Domination Inc. by Drusilla Leather

bailiffs, tell them we haven’t got anything worth taking.’
    She looked back at the photographs on the desk, but her concentration was broken by the sound of a familiar voice asking, ‘Is this Domination Inc?’
    â€˜Yes, it is,’ Joe replied. ‘How can I help you?’
    â€˜Actually, it’s your friend I’ve come to see.’ The Irishman strode past Joe, and came to a halt in front of Laurel’s desk. He seemed to be relishing the height advantage as he looked down on her, smiling. ‘So you weren’t spinning me a line, then.’
    â€˜What are you doing here?’ Laurel asked, her throat suddenly dry. She was uncomfortably aware that her nipples were peaking beneath the soft cotton of her bra.
    â€˜You said you could put some work my way, if I was interested. Well, I’m interested.’
    He must know he’d caught her off-balance, Laurel thought. She had wanted to be in control of the situation if they had met again, and yet here she was, her quim moistening even as her brain cursed him for his overbearing self-confidence.
    â€˜Can I get you a coffee?’ Joe asked.
    â€˜Black, please,’ Warren said, ‘and the stronger the better.’
    â€˜I should introduce the two of you,’ Laurel said. ‘Warren, this is my business partner, Joe Gallagher. Joe, this is Warren—’ She paused. As she had said, that was all she knew about him.
    â€˜Keating,’ Warren told her.
    As Joe bustled around, busying himself with mugs and coffee powder, Laurel said, ‘So tell me about yourself, Warren. What line of work are you in – if you’re in work, that is?’
    â€˜I’m an actor,’ Warren replied, ‘and I’m good at what I do, but work’s a little precarious at the moment. I get two lines in a soap commercial here, a walk-on part there, but nothing steady. And I thought, well, what you’re offering me, it’s just another sort of acting, after all. And I like sex, and most of all I like sex where I’m dominant. What I wanted to ask you was what the money was like.’
    Which you could have done with a simple phone call, Laurel thought. But no, you had to come here in person and make your presence felt. ‘Well, we negotiate a rate with a client, and you take seventy-five per cent of the fee. Everything’s decided up front – no extras. The women who are going to come to us will be in potentially a very vulnerable position: they’re taking us on trust, and we are going to do nothing to abuse that trust. It’s their scenario, and we have to stick to it.’
    â€˜I don’t have a problem with that,’ Warren declared, taking the mug of coffee Joe offered him. He drank from it deeply, and signalled his approval with a nod to Joe.
    â€˜And we’ll need to do some checks on your background,’ Laurel continued. ‘We need to know you haven’t got a criminal record, that sort of thing.’
    â€˜I’ve done nothing wrong in my life,’ Warren said, ‘except maybe break a few more hearts than I should.’ He grinned, registering Laurel’s wince. ‘Ah, come on, Laurel, you want me to be the rogue, don’t you?’
    â€˜I just want you not to let the agency down,’ Laurel said. She rose to her feet. ‘Would you mind if I had a quick word with Joe, in private?’
    â€˜Sure, I’ll just wait outside,’ Warren said easily.
    When he had left the room, Laurel turned to Joe. ‘What do you think?’
    â€˜You’re right. He’s full of himself, but he’s certainly got charisma. If his background checks out, we can’t afford to turn him away. Are you going to break the good news to him, or am I?’
    â€˜I’ll do it,’ Laurel said, and went to fetch Warren back into the office. With this last piece of the jigsaw in place, she could begin advertising the agency’s services with