by Fiona Murphy
The moment he slipped from bed, she knew it. He pushed her gently back down. “Get some sleep, sweetheart. I wish I could stay with you, but John Pierce is only in Chicago today. I wish I could give him to Dan, but I don’t think he has the balls to tell John the difference between what he wants and what he can afford and just let the sale go. I’ll be back to check on you, though.” With a soft kiss on her head, he was gone.
***
Hours later, she was annoyed she hadn’t woken in enough time to shower so she didn’t look like hell. She was also annoyed that she still felt as weak as a kitten. After buzzing Paul in, she went to the door and told herself to stop being so damn happy he was there. The cool businessman suit was back on, but so was the look of concern.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as he felt her for a fever.
“Better. What’s that?”
“More soup. It’s good for you. You were complaining your throat hurt last night, so I don’t think you’re ready for anything tougher. Something’s wrong,” he said with conviction.
“I’m just annoyed I still feel weak, and I wanted to take a shower but I couldn’t even turn on the faucet.” She called herself an idiot, and knew he would too.
“It’s okay. If you want to take a shower, I’ll help you.” He dropped another kiss on her head as he sat her down on the couch and then went into the bathroom. He came back with his suit jacket gone and his shirtsleeves up, and she could hear the shower on in the bathroom.
“Okay, let’s get you into the shower.” He picked her and carried her into the bathroom. Cautiously, he set her on her feet and undid her robe. His eyes darkened at the sight of her in a plain white tee shirt and hot pink panties. In quick motions, he removed her shirt and panties. His hand tight around her arm, he helped her into the shower, but almost immediately, without his strength, she slumped against the wall.
She told herself she would just give it another minute and then she would move. By the time that minute was up, Paul had undressed, stepped inside, and taken her into his arms.
“Sweetheart, you have to work with me.” She wasn’t quite sure how he managed it, but he had washed her hair and was soaping her body in a very short time. Cradled in his arms, her back to him, she reveled in his touch. Her body’s response to his touch was as automatic as breathing. She was gratified to feel his response against her ass.
“Laura,” he groaned in her ear. “You’re sick, damn it, and I am no saint. You have to stop it.”
“I feel better.” She moaned and moved to turn around in his arms. He swore and all but pushed her away, back under the stream of water.
“Not well enough for this.”
He was out of the shower and back again in seconds with a towel wrapped around his waist. With a flick of his wrist the water was off, and he wrapped her in a towel. She was up in his arms again and back on the bed. He was gone before she knew it.
“Dry off. I’m heating up the soup,” he ordered from the kitchen. When he came back into the bedroom, he was dressed again, with his hair already drying. Seeing her having troubles with the shirt she had picked out, he crouched before her and helped her button it quickly. After settling her into bed, he placed the tray over her legs, dropped a kiss on her forehead, and began to move away.
“Paul?” She couldn’t help the confusion that ran through her.
“Sweetheart, you are ill, and I am a bastard if I stay here one minute more. I will get into bed with you, but it won’t be to hold you like last night. You’re killing me here. I’ll be back after work. Eat your soup and sleep, okay?”
She nodded and watched him go with a smile. He cared about her.
***
Later that night, she made sure to shoo out Tina before he got there, and was relieved that he actually came. Surprise and delight went through her as she saw the duffel bag he carried. “I hope you don’t mind, I just didn’t want to have to get up at five in the morning again to make it to the office.”
“Sure. I just feel bad that you feel you have to be with me. I mean, you probably had other plans...”
“You know by now if I’m not in the gym or with you then I’m working. Every once in a while, I’ll head out for drinks with some friends or business clients, but that’s about it. Don’t look like that. It’s just drinks—there is no picking up of chicks.”
“But why do you have me and not want to pick up chicks?” She couldn’t stop the words that tumbled out. She was scared she had annoyed him or made him angry.
He sighed and led her back into living room, pulling her into his arms. “My parents didn’t have a great marriage. It was stiff upper lips, let’s keep it going for the kids. I told myself my marriage would be different, but it wasn’t. I was blinded by a pretty face and all the right words. I was twenty-seven and all my friends around me were getting married, and I thought it was the right time with the right person. The ink wasn’t even dry before Tiffany started spending money and dropped the sweet and tempting act. At least I got out before we had kids, after only eleven months. The divorce lasted for almost two years—it was longer than the marriage. She was dead set on getting money. Thankfully, the judge saw through it all and she didn’t get a dime.
“After that, I decided to keep it light, no commitments. It was actually Kelly who offered herself up, and I was too drunk and horny to turn her down. After that, it seemed like the best way to do things. I like things the way they are and I don’t want them to change. Are you okay with that?”
She said yes, knowing she was lying. She would take him for as long as she could keep him. That night he did his best to behave, but she had other ideas. It felt like forever since she’d had him, and she wanted him badly. When he took her, he made love to her, soft and gentle and so very beautiful.
Chapter Four
Six weeks later, Laura was finishing up a contract, and waved as various employees made their way out of the office. Paul had been gone for three days and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. He had an office in New York that was about half the size of his Chicago office, and he did most of the running of it through phone calls, but every few months he’d go out to check up on things. She was feeling quite pathetic in feeling the need to stay at the office because it kept her close to Paul. The idea of going home to an empty apartment wasn’t appealing in the slightest. She’d already gone out with the girls once this week, but both were busy now, and Tina was once again fighting with her boyfriend. One more hour, she promised herself, as she moved on to proofing the next contract.
The ding of the elevator surprised her, and her eyes blurred a little as she looked at the corner of her computer and saw her hour was up and that the office was empty. Fuck, was all she could think as she watched Reed Cantor spot her and smile. She hated the man, he made her skin crawl, but he was also their current big fish. Paul had been working with Reed for the last two weeks, looking for space or a building for him. Normally, she was at Paul’s side, but in the last week or so she had made one excuse or another to get out of going when it was a search that included Reed Cantor. In the past, she’d had clients eye her, but it was all they did. Paul was always careful to keep his body between hers and a client, and he had allowed his hands to linger on her more times than not. His touches were subtle but clear—she was his—and his clients hadn’t blinked. He’d gotten pissed at her once for letting a client close enough to touch her. It didn’t matter that the client had simply looked at her with greedy eyes and hadn’t laid a hand on her. Paul hadn’t cared. He had nodded easily when she slid out of showings with Cantor.
“Well, look what we have here. Sweet little thing has been left all by herself. I’m quite surprised.” He made his way toward her with a smirk. Laura hated the idea of him standing over her, but she refused to come out from behind her desk.
“Not that surprised. I know you are well aware that Paul is in New York and won’t be back until tomorrow. I believe you are working with Garrett. Since both Garrett and Paul are not availabl
e, if you’d like to leave a message, I will be happy to pass it on.” Her words were clipped but clear.
“Sweet thing, no need to sound so stiff with me. I know that you aren’t stiff for Paul. I know you just melt when he touches you. Hell, when he looks at you, it is a sight to behold the both of you. You wouldn’t want to make me angry, now would you? Aren’t you supposed to keep clients happy and satisfied? Come on now. Just a little smile for me, sweet thing.”
Laura’s stomach tumbled. He was a client, but Paul had been adamant, and in all honesty she didn’t want anyone but Paul’s hands on her. Would Paul be angry if one of his biggest commissions walked away because of her? Her smile was stiff and tentative. He took it as an invitation, and leaned on the desk and smiled. His hands were small and white and pasty, and when he laid one of them on top of her own, she wanted to gag. He caressed her up her arm and she couldn’t do it—dear God, no, she couldn’t do it. She pushed away, her other hand attempting to wipe his touch off.
“I want you to leave right now, or I’ll call security. I mean it.”
“How sad Paul will be, I’m sure, to learn of your actions. I’m quite sure.”
“No, I’m not sad at all. In fact, I’m proud of my employee for not giving in to harassment. Get your ass out of my office, now. Or I’ll remove you myself.” Paul was there, at her back, his hands on her shoulders.
Laura wanted to cry with relief. He had come up the freight elevator and through the stairwell that was closest to his parking spot. She watched Reed Cantor shrug and walk away. She couldn’t move until she heard the elevator ding and knew he was gone. She watched Paul pick up the phone and call down to security so they could make sure Cantor left the building and wouldn’t be allowed back in.
“What the hell was that?” His voice was tight, like a lash against her soft skin. “I have told you repeatedly, no one touches you but me. You practically invited that fucker’s touch. You smiled at him and you let him touch you.”
“I’m sorry. I was worried. I know how much the commission on him could be, and I wasn’t sure. I was scared of ruining it for you. Then when he touched me, I just couldn’t. It felt so gross.”
Paul yanked her up and around to face him. “You thought I would put a commission before you?”
Anger was etched into every line of his face, and she shook her head. “No, not really. At first I wasn’t sure what to think, but then I knew you wouldn’t. I’m sorry, Paul.”
“You don’t know the meaning of sorry. Three fucking days, four fucking nights without your body. I was so hard for you I thought my dick would fucking break, and I come back to the sight of that disgusting prick’s hand on you. No, you aren’t sorry until I say you are. In my office, now.”
For the first time, a sliver of fear went up her spine—but then, just as quickly, her pussy was wet. Paul wouldn’t hurt her, not really. Would he? The door closed with an oddly loud click. She stood in the middle of his office, and when the quiet became too loud she turned to find him leaning against the door, watching her.
“Strip, now.”
Her hands moved quickly to do as he bid. The nights had just been as long for her. Her body was on fire for him. He moved to the couch and, without so much as loosening his tie, sat down.
“Come here. It’s time you’re punished for failing to follow direction. I’ve been as patient as I can be with you, but now it’s time for you to learn what happens when you don’t follow directions. I believe a spanking is in order.”
Laura stiffened at his words, and then she couldn’t believe how turned on she got by them. She knew how much her ass turned him on. He loved to squeeze and mold it, and she loved the feeling of him fucking her ass so much that she begged for it at least once a week. He had smacked her ass during sex several times, and Laura had loved it. Yet he had never spanked her just to spank her. What was the matter with her that, as she stepped in front of him, her pussy was actually leaking down her inner thigh?
He moved forward and settled her over his lap, positioning her so that her pussy was against the outside of his thigh and her stomach was over his legs. Her breasts hung freely, her nipples already tight and hard with want for him. A finger trailed down her spine and she burned for his touch. The last few days had felt endless. She wanted him inside her. When his finger came to the seam of her ass, he stroked one round and firm cheek and then the other. Then his hand came away, and before she could inhale, the smack on her right cheek rang through the room and her ass burned where he’d slapped her. It wasn’t gentle, and the pain bit into her. She squeezed her eyes closed and exhaled in a hiss, but dear Lord, her pussy began to leak all over again. He smacked her again, this time her left cheek, and she whimpered. Her pussy was on fire as much as her ass. Another smack, harder, back to her right cheek, and her pussy clenched painfully.
“Who does this ass belong to?” Paul’s voice was low and harsh.
“You.” Smack, to her left cheek, where she was already burning in pain.
“Who does this leaking pussy belong to?”
“You, Paul, just you.” Smack, to her right cheek, harder this time than all the others. She couldn’t believe it. She came in a gush of liquid fire and her body shook with the force of it.
She was limp, boneless, as he turned her over and pulled her into his arms. She couldn’t hold back the whimper as her burning ass settled onto his lap. Holding her to his chest, he rocked her. “No one touches you, just me, my lovely. Remember that, always.”
Laura nodded and touched his cheek. He was still stiff, fighting anger. “I promise, no one but you. Will you please fuck me now, Paul? I’ve missed you so much.”
Some of his tension fell away, and he looked down at her. “Yes, but it’s been too long and I’m too hungry for you to have you here. Get dressed, but leave your bra and panties off and give them to me.”
She’d grown so used to wearing skirts that she had worn them while Paul was gone, but this was longer than her usual ones—a long, flowing skirt that fell to her ankles. Her top was also light and flowing, and thin enough it would be obvious with the most casual glance that she wasn’t wearing a bra. She handed over her bra and panties and watched Paul tuck them into his pockets.
At her desk, she saved her work, shut down her computer quickly, and grabbed her purse. Paul was waiting and watching, his eyes never leaving her. When she was finished, he held out his hand and she took it. They used the freight elevator, and the doors opened only two stalls from his car. He beeped the car unlocked and held open the door for her. The drive to his condo was agony, her ass burning and her body hungry for him. It was only a fifteen-minute drive, but it felt twice as long. He parked and she forced herself to wait until he opened her door.
His condo was in a five-story building that had two condos on each floor, except for the top floor—the one Paul owned. His was the only condo on the floor. It was huge: three bedrooms with two and a half baths. He was the only one with access to the roof deck. It was a loft style with open ductwork and brick on the outer walls and dark wood on the floor throughout, except the porcelain tile in the bathrooms. She hadn’t been here often, and had only spent the night twice. He hadn’t been rude, but it was clear when he was ready for her to leave. It hadn’t bothered her, and she’d gone with a smile. There was safety in the rules being clear between them. Now, though, as she followed him into his condo, it felt as if lines were blurring in a way she couldn’t quite define.
The moment he closed the door, she watched him lean against it and pull his dark blue silk tie loose. His hands went into his hair, and it was clear there was anguish in his eyes. Laura froze and went to him, her hands flat against his chest.
“Did I hurt you?” The words were tight, as if he were struggling to get them out.
Laura was shocked. The anger and tension she had felt hadn’t been about her—well, more about what he had done to her. “No, of course not, Paul. Didn’t you feel the orgasm I had because of it?”
“I did
n’t mean to hit you so hard. I thought it would be just a few taps, but it got away from me. You seemed into it, but I couldn’t be sure. I don’t want to hurt you. The things we do they aren’t supposed to really hurt you, and your ass, it’s bright red—and hell, even my hand hurts. I don’t want to ever hurt you. What we do is only supposed to bring you pleasure.
“I’ve never been into pain for the sake of pain. I want you to know that, and I don’t ever want you to do anything that you don’t want to do.” His hands wrapped around her arms, tight, as if he were afraid she’d get away.
“Paul, I knew you wouldn’t hurt me. I’ve never been afraid of you. I’ve loved what we’ve done together, and I feel safe with you. I have never doubted that if I asked you to stop, you would. I don’t know why, but it felt like I knew it from the very beginning. Is it weird that I liked it? Does that make me one of those into pain and slave people?”
Paul’s arms went around her and pulled her close, and she went with a sigh of relief. “No, sweetheart, I don’t think you would ever let anyone make you their slave. You’ve given yourself to me any way I have wanted you, but I’ve always felt like it was your choice. And even if it does, then so what? Why would that make you weird?
“What we or any other couple does behind closed doors shouldn’t matter if it’s always done freely and with consent. Also, there’s just one problem with that slave and pain scenario: I have no desire to make you a slave or go too kinky. I don’t own a ball gag or whip, and have no desire to buy one. I think you are just a really hot woman who loves sex and how good it makes you feel. That’s the only thing that matters—how good does it make you feel?”
Going up on her toes, she smiled and pulled him down to her. “Right now, I’m feeling really bad. Really bad, horrible, starving, and needy. I need you to make me feel better.”