Gambling Debts 14/?
Chapter 14
Shit hit the fan on Monday.
Maybe he was exaggerating, it wasn't like they got robbed or anything like that. However, Derek could tell the exact moment the maid found the used playroom. He wasn't in the suite at that moment so he couldn't be sure but in his mind she was informing the whole building before she even started to clean the room. Probably took pictures, too.
People had gotten used to him being around and a lot of the people he worked with saw him more as Stiles' assistant in the office than as his assistant in bed. Sure the rumors were still around but they had gotten kind of old.
Now there was new stuff to talk about and boy did they talk.
Derek and Stiles came out of a meeting, still talking quietly about toilet paper. Derek had never thought that he would ever attend a heated discussion about toilet paper but his life was weird like that now. Apparently guest were stealing rolls from the rooms, among other things, and there had been more than one raided maintenance cart. It sounded ridiculous and Derek had to stifle a laugh until he realized that the head of maintenance was not kidding. She glared at him and pointed out how much the casino lost each month because of theft.
"Things like that are already in the calculation." Stiles waved it off while Derek still tried to wrap his head around the idea that people were stealing toilet paper in bulk. Before he had met Stiles he had been poor and there had been days when he had stolen food from his workplace because he didn't have a single cent in his pocket. But it had never occurred to him to steal stuff like that. And the people staying at the Red weren't poor. They had enough money for a trip to Vegas, a room in a middle priced casino hotel and they had enough to lose on the roulette tables. For sure they had enough to buy toilet paper.
"People are getting more and more brash." She said with a look as if that was Stiles' personal fault. "By now we're running seriously low at the end of the month."
Stiles promised to check the numbers and Derek knew Stiles wouldn't be the one actually doing it. That would be Derek's job.
So when they left the meeting they were still discussing if they should switch to a cheaper brand to cut the costs but Stiles was reluctant to lower his standards.
"Stiles, it's toilet paper." Derek was already losing his patience. Why were they even discussing this?
"Exactly, it's a very intimate and personal experience." Stiles nodded and Derek had to stay a step behind him to not get hit by accident when he started to talk with his hands again. It was kind of adorable. "You know what people remember about a trip to Vegas?"
"The money they lost?"
"The good time they had." Stiles talked over his words. "And scratchy toilet paper is no fun."
"If you say so." Derek said with a smile. He would never admit it but this banter with Stiles was kind of fun.
But then something snapped him out of it.
"You think Stiles ties him up?" He heard a woman's voice but it took him a moment to pinpoint where it was coming from.
"He's a werewolf, ropes can't hold him." A second voice answered and now Derek noticed the two woman in one of the offices. Through the open door they had a good look at everybody coming down the hallway.
"He would look pretty in rope and nothing else, though." She sounded almost dreamy. "And he has to do whatever Stiles wants him to do."
By now Derek was openly glaring at them and they had to know that he had heard every single word but they both just smiled at him in a way that made him feel uneasy in the stomach.
Stiles was still talking about the good time he wanted his guests to have in his hotel, with his human ears he had missed the conversation and there was not point in bringing it to his attention.
Derek just turned his eyes forward and tried to ignore the hungry looks the women were sending his way. This was just like in his first days here, it would die down soon.
He breathed easier when they had passed the office.
"Nice ass." One of the women said after him.
"For a whore." The other one added.
And that was only the beginning. The open stares and not so discreet whispers were back full force.
Apparently his "grace period was over" and Stiles was "trashing his ass for real now". There were one or two Mr. Grey comments again and people oversharing their fantasies of what they would do if they had him in the playroom.
"I guess the maid has found the playroom." Stiles commented when they finally took refuge in his office.
"About two hours ago." Derek grumbled. Most of it was directed at him, he was the one taking the brunt of the abuse. One man had even pinched his ass and when Derek had snapped at him, he had laughed it off.
With his human senses Stiles missed most of the stuff going on around him.
"Are you okay?" Stiles had a concerned eye on him.
"I'm fine, Stiles." Derek gave him a smile but it felt fake. "It will die down soon." He had been telling himself that for the last two hours. He didn't even know why it was getting to him like this. He should just be able to stand above it and let them talk. What did he care if they thought that Stiles was pounding his ass in kinky ways every night?
Instead of taking his seat behind his desk, Stiles came over to the little lounge area where Derek usually set up his workplace. He sat down on the couch and motioned for Derek to join him.
Derek left some space between them which Stiles closed before Derek's butt even hit the couch. He had a hand on the nape of his neck a second later, gently massaging the tension out of the tight muscles.
They didn't talk, they hadn't talked about this since last Wednesday. Stiles just did things like this now and Derek found himself relaxing into the touch.
"We can call the whole thing off." Stiles finally offered and Derek went still. "The rumor thing, I mean." Stiles hurried to ad. "I want to keep you as my assistant, I've no idea how I managed before you came along."
"Me neither." Derek breathed out a laugh and relaxed again. Stiles wasn't kicking him out. "But it's fine."
He could live with a few comments. Calling this off would mean to go back to Peter. Or a least to give him all the money Derek was making now and he wasn't quite ready to face his alpha again. And who knew what kind of ideas Peter had gotten from this.
For Stiles this thing was paying off slowly as well. The atmosphere around him had changed. The Executive Board was still not on Stiles' side but there had been a shift in their behavior since the first meeting Derek had attended. Also negotiations now went down with an air of, Derek didn't know, Godfather? For sure Stiles wasn't Corleone but people glanced at Derek at Stiles side and something just shifted. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he didn't want to ruin that for Stiles. If people knew that this was just one big charade, nobody would take him serious ever again.
So yeah, Derek could live with the rumors.
Who did throw him off, however, was Isaac.
They were preparing some things for Erica in the solitude of Isaac's office, this was nothing the other IT guys needed to know about, and the whole time Isaac was watching him out of the corner of his eye. It looked like he was working up to ask something, he even opened his mouth a few times but shied back at the last moment every time.
"Just spit it out." Derek finally snapped. Usually they got along pretty well but this was just unnerving.
Caught Isaac pretended to be busy with his computer but gave up after a moment.
"You know that it is my job to know who comes and goes." He finally said. "Especially when it comes to sensitive areas like Stiles' suite."
Derek didn't know where this was heading, he hadn't sneaked in somebody and for sure he hadn't sneaked out. Not that he could sneak out, he was free to come and go whenever he pleases but over the last few days he'd been so occupied with work that he hadn't even seen sunlight.
Derek decided to wait until Isaac got to the point.
"I know that Stiles hasn't been out and he hasn't brought home somebody." He continued without looking Derek in the eye. "And I know that there hasn't been any visitors."
Now it dawned on Derek where this was heading but he stayed silent to see if Isaac would really go there. He hoped not.
"I know it's none of my business what you two do." He shifted in his seat, still not looking in Derek's direction. "But given the circumstances …" He made a helpless gesture.
His first instinct was to just tell him that he was right, this was none of his business but then Derek remembered the cold shoulder Isaac had given Stiles in the beginning and Stiles remark that it hit close to home for Isaac.
"You're talking about the playroom." Derek gave in. The news were all over the casino of course Isaac had heard them as well.
Isaac glanced up at him. There was a haunted look in his eyes and Derek wondered what exactly Stiles had meant with that close to home comment. Had Isaac been in his position? Derek had really lucked out with Stiles, the whole deal could have gone so much worse.
Isaac knew Stiles, he knew what kind of man he was, they had been friends since their school days and still there was this second guessing.
He could make up a lie. He could tell Isaac that Stiles had used the room for some time alone. But with the promised cuddle dates, Isaac would be back to doubting next week.
Derek made a decision.
"Can you keep a secret?" He asked. Technically Stiles could fire him for this, even sue him if he wanted to, but he couldn't stand that look on Isaac's face any longer. Stiles would understand. He hoped.
"Of course." Isaac nodded and his heart beat steady in his chest.
Derek told him about the deal. He told him how he had paid off his uncle's debt by listening to Stiles' offer and how they had come to their arrangement.
"That bastard." Isaac said with an impressed nod. "But that's Stiles."
"You understand that you can't tell anybody about this, right?" Derek stressed the point. "This won't work if everybody knows what's going on."
"Don't worry, I can keep a secret." The relief was written all over him now. The whole idea was such a Stiles thing that it was way more believable than what the rumors suggested and seeing Isaac at ease like this told Derek that it had been the right decision to clue him in.
"But that still doesn't explain the playroom." He narrowed his eyes on Derek.
Now it was Derek's turn to squirm under the gaze. His shoes were suddenly very interesting.
"Derek?" The concern was back in Isaac's voice.
"He gave me a massage in that bed." He finally admitted.
"Why is he giving you massages?" Isaac gaped at him. "You do know that we have a spa. We have some excellent masseurs in our staff."
"I know." Derek cleared his throat. The spa hadn't even crossed his mind but thinking about it, it would be too impersonal. It was a human touch, yes, but it wasn't enough.
"It's a … it's a werewolf thing, all right?" He snapped, cheeks hot with embarrassment. "We need touch and closeness and Stiles offered." He would not admit that there were cuddles involved. Or that he was looking forward to Wednesday for more.
Isaac just stared at him for a long moment. Then he threw his head back an laughed.
Chapter 15
Masterpost