A shy embarrassed grin spread across her face. “I always have. Probably too much.”
He laughed and kissed her cheek. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a little self-love as long as it doesn’t interfere with having intimate relationships.” He chuckled again. “I would know. I was pretty focused on my education, so I never wanted to have a girlfriend to distract me. Would it shock you to know, you were my go-to-girl when I jacked off? I used to imagine, rather than asking you if it hurt when you came out of principal’s office, that I watched you leaving and followed you out. I’d see you run into the bathroom and I would hear you crying, so I followed you in. I would find you touching yourself, tears running down your cheeks. And of course I would step in and finish the job. Or sometimes, I’d just go into the next stall and masturbate to the sounds of you touching yourself.”
She shook her head as if to erase her own memories of the incident, like a giant Etch-a-Sketch image. “You thought about it a lot more than I did.”
“What do you think about when you touch yourself?”
“Mostly, I just concentrate on what I’m doing—trying to hurry up and stay quiet so I won’t get caught. Sometimes, I give myself a time limit because I’m usually in the shower and worried about the water bill.”
He rolled into her and she automatically turned back on her side to resume their original position. “That must be why you’re so quick to climax when we have sex.”
“Speed is a virtue in my world.”
“Used to be—past tense.”
Chapter 16
Nyxie woke up alone in bed the next morning and assumed he’d gone for a jog. As she pushed herself into a seated position, she noticed her waitress uniform on a hanger hooked over the top of the closet door. Her white panties hung from the pocket and her sneakers were on the floor below. He had used her nametag to pin a note to the dress.
Get dressed. You’re late for work.
She wasn’t sure if he’d set up some scenario, but doubted he intended for her to return to her job. Normally, she showered in the morning, but since she had showered the night before—and she would never run up her water bill intentionally—it only took a few minutes to get dressed and fix her hair. She looked for her bra, but it was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t as if anyone would notice if she didn’t have it on.
With her braid bouncing on her back, Nyxie rushed down the stairs to find Declan dressed in a suit, sitting at the breakfast bar reading the sports page.
“Good morning. Welcome to Bob’s. My name is Nyxie; I’ll be your server today. What can I get you to drink?” she said in a single breath.
Declan looked at his watch. “Coffee,” he said, and returned to his newspaper.
It wasn’t quite the same as the truck stop. Normally, she’d set a cup in front of him and fill it from the pot, but he had one of those fancy single-cup brewers. While she waited for his coffee, she wrapped silverware in a paper napkin and set it in front of him. She completed the place setting with a tumbler of ice water. When the coffee was finished brewing, she slid it in front of him.
“Do you know what you want, or do you need to hear our specials?”
A slight grin appeared on his face. “What are your specials today?”
Nyxie looked blank. “Uh, let me go ask the cook.” She darted to the pantry to see what he had on his shelves, and then looked in his large refrigerator.
“Sorry that took so long. We have cereal with a bowl of fruit, omelets, pancakes, protein shakes or a breakfast sandwich.”
“Which do you recommend?”
“I’m partial to the sandwich.”
He nodded. “Sounds good. Make two.”
Without having to be told, she knew the second one was for her.
He might think she didn’t know how to cook based on what he saw in her old apartment, but she knew her way around a hot plate and she intended to prove it. Most of the food in her house had been easy things that the kids could cook for themselves for lunch.
She located a square griddle pan to cook the eggs and when she couldn’t locate a toaster, she grilled the whole wheat bread in a little butter. After flipping them over, she topped one of the four toasts with a slice of pepper Jack cheese and another with American, and removed them to a pair of plates once the cheese melted. Next came the ham cold cuts. It was the closest thing to breakfast meat she could find, and wasn’t it essentially the same thing as Canadian bacon? It just needed to heat long enough to warm up, then she placed the warmed protein on the melted cheese. She scrambled eggs with a bit of cilantro she found in the crisper and canned chili peppers. Unlike their jalapeño counterpart, she knew the green chilies were considerably milder. She topped off the sandwiches with avocado and tomato slices.
“Sorry it took so long,” she said, sliding her masterpieces in front of him. “New cook. Can I get you more coffee?”
“I’m good. I could use a little company and I don’t see any other customers in here.”
Declan slid the plate with the American cheese on the sandwich, in front of the bar stool next to him. “I ordered the second sandwich for you.”
Nyxie frowned at him, but decided to treat him like a customer. She grabbed the plate, lifting it slightly in a salute of thanks. As she wrapped her hand around the thick sandwich and took a big bite, chunks of avocado, fell to the plate and she wished she had thought to cut it in half and stab it with some toothpicks. Her eyes wandered to his cabinets wondering if he even owned toothpicks. “Sorry,” she said after swallowing. “I’ve got work to do.”
If the way his hands flattened on the counter was not indication enough of his displeasure, his eyes narrowed and locked on her. “It’s just polite to sit down when you eat.”
“If you don’t like the service, don’t tip. I’m here to earn a living, not to keep a lonely salesman company. But thanks for the breakfast.”
She opened her mouth widely and took another bite while he ate and glared at her.
The taste of the food suddenly caught his notice. His chewing slowed as he lifted the top slice of wheat bread and examined the contents. He had been reading the paper while she cooked it, expected nothing more than eggs, meat and cheese on it. “This is pretty good.”
“Thanks.”
As soon as he finished, he looked up at her with a slight smile. “If I keep eating like this, I’m going to get fat.”
“The real reason I don’t want to be married to you is revealed,” she said laughing.
His smiled died at the reminder. “How much do I owe you?”
She stared off into space for a moment. “Two deluxe breakfast sandwiches, $4.99 each. That’s $9.98 plus $1.99 for the coffee. That’s $11.97 plus 8 ¼% sales tax. That will be $12.96.”
Declan eyed her as he reached for his phone to check her tax math on the calculator. He looked a bit stunned when he realized her calculations were correct.
“Don’t mess with a server and her money. Your tip should be roughly $2.00 to $2.50.”
His head tilted as he contemplated such a small tip. How could she make a living $2.00 at a time? He reached for his hip pocket. His eyes opened wide as he began to pat his other pockets.
“Uh, you’re not going to believe this, but I left my wallet at home.”
Nyxie crossed her arms over her chest, shifted her weight to one side and began tapping her foot impatiently. “Oh, so not only do I get stiffed on the tip, but now I have to buy us both breakfast. You’re awfully magnanimous with other people’s money.”
Declan took a moment to take in her change in demeanor. “Do you really have to pay out of your pocket?”
“Yes, you don’t think the restaurant takes the hit, do you?”
“I’ll make it up to you,” he said. “What do you say we slip into the restroom and I give you the best orgasm of your life.”
She wanted to say, Fuck you. I’d rather have the money—that’s what she would’ve said to a customer who propositioned her. “So, let me get t
his straight; not only am I buying you breakfast, but now you want me to give you sex too? I think I’ll just cut my losses and pass.”
Nyxie could see his annoyance growing in the tight line of his lips and the narrowing of his eyes.
“What?” she asked, making an exaggerated show of throwing her arms in the air. “This is your fantasy not mine. You know my mother sometimes turned tricks at the truck stop. What is it about this scenario that I’m supposed to find appealing? Some deadbeat comes in and sticks me with his tab, then offers me sex as payment. Are you nuts? Did you get the idea from some lame Penthouse Forum letter? And don’t you just throw a big bill out on the counter? I am not a prostitute.”
“Okay,” he said in full Dom voice. “How about this scenario; you are a waitress and I am your Dom and I came in for a quick fuck in the john before I go to work?”
Nyxie stared at him and reluctantly nodded. Her mouth was set in a tight but decidedly twisted position that left one cheek dimpled and revealed her dislike for the matter.
“I’m going to go into the bathroom, and in a minute, you are going to follow me in. You had better get into your submissive frame of mind between now and then, or you will not like the consequences.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, bowing her head.
Nyxie put the grill pan and plates in the dishwasher while she waited for the minute to pass. Her eyes shot heavenward as she crossed to the short hallway, feeling silly to role-play in his home, but also understanding he fully grasped what getting caught acting out the scenes in public could do to his career and standing in the community. She wondered if he’d be labeled a sex offender. Would she?
Nyxie had spent enough time around him to recognize how much he fantasized. He’d built up these scenarios in his mind until he was absolutely obsessed with them. The same way he obsessed over her. It was heartbreaking to think she could never meet his expectations. Someday, once the new was worn off, he would see her clearly; he just wasn’t there yet. She knew he’d be grateful he’d asked Mr. Vaughn to draw up the contract when that time came.
When she arrived at the door, she made the decision to attempt to be the person he wanted. She should embrace his game, if only to keep him interested a little longer.
Tapping on the door with her fingernails, Nyxie dropped her voice to a forced whisper. “Sir, it’s me.”
The door opened quickly and he seized her by the wrist, drew her inside the tiny powder room under the stairs, and shut the door.
He descended upon her like a hawk after a prairie dog. It was fast, it was graceful, and it was deadly. Nyxie had two choices: fight him, or give in and go soaring through the sky.
Declan jerked his mouth off hers and spoke quietly into her ear.
“There are other diners just outside these four walls. I don’t want them to hear a sound.” He nodded meaningfully toward the wall that separated the townhouses.
She nodded. The last thing she wanted was for the kids or Ms. Kiki to hear them. Remembering to keep her eyes lowered, she reached for his necktie.
“Our clothes stay on,” he said, clamping his hands around her wrists and drawing them down. “Turn around. I want you to watch in the mirror.”
When she didn’t turn fast enough, he clutched her shoulders and twisted her around. His hips pressed into her bottom, pinning her to the sink vanity. He reached up to her jaw and turned her face to the mirror. “Watch. Watch me fuck the beautiful woman in the mirror.”
The buttons below her collarbone opened easily to his adroit fingers and his hand slipped inside her uniform, palming her breast, kneading lightly. Her eyes closed as the sensation sent chills up her spine, making her shift her body weight to rub her thighs together.
As he bit her ear lobe, the pain made her eyes open. “Watch,” he rasped. “Watch me fuck you.”
He undid two more buttons and spread the pink polyester fabric apart, exposing her to the waist. Her nipples were dark and erect.
“I’m in love with your beautiful breasts. I’ve never seen such dark red nipples against such pale skin. I forbid you to tan.” As one hand lifted to her breast, the other wrapped around her waist while he pressed the evidence of his desire against her ass through their clothing.
A barely audible whimper escaped her lips at the touch of his cock so close to where she wanted it. It was delicious torture, this teasing contact.
She put her hands on his, feeling his strong fingers as he toyed with the rosy tip.
“God,” she gasped as her whole body twitched, and her breathing became shallow and fast.
“Shh.” Their eyes met in the mirror and an almost imperceivable smile came to his lips.
“Please….”
His hands left her body as he took a small step back and unfastened his belt and pants.
“Bend over the sink,” he said as he ran his hands up her thighs, lifting her skirt. Pulling aside the crotch of her panties, he pressed his dick into her. Her breathing hitched.
He pumped into her hard, pressing her hipbones painfully into the edge of the granite counter. The force of his thrusts was the ultimate aphrodisiac. She felt his strength, his dominance. She didn’t even realize she had closed her eyes until he wrapped his hand around her braid and pulled her head back.
“Watch,” he said sharply.
She braced her hands on the mirror, pushing against it to keep her hips from taking the full brunt of his weight. Watching him take her in the mirror, had to be the most erotic thing she had ever seen. It heightened her arousal, made every pore in her body sing with excitement. She could feel the first twinges of her orgasm. The tightening of muscles was too strong to deny. She forced her eyes to stay open as she climaxed.
If she had been remotely aware of anything happening around her, she might’ve been able to keep from moaning out loud. She only felt Declan inside her. She only saw the man and woman in the mirror in the throes of passion. She only heard the woman’s pleas for something beyond words.
He hushed her again. “Baby, we’re going to get caught.” Declan buried himself in her tight, warm depths as his own orgasm seized him. He held his mouth to her shoulder to keep from letting his voice rise too loudly. “God,” he said against her skin. It took him a minute to recover and he met her eyes in the mirror. “You are so beautiful.”
Chapter 17
Nyxie peeled her uniform over her head before she reached his bedroom. She crossed to his bathroom, put the dress, nametag and all, down the laundry chute, and hoped she would never see it again.
Didn’t he understand how degraded she felt by his game? She removed her underwear and socks, and put them down the chute as well.
Fuck his water bill.
Stepping into the shower, she turned on the water. It felt icy at first, but she didn’t care. She only hoped the water would wash away the disgust she felt over being treated like the lot lizards that Bob had to run off from time to time.
When she emerged, she found a change of clothes with a note on the bed.
Get dressed and come to my office. Don’t be late for school.
Headmaster Stryker
She quickly dressed in the dark blue and green tartan skirt, and white, short-sleeved blouse. It was slightly sheer and she could see her white bra through the thin cotton fabric.
“How parochial,” she said aloud as she looked at herself in the mirror. If the skirt had been red and she tied the shirt at her midriff, she’d be dressed a bit like Britney Spears in one of her videos. But doubting that Declan would like her looking slutty, she tucked the shirt into her skirt and buttoned up the blouse all the way to the Peter Pan collar at the top.
As soon as she had her bobby-socked feet in her canvas Keds, she retrieved a piece of gum from her purse and bounced down the stairs, her black ponytail dancing behind her.
“Hey, teach,” she said when she saw him standing outside his office, looking at his watch. He had changed into a corduroy sports coat with leather patches on the elbows. A slight smile lifted
one corner of his mouth as he eyed her over a pair of reading glasses perched halfway down his nose. He lightly hit the end of a wooden ruler against the palm of his hand.
“You have thirty seconds to get in your seat before the tardy bell.”
Rather than move towards the room, Nyxie dashed down the steps.
“Walk in the halls!” he shouted after her.
Her pace slowed only until she rounded the corner, but as soon as she was out of sight, she continued her breakneck speed. She was on her way back up the steps when she heard him counting down the seconds.
“Three, two, one, zero.”
After that, she didn’t see any point in rushing. “Am I in trouble, Mr. Stryker?” she asked, holding her hands behind her back. “I wouldn’t have been late if you hadn’t told me to walk.”
His arms were folded over his chest, the ruler still held in one fist.
“Headmaster,” he corrected.
A seductive smile quirked her lip as she made up a racy joke in her head. Her hands came from behind her back and she held a large red apple out to him. “I brought you an apple. I was hoping to be teacher’s pet.”
He took the fruit from her and gave her a playful swat on her fanny with the ruler as she passed.
She saw two chairs at his desk, his office chair and a chair from his dining room table. She sat in the latter, leaving the office chair for him.
“Change seats,” he said. “I can get up and move around the room while you’re working. You need the comfortable chair because you’ll be there for a while.”
Her toes barely touched the floor in his seat and she swung her feet alternately, like a five-year-old.
“There’s a lever to lower the seat,” he said.
“I’m good.”
“Lower the seat—ever heard of ergonomics?” The way he used his Dom voice made her reach down and adjust the seat.
The Love He Craves (The Love She Craves: Selling Her Soul to Declan Book 2) Page 15