Heading into the apartment, I gave himanother quick kiss. “Go sit down at the table for me. I’ll be right there.”
As Austin sat down, confused but humoringme, I went over to a small dresser that had all my business papers in it. Theapartment wasn’t big enough to have a separate office, but the tall old dresserheld a lot and the kitchen table worked just fine as a desk. Pulling out a fewsheets of paper, I sat down at the table.
“What are you doing?” Austin tried to lookat the papers, but reading upside down wasn’t easy.
“One sec.” Not wanting to guess and bewrong, I glanced up. “What’s your middle name?” I knew what they should sayeven if I didn’t know the exact business wording, but I was pretty sure thecops wouldn’t know it either, so I did the best I could.
“Maximillian.” He grinned when my eyeswidened.
Shrugging, he nodded. “Honest. My parentswere insane.”
“I was hoping for something plainer, butthat’s fine. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone call you that before, so it mightwork.” He didn’t ask me what I was talking about again as I finished writing,but I could hear him mumbling under his breath about me losing my sanity.
Ignoring his teasing, and blatant hints forinformation, I wrote out the last line and signed both pages. “Okay. Done.”
Taking a deep breath, I pointed to thefirst one. “This makes you part owner in the shop. It doesn’t say how muchownership, just that those details will be laid out in the full partnershipagreement. It’s vague, but it mentions you are a silent partner with anunspecified buy-in.”
Austin was giving me a look like I wasinsane, but I could see he was starting to get it. “Because as an owner I’m notbound by the same laws regarding unmarried omegas. Just like the arrangementwith the club.”
“Bingo.” I pointed to the second page.“This is our partnership agreement. It sounds official, but for one dollar youare a silent partner in the business with no rights at all. You own half apercent of the business, but I can choose to give you your portion of theprofits in kind or in negotiated, yet to be determined types of compensation.”
He snorted, but his smile widened. “You canpay me in sex toys, money, or something else you haven’t listed?”
“Yes, money, toys, or blow jobs is what I’mthinking.” I handed him my pen as he laughed. “Sign, please. Middle name andlast name to make it harder to trace it back to you.”
“We’re so not telling Tanner I’m a partowner in a sex store no matter what the reason.” Then he rolled his eyes. “Myaccountant is going to kill me.”
“We’ll worry about that when we come to it.I just want to make sure you can’t be arrested.” Yes, it wasn’t the mostconventional way to keep him safe and people would question both our sanities,but as he signed the papers, my heart finally stopped trying to beat its wayout of my chest.
“Done.” He set down the pen and stuck hishand out. “Nice to be working with you.”
I chuckled. “Yes, I’m glad to have you as acompletely silent partner.”
“With no rights at all.” He leered. “But Ithink I’m going to claim my part of the profits in blow jobs.”
“I thought you might.” As I gathered up thepapers, I kissed his forehead. “Now give me a dollar so this is legal.”
Austin started laughing. “Somehow thisfeels like I’m paying you for blow jobs.”
He pulled out his wallet and dug around. “Ionly have a twenty.”
“That works.” I grabbed the bill andpocketed it. “You’ll get your first payout in the form of one plug or paddle ofyour choice.”
His eyes widened. “A paddle?”
I shrugged. “Or a plug. I’m being generousand leaving it up to you.”
He moaned quietly and squirmed in his seat.“That’s so hard to pick. But now I can go down and look, right?”
I nodded and reached out to grab his hand,pulling him up. “Yes, we’re going to make copies of these downstairs and thenyou can look around.”
“Are you going to keep it closed fortonight?” Austin squeezed my hand and started following me back downstairs.
“I think so. Normally they send a fewpeople in over the course of an hour during their bullshit sting or whateverthey think they’re doing. But I’m not in the mood to deal with it. This way wewon’t have to worry next time, though.” As we reached the bottom of the stairs,Austin tugged my hand and wrapped it around him as he snuggled closer.
Pressing his head to my chest, he madehimself small and cuddled into me. The sad worry wasn’t an act, either. I couldfeel how the stress was starting to build in him. “Should I have stayed awaywhile you’re working? I don’t want you to have legal trouble over this. I justlike hanging out with you.”
“No, I’d have sent you home or evenupstairs if I thought it would be a problem.” I kissed his head and wrapped myarms around him. “This is just a precaution.”
