Page 6 of Slippery When Wet

His boss whirled around, his craggy cheeks flushed, and eyes bugged out—the signal that he’d had enough, and that Ellery had better shut up if he still wanted his job. Ellery had been down that road with Mr. Schultz more than once.

Mr. Schultz slammed his fists on his hips. “They’re not able tocomethis week.” He pressed his lips together then started grumbling, “And as far as I’m concerned, ever again.” His boss lifted his gaze, offering Ellery the same plastic smile he reserved for customers and annoying employees. “If you do a good job, then I can tell them to take a hike.” His fake smile changed to a genuine scowl. “And if you don’t—”

I’m sure you can find another business willing to put up with you.

“—I’m sure you can find another business willing to put up with you.” He smirked then went back to his pointless morning routine. His boss called over his shoulder. “Come on, hurry up. I have a very important new client coming in this morning to be fitted for a suit. If he’s happy with my establishment, he could end up being a long-term customer. As I always say—”

First impressions are the only ones that matter.

“—first impressions are the only ones that matter.”

The guy was nothing if not consistent.

Tears welled up in Ellery’s eyes as he made his way to the stockroom. He swallowed them down as he tried to get hold of his emotions. Didn’t Mr. Schultz know how clumsy he was? Ellery had certainly displayed his superstar klutz skills many times. And his boss had yelled at him every singleoneof those times. How did he suppose Ellery would survive on a ten-foot-tall ladder while cleaning windows? He’d fall and break his neck for sure.

Maybe I should just quit.

Ellery let out a long sigh as he reached the utility closet. With rent due in a couple of weeks and the phone bill he’d already gotten one extension on looming, he didn’t dare. As it was, he’d had to tell Reese he couldn’t go back to the age play night at the club next week. He couldn’t afford even one of their pricey drinks, let alone the two needed to meet the minimum. He wouldn’t have gone the first time except for that particular club not charging a cover for subs—or in the case of that night—Littles.

The tears threatened to return as Ellery dragged all the supplies he’d need for his terrifying task out of the closet. After being so nervous about going, and worried that he’d be disappointed and uninterested in age play, he’d spotted the most perfect man, the mostamazingman ever.

The mere thought of giving up control to the silver fox Daddy had left him in a near constant state of arousal, not only then, but every day since. Despite the fact that Reese had warned him off the tall, handsome man who’d moved with such grace as he’d left the club, Ellery didn’t care. Age play itself was an unknown quantity to him. So what if his dream man was too? Maybe Ellery would be the one to entice the elegant man into exploring more than one scene together.

But no hope for that existed when he couldn’t even afford to show up for said enticing. No, he couldn’t quit his job. He needed to go back to the club, and go back soon, before the mystery Daddy found a boy he wanted to keep.

Ellery picked up the bucket with new resolve. He could do this. He could totally climb a rickety ladder and balance a bucket of glass cleaner water while scrubbing away the filthy exhaust and Manhattan dust off the windows. No problem.

Ellery ignored the voice in his head telling him he was totally going to die, and what a humiliating way to go, and got everything together to fulfill Mr. Schultz’s orders. Ellery had always been the obedient type, which had been fine with his strict, but fair and loving parents. However, once he’d gone out on his own, he discovered there were plenty of people in the world more than happy to exploit that tendency in him.

After struggling with the heavy, unwieldly ladder, and placing all the needed supplies on the sidewalk next to it, Ellery tipped back his head to survey his canvas. He swiped a hand across his forehead to remove the sweat that had gathered there. It wasn’t exactly hot in the city yet, and the springtime breezes that were funneled down the streets between the towering buildings should’ve kept him quite cool. But his jacked-up nerves combined with wrestling the ladder—that was close to being twice his size—had soaked his dress shirt through.

Then Ellery glanced down at his leather loafers and groaned. Some cleaner had already managed to splash onto them and now there would be a stain. Mr. Schultz wouldn’t allow such a shabby presentation to his customers.

Ellery sniffed several times to keep his emotions in check. He’d come to the realization that between the sweaty shirt, stained loafers—and whatever else he’d probably do to his regulation dress code work clothes before his task was completed—he’d be forced to either buy new clothes from the shop or be sent home with his paycheck docked accordingly. Since buying anything at all in the upscale shop was out of the question, he already knew which option he’d end up with.

Could the day get any worse?

Defeated, and with what felt like a rock sitting in the pit of his stomach, Ellery hung the bucket by its handle over his arm and grasped the sponge and paper towels in the other. He used his free hand and, ever so carefully, began to hoist himself up the ladder. The pace he maintained was slow and steady, the old ladder wobbling with each step, until he reached the second rung below the top.

Ellery gently set the bucket down on the top surface of the ladder then let out a shaky sigh.

So far, so good.

The steady racket of the bustling Manhattan surroundings filtered through, his sudden awareness of the incessant noise surprising him. He’d become accustomed to blocking out the non-stop roar of traffic, horns and humanity. The sounds were merely a backdrop to his daily life. However, everything seemed too sharp and deafening today, as if the city were yelling at him to quit being stupid and get back on the ground where he belonged.

Ellery braced one palm against the window and willed his thudding heart to slow down. Part of his inner self was chiding him for being such a big baby while the other half was lecturing him over allowing himself to be bullied. This whole exercise was not only outside his skill set and job description, it waswayout of his comfort zone.

Being clumsy wasn’t something he did on purpose. It’s not as if he wastryingto be an uncoordinated mess. He hated that trait in himself and had tried many times over the years to beat it into submission. He’d even attempted ballet dancing and gymnastics, things he had zero interest in, but were activities he believed might help him overcome his lack of coordination. In both cases, he’d been asked to leave, and his money been refunded.

Ellery sucked in a deep breath and came to an important conclusion. Even if he didn’t snap his neck in a fall, he could get seriously hurt, maybe hit his head or break an arm. Paying for a hospital bill would be a much larger financial burden than getting fired. What he was doing right now was idiotic—plain and simple.

With a new resolve, Ellery reached for the bucket so he could begin his extra slow descent off the ladder of death. He glanced down to check his footing, and the second he locked eyes with the mystery Daddy from the club, he let out a gasp and started to lose his balance. The ladder wobbled precariously, and mystery Daddy’s eyes widened as he rushed forward.

Ellery scrabbled to grasp the top surface and his elbow nudged the bucket. The container went flying off the ladder, and to his horror, landed right on his dream man’s head, drenching him in the watered-down cleaner. Ellery thanked the universe that at least the bucket was plastic.

He rushed to get down from the ladder, desperate to help mitigate the damage he’d caused, when the slick bottom of his leather shoe slipped on the now wet rung. His heart jumped in his throat as he plummeted off the ladder, limbs flailing as he fell into the soaking wet, mystery Daddy’s arms.

Never mind dying from a fall. He was dying from embarrassment.

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