She shook her head. “He’s being nice to make up for being a jerk in the beginning.”
“I don’t think that’s what he’s doing. I think he’s attracted to you, and this is his way of making a play. Again, you should think about whether you want him to do that because he’s got some baggage, and he’s proving that right now. I’m going to take that job whether he wants me to or not, and he’s going to flip his shit. You should stay out of that fight when it comes, by the way.”
“Why?” It made sense to her that if they could get one of them on at Genedyne, they should. “Why will he be angry? I know Jessica has a bad rep, and she’s earned it on some level, but I don’t think she’s going to assault you. She might objectify you.”
Kyle’s lips curled up. “Yeah, I think I can handle that.” He sobered. “Hutch can’t, and you should understand that. He would never play a chick for information, and he wouldn’t do it to make your working relationship easier. Ever. Believe it or not he’s actually trying to protect me by not letting me take the job and I find that…oddly refreshing. I’m not the dude most bosses think they need to protect.”
“What does he think Jessica will do to you?”
Kyle seemed to think about that for a moment, probably deciding how much to tell her. “About ten years ago Hutch went through something pretty awful. I wasn’t around at that time, but I’ve heard the stories and I know what Hutch did for my family. I think he should tell you what he wants you to know, but understand that he doesn’t play around with a woman’s feelings. Ever. And he’s not smooth enough to think feeding you might make the job go easier. He’s apologized and you accepted. For him that’s over and done with, and now he can move on to what he wants next.”
“And what’s that?”
“Again, use that big old brain of yours.”
She huffed. “He does not want me. That’s ridiculous.”
Kyle shrugged. “You can believe me or not, but watch him over the next couple of days. See how he treats you. He could have come back and done his dinner thing, but he was worried it would take too long and you would get hungry. You mentioned you felt a little weak. He chucked all his plans and got food here as quickly as possible.”
He’d been at her side the entire time, not letting go of her hand. He’d even insisted that Kyle drive while he’d sat in the back with her.
It had been easy to let Hutch take over. She was still scared, still confused, but there was a core of strength she’d found because she hadn’t been alone. He’d taken charge and she’d let him. And she’d stood up to him when he’d wanted her hauled to the hospital.
Her mind went back to that moment in the parking garage when Hutch had made Kyle back off. Wasn’t that what she’d been looking for? It was hard to find a guy who didn’t see her as weak but also acknowledged she needed help from time to time. One who let her set the pace she was comfortable with, but also challenged her when she needed it.
“So give it some thought. Like I said, he’s a good guy, but he’s got some issues.” He sat back again. “When are you going to tell him where you’re going on Thursday? Unless you’ve changed your mind about Sanctum’s training program?”
She glanced at the door, hoping Hutch wasn’t close. “How do you know that?”
“I’m supposed to start on Thursday, too,” he admitted. “If you’re still going, I can go. If not, I’ll join the next class, no problem. Naturally, I snuck a look at the list. Your name is on it. If you’re interested, they did not put the two of us together. You’re with some dude I don’t know named Jeff.”
She felt an odd rush of relief. A man named Kai Ferguson put partners together. She’d had an interview with the man who ran the Ferguson Clinic, a therapy and wellness center that was next to Sanctum. The way the process had been described to her, she would be placed with a Dom in training and they would go through the course together. They could have as much or as little physical contact as they liked, but sex was absolutely not allowed in the club until the process was done. Nothing said she couldn’t see him outside the club. In fact, they would have homework they would have to do together. Her aunt had talked about how much fun she’d had during those weeks—though not around her husband because he had not been her training Dom.