A/N - Sorry for all of you who were hoping to continue where it left off... I needed a breather and had to get some more of the actual plot moving. (I know, I know. What's plot in a bdsm story?)

I was daydreaming a little during my break. I had just found out that I was heading to early morning shift. That meant I had to get up and leave before Sasha in the mornings. I would have more time in the afternoons waiting for him also.

It also meant that I would be working by myself for about four hours of my shift. I guess it was a compliment that they thought I was good enough to do it already. I think that was what it meant anyways.

I decided I should tell Sasha right away, so I took a picture of my new schedule and sent it over to him with an excited face emoji. Helen came in and saw me grinning down at my phone.

"Texting your girlfriend?" She asked with raised brow. I blushed a little but shook my head. I scratched my head nervously.

"Uh, no. Boyfriend actually." I admitted with mentally crossed fingers that she wouldn't be prejudiced. I really liked working with her. She looked a little confused but didn't say anything bad.

"I'm surprised. You seem like... no offense, but you seem more of a playboy type." She looked at me ruefully. I laughed at her words, and shrugged.

"I guess I can see that. I probably was a bit, until I met him." I took a bite of my apple. She nodded and smiled at me.

"Maybe I should thank him then." She bumped my shoulder and laughed. I grinned and finished my bite.

"Maybe. What about you? Married?" I asked, then made a face when she pursed her lips. "Divorced?"

"Second one, my choice. He didn't like my long hours I guess. I didn't like his cheating more though." She admitted. I tsked and shook my head. Helen worked hard at the office and was often still there after I left for the day.

"He's crazy. You're pretty awesome Helen. I know you'll find a great new guy... you know, if you even want one." I teased her with a roll of my eyes. She laughed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe. I want to save up and go to Paris first. I always wanted to vacation there." She told me with a smile. I smiled back and asked her about all the places she wanted to go while there.

I would miss spending the whole shift with her, but I would at least get to see her for the end of it. We got along really well as coworkers and she was a really good trainer for the office.

We finished our shift still talking now and then about Paris. She seemed like she really had her priorities and goals in order. I wanted to be a bit like her. That way Sasha wouldn't have to worry so much about me being irresponsible.

I came in the door and this time Sasha was greeting me. I looked at him in surprise. He grinned and ducked from the kitchen into the living room with two mugs of something steamy.

I followed him after I took off my shoes and joined him on the couch. It was hot chocolate and I took the mug with a grateful sigh and deep breath. I didn't know this was what I needed at that moment.

"You probably are wondering what I'm doing home so early." He said after I took a sip. I nodded and turned slightly to look at him. He was relaxed on the other side and sipped his own mug easily.

"I am, Sir." I admitted. He smiled at me.

"It's nothing bad. You sent me your new schedule today, and I wanted to speak to you about it." He replied. I nodded my head and waited respectfully.

"You don't know as much about me as I know about you, and before that was to be expected. We were employee and charge back then. Now, I should let you know more." He explained patiently. I was all ears.

"Please Sir." I said eagerly. He smiled over his mug and took another sip.

"I work for a security company, that much you already know. What you are not aware of is that I took on your care as a favour to the President of my company. You apparently outwitted most of the other security personnel they sent to your parents." He shot me an amused look.

"Ah, but they were all as... ahem, I mean, not as great as you." I finished awkwardly to avoid swearing all the way. He chuckled.

"Yes, my boss knows you hated them. Your reputation preceded you. Mine is for handling difficult cases." He teased me with a suggestive glance. "The point is, the boss and I are close. I told him about what happened at your place. I told him about you."

"I'm sorry. Was he mad at you? I hope I didn't hurt your job." I had a sudden feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.

"Easy Lukas. Remember, I said it was nothing bad." He reassured me. I nodded, finished my drink and then crawled closer to comfort myself.

"Okay, sorry Sir. Go ahead." I looked up at him as he took another drink.

"When I say I told him, I mean I told him everything. I kept a log of everything you and I did. I told him how I felt about you, and he was very understanding about my abrupt dismissal by your parents." He went on to say. I blushed because it was my fault.

"No, none of that. It was not your fault Lukas. Your parents were prejudiced against me. They unlawfully dismissed me and we both know they were going to try to set me up." He ran his fingers through my hair to soothe me and I leaned on him.

"It is still my fault for telling them I liked you." I mumbled. He hummed.

"It's fine. I had an idea how you felt. You were not very subtle sometimes, you know?" He grabbed my hair and tilted my head back for a kiss. I hummed and smiled a little.

"Whaaaat? I am super sneaky." I protested. He chuckled. "They didn't have a clue up until that night."

"They wouldn't have noticed if you started wearing skirts until it showed up in the press." He joked with me. I laughed and nodded.

"That's true. I should have done that just to piss them off." I mused. He cleared his throat. I looked at him innocently.

"So, when I went back to the company he arranged for an internal job until things with your parents died down. I have been training people at the head office here." He told me with a hint of pride.

"Wow. You are like a drill sergeant then, Sir?" I asked. He laughed outright at that.

"Not exactly. More like a... badass professor." He replied once he stopped. I pout. Then I perked up.

"Oh! Professor of Badassery?" I grinned at the cleverness that I came up with. It was borderline swearing, but he started it. He gave me a look like he knew what I was up to. I bit my lip.

"The results have been very good. So I will be doing a course for the other trainers soon." He seemed really happy. I was impressed now.

"So, you've got your Ph.D. in Badassery and are teaching the next level... I didn't know my boyfriend was so cool." I elbowed him gently and he grinned at me.

"I'm not going to argue. We are going to celebrate." He replied. I hummed with a smile on my face and curled back in close. His fingers played with my hair again, right near the bottom where it tickled.

"Yeah? I would like that, Sir." I mumbled as I got really relaxed.

"We will be going out for dinner with my boss." He dropped the words casually and it took a moment for them to filter into my conscious. I blinked my eyes open. I sat up abruptly and looked at him.

"We're doing what now?" I asked quickly. He looked surprise.

"We're going for dinner. I am going to introduce the two of you tonight." He replied. I sucked in a breath and stood up to pace.

"I am going to need a shower. I will have to change into something better. What do I say? Should I shake his hand? What if he doesn't like me...?" I mumbled and rubbed my hands together.

"Lukas, relax. You are overthinking this. Take a deep breath." Sasha stopped me by holding me against his chest and rubbing my back. I breathed in his scent and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm not ready. I'm a mess." I mumbled into his chest.

"You are fine. You will be fine." He assured me. I took a deep breath. "Let's get changed if it makes you feel better. We can talk more upstairs." I nodded my head and let him lead me upstairs.

"Should I wear a suit?" I asked with wide eyes. He laughed at me.

"No. Just a shirt and slacks. We are not going anywhere fancy. Just a family restaurant." He told me. I nodded and let him pick out an outfit for me. It was one of the more comfortable sets of nice clothing to wear that I owned.

"Are we taking my car?" I asked suddenly. He looked at me curiously.

"We can. Or we can take the subway." He mentioned as he slipped his wallet into a fresh pair of chinos. The black on black looked really good on him. I thought about what he said about looking like a mobster.

"Definitely my car. It's too good to pass up." I mumbled. He shot me a confused look. I pointed to his outfit. He rolled his eyes.

"You are changing the subject again. This whole preamble..." He was brushing his hair and I interrupted him.

"Sorry Sir, this whole what?" I scrunched my face up. He sighed.

"Preamble means introduction part, what I've been talking about up to now is the preamble." He explained a little impatiently. I nodded.

"Okay, the other stuff was leading to what, Sir?" I asked as he ran the brush through my hair too.

"Your hours. They are starting at a really early hour when you change shifts the week after next. I am worried about you walking there at that time of the morning." He told me without anymore preamble.

"It's fine. I'm a dude. Nobody is going to bother me, Sir." I replied. He sighed and shook his head.

"You don't know that. Downtown can be very dangerous in the middle of the night." He argued as he pulled me downstairs.

"I was fine when I came to visit you." I argued back with a grin. He shot me a dark look.

"You were lucky. I am not going to take a chance. I will walk you to work in the morning to be safe. Then I am going in to my office after I drop you off. My boss said it is fine to adjust my hours." He insisted.

"You don't have to." I looked at him hesitantly. He turned and held me close.

"I don't have to, but I insist. Nothing will happen to you on my watch." He smiled down at me. I smiled back and got a peck on the lips for it.

"Okay Mr. Bodyguard." I teased him. He laughed and pulled me into the elevator.

"Oh hush you."

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