“So, you’d be a partner, too?”
“Yes.”
“You’d be here all the time then?”
“Yeah.” He liked the hopeful look on her face.
“Are you going to do it?”
“I don’t know yet. I haven’t had the time to ask questions, but I tell you what. I’ll come to look for you after the meeting, and I’ll tell you then.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? You’d do that?”
“Sure. And if I take the position, I’m going to need help. Do you think you’d want to do that?”
She practically bounced onto her toes in excitement, making him grin. “I would love that.”
“Good. Where will you be?”
“I … I’m not quite sure. Ask Mrs. Bennet when you get done, and she’ll know.”
“I’ll do that.” Eli set his hand on her lower back and felt her shiver, which pleased him tremendously.
He stopped them at the receptionist’s desk. “I’ll come to find you, Kinley.”
“Okay, Eli.”
He grinned at the blush that covered her face. His grin broadened when he walked back into the conference room to see several of the guys throwing paper balls at each other and two others arguing.
The man, Caleb, and the woman who had been there before were gone, and he wondered how he could ask the questions he had about her calling him daddy when they were clearly in a relationship.
A shrill whistle sounded. “All right, children, let’s try to act like adults.”
Eli chuckled with the rest of the men when a paper ball hit Travis on the forehead. He could see himself here very easily. It was easygoing, and they didn’t take themselves too seriously.
Where he’d come from, everything was serious and by the book. There were always documents and red tape to lug through. If he were out in the field, he was fine, but if he’d had to stay in the office, he always went home with a headache.
Travis grunted and faced Eli. “So, here is what we are telling the potential new partners. Of course, we’ve done a background check on all of you and want you here, so it’s up to you if you’re going to stay. Ask any questions you have.”
Eli nodded. “I read the email about what the pay-in would be.”
“Will that work for you?” Travis asked.
“Yes, it’s fine. Do you have enough space for six more offices? And you talked about the condos in the building?”
“There are twelve floors altogether. The top seven are each a condo. They are spacious, and you can do whatever you want to them. There are three open right now. Me and Nia, my little, bought a house…”
“Little?” Eli asked.
“Oh, you weren’t in here when we explained. Three of us”—he pointed to Kane—“and you met Caleb. The other partners, Jesse, Dravin, and Cesar, haven’t found their women yet, but we are in relationships with women that aren’t… How do I say it? By today’s standards, they are not considered normal.”
“How so?”
“Have you ever heard of Big/little relationships?”
Eli shook his head. “No.”
“We are the type of men who like our women to depend on us more than an average woman does. They are happy and thrive when they have a man who controls their world.”
Eli felt his heart jerk in his chest. That was exactly the type of woman he’d been looking for. He had just never heard a label put on it.
“Is that why Bella called Caleb her daddy?”
“Yes. I hope you aren’t offended. If you are, we understand and think you probably won’t be happy here. But remember, this is with women, not children. They feel comfortable calling us Daddy, and the three of us actually expect it when we’re not out in public. You’ll also see them around a lot since we don’t allow them to work outside of the building.”
“I can tell you I’m not at all offended. In fact, my father and grandfather had relationships like that, and I’ve been looking for that type of woman, but they are hard to find.”
Every man at the table nodded.
Dravin grunted. “Hell yes, they are. I’ve been looking for a while. They aren’t falling off trees.”
The other men chuckled.
Travis nodded. “Every man at this table feels the same way. I’m shocked that we seem to pick men that have the same interests.”
“I like knowing there are other men like me out there.” It was almost a relief knowing he wasn’t the only one who wanted a different type of relationship.
“We feel the same way,” Kane, another partner, said. “Also, by the way, I saw how you and Kinley connected, and I have to tell you she falls into the little category. She’s got a high IQ, probably higher than any of us, and is great at computers, but she’s the type of woman who needs guidance.”
Jesus, she got better and better.
“She said her cousin got her a job here?” Eli asked.