Page 9 of Master Heimdall

She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s five o’clock somewhere. Now stop stalling. How did it go?”

I sat back in my chair and let out a dramatic sigh. “Honestly, I have no idea.”

Mari frowned. “That sounds cryptic. I thought he’d fall head over heels for your no-nonsense attitude and winning smile.” She wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully. “Hot body, luscious ass.”

“Oh my god, seriously, woman, stop!”

She leaned back in her seat with a satisfied smirk. “You look better with your cheeks stained pink.”

“You’re incorrigible! You know you are not my Domme, right? You aren’t supposed to be torturing me.” I stuck out my tongue. “With regards to Gabriel, he was rather grumpy and seemed more offended by my ‘no-nonsense attitude’ than impressed by it. But I think I managed to win over Yula, Lincoln, and Colin. And by the way, why didn’t you mention the men at that company were so hot? Seriously, you broke the girl code by not giving me a heads-up.”

“You’re digressing, but I suppose you’re right. I guess because we’ve been friends for so long I forget they are rather handsome.”

I wasn’t sure I trusted Mari’s smile but decided I wanted her to distract me. “You met these guys in college, right?”

She nodded. “Their core personalities haven’t changed much. But thank god they’ve grown up. Except for Erik and Declan, they were all ignorant buffoons back then. I think those two were born serious and maybe have loosened up over the years.”

Little frown lines formed between her brows as if she wasn’t sure how she felt about her friends changing despite her words. I’d often thought she might have a small crush on Declan with how much she talked about him but she’d never come out and said anything.

“So, how did Lincoln and Colin come to work for Mr. Dakos?”

“Mr. Dakos,” she said with a smirk. “I’m so used to calling him Gabe or Heimdall I sometimes forget he has a last name.”

“Heimdall? I’d wondered which of the Norse gods he had picked for his club name. Is there a story behind that?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “But that is his story to tell.”

I wanted to pout and demand the gossip but decided to be mature. “Okay.”

“Lincoln and Colin don’t work for him, but with him, they’re partners in the company. Though with Gabe’s over-the-top dominant bearing, you’d think he was the sole owner. He did start the company by himself originally, but back then it was a much smaller operation.”

“Why did he bring in the others?”

“Lincoln and Colin, though a bit younger than the rest of us, enlisted in the military after college and we don’t know a lot of what happened in the three years they were gone, just that they were given an early, honorable discharge. Gabe was also in the military, but his stint was brief and he came home long before the other two. He started the business and it seemed to be a natural transition to go into security when they got back. Once they joined, the company took off and expanded quickly. I believe they have had private military contracts as well.”

She shrugged. “I think Lincoln handles the digital side of things and travels with Gabe when he is needed. Colin has recently been promoted to spearheading all the local contracts both existing and new. It’s funny isn’t it?”

“What’s funny?”

“That Colin was promoted. I mean he’s an owner for crying out loud, but that’s Gabe, he has a really hard time relinquishing the reins, even to someone as capable as Colin.”

That was food for thought. Maybe Gabriel’s strong reaction to me was more about him feeling the need to dominate, even at work, versus, having adverse feelings to my sunny, no-nonsense disposition.

“You are way too good at getting people to talk.” Mari’s voice had become serious. “Stop with the distractions, woman, and tell me what happened at the interview.”

I shrugged. “He seemed ready to dismiss me from the moment I walked in. I think I may have been a bit too aggressive for his tastes. The job sounded fascinating, but if Mr. Dakos doesn’t like me, then that doesn’t really matter.”

“Listen to me. He likes you fine. He’s just suffering from testosterone poisoning. Other than the receptionist, I think almost everyone in the company is a man. We all know that will quickly degrade the social skills of a person. I think the only women he spends time with are me and maybe a sub he hooks up with at Midgard or Valhalla. Honestly, I don’t think he’s even done that in a while. His taste in play partners is so boring I honestly can’t blame him for not bothering anymore.”

“Boring?” I knew I really shouldn’t be asking about his taste in women, but I couldn’t help it.

“Yes, women who blindly follow any Dom. At least he is smart enough to stay away from the ones looking to get into his bank accounts more than his pants. But seriously, what is the fun in being with someone who would submit to anyone who can lower their voice and sound bossy?”

I had to laugh at that. Submission was something that was different for everyone and I’d never yuck anyone else’s yum, but I had to agree with Mari. Was it really worth submitting if the Master didn’t prove they were worthy of you?

“Agreed. But his lack of taste in submissives doesn’t really help me on the job front.”

“You wait, I bet he calls you before the day ends and asks you to come back in for a second interview.”

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