Page 86 of Mayhem
Not only did all of his technicians have to be bonded, but he performed drug tests on them at random. The last thing he needed was for one to develop an addiction and attempt to steal something valuable from one of his clients. The people Cruz employed were traveling nurses who wanted more freedom in their schedules. Working for him gave them that and allowed them to travel for free.
“Give me the times of your interviews, and I can have someone come and administer the tests for those who sign the consent forms.”
“You can use our account to run your background checks,” Paetyn stated, finishing his ice cream.
Cruz watched Erin bite her lower lip. “Are you about to protest, Maly?” Just because they’d finally had the conversation, and she’d stated she understood, it didn’t mean she would lose the habit of protesting or wanting to easily.
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’m aware that being able to ask you for advice and suggestions is beneficial since you’ve both been running your businesses for years, and this is newto me. I wasn’t asking so you would do it for me, but being a good businesswoman means utilizing your resources. Even if those resources happen to be your extremely handsome, wealthy boyfriends,” she finished with a smirk, and both men laughed.
“I ran the number you sent me,” Cruz stated, changing the subject. “It’s one of those text numbers.”
“Like one of those apps?” Erin asked, and he nodded. “So, there’s no way of finding out who it is.”
“They registered it with an email address.” Cruz pulled his phone from his pocket and brought it up, handing it to her. “Do you recognize it?”
“I don’t think so,” she responded. “How did you get their email address?”
Instead of answering, he smiled at her, and she laughed while Paetyn snorted because working in security offered him options and avenues that might not have always been the correct route.
“Them using a text app is odd. I know some people do it when they can’t afford phone service, but if that were the case they need to get their priorities straight. Not a tattoo. You blocked the number right, Angel?”
“I did,” she responded. “I was starting to feel a bit weird. Which is why I asked you to run it. Thank you, babe.”
“You don’t need to thank me.” And she didn’t. She never needed to thank them for wanting her to be safe and doing whatever they needed to ensure it.
Cruz finished his ice cream, and when Erin finished hers, she grabbed all three bowls and took them to the sink. She returned to the table and pulled him from his chair.
“Will you show me your playroom?” she asked, and he raised a brow at her before looking over her head at Paetyn, who was running water in the sink. “I was being nosy and found his,” she supplied.
He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen and down the left hallway. They’d put them on opposite ends of the house since it could get noisy if they used them simultaneously while dating separate women. He opened the door, turned the light on, and allowed her to enter before him.
She paused inside the door, and he was sure he knew why. His playroom was the polar opposite of Paetyn’s. They had a few of the same toys, but the color scheme was on different ends of the spectrum. While Paetyn had chosen white and wood, Cruz had gone more traditional with gray walls and floors, but the accents and equipment were all red and black.
Cruz watched her reactions as she took in the different tables and benches with restraints, the Saint Andrew’s cross, the handcuffs that hung from the ceiling, the wall of toys, the display case, and the different sex chairs. She looked up and then down at the floor base before turning her attention back to him.
“Why do you have a descending stripper pole?”
“Why not?” he countered.
She moved deeper into the space towards the king-sized bed but stopped at the sex swing. She touched the sides of it, pulling slightly before releasing it and watching it sway.
“You’re too tall for this to be used comfortably,” she said, gesturing to the swing.
“Sit in it,” he instructed. When she did, he walked over and stood in front of her. Her eyes zeroed in on his crotch in front of her before they came up to his face. “I disagree,” he told her with a smirk.
She placed her hands on his abdomen as she stood, and he stepped back. Erin went over to the bed, running her hand along the comforter.
“Your room is completely different from Paetyn’s, but it makes sense. Your personalities are different. His room is misleading; you could forget where you were and what wasabout to happen, so it’s a rush when it happens. Yours doesn’t let you forget. It’s a continual adrenaline rush. There’s no mistaking what’s happening, and realizing that you could get hurt here does…something.”
Cruz placed his hands on her waist. “Does that scare you?”
“No. Being scared would imply I didn’t trust you, and I do.”
“Do you think we’ll hurt you?”
“Only in the ways I enjoy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You’re taking this well. The first time can usually be overwhelming.”
