Dark Favors

by Sophie Stern

  Who knew?

  Maybe Locke was lying.

  Maybe the entire situation was a way for him to just have some fun with someone who was down for it. I didn’t think so, though, because that analysis just didn’t make sense. Locke was handsome. Rich. Charming. He could have anyone, and usually, he did. He was the kind of guy who could get any girl in the world.

  So why would he go after me unless he was telling me the truth?

  When I wasn’t writing papers or hurrying to classes, I was researching Locke. I was going to find out as much as I could about him before our next meeting.

  Who was he, really?

  What was important to him?

  I’d learned a lot about him that I hadn’t known before. He’d had a sister, for one thing. She’d died last year in a horrible accident. I couldn’t quite find any details about that, but every article I found used the word “tragedy.” Part of me wondered if it was suicide. Most of me knew that it wasn’t.

  There was more to that story. I was sure of it. I looked around online reading newspaper articles and opinion pieces about Locke. Everyone in the city seemed to be fascinated with him, which was strange because at first glance, he really was just some real estate guru. Younger people didn’t care about that stuff, but the elite of Ruby City?

  They cared.

  One website had a bio for him, and I read that several times even though the article was super straightforward. He was raised in a rich area and went to private school his entire life. It was the same story for college. He went to some prestigious business school, graduated with honors, and then went into business for himself. His dad was the one who ran the company first, but Locke was the one who really got it started.

  And every article used his first name.

  Nathan.

  Nathan Locke: real estate genius.

  Nathan Locke: brilliant mind.

  Nathan Locke: eligible bachelor.

  Somehow, no matter what the articles said, I couldn’t quite come to terms with the fact that he had a real, legitimate name. I always just thought of him as Locke, or Mr. Locke. Maybe it was better that way.

  At one point, I looked at pictures of him and his family. His dad, before he died, had always been smiling. Locke’s sister, Rebecca, always had a grin on her face, too. They seemed so very happy together that it was kind of sad to see how everything had changed for them.

  And no matter how deep or how far I looked, I could never quite find anything about Locke’s mom.

  There was a story there, but it was probably one I didn’t really want to know. Wasn’t that how things always worked out? Sometimes there was some sort of dark, wicked secret, but it was the kind of problem that made you feel sick when you discovered it. I stopped looking before I discovered anything that could make me feel really sick or upset.

  I stopped because if I kept digging, I was eventually going to decide not to go over on Saturday, and that wasn’t really an option for me.

  I wanted to go.

  Correction: I needed to go.

  There was no real way to spin things except for the fact that if I didn’t, I would always wonder what could have been. I would forever question why I hadn’t been brave enough to just give it a chance.

  After all, I’d been bold enough to make out with the richest guy in Ruby City. That had been scary as fuck. If I could do that, I could handle this. I could handle a day of being his assistant, or whatever it was that he wanted from me.

  When my big morning arrived, I chose to wear a pink sundress with a matching bra and black panties. The dress was dark enough that the panties didn’t show through the back, so I didn’t need a slip or anything else underneath. I wore plain black ballet flats, which were both comfortable and practical. They were cute, though, and I felt like I looked good.

  Professional.

  Decent.

  I curled my dark hair and pinned it up into a loose bun, and then I put on some makeup, but only just a little. Locke might like dating girls who loved to cake on their makeup, but I didn’t know how to do that. Besides, we weren’t actually dating. He was just using me for some reason, for a little while. Then, when he was finished with me, he’d tell me the truth.

  Or maybe he wouldn’t.

  I had to accept the fact that he might not allow me to know the information he’d promised me. Maybe he didn’t actually know who my dad was.

  Then again, maybe he did.

  I was willing to take a gamble.

  Just as I was about to head out of the door, I got a text.

  LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU. LEAVE THE PANTIES AT HOME AND TELL AMBER YOU’RE HERE TO SEE ME. SHE’LL LET YOU UP.

  I stared at the message from an unknown number. Of course, it was him. It had to be from him. Nobody else would even think about sending something like that, and unfortunately, I knew it was another sort of weird test.

  Or maybe it was just part of a game.

  Staring at my phone, I had to make a quick decision because it was almost time to leave. Was I actually going to take off my panties before I went? Was I really going to help him out without anything on under my sundress?

  On a whim, I pulled them off and tossed them onto my bed. Then I left my bedroom, left the house, and went down to where I’d parked my car in front of the house. Before I could talk myself out of it, I got inside and drove toward Locke’s office.

  I was probably making a huge mistake.

  Parking was easy, but I was wildly aware of the fact that I didn’t have anything on under my dress. I rode in the elevator with a man in a suit who looked over at me and smiled.

  “Working on a Saturday, huh?” He said politely.

  “Something like that,” I said.

  “Well, somebody’s got to do it.”

  I nodded, pressing my lips together. He seemed to understand that I wasn’t in the mood to chat, and he left me alone when we reached the lobby. He headed off down one of the many hallways, but I headed to the main desk. It was a different woman than I’d seen earlier in the week. Maybe Locke had different people working different days. That made sense. It was a big company, after all.

  Who knew? Maybe they rotated.

  “How can I help you?” She asked, smiling. I liked this girl. Amber. She had curly red hair that seemed to go everywhere all at once. I got some serious Miss Frizzle vibes from her, but didn’t mind at all. Her smile seemed genuine, and she actually seemed to like her job.

  “I’m here to see Mr. Locke,” I said.

  “Oh, you must be Miss Key,” she said. “Go on up. He’s waiting for you.”

  “Thanks,” I said. I looked over at the other set of elevators: the ones that would take me up to his office. I didn’t start moving right away, though. Amber seemed to notice my hesitation, and she gave me a sympathetic smile.

  “Nervous?”

  “A little.”

  “He can be kind of intimidating, huh?”

  “That’s putting it lightly.”

  She watched me for a moment, and then she seemed to make a decision because she leaned in and lowered her voice.

  “Just between us, I was friends with his sister,” she said. “And I knew Locke growing up.”

  That got my attention. I looked at Amber sharply.

  “You did?”

  Amber was young: probably 21 or 22. She had youth on her side and she was cute and pretty and bubbly. The idea that she’d been friends with Rebecca was fascinating to me in a strange sort of way.

  “Yeah,” she said. “So I know him better than a lot of people. I knew him as a big brother before I ever knew him as a realtor, so just remember that no matter what kind of badass front he puts on, Locke has a big, gooey heart.”

  “Are you serious?” I stared at her.

  Amber nodded. She didn’t laugh, though. She didn’t even smile. She was all business now when it came to helping me feel comfortable with this guy.

  “He’s older than me, and older than Rebecca was.”

  “
I knew that.”

  “About fifteen years older,” she added. He was 37. Rebecca had died last year at 21 years old, which meant Amber was about 22 now: exactly as I’d imagined.

  “Okay,” I said carefully. “So he looked after you?”

  “When we were in high school, he was already in the middle of building his empire. I had a boyfriend who tried to...well, let’s just say he was a lot pushier than he should have been. Locke took care of it for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that no matter what this guy says, he’s a good man. He comes across as a total dick sometimes, but there’s a lot more to him than that.”

  “Are you trying to say that he’s an asshole because he’s hurting?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I might not be the world’s best student, but I’d studied more than enough to know that pain wasn’t an excuse for treating other people poorly. Then again, Locke was abrasive, but he’d never actually treated me poorly. He’d treated me...strangely, perhaps. He hadn’t treated me badly, though.

  “No,” she said. “But he’s a go-getter, and he chases after whatever he wants. When he’s focused on something, nothing distracts him.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Nothing,” she said. “So be careful.”

  “I’m not dating him,” I blurted out. Not that I owed Amber an explanation. She seemed to think that was funny because she just started laughing, and then she grabbed a pen and wrote something down.

  “Here,” she said.

  “What is it?”

  “My phone number. Text me if you ever need to talk, but you should get going,” she said. “You’ll be late, and he hates that.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Thanks.”

  Amber nodded and went back to sorting some papers, and I headed toward the elevators. I got inside and pressed the button, but then I just stood there thinking. Amber and Rebecca had been friends. Was that why she worked for Locke? Had he hired her as a sort of favor?

  Maybe he really wasn’t the bad guy he pretended to be.

  I understood what Amber was saying. Really, I did. She had this idea that he was some sort of do-gooder, and I could see that. She was right in saying that he was hyper-focused, too, though. He kind of had to be, after all. He ran one of the wildest and most successful companies in the world.

  He wasn’t going to let distractions stop him from that.

  When the doors opened, I wasn’t surprised to see there was no one in the little lobby by the doors. It was Saturday, after all. Caleb probably had other plans for the weekend besides taking care of stuff for Locke.

  Then again, maybe I’d be taking over Caleb’s duties. I looked at the reception desk. The mini-lobby really was a nice little place. Caleb’s desk was in the center, and there were several comfortable-looking places to sit. Glass end-tables held magazines and books, and there was a hug drink dispenser in one corner of the area. I hadn’t noticed it before. It was like a Keurig on steroids. I knew I needed to hurry to see Locke, but I couldn’t stop myself from peeking at the huge drink maker. Maybe one day I’d take the time to choose one.

  My phone buzzed and I pulled it out.

  STILL COMING?

  I looked at it, but ignored the text. It was time to head into Locke’s office, I knew, so instead of loitering, looking around at the strange and unusual art that lined the walls of this little lobby, I headed down the hall to his office.

  It was time to face Mr. Locke.

  Chapter 10

  Locke

  She knocked gently, and came in and soon as I called her.

  “Hello, Paige,” I said when she walked in.

  “Mr. Locke,” she nodded politely.

  “Manners today? I’m impressed,” I told her. I was, too. I eyed her outfit: a pink dress with black ballet flats. It was cute and comfortable-looking: a good combination since she didn’t know what I had planned for the day.

  “Well, you know, I was rude the other day,” she said, closing the door and coming to the center of the room. “But somebody was kind enough to teach me a lesson.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes.”

  “I hope it was at least a fun lesson.”

  “It was slightly fun,” she said. The edge of her mouth quirked up just a little. Was that so? The little minx had liked it, had she? A thrill shot through me. I’d loved spanking her. It was fun, and the kiss she’d given me after had been just about the most perfect thing in the world to me. I almost felt guilty about using her to get back at Extrance.

  Almost.

  The problem with Paige was that she was almost too perfect to be a pawn in the nasty game I had to play. When she’d applied to rent a house from me with her roommate, Fawn, I’d taken one look at the perfect credit score and clear background check and approved her. It wasn’t until a couple of questions arose from her background check that I began to question how much I actually knew about the people living in my house.

  I didn’t consider myself to be wildly nosey, although perhaps I was, but it had been quite an accident that I’d discovered who she was, who her father was, and how that impacted me. I’d been researching him when I’d discovered the hidden payments to Paige’s mother. Imagine my surprise to discover that the illegitimate daughter of one of the most powerful men in the city was living in my own house.

  And that it was Paige.

  I didn’t want to hurt her. Really, I didn’t. Somehow, though, I knew that she wasn’t coming out of this unscathed. She might want to know who her dad was, and she might be excited to find out, but she was going to hate him, and she was going to hate me for ruining her idea of what a dad should be.

  Paige probably thought her father was a good man. She probably suspected that he was the kind of guy who wanted to take care of his family, but who had simply been busy working or building a charity or something like that.

  None of that was true.

  He had used her mother, and then he’d paid her to disappear.

  “You look beautiful today,” I told her simply, changing the subject.

  “Thanks,” Paige looked down at herself. The hint of a blush crept over her cheeks, reminding me once more of just how damn innocent she really was. Paige always seemed surprised to receive compliments. No matter what I said, it always seemed to catch her off guard. She was a lovely person: beautiful, really. It was strange to me that nobody seemed to acknowledge that.

  Nobody ever seemed to help her out, and that bothered me so much more than it should. When I’d spanked her the other day, she had practically melted under my hands. Why hadn’t anyone else ever given her pleasure before? I didn’t love Paige, and she definitely didn’t love me, but it didn’t mean I wouldn’t make her feel good.

  I could at least do that for her.

  “Did you do what I asked?”

  Another blush.

  “Paige?”

  “What?” She looked up at me, and I was a little surprised to see the fire burning in her eyes. Oh, she knew what I was talking about, and she had some big feelings about it, too.

  “Did you wear panties, Paige?”

  “I had them on when I got your text,” she said.

  Had.

  Past tense.

  So had she taken them off? Had she been a good girl for me? Paige might like being played with a little bit, but she had to be coaxed. She needed a gentle nudge to let her know that she could do it. She could be sexy. She could be everything.

  “And now?” I raised an eyebrow, waiting. I could be patient when it came to her. I’d give her all of the time in the world if she needed it. We had all day. There was no rush.

  Amber was downstairs until noon, but then she’d head home and the only people in the building would be the security team. They were wonderful people, though, and they understood discretion. They’d stay out of sight and out of mind unless there was a problem.

  Paige fidgeted with her hands. She moved them to her sides and then in front of her. She stepped on one foot a
nd then the other. Finally, I couldn’t take her discomfort any longer.

  “Paige, if I reach between your legs, what will I find?”

  That got her attention.

  “W-W-What?”

  “You heard me, Paige. Don’t be coy.”

  The time for games had come and gone. It was time for her to make a decision. It was time for her to be a big girl, a good girl.

  “I took them off,” she said.

  “Let me see.”

  It was a bold move, and I wasn’t sure if it was something she would actually go for or not. Paige seemed like she wanted to express herself sexually, but she needed to know that she wasn’t bad or wrong for wanting to do that. That was one of the problems with the world, I thought. People were still slut-shaming each other to the point where nobody felt free to express themselves anymore.

  Well, she could do that here, and I would let her.

  I wouldn’t shame her.

  I wouldn’t make her feel bad.

  If anything, I’d make her feel better than anyone else ever had before. That was something I wanted for her. That was something I wanted her to feel.

  Paige was the kind of person who deserved to feel incredible, and I was going to do that. She had to trust me, though, and I knew perfectly well that I wasn’t worth trusting. I had more layers and more secrets than she could possibly imagine. It was unfair for me to ask her to trust me in this way, but I was doing it anyway.

  At first, she looked like she was going to say no. There was a hesitation there that I understood. This was probably unlike anything she’d ever done before, and besides, I was her landlord. We weren’t friends. We didn’t hang out.

  “Okay,” she said, and she lifted the dress. Instantly, I was hard. Her soft, shaved pussy was completely bare. Not only was there no hair, but there were no panties. I could see all of her, and I fucking loved it.

  “Come here,” I said, choking out the words. Shit. Why the hell did I have to get so excited right now? It was a combination of her innocence and her seduction that was doing me in, really. She looked almost shy, yet she was being bold. The paradox was intoxicating.

  She walked slowly toward me, still holding the skirt up.