“Come with me,” Hubrie said.
Their shoes clicked loudly on the marble tiles. When Nat looked over his shoulder, no one seemed to be around.
“Don’t worry, Hell Master will be here soon,” Hubrie said.
“Hell Master?!” Nat squeaked.
“That’s just my nickname for him.” Hubrie grinned. “He’s a good person. You’ll see.”
“But w-why isn’t HR interviewing me? I assume HR is on one of the lower floors.”
“That’s because Hell Master works on this level. If he likes you, this is where you’ll be working.”
“Holy fuck,” Nat whispered. He clapped his hands over his mouth.
When he had sent that resume with pictures of himselfas a raccoon,he hadn’t thought his potential future boss might be someoneincredibly rich and powerful.
Holy hell.
They passed a large desk in front of an office, only for Hubrie to open the office door and lead Nat inside.
An even larger desk staked its claim on the far side of the room. Behind it was a floor-to-ceiling window that showed off the rest of Cartfalls. Unlike the hallway, the floor in here was carpeted, hushing the sounds in the office.
Hubrie led Nat all the way to the giant stone desk. He cleared off the few items on one side of the desk—a pen holder, a coaster, a notebook, and a photograph.
“Now,” Hubrie said. “Lie on the desk.”
Nat froze. “What?”
Hubrie raised his eyebrows. “Well, my instructions should have been clearer. Could you place your hands on the middle of the desk, about shoulder-width apart?”
Nat set his hands on the cool surface, which was such a contrast with the too-hot apartment.
“Now, press your cheek against the desk.”
Nat blinked. He had to bend over for his cheek to touch the stone surface. This pressed his chest and belly against the desk too, with only a thin layer of fabric separating him from the stone. It wascold.His nipples pebbled.
“Now, wait here until Hell Master is ready for your interview,” Hubrie said.
“Wait,” Nat yelped. “I should be in my chair for the interview! What if he thinks I’m—unprofessional or something?”
“This is perfect.” Hubrie flapped his hand excitedly. “Everything will be fine!”
He flounced off and shut the door behind him.
Nat stared at the smooth granite next to his face, his heart thumping.Should I move to the chair anyway?
He’d never heard of an interview that began with the interviewee lying on a desk.
He tilted his face toward the door.
And realized that hisass was facing the door.
It would be the first thing his boss saw when he walked in.
“Oh, gods!” he whispered.
He barely had time to clench his cheeks, before the door opened.
