Dirty Arrangement

by Nora Flite

  I'm blown away. Thomas has cracked open a door to his heart, and even if it's just a sliver, I'm seeing something I never pictured. “My mom taught me how to bake,” I say, compelled to share my own background. “She worked for my mentor, John Bird, who owned Simply Sweet. After she passed away, he kept teaching me, and he left me the building in his will.” I smiled sadly, stirring my food on my plate absently. “I didn't know he still owed money to the bank until later. Guess he never did well enough to pay the loan down after all those years.”

  Thomas tightens his lips into a firm line. He tilts his glass back and forth, as if wishing it would refill itself. He's in deep thought and I wish I could read his mind. We finish our dinner in smothering silence. When the waiter walks up, we both look at him. “Dessert?” he asks sweetly.

  I go to answer, but Thomas cuts me off. “Just the check.”

  “You don't want dessert?” I ask when we're alone.

  He leans towards me, his lips curling at the corners. My heart begins to pound. “I do, but what I want isn't something they serve here. Come with me, Alice.”

  THE NIGHT AIR IS CHILLY outside the restaurant. We slide into the car together, the parking lot dark and growing empty. “Did you have a nice night?” he asks.

  In the bubble of the car, my voice sounds shaky and loud. “Yes.”

  “Good.” I see the centers of his black eyes a second before he crosses the middle cup holders to kiss me. The back of my head pushes on the cool glass of the passenger window, his weight holding me there. He tastes like scotch... like brown sugar... like every bad idea known to this world.

  His fingers wind in my hair. My cells sparkle, waking up to his delicious assault. I want him. I need him. We kiss so roughly I know I'll have bruises on my swollen lips tomorrow, and it still isn't enough. I'm starving for this man.

  Thomas turns my cheek to the window as he breathes in my ear. I can't see him, can't predict him. His nature is predatory and I'm worried, somewhere beneath my excitement, that this will go beyond my limits. Where is my breaking point, and will he find it?

  His tongue is soft and hot on my throat. He kisses my pulse, moving down until he's nibbling my collar bone. When I run my hands over the back of his neck, he growls like a bear.

  His grips leaves me; I keep myself still, unsure if he wants me to move. The car is cramped with his existence. I feel him on my tongue, in my nose, waiting anxiously for him to do something.

  Thomas claws at the jacket—his jacket he'd given to me—tearing it away. I face him as he scoops his fingertips into the top of my blue dress and yanks it down the middle, the threads popping loudly until my lacy white bra is exposed to his eager eyes.

  Trailing a nail down my sternum, he makes a strained sound. I copy him and he chuckles, kissing my shoulder, then the dip of my collar bone. He shoves the dress ruffles further down until he can trace the top of my bare hip. He doesn't know I'm not wearing panties until his hand brushes the top of my shaved mound. “Fuck,” he hisses.

  “They were ruined,” I explain breathlessly.

  “I bet they were.” He runs two fingers on either side of my vulva until I'm moaning desperately. My hips lift, trying to get closer to him, but he dodges me easily. I'm about to get angry when he slips his thumb over my pulsing clit, sending shocks of heat between my thighs.

  I'm dizzy with desire. “More, please, more,” I whisper. His other hand presses on my left thigh, spreading me wide so he has better access. I'm moaning on the brink of madness. I ache for him, but he's not ready to let me have my way.

  Thomas let's go of me; my sob is obscene. “You want me to fuck you, don't you?” he asks.

  “Yes,” I insist.

  He sits back, adjusting his driver's seat until it's horizontal. Spreading his knees, he raises an eyebrow at me expectantly. The shape of his cock is obvious through his pants. I know what he wants me to do.

  I climb on top of him; the steering wheel digs into my ass but I don't care. I quickly tug down his pants, releasing his engorged cock into the air. At the sight of it, I purse my lips and breathe out slowly. Warm and thick, the tip glistens with a drop of his sticky precum. The reminder of his cum locked away inside of me earlier makes my pussy clench.

  Bending down, I wrap my lips on his plush head, tongue pressing the groove beneath. I begin to slide down, tasting his salty skin and exploring his texture.

  Thomas rolls his hands along the nape of my neck, guiding me as he whispers, “You give head like a pro.”

  I blush, feeling an odd sense of pride. I take him to the root, gagging as he hits the back of my throat. As I lift up to deep-throat him again, he squeezes my hair. I can't get more than his cock-head between my lips; my whine is pitiful. His laugh is a thrill. “Relax, we're not done.”

  He lifts me up and grips me by my waist. In this position I'm straddling him, his member pressed firmly in the groove of my naked ass.

  “Do you want to have my cock inside of you, Alice?”

  I hug him with my knees. “Yes, oh god, yes.” I reach for his shaft, trying to slide it inside of me. I don't even care that there's no condom. His hold on me prevents me from doing anything but wriggle. “Please, I need this.”

  “I know.” His smirk can cut glass. “First, I want you to tell me you're mine, that you'll do everything I say.”

  “I... I already agreed to that in the contract.”

  “I want to hear it from your lips.”

  My chest rises like I've sprinted a mile. I try to read his expression—his furrowed eyebrows, his black as night stare. He doesn't care about the paperwork, I realize with a start. He wants to hear it from my lips because he wants it to mean something. “I need you,” I moan. Chewing my lip, I add, “Sir.” Thomas exhales loudly. I rock against his hard erection. “I'm yours in every way. All of me.” I'm shivering, but I don't look away from him. “Isn't it obvious by now?”

  “Fuck!” he groans. His arms flex as he lifts my ass higher, poising my cunt right over his angry-red cock. My head touches the ceiling of the car. “Are you ready?” he asks, but it isn't really a question.

  The tip of his prick rubs over my slippery vulva. My walls spread over his expanding length, making me shout, then moan, with each inch he gives me. I'm flooding with relief as he finally impales me all the way.

  Thomas stretches me until I squeal. I can't speak or breathe as he begins the first stroke, his palms clenching onto my soft hips to control the pace. He traces my flat belly. His thumb grazes over my clit between us. This perfect man is intentional in every thing he does.

  When I come down on his pelvis, he pets the delicate surface of my clit. It fills my brain with vivid color. “More,” I say, raw with passion. “More, more, more!”

  He's happy to oblige. His pace increases, growling at how my pussy chokes his thick cock. I'm tumbling towards the edge of climax. He senses it, rubbing my clitoris deliberately. His dominance is complete—he controls my orgasm.

  Crying out, I go weak from the climax. It vibrates my insides, my walls rippling over his prick. Before I'm done twitching, my brain mushy from delight, Thomas swells in me.

  Knowing he's going to fill me with his seed, this time from the source, sends me into a new, sharper orgasm. The first spurt of his warm milk hits me deep inside. He coats my walls, our juices mixing on my inner thighs and his lap.

  He wraps his arms around me, guiding my face to his, kissing me with his eyes screwed shut. Our tongues battle, but my fight is gone. He runs his over mine, showing me what he can do. “Alice,” he breathes.

  “Thomas...” I tense, expecting him to tell me to call him Mr. Volt. He doesn't, he just holds me tighter. I can still feel the occasional beat of his cock. It connects us like the thumping of our hearts. The car is hot from what we've done. Steam has made the windows opaque. This is our private world and in here, no one matters but us. Not money, or time, or contracts. The contract. Instantly I remember how I've broken down for him in every sense of the word.
/>   Thomas runs his fingertips up and down my naked spine. “What are you doing to me?” he whispers softly.

  I sit up in surprise. “That's what I'm supposed to say.”

  His fingers capture my chin, stroking my lower lip. “Alice...” He stops himself, then he reaches down to pull my dress up my body. Our little bubble becomes cold. Thomas nudges me until I'm sitting in the passenger's seat again. “It's late. I'll get you home.”

  “Why? So I'm not late for work in the morning?”

  He glances at me, frowning. “That's a good enough reason.”

  I don't know how to respond. Feeling reprimanded, I hold my dress close and stare out the window. There's still steam on it. I wipe it away, not wanting to see the proof of what we've done.

  Chapter Six

  ALICE

  THREE DAYS GO BY. I don't hear from Thomas once.

  I send a number of texts, checking my phone every hour anxiously. Nothing. What did I do wrong? Our last words to each other were... uneasy. He was brutal, the same way he was that day in his basement. Was I disappointing him each time we kissed? Giving him too much, or not enough?

  What else do I have left to offer him?

  Trying not to dwell, I dive into my work. The cake-bomb experiment has gone swimmingly. My version is sweet, pretty, and colorful. People come and go in the shop, taking pictures of me as I work, ordering samples and sharing them.

  I'm excited to launch the new dessert officially. I put up a small sign, going to sleep that night with a hopeful heart. It doesn't prepare me for the sight the next morning.

  There's a line outside of Simply Sweet.

  Overnight I became an instagram sensation.

  Customer after customer orders cake-bombs by the dozen. I'm frantically baking new ones to keep up with the demand. “Alice!” Ms. Snip says, waving to me as she gets to the counter. “It's so busy in here!”

  “I know,” I laugh. “Want your usual?”

  “Oh, no.” Her eyes gleam. “I'll have a half dozen of those cake-bombs.”

  “You've been coming here for years, ordering the same blueberry muffin,” I point out as I pack up the treats. “It's kind of strange to sell you something different.”

  “Change can be good,” she says.

  I startle. “I guess it can.” Change... my whole life has changed ever since...

  “Delivery!” a man in a brown uniform brushes around the crowd to set a long box in front of me. “Alice Bright?” I nod curiously. “Sign here.”

  “What's that?” Ms. Snip asks after I scribble my name.

  “I don't have a clue.”

  “Hm.” Shrugging, she reaches for the cake-bombs I've wrapped, then passes me a ten dollar bill. “Open it up!”

  Shooting her a nervous look, I carefully open the package. Inside, folded cleanly, are three new chef jackets like the one I have on, but instead of pink, there's a aqua-green, a purple, and a sunset orange one. Thomas must have sent them.

  “Wow,” she sighs. “How pretty. I like the pink, but it's nice to see other colors.” She backs away. “I need to get going. See you tomorrow, Alice!”

  My mind is buzzing. Thomas sent me new chef coats. He remembered what I said about my favorite color. I want to sit back and absorb this but the rush of customers consumes everything I have. I'm dancing around, baking, decorating, selling, until my display case is bare and I'm locking the front doors.

  Wiping my forehead, I take a long, calming breath. What a day. Finally, I can focus on the box of chef coats. I take them out one by one, marveling that Thomas sewed these just for me. He really is very talented. I'd love to meet his mother someday. The idea twists my heart into a tortured knot. Why would I ever get that opportunity? He won't even talk to me anymore.

  When I hold the orange one against my body, I notice some papers in the bottom of the box. A letter? I hope it's from Thomas. I'm desperate for any word from him. Lifting the paperwork, I read the familiar words, see my old signature, and my confusion blooms. It's the contract I have with Thomas. Or had, because I see he's added a newly printed and signed piece at the end.

  The contract has been voided by him.

  On top of that, it says he's given the bakery... to me.

  I sit down heavily at the tiny table. “What the hell?” I ask the air. Why would Thomas void our contract, why give me the bakery after everything he put me through? He's ghosting me, that's clear, but this... this was the one thing tying us together. And now he's ended it.

  Ended us.

  Shaking so hard the contract falls from my fingers, I stare at it on the table. I'm cold from anguish. Thomas doesn't want anything to do with me. What happened? I cover my mouth, doing my best not to cry. I'm getting upset at how much this is bothering me. The guy was my boss, that was all!

  No. He was more.

  I can't pretend what we had was just a business arrangement. Rubbing my wet eyes, I look around the bakery, thinking about everything he changed here. Change. Ms. Snip's words flow through my subconscious.

  Change can be good.

  That's what she said to me.

  Frowning sharply, I jump to my feet with determination. Thomas thinks he can vanish without saying goodbye?

  He's dead wrong.

  “EXCUSE ME!” VIOLET sputters, rising to her feet as I march out of the elevator with purpose. “You can't just walk in here! Hey!”

  Once upon a time she was intimidating to me. “Is he in there?” I point.

  “Yes, but—excuse me ma'am I said stop!”

  Her voice gets louder when I push Thomas's office door wide open. He's sitting behind his desk in his wing-backed leather chair. Normally his eyes are piercing, but when he sees me, his eyebrows fly up. I surprised him. Good.

  The secretary tries to block me, looking flustered. “I'm so sorry, Mr. Volt! She just busted inside before I could do anything! I'll call security right away!”

  “No.” His hand rises to stop her. “It's fine. Leave us alone.”

  “But, sir...”

  His eyes grow stormy. The woman gulps, then she retreats with one final, curious look at me. The door closes, sealing us in. “Alice,” he starts.

  “Tell me what I did wrong.”

  “What?”

  “Tell me what I did wrong!” I repeat, throwing my arms out to the sides in frustration. “Didn't I do every single thing you asked, no matter how perverse it was? I signed your contract, I wore your uniforms, I baked the things you asked, designed them, perfected them! I let you punish me for being late to work, I even went on a date with you!”

  “You're angry,” he says softly.

  “Of course I'm angry! I'm angry as hell, Thomas!” Breathing heavily, I take a step towards him. I'm on a roll and I won't let him interrupt me until I'm done. “Was I so awful that night in your car that I didn't deserve a proper goodbye?”

  “It wasn't that.”

  “Then tell me what I did wrong!”

  “Nothing!” he snaps, his voice scalding like fire. “You did nothing wrong, Alice.” He looks anguished, his shoulders scrunching upwards.

  All the air leaves my lungs. “I don't understand...”

  “You were perfect,” he says softly, no longer looking at me. “In every sense of the word, you were flawless. That was the problem. I never meant to let our game go so far but everything you did... it drew me closer to you.”

  “Thomas...”

  “The night in my car,” he says, bracing himself on the desk. “You thought you messed up, but it was me. That was the moment I realized what was going on.” He tilts his head and looks at me through strands of his dark hair. “I was falling in love with you.”

  My temples thrum. A single word rebounds in my skull.

  Love.

  Love.

  Love...

  “That's why I voided the contract,” he says, standing straight. He grabs his forehead like he's in pain. “I can't forgive myself for torturing you so much. Who would do that to someone they care abo
ut?” He sees the doubt in my face, I think, because he tightens his jaw and says, “I told you about my mother, but not my father. After her accident, she was stuck in a wheelchair. My father was terrible to her. Cruel. I hated him for that, hated watching her never divorce him.” He searches my face with raw anguish. “The shame of acting as cruel as him is burning me up, Alice. Get out of here. You're free from my fucked up mess.”

  So much suddenly makes sense. My heart splits all over again, hurting for him... aching at the idea he thought he was as bad as his own father.

  “Are you blind?” I ask. “Do you think I hate what you've done to me?” Thomas watches in disbelief as I round on him. Putting my palms on his desk I push my body towards his. “You've changed me too much for me to go back to a life without you in it.”

  “Alice,” he whispers, before I kiss him and take his words away.

  I pull back, looking at him through hooded eyes. “I told you. I belong to you, heart and soul. I meant it.”

  Gripping my upper arms he draws me back to his mouth for a firm kiss. He's panting when he speaks around our lips. “You're making a mistake.”

  “I'm not.”

  I feel his warm lips curl into a smirk. “Why do you always want to fight with me?”

  “What's the point of living if you don't fight for what you want?”

  Thomas growls huskily in his throat, kissing me on my jaw, my temple, then my mouth again. I'm buzzing with pleasure.

  He moves behind me, ripping the hem of my tee-shirt up my back, deftly unclasping my jeans to pull them over my round ass. His erection nudges against my crease forcefully. This is what I hoped he would do the first time we met in his office. We'd come so close to kissing back then. It feels like years ago, but it hasn't been two weeks since Thomas Volt has entered my life.

  “Thomas,” I whimper. “What are we now? You're not my boss anymore, so then...”

  His teeth graze my earlobe—I see flecks of light. “I love you, Alice. And to be loved by me means you're mine. What's happened so far is only the start. There's no contract to slip out of. This... us... means forever.”