Page 62 of Caught Up

“I’m considering joining the priesthood.”

She grinned. “Does that mean I’ll get to call you Daddy?”

I nearly choked. “Isn’t it Father?”

“Tomato, tomahto.”

I huffed out a breath and took a moment to seriously contemplate her question. “I’d settle for doing literally anything else, but I’d like to run some kind of business. Fuck knows I have the experience for it. And after years managing Dad’s cronies, regular employees will feel like a cakewalk in comparison.”

She leaned in and kissed me, just a peck on the cheek. “I’m really proud of you.”

My heart stuttered, and I had to look away. Hearing those words coming from Lauren, of all people, meant more than I could have anticipated. It made me want to be a better man for her,continuemaking her proud, but suddenly all I could think of was how disappointed she’d be if she ever found out about all the unforgivable things I’d done in my life.

Her father—

Nope. Not going there tonight,I told myself. We needed a subject change. Now.

“What about you?” I asked.

She dropped her head back to my shoulder. “What about me?”

“What do you want to do?” I asked, gesturing past us to the club. “When this is all over?”

I knew the second the words were out of my mouth that I’d misstepped, because she stiffened.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her tone losing its warmth. “‘When this is all over’?”

I ran my hand up her back, trying to soothe her. “I just meant whenever you decide to move on from camwork.”

She pulled out of my arms, sitting up. Fuck, I’d made it worse. “I don’t plan to move on from it.”

“I mean like when you’re fifty,” I clarified.

She stood. Goddamn it, this wasnotcoming out the way I’d intended.

“There are plenty of camworkers in their fifties,” she said. “And I plan to be one of them. This isn’t something I just fell into because I couldn’t hack it doing something else.”

Shit, I’d definitely hit a vein. “I just meant you used to talk about wanting to be a psychologist, having a family.”

She jerked back like I’d slapped her. “Ihavemy psychology degree. It’s done wonders to help me connect with my subs. And being a sex worker doesn’t mean I can’t alsohave a family, if I choose to, but what Iwon’tdo is have some man try to dictate how I live my life, keep me pregnant and barefoot in his kitchen cooking pasta while he’s off doing god knows what.”

“Jesus, come on—”

Lauren’s eyes sparked with anger. “Ilovewhat I do, Junior. My subs are my community.” She pointed toward the foyer, her voice gaining volume. “These people are like family. They are the most kind, welcoming, nonjudgmental humans I have ever met, and I don’t ever plan on leaving them.”

“I didn’t say you had to,” I barked, my voice rising to match hers.

She took a step back, eyes wide. Shit, what had I just done? Thisgoddamntemper.

“I think you should go,” she said.

My chest heaved as I fought to get myself under control. “Just like that? I say one wrong thing, and it’s over?”

She crossed her arms and broke eye contact.

Fuck, I was losing her. I couldfeelit.

“I’m sorry, Lauren. Look, none of what I said came out right, and I—”

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