After Finn left, I spent the remainder of the afternoon going through emails, returning phone calls, and making sure Crew’s belongings would be brought here without a hitch. It was close to six when there was a knock on the door.
“Enter.”
Louisa, one of my house staff, popped her head in. Her slightly graying hair was wrapped in a bun, and her blue eyes were smiling like they always do.
“Pardon me, Mr. Asher, but dinner is about ready. I thought with Crew being new, it would be nice to have a group meal, introduce him to the other boys.”
She always referred to them as boys, I never corrected her like the others because it was her way, and I knew she loved them. She was in her early sixties and treated them all like they were her sons, and they treated her like their mother.
“That’s fine, Louisa, a good idea. I’ll be in shortly.”
“Yes, Mr. Asher.”
I finished the email I was writing and left my office for dinner. I was extremely interested in observing how the other men responded to Crew. It wasn’t always possible to avoid drama around here, but the sheer size of the house, and the fact they all had their own rooms, did make it a lot easier.
When I entered the dining hall, everyone was already there. I took my place at the head of the table. All heads turned toward me, respect in every one of their eyes.
“Good evening, everyone. This group dinner is to introduce a new addition to Supernal. Crew Riley.” I gestured to the gorgeous man to my left. “If you’d please take a moment to tell us all a little about yourself, and then we can eat this delicious food.”
He nodded, stood, and everyone’s attention was immediately on him…especially mine.
4
Crew
“Hey, everyone. I’m Crew Riley.” I made sure to smile, not that these guys should feel like my competition, but in Vegas the other escorts very much felt we were all each other’s enemies.
“Working at Supernal has been a hope of mine for some time so to be able to have this opportunity, I’m beyond grateful. I’m one of three kids, raised by a single mom.” I shot Ben a glance, knowing when I mentioned that in my interview, he’d stopped me. His eyes narrowed infinitesimally but he let me continue.
“I’m very social and have been told I’m a people person, so I really hope we all can get along.” With that I sat back down and gave my attention to Ben.
“Thank you, Crew. We’re happy to have you on board. Now, let’s eat before it goes cold.”
It was easy to see that the men here respected the hell out of Ben. He spoke for them by sayingtheywere happy I was here…as if he made that choice for them, and if anyone had an issue it wasn’t welcome. It was a rush of a feeling. Ben Asher was powerful in ways I had never seen in a person, and it made me want to dig deeper and learn more about him.
Everyone chatted through dinner. Some talking about upcoming events they were going to. None seemed to speak poorly about any of their clients, but I got the feeling that if someone was unwelcome, they wouldn’t be invited back at Supernal.
One thing I loved about Supernal was that it was an all-gay escort service. The Crystal Menagerie catered to all sexualities and while I had nothing against that, there was something comforting about being completely and utterly myself here.
I looked over at Ben who was speaking to one of the guys on his other side. I hadn’t met him yet, so I didn’t know his name. As I observed Ben’s mannerisms, and how he talked with the man, I was able to place he was very comfortable with his position and surroundings. He listened when spoken to, made eye contact, and engaged. Was he gay? I mean, it would make sense opening a gay escort service and being gay yourself. But, it was hugely possible he was straight and by having all gay employees, he’d never be enticed. I rolled my eyes at my own internal thoughts, he could be bisexual, demi, pan, anything on the spectrum.
“Where were you born?” a stunning blond from across the table asked me.
“Marietta, Georgia.”
“Your mom and siblings still there?” he asked.
“Yeah, same house and everything. But my brother, Theo, he’s in California where his wife and her family are at. My sister, Gia, is only sixteen. She’s still at home.”
He nodded. “I’m Jay. I realized you were probably wondering.” He smiled. “I was born in Cheboygan, Michigan.” His eyes widened and he chuckled at the name of his own hometown. “But my pops was military so I never seemed to stay in one place very long.”
“Still, you got to see a lot.”
He shrugged, his smile dimming. “True, but making friends is hard when you’re never around long enough.” His dark eyes met mine, a spark flickering there. “That’s why I love this place. All these guys are my friends.”
A few around us murmured in agreement.
“What about you, Mr. Asher?” I turned to Ben, who was carefully watching everyone.