Page 23 of Reignite

Today is a Gift

Isat at in the small breakfast nook in our loft near the club in only my black silk nightgown and a smile. No one could wipe that smile off my face, even if I was tired and sore. But sore in all the right ways.

I surfed through the Google results of kinky jewelry makers on my phone. If I was going to get Gray to agree to a collar it couldn’t be any ordinary piece of leather. I wanted a custom made, spare-no-expense, piece that would last our lifetimes. When I asked him, he had to know I’d put more thought and effort into this than buying any old thing for him to wear. It had to be special and meaningful and suit him.

I needed the miracle collar, because that is what it would take to get him to wear it. It would probably be easier to get him to marry me.

Gray sauntered in wearing a pair of very low-slung plaid pajama pants that were so damn sexy I wanted to rip them right off. I’d floundered to shut my screen off and hide any evidence of my plans.

I’d never been great at keeping anything from him. It was going to take all my best super-secret sneakiness to pull this off.

He stole a kiss and snagged my orange juice. “What’re you so intent about on your phone, minx?”

“Nothing, email, you know, club stuff.” Yeah, awesome super-secret sneakiness. Time for evasive maneuvers. “Have you heard anything else from Ilario?”

He stole my toast and shook his head. “No, I told him to head over to The Asylum and have some fun this weekend.”

My red alert went off. I didn’t want Ilario anywhere near Foster or his club. But I silenced the alarms because Gray knew what he was doing. I had to trust in that.

“Oh, okay.” I got up to make more toast and coffee. “I’m meeting Hawk and Lilly this morning for an update on their membership efforts, and I want to tell them about the permit debacle.”

“Good. Let’s schedule something with Dominic and Cade too. Give everyone the updates and we’ve got a few business points I want to hammer out.”

“I know something you can hammer.” I flirted with Gray while I sent texts off to the boys quickly to see if they could come over in the next hour.

Gray smiled but moved over to the coffee table in the living room he’d strewn with folder and paperwork. “Always, Angel. But first, business.”

Business schmizness. “What is it?”

“I’ve got the paperwork from the lawyers for the incorporation, business licenses, and the insurance you need.” Gray pulled out a folder and set it on the breakfast bar.

I could not have rolled my eyes any harder. “Oh, good. I hate paperwork. And lawyers, but mostly because they’re the ones who give me paperwork.”

Gray winked and passed me the pen. “I know. It’s all filled out, so you only need to sign.”

I picked up a small stack with the state logo on it that said articles of incorporation. “Sweet, but we still have to figure out a name for the club.

“Yes, and I think you should have a parent company and do a DBA for the club in case you want to open other clubs or expand into other businesses.”

I was a fan of using a last name for our new company, like Cruz Enterprises, or even better, Baker Incorporated. But this business was both of ours and until Gray agreed to marry me, we wouldn’t share a last name.

He flipped the pages. “What do you think of giving the boys and maybe even Hawk and Lilly a share of the business?”

Yes. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that myself. They were all a part of why we were opening a club. They absolutely should have their own pieces of it. “I love it.”

“I thought you might.” He pointed to the section that listed shareholders.

I was listed first at sixty percent ownership. Dominic, Ilario, and Cade each had ten percent, Hawk and Lilly each were listed five.

“Your math is off.”

Gray didn’t look and didn’t hesitate. “No, it’s not.”

“If I have sixty percent share and everyone else has five or ten percent, that already equals one hundred. You have to list yourself separately.”

“I know.”

A sensation, like too much caffeine, worked its way up behind my throat. “You’re not on the paperwork.”