The gay thing.
Okay, probably not a big leap, and I had been startled thefirst few times people had asked about my family. Evidently it was some kind ofstandard meet-and-greet question that I hadn’t answered smoothly enough.
“If we’re vague enough, or I can drop some hints aboutoverhearing you on a phone call or something, they’ll think that you’re wantingto leave for the holidays because of emotional trauma.” His tone made it seem likethat was ridiculous, but it sounded believable to me.
But just listening to him made me realize he never talkedabout his family either…so maybe I wasn’t the only one with agay thing?
“The company has toned down the family get-togethers andthings like that because the bills were getting higher than one wife who willnot be named thought they were worth.” Sean grinned, delighted to sharesomething fun. “I have it on good authority that once a certain higher-up’swife figured out that we were only using that expensive caterer for the familybarbecue because of how the staff looked, she put a stop to it.”
Well, that solved one problem.
And it explained an entire catering company of blondes withbig breasts.
His mind was still flying through all the random things I’dbeen worrying about, but he had a better handle on it, so I couldn’t help butwonder how many other people in the company he’dhelped. “And if itcomes down to it, one of the senior executives on the banking side has aserious relationship with two sisters and he’s pretty flexible about smoothingthings over as long as it's not illegal and everything’s consensual.”
What?
Sean snorted. “Don’t look so surprised, this industry isfilled with nutcases who don’t handle stress well. We’ve got two furries, aDominatrix, and someone who shall remain nameless who has a thing for feet.”
He finally perked up like he’d thought of somethinginteresting. “Oh, and FYI, don’t go barefoot in the back office. I mean,seriously. Keep your shoes on at work. This one’s really easily distracted andthey need the job.”
Okay, so he had a point about how stressful this industrywas. “I’ll keep my shoes on, don’t worry.”
And I wasn’t going to ask any questions.
“Great. I think you’ll be fine. Just don’t look so guiltywhen people ask about your personal life and let me know if we need to smoothanything over.”
As I nodded, he got up and headed out, mumbling to himselfabout how much he had to do. I ignored his drama and just stared at the door,dumbfounded and confused.
When had my work gotten this interesting?
Needless to say, I didn’t get much more done for the rest ofthe afternoon. Thankfully, the market and the phones were quiet, so therewasn’t much pressing I had to do. Escaping a bit earlier than usual, I ignoredSean’s smirk as I made my way out to the car.
The drive home didn’t give me any answers about how I felt,and Dare saw the confusion on my face as I walked in the door. As he led meover to the couch where we took our customary positions, he kissed me gently.“What happened?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
He let me process for a moment, just waiting and cuddling,as I gathered my thoughts. “Sean noticed the paperwork for moving your accountsand he had some questions.”
Dare winced. “I thought about that, and I meant to ask youabout it but we got distracted.”
“It’s not your fault. I should’ve had a better answerready.” I just hadn’t thought about it with everything else going on. “Withouta better answer at the ready, though, I basically told him the truth.”
Dare nodded, studying my face but not reacting. “I need toknow how you’re feeling, sweetness.”
That was a good question.
“Um, well, our conversation went fine. He still thinks I’mreally boring because we’re not furries or into feet?” I shook my head, tryingto clear the random thoughts. “That’s not bullshit either. He knows all thegossip and me having two serious boyfriends still puts me on the boring list.”
Nearly giggling, Dare was trying to keep a straight face,but it wasn’t working. “Really? I mean, whatever makes people happy, and I’mglad the office is so diverse, but how does he know all this?”
Then he huffed, giving me a mock frown. “And we are notboring.”
Laughing, I felt the stress I’d been carrying around finallyfade. “According to Sean we are.”
And I’d take boring any day because that meant there wasnothing for him to gossip about.
“Oh, and the best part is that one of the senior partners isin a relationship with two sisters and Sean said he goes to bat for employeeswith interesting personal lives, so I shouldn’t worry if anything getsdifficult.” I had no desire to be the talk of the office, but it felt goodknowing I wouldn’t be alone if it all came out.
