager to see where it went.
EIGHT
Clarissa
AFTER MY BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH Trent yesterday, I tried to pretend the oversized muscle wasn’t sitting outside my house, warding off the evil paparazzi. I had fully intended to leave Zeke there but that hadn’t lasted long. When I finally settled in for dinner last night, I felt so bad, I invited him in. After making him a sandwich, we settled in an awkward silence and watched television. Fully trusting Trent knew what he was doing, I even offered my spare bedroom to Zeke. He politely accepted, but I wasn’t sure he ever slept.
