Page 11 of Daddy's Naughty List

“In these shoes?” Kendra tugged up her trouser leg to reveal a snakeskin pump. “Please.”

“You have ski gear.” Mark leaned closer and whispered something that made Kendra’s cheeks turn scarlet. “So, what do you say?”

“Err…” She coughed to clear her throat. “Of course. When are we going?”

“Next week.” Walt tucked Susan’s hand in the crook of his elbow. “I’ll leave the planning to you.”

Susan

“No, you don’t.” Kendra extricated Susan’s hand from Walt’s arm and tugged gently. “It was Susan’s idea, so she gets to help me with the planning while you load all those donations.”

“I like it,” Mark replied. “You now have the assistant you’ve been wanting. I’ll tell Ryan, Sean, and Jake.”

Kendra blinked, and her lips parted in a delighted smile. “Hell, yes, I do!” Turning to Walt, she added, “Thank you for my new assistant, Santa!”

“But—” Susan glanced helplessly at Walt, who just smirked and waved his hand at her. “I’ve never been an assistant before. I don’t know what to do.”

“Uh-huh.” Kendra linked her arm with Susan’s and started walking toward the atrium. “You read really well, and I know you can use a calendar because you’re never late for work. I can teach you everything else.”

“I… I don’t know.”

In a daze, she let Kendra lead her down the corridor to her office, while Walt and Mark detoured to the dungeon. She loved working for Master Jake, but the thought of a professional job like Kendra was suggesting…

It was both overwhelming and thrilling. Also, somewhat terrifying.

“What if I told you the assistant position comes with a healthy raise, your own car, and a cell phone?”

“The Horsemen already gave me a phone, and I can’t drive yet.”

She winced, thankful Walt hadn’t heard her say the c-word.

“Carrie is already teaching you,” Kendra countered as she unlocked her office and ushered Susan inside. “Now, unless you really like working in the kitchen, have a seat and we’ll get started on your field trip.”

Gingerly, Susan lowered herself into the chair across from Kendra’s. “But what if I mess up? Will I be able to go back to the kitchen?”

“Everyone messes up.” Kendra grabbed a fresh notepad and turned her laptop so they could both see the screen. “I mess up. The Horsemen mess up. So do Olivia, Carrie, Gabby, and everyone else who works here. All I will ever ask is that you learn from your mistakes and try to fix them.”

“I’m not sure I?—”

“Let me ask you something.” When Susan nodded, Kendra continued, “You got out of the Shepherds, and went straight into a job in our kitchen, right?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Was it different than what you were doing before?” Kendra grimaced, then added, “Don’t count the abuse you suffered.”

Susan considered Kendra’s question, then shook her head. “No, not really. The food is better though.”

“Yet another perk of working for Club Apocalypse. Between Jake and Olivia, I think I’ve gained twenty pounds.”

“Me too.”

Smirking, Kendra leaned back in her chair. “But Mark loves my bodacious new bod, and I actually have a butt now, so I can’t complain.”

Susan hesitated, then asked, “I don’t understand why you asked if it was different.”

“I wanted to know if you want a change. Carrie said you’re planning on going to college, so that makes me think you’re looking for more. Is that true?”

“I guess so.” Susan didn’t want to tell Kendra about her dream of law school. Telling Walt was easy, but saying it to anyone else made it real, and she wouldn’t be able to stand other people’s disappointment if she couldn’t do it.

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