by Tabatha Kiss
I run my hands up his body but he grasps my wrists and forces me down onto my back. He pins me against the table, his mouth dropping from my neck to my breasts. He digs his teeth into my nipples and I twinge from the heightened sensitivity. Christ, I could come right now, just looking down into his blue eyes as he licks my tits and touches my curves.
He stands up and pulls me closer to the table’s edge. I gasp at the feel of his tented erection against my thigh. The tip pokes out of the elastic of his briefs, covering in pre-cum. I want to slide to the floor and lick him clean but I don’t dare move from the position he put me in.
He looks down my body, admiring every inch of skin presented in front of him. I realize once again that I’m naked, completely naked, but I don’t care at all.
Clive slides his hand into his briefs and he strokes himself. “What are you on?” he asks.
I blink. “What?”
“Birth control,” he says.
“Oh — the pill.”
“When were you last tested?”
“Uh...” I wince, trying hard to think of anything other than his huge cock pounding me. “Summer? All clear.”
“Have you been with anyone since?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He lays a hand on my upper thigh, his thumb just an inch away from my throbbing clit. I bite my lip as my body surges with sweet, warm anticipation.
A hard knock strikes twice on the door.
Clive pauses, briefly glancing over his shoulder with a soft smile. “Time’s up,” he says, stepping back.
“What?” I ask.
He extends his hand for mine and I take it. “Time’s up,” he says again, pulling me up to sit. “Sorry, Ms. Payne. We’ll have to finish this another time.”
I blink. “But...”
Clive zips his pants and grabs the riding crop off the table. I watch him walk to the closet and he slides it right back into its place on the door.
“What?” I ask again.
He returns and bends over to grab my dress and panties. “Only paid for an hour.”
My jaw drops. “It’s been an hour?!”
“Yeah.”
“Nuh-uh!”
He laughs and hands me my clothes. “Hop up so I can wipe down the table.”
I obey. Reluctantly.
While Clive grabs a towel and cleaner from beneath the sink in the kitchenette, I slide my panties back on. I shudder in disappointment as I step into my dress and guide the zipper up slowly. My arms feel weak and exhausted from the all the flexing and flinching on the table.
Clive cleans up and returns the supplies to their place.
“What do we do now?” I ask.
He grabs his jacket from the closet. “Now... I go back to work.”
“Seriously?”
He lays a hand on my shoulder and turns me toward the door. “Sunset to 2 AM with an hour break... which I just took.”
I frown with suspicion. “How many of your breaks do you spend up here?”
He smirks. “Not many.”
“Wait, you work until two here, come into the office at nine, leave at five… and come right back here?”
“And on weekends, I work at a gym nearby.” He slides his jacket on. “What, you never work multiple jobs before?”
I turn my lips down in sympathy. “No,” I answer truthfully.
“Count your blessings, Nora,” he says, pinching my chin. He leaves a kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Go home. Get some rest. Start thinking more about your limits.”
I scoff. “Yeah, like I can sleep after that.”
“You don’t have to sleep,” he says. “But you can’t stay here.”
I raise a brow. “Oh, really?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want you to play with anyone else.”
His voice is hard and strong, just short of an order, but I like it all the same.
“Are you the jealous type, Mr. Snow?” I ask.
“No, just possessive.”
“What’s the difference?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Okay, that sounded a little scary. I must have turned pure white or something because Clive exhales slowly and relaxes his face.
“I just don’t want you to be taken advantage of,” he says. “You’re new around here. There are plenty of people down there who would try something outside of your comfort zone.”
I nod. “All right.”
He leans in again to kiss my cheek but I turn toward him at the last second to steal a kiss on the lips. We let it linger much longer than the quick peck it was meant to be, breathing each other in.
Clive breaks away from me. “Come on,” he says, striding to the door.
There are a few people quietly chatting in the hall by the stairwell and they give Clive a quick nod as we pass.
My chest tightens. “Wait,” I whisper to Clive, “they couldn’t hear us in there, right?”
He smiles. “No, the whole floor is soundproofed.”
I sigh. “Thank god.”
Fourteen
Nora
We can’t keep separating like this.
If I have to rush away and rub one off after every run-in with Clive Snow, then I’m going to become like one of Pavlov’s pooches.
Just one glance at him in the office triggers my sex. My pussy salivates for him like a fucking dog and I can’t do anything about it because this is work and he’s my damn employee.
“Knock-knock, whore.”
I turn my head up to find Trix in the doorway to my office. “Hey,” I say, smiling and genuinely happy for the distraction. “What’s up?”
“Oh, I’m just...” she frowns, “hiding.”
“From whom?”
“Who,” she falsely corrects on purpose. Trix has never been a fan of my uptight grammar rules. “Marcus,” she sneers.
“Uh-oh.” I laugh.
She raises a paper bag. “Sushi?”
I drop my pen on the desk, officially starting my lunch break. “Oh, that sounds amazing. Gimme!”
Trix walks in and plops into a chair by my desk. She tears the bag from the top down, shredding it to get at the three to-go containers inside. “We have a Philadelphia, a crunchy roll, and tuna sashimi. Go nuts.”
My stomach growls. “You are my hero today, Trix.”
“I know,” she gloats.
I yank apart of a pair of chopsticks. “So, what’s up with Marcus?” I ask, pinching a piece of tuna.
She sighs as she peels the lid off a small cup of soy sauce. “I think my dad might have told him to watch over me,” she says.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I found him parked on my street this morning.”
I pause mid-chew. “How long was he there?”
“God. All night, maybe? I sure hope not but I can’t be sure.”
“Has your family received some kind of threat they haven’t told you about?” I ask.
She shrugs. “It’s possible. Honestly, I think it’s more probable that Marcus is just being weird and possessive.”
I pause. “Well, that’s… something some guys do sometimes.”
“I guess.”
“Did you ask him?”
“No. I left out the back entrance so he wouldn’t see me leave.” She chuckles as she dunks her roll into the soy sauce. “He’s probably still there right now.”
“Naughty,” I tease.
“I’ll talk to him later. Never needed a personal bodyguard before. Don’t particularly want one now…”
My desk phone rings and I lay my sticks down. “Hold that thought.” I swallow my mouthful of deliciousness before picking up the phone. “Nora Payne,” I answer.
“Friend of yours?”
I shift in my chair as warmth rushes between my thighs. “Yes,” I answer, playing cool.
“Does she
know?”
I lick the flavor off my lips. “Know what?”
“Where you spend your nights now.”
I glance over Trix’s down-turned head, trying to find Clive, but I can’t see him. “No,” I say.
“Do any of your friends know?”
“Not yet.”
He lets out that soft laugh. “Come to the club again tonight. Eight o’clock. I have something for you.”
My body aches with anticipation. “Sounds good,” I say. “Let me know how it goes.”
“Bye, Ms. Payne.”
“Bye.”
I drop the phone back onto its cradle, looking up to try and catch Clive again but the angle is nowhere near his desk block.
“Anyway,” Trix says with a thick sigh, “what are you wearing to Mel’s thing tonight?”
I blink. “Thing? What thing?”
“Her book signing,” she says. “We talked about it at brunch this week. And the week before that. And the week before that. I think. Not gonna lie, that one’s a bit fuzzy…”
“Shit,” I breathe.
“Did you forget?”
“No, I didn’t forget. Just slipped my mind, I guess.”
“I was thinking we could coordinate something and go as her cheerleaders,” she says. “It sounds like this book is getting just as ripped apart in reviews as the last one. She’ll need some tender loving care afterward, I bet.”
“Absolutely. We’ll do whatever she wants.” I twinge with sympathy. “Poor thing. Wonder why she’s struggling all of a sudden.”
“Oh, come on.” She tilts her head. “We both know why.”
I shrug and shove another roll into my mouth.
Fifteen
Clive
Hey, Clive. Are you finished with those payroll sheets yet?”
Ali speaks to me over the wall between our desk.
I type a little faster, inputting the last line of numbers to complete the task. “As… a… matter… of fact.” I hit save and close it. “I just finished. Syncing with the server now.”
Ali hops up to look at me over the wall. “Really?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Not bad, temp. You’re quick. Quicker than Ira, to be honest…”
“Thanks,” I say.
She stretches her arms over her head. “All right. Just need to finalize, send to the boss lady, and we’re done for the day. Might make it home before my kids for once.”
Ali mumbles a little more to herself before scuttling off down the hall toward the restrooms.
Getting out of here early wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, truth be told.
Tonight, I have a sub to seduce.
My desk phone rings. I reach to answer it, quickly clearing my throat. “Accounting,” I say.
“Hey, it’s me.”
I lean back. “What can I do for you, Ms. Payne? Ali just stepped out…”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve been waiting for her to go pee or something for like three hours.”
“Okay…” I chuckle.
Nora sighs. “Look, I hate to do this, but I have to cancel tonight,” she says.
I twirl my pen in my fingers. “Something come up?” I ask.
“No, not exactly. More like I made plans with you and almost stood up one of my closest friends by accident. She has a book signing tonight. Been planning it for weeks and I promised I’d be there. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right.” My gut twists with disappointment. “Book signing? That sounds fun.”
“Yeah. They usually are.”
“Is she a big deal, or…?”
Nora chuckles. “Actually, kind of. She’s Melanie Rose.”
I stop twirling my pen. “Melanie Rose?”
“Have you heard of her?”
I sit forward. “Yeah, I’ve heard of her.”
“She’s the one who recommended Red Brick to me, actually.”
“You don’t say?”
“So, I… guess we’ll meet up tomorrow?” she asks.
Ali passes behind me and slides into her desk chair.
I shift to a more casual tone. “That works for me, ma’am.”
Nora chuckles. “She’s back, huh?”
“Yes.”
“When she asks, just tell her it’s me asking for the payroll reports.”
I nod. “Right away, ma’am.”
I hang up and Ali’s head instantly pops up over the wall.
“Was that boss lady?” she asks.
I turn up my hands. “She wants those payroll reports,” I say with a chuckle.
Her eyes roll. “If you’re early, you’re on-time. If you’re on-time, you’re late. Am I right, temp?”
“When you’re right, you’re right.”
She falls out of sight again. I listen to the soft tapping of her keyboard behind the wall as I look straight ahead, my guts twisting in disappointment.
The quicker I finish this job, the better.
This time next week, I could be anywhere. I could do anything I want. That’s the freedom money buys you. That’s the freedom people with money take for granted. No work and all play. This time next week, that could be me. Finally.
I just have to get that client list.
To do that, I have to gain Nora’s trust.
To gain Nora’s trust, I have to earn it. I have to get her to let me in but I have to stay focused. She’s not just any new sub, that’s for sure.
No matter how much I might want her to be.
I had her in front of me. Naked, wet, and willing. She begged me for it, just how I like it. If our time hadn’t have run out, I would have ruined her. There’s no doubt about that. I told her I could control my urges but I’m not sure how true that will be once I get a real taste of her.
But even in the world’s best-case scenario… I don’t have a chance in hell with Nora Payne.
She’s a certain type of woman and she expects a certain type of man and I’m not it. She’ll figure it out eventually.
My only hope is that I’m long gone by the time she does.
Sixteen
Nora
No amount of success lasts forever.
You can be on top of the world at one second and be knocked to the ground the next. Things happen. Trends shift. If you don’t adapt and change with the world, the world will leave you behind. It’s a principal in all business but it’s sad to see it happen with your own eyes, knowing that you can’t do anything about it.
Melanie Rose is bright-eyed and smiling right now. Her fans are here. Her adoring readers have rushed out here on a cold, Friday night just for the chance to see her. Melanie lives for nights like this but the lines on her face are a bit stiffer than previous signings at bookstores.
I’ve seen crowds shut down streets in her name before.
Tonight, however…
We might not be here for very long.
Trix and I sit on either side of her in indigo t-shirts and gray pencil skirts — our coordinated cheerleading outfits to match the book cover’s color scheme. Melanie threw on her little, black dress, as usual. And strappy shoes. That’s another way I know she’s feeling this night on the inside somewhere.
She only wears the strappy shoes when she feels like dirt.
“Oh, my god!” A woman rushes our table. “I’m so excited! I’m your biggest fan!”
Melanie grins at her. “Aww, thank you so much.”
“Can you make it out to Jeanie?”
The woman sets her book down — but it’s not the new release stacked up on tables all over the bookstore. It’s one of her first bestsellers. The one Melanie can’t ever seem to outrun no matter how hard she tries.
“Oh, sure,” Melanie says, keeping her face.
“I don’t think I’ll ever find a better book boyfriend than Nathaniel Scott,” the woman swoons. “Will there be a sequel?”
Melanie scribbles her name with a short dedication for Jeanie on the title page. “I have no plans for one, no. But I have a new r
elease—”
“It’s the most anticipated book in my book club!” she shouts. “They told me to tell you that. They said, you tell that Mel Rose to stop dicking around and write the damn book.” She cackles loudly.
“Maybe someday.” Melanie holds up the book. “Thanks for coming. I appreciate it.”
Jeanie snatches it out of Melanie’s hand and admires the fresh, new dedication inside. “Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you!”
She skips off with her book clenched to her chest, passing by stacks upon stacks of Melanie’s new book.
Melanie exhales hard as soon as she’s out of earshot but she keeps her smile going for the next person in line.
That’s another truth in the business world. Sometimes, you can have an idea so great, create something that resonates so much with so many people, that it will be all they’ll remember you for. It doesn’t matter what you do. You’ll never replicate that success again.
I look at Trix and she nods, thinking the same thing. Tender loving care for Melanie, coming right up.
Soon, and quickly, the line dies down. People pass by the table, passively glance over, and keep walking to the coffee shop across the store. Someone will trickle by here and there but they just so happened to be here at the right time while they were shopping. Their lucky night. I didn’t even know this was scheduled…
Melanie flicks her strappy heel, gently kicking the support bar beneath her folding chair.
A man stops in front of the table holding a large bouquet of red roses wrapped tightly with a pink ribbon.
“Delivery for Ms. Rose,” he says.
Melanie’s face lights up. “Oh, another one!” She reaches for them and the man hands them off to her. “Thank you, kind sir.”
He nods and walks off.
“Another one?” I ask.
She buries her nose in the bright red petals and inhales. “Yeah, I get these every so often,” she says. “I haven’t told you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Is there a card?” Trix asks.
Melanie turns them over in her hands. “Here,” she says, sliding the small, white envelope from the ribbon. “But it won’t have a name. It never does.”