Chapter 6
Preston
They sounded like two naughty children debating who would tell Daddy they’d been bad—or in this case, who would ask me what was going on with Casey.
Lane’s whispered words weren’t as quiet as he thought. “I can’t ask. He’s my friend.”
I could almost hear Eli rolling his eyes. “That means you’re supposed to ask because you want him happy.”
“Casey’s really private. I’m not even sure if he’s a sub. I can’t ask. You have to.” Lane seemed to realize that asking me about Casey wouldn’t exactly be appropriate, but he seemed worried enough he was willing to push the boundaries.
Eli just jumped right over the line between what was right and what he wanted. “He’s shy and needs a push. If it were left up to them, they’d still be mooning at each other across the room. This is for their own good.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes. They were ridiculous.
Ignoring the little voice that said he might be right, I started shuffling papers around on my desk and scooted the chair back, making sure it squeaked loud enough they would hear.
“Hurry, he’s going home.”
“He hasn’t left this early in months. Don’t panic.” It seemed like Eli wasn’t taking any chances, however, because he came bouncing in my door like he’d just come down the stairs.
“What are you still doing here? Don’t you have a date or something?” He threw himself down in the corner chair and gave me a questioning look. “What? Casey? Don’t tell me you haven’t asked him out again.”
“Okay, I won’t, because it’s not your business.” I turned back to my computer and pretended to be engrossed in what I’d been reading. It was really just my calendar, but he couldn’t see that from where he was sitting.
Eli groaned. “You’re killing me. I just want to know you’re happy and it’s going to work out between you two.”
I gave him a side glance that said he wasn’t going to get anywhere with me like that. Eli sighed and then grinned. “Did you have fun?”
That, I was willing to answer. “Yes.”
“Was it a date date and not just you two at a business dinner?” He knew he was pushing it, but Eli apparently couldn’t help himself.
The only reason I answered was because I knew him so well, and I had a feeling he was actually concerned. I wasn’t sure if his focus was just on me or if he was worried about Casey too, but it made me let my guard down a bit.
“Yes, it was a date.” I leaned back in my chair and stared up at the ceiling so I didn’t have to see his stupid grin. “It was nice, and that’s not a bad thing. I like that he’s sweet and shy.”
Eli made a low hum. “Really shy.”
“Yes.” I knew what he meant. “But he’s starting to open up to me. We’ve known each other for a while now.”
“We both know that shy and sub aren’t the same thing.”
I barked out a laugh and focused back on him. “Yeah, you’re a good example of that.”
“Ha ha.” He shook his head but was still smiling faintly, like he found my brand of insanity amusing. “I know what kind of guy you usually go for, and I’m worried about you.”
“I don’t think there’s anything for you to be concerned over. I like him.”
What Eli was dancing around was the fact that since we’d known each other, I’d usually dated submissive men with a love or at least interest in lingerie.
“But what if he’s not…” Eli paused for a moment, and I knew that for him, trying to word things correctly was difficult. Eli was more of the charge-in-and-see-what-happened type. “What if he’s not into the same things that you are?”
There was another short pause before he kept going. “I mean, I think he’s at least curious about the lingerie, but everything else…he’s so shy it’s hard to tell.”
I wasn’t going to break Casey’s confidence, but I also didn’t want Eli to worry. A distracted, frustrated Eli was not something any of us wanted to deal with again. “He and I have been talking. I think we’ll be fine.”
Eli waited a moment, then gave a huge sigh that made me laugh. “That’s all? Come on, you can’t leave me with just that.”
