Domination (Explicitly Yours 2)

“Not sure I believe that.”

He continued to rub her back, occasionally massaging her shoulders or ass. “Are you sleeping?” he asked after a while.

“Yes.”

“So you never pretended to be a singer or a teacher or President like other kids?”

“We’re still discussing this?”

“I’m just trying to understand you better.”

“I didn’t play like that,” she said. “I had my one Barbie, and we were just fine.”

“What a shame.”

She agreed—it was a shame. She didn’t remember where she’d even gotten a Barbie. Her mom hadn’t been much for typically girly things like dolls or Disney princess movies. Lola blinked out of her haze a little as the memory came to her. “Wait. Actually, she wasn’t even a real Barbie. She was a knock-off Barbie I found at a daycare and named Nadia after the babysitter. My neighbor made her have simulated sex with her authentic Ken doll, and then she threw Nadia on the ground after.”

“That’s,” Beau blew out a short laugh, “the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Then I’ll stop there.”

“Why, what happened next? Skipper kicked her into the street and she was run over by a semi?”

“Probably something like that.” She couldn’t help laughing but then got quiet. She was awake again, Beau touching her, make her warm. What time was it? How long had they been talking? “Why are we talking about this? Really, you’re not very good at paying for sex.”

“For what it’s worth, Nadia sounds like a hell of a lot more fun than Barbie.”

“She can certainly take more.”

“I like a woman who doesn’t break when you bend her.”

“Nadia wouldn’t,” Lola said.

“What really happened to her?”

“No idea,” Lola said. “One day I went to look for her, and she was just gone.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Just as well. I was looking for her to throw her out.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Someone at school said dolls were for babies. I hadn’t played with her in years, but I still wanted to get rid of her. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was a baby.”

“I can’t imagine anyone accusing you of that.”

“They didn’t. I may not have had much growing up, but I had the respect of my peers.” Respect had never been a problem for her, no matter her age, even with those who’d known how she was making her money. “If only they could see me now.”

Beau kissed her hair above her ear. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Right. That’s your job.”

“A job any other man would envy.”

She pressed her lips together, smiling a little. “What about you, Beau? Do you have any regrets about what do you for a living?”

“None.”

“Why? What specifically about it makes you happy?”

“It’s the perfect setup. I use my money to make more money. That’s something I can see and understand. Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to these things, but we’re very thorough in our research and projections. Generally the companies we choose are poised for success. So far, thanks to that and a little luck, the returns have been incomparable.”

“Not buying it,” Lola said immediately. “What is it that drives you every day? What makes you smile?”

Beau was silent as if deciding how to respond. Finally, he said, “I guess it would be giving someone a chance at his dream. Not many people in this world have that gift to give. Some of these people are kids still—twenty-two, twenty-three—they work so fucking hard just on the belief they have what it takes. Like I did.”

“You like helping them,” she said. “You give them more than just money.”

“Before I make any decisions, I have to get to know the founders. Really know them, their values and how they do business. That’s why I brought those two guys to your bar with me. If I’d taken them to an expensive restaurant, they would’ve clammed right up. They needed a place like Hey Joe, where they were comfortable and could be themselves so I could see what I was investing in.”

“You do that with all your potential ventures?” It was clear to Lola she wasn’t just a deal Beau had made, but an actual person he took interest in. Beau had led those guys down a path of his design in order to understand them. The way he’d mapped out his dates with Lola. Did that make her like them, though? If so, she wasn’t much of an investment at all. She produced no returns.

“I do,” he said. “Intuition is a driving factor in many of my decisions.”

“So if Mayor Churchill meets with you one on one, he’ll understand your intentions. And then tax breaks for you and your friends means more investment money and more opportunities to give.”

He laughed. “I don’t know about calling all the rich people in Los Angeles my friends, but otherwise yes. And that’s just the start. I’d love to get more incentives for startups here so they’ll consider L.A.”

“What else?” Lola asked. Ideas excited her. Acting on them. It was what Hey Joe needed to turn around. Passion, ambition, motivation. Someone to take the lead and bump them past the level of talking about what they should do next. For a fleeting, shameful moment, feeding off Beau’s enthusiasm, Lola wished Johnny were more like Beau in that sense.