Page 72 of Prey Tell
Anticipation stirs inside of me as I eat my breakfast. Chase continues working, his eyes flicking back and forth across his screen in concentration. He looks so… serious. Commanding. It intrigues me.
“What are you working on?” I ask, biting into my toast.
I assume he’ll brush me off, but instead, he sighs and rubs his temples. Despite being well-rested, he looks tired. I quickly glance over to the couch.Did he sleep there last night?
“Important client,” he mutters, blue eyes finding mine.
“How important?” I ask, chewing.
“Very. To me, at least.”
“And what is it that you do, again?” I ask, smiling.
He huffs a laugh. “Investments and consulting mostly. Some real estate.”
“And this job is important because…” I trail off, waiting for him to shut me down. Close me down. Just like he’s been doing for the last eight years.
Instead, he smirks and leans back in his chair, snatching a piece of bacon from my plate.
“Saint Helena Academy is in trouble financially. I found out and offered to fund them fully. To buy them out, basically. It’s a good investment. Tuition is high enough to show a return of our money within a few years.”
I nearly stop breathing. Saint Helena Academy is Jackson’s school.
“But?” I ask, watching his face.
“But… I had some issues with their mission statement. There are certain clauses they’ve had since they opened in 1901 that need revamping.”
I pick at my eggs. “Is it normal for an investor to negotiate something like that?”
“Well, technically, I would be the new landlord, and as their landlord, I have certain stipulations.”
I swallow, knowing exactly where he’s going with this. My whole body heats under his gaze.
“What kind of stipulations?” I ask softly.
He clears his throat and looks over my shoulder. “Certain clauses in their employee discrimination clause. All businesses in California as a whole can’t discriminate against someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” he starts. I wipe my palms on my jeans as he continues. “Legally, an employee at Saint Helena is protected under the California law. However, I wanted to ensure it was ironclad should that policy ever be overturned. I told them that they would need a fair non-discrimination policy on the basis of sexual orientation, among other things, which they didn’t have before. Also, I want it in writing that an employee of Saint Helena can’t ever be fired over their sexual orientation or gender identity or for any other discriminatory reasons.”
I look down at the table, willing myself not to cry.
“To add to that, we both know that because they are protected legally doesn’t mean they won’t face discrimination. A recent study found that over half of LGBT employees said religion was a motivating factor in their workplace discrimination experiences. Seeing as Saint Helena Academy is Catholic, I figured I’d make sure their discrimination policies were ironclad before funding them. I can’t protect every single person from everything, but I can ensure thatifany employees are ever let go over something like this, they could wipe Saint Helena off the map with a massive lawsuit.”
“I see. And why would you do that?” I ask carefully, looking up into his eyes.
He gives me a sad smile. “Like I said, it’s personal in nature.” I take a sip of my coffee, about to outright ask him, when he interrupts my thoughts. “He’s my best friend, Juliet. I want him to be happy, and those kids make him really fucking happy. For whatever reason.”
My eyes prick with tears. “That’s really nice of you, Ravage.”
I pick at the rest of my breakfast, sneaking glances at Chase every minute or so. He’s still working, brows drawn together in concentration. Once I finish my coffee, I stand.
“What are the plans for today?” I ask.
He glances at my empty chair. “Sit, please,” he adds, closing his computer and pushing it away. I sit and realize there are a few scattered pieces of paper on the table. A quick glance at them tells me they’re a copy of my limits. “I want to make sure you understand the limits you marked as ‘yes,’ as they may come up today.”
I nod. “I researched all of them, Chase. Anything I marked as a yes or maybe is fair game,” I tell him.
“Even this one?” he asks, pointing toconsensual non-consent.
My cheeks heat. “I understand the general concept, yes. It means I give you consent now even though during the actual act, I may not be able to give you explicit and enthusiastic consent. Besides, that’s what the safe word is for, correct? To stop anything that’s too much for me?” His eyes widen a bit, and I feel my lips pull into a teasing smile. “I may be new to primal play, Ravage, but I wasn’t born yesterday.”
