by Emily Bishop
Booker Knight. Cooking breakfast, for me.
Tee hee!
“Hey there,” I say.
Smooth, Sasha. Real smooth.
Booker glances up at me. His green eyes move up and down as they take me in, and I’m self-conscious all of a sudden. Maybe he doesn’t like that I’ve gotten into his things.
“This was all I could find without coming to breakfast in the nude,” I say with a shrug.
A pair of stools waits in front of the kitchen counter, and I slide onto one, the wood cold on my bare bum.
“By all means, though I admit that naked breakfast does sound appealing.”
Am I blushing? No. There’s no need to blush, after everything we did last night. Grow up, Sasha.
“Did you sleep well?” I ask.
Booker nods and flips the bacon over. It sizzles and spits, and the scent intensifies. I’m so pumped to get a taste.
“Reasonably. I don’t tend to sleep for long. There is work to be done at all hours.”
“Work like making breakfast for the…”
…woman who shared your bed last night. I can’t say that to Booker, can I? The rules are so blurred. Gah. I’m so awkward!
“Lovely woman in front of me? Yes, I would consider that a top priority.”
Nice save. I might have swooned a little bit. Booker continues to cook in silence. He’s reserved this morning. I imagined Master being more playful after sex, more sociable. The man before me is a combination of the two, and I only know how to talk to one of those men.
How to navigate this minefield?
“Are you renovating the place?” I ask.
He looks up and quirks an eyebrow at me. “No. Why?”
“It’s just, the place is really… unfinished. You barely have any furniture here, and no pictures at all. Don’t you want to make the place feel a little like home?”
His face shutters, and I fear I’ve said the wrong thing. Then I remember.
Booker Knight never had a home.
Idiot! Why weren’t you thinking? Heavy silence passes as Booker flips the bacon onto a pair of plates and slides fried eggs next to them.
“I’ve found it easier to leave if I don’t invest in a place. Even if this place is bigger than any home I lived in before, I still could leave at any time and feel no remorse about it. I like it that way.”
“I can understand that,” I say.
He slides the plate across the counter so that it lands in front of me.
“Thanks for cooking,” I say.
“It’s nothing. I learned to cook for myself a long time ago. Nothing fancy, really, but the basics.”
“This is great,” I say after taking a bite of bacon. I’m not lying. The food is delicious. I would be lying if I said it didn’t sink in my stomach like an anchor. I can’t believe I was so insensitive about Booker’s past. I didn’t associate it right away. The puzzle pieces of my mind still aren’t all in a row.
What bothers me more is that I don’t know how to talk to him. If he was just Master, I could crack a joke or make a sexy comment. With Booker, I’m looking at my rigid boss. He stands before me, already dressed for the day, just going through the motions.
What happens with us after this?
“Any big plans for the day?” I ask.
I’m grasping at straws here, but he’s not putting in any effort to help with the conversation, and I can’t just sit here in silence.
The man claimed my virginity last night. It can’t just end in an awkward goodbye. I mean, it literally can’t, because we have to get to work… at the same place.
Oh boy. What have I gotten myself into?
“We’ll have some projects to work on and hopefully plans to finish. Always new ways to be productive,” he replies.
He takes the last bite of his egg and wipes the corner of his mouth with a napkin. When I finish, he grabs my plate and rinses them both before placing them in a dishwasher. He closes the door and looks back up at me.
“Would you like a ride home, to change?”
I realize that if I don’t, I’ll be wearing the same outfit as the day before, only crinkled and telling. The last thing I need is for Lucy to see me like this. She’ll smell a rat for sure.
“That would be great, thank you.”
“Of course. I’ll call for the car, if you can get dressed in a few minutes?”
All business. All forward progress. This is the Booker Knight I know. I can’t help but feel a pang of disappointment at this professional distance between us this morning. Last night was a big part of my life. Is this where the buck stops?
“Yes, I can,” I say.
He nods and strides off in another direction. With the size of the place, I may never find him again. Instead, I search out my pile of clothing and toss his shirt off before I slide back into my own clothes. A little piece of myself falls back into place, and when I meet Booker at the door, I square my shoulders.
“Let’s do it,” I say.
Booker nods. He opens the door for me, and I walk through to his private elevator, which is still waiting for us at his floor. It’s a quiet ride down, and an even quieter car ride to my apartment. His shoulder brushes against mine, and my body reacts to the heat of him, but my stomach is queasy.
Does he regret what happened last night? He must. He’s just distant enough to make me wonder.
Was this all a big mistake?
I bite down on my lip as the car pulls up in front of my apartment. I open the door, prepared to jump out and make a run for it, but Booker’s hand on my wrist stops me.
“Hey. Thanks for a great night. I hope it was a good experience.”
I blink at him. I do not know how to read this man. I shake my head a little. “It was outstanding. I’ll see you at the office.”
“Yes. See you there. Take your time,”
Booker Knight, telling me to take my time? Maybe I really do get some special privileges now. Even as I think it, I’m disgusted with myself. I didn’t start dating Master for work perks. I wanted a real relationship. Now I have… something.
I close the door behind me and make quick work of getting in and out. He may say I can take my time, but I’m going to prove to him that this changes nothing, as far as work ethic goes. I will always be on time and ready to work, no matter what.
I brush my hair into some semblance of order after I dress in a new gray skirt and blue blouse. I slide a jacket on, and I’m out the door and on the subway. As I sit in the smelly old car, I wish I had found a way to stay in Booker’s.
That was quite the upgrade.
My phone dings from my work bag, and I lift an eyebrow as I pull it out. The app sent me a message, but from whom?
“Master has rejoined the chat and has a message for you. Would you like to see it?”
My heart flutters. He’s back! But why? We know who we are. Isn’t this all a little silly at this point? Either way, I accept the message, and it pops up in a new screen.
“I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look in the morning.”
I’m smiling in spite of myself. Cold, calculating Booker Knight seems to have a little more game from behind a screen. Interesting. I ponder my response before I type.
“Yes, you did. I forgot to tell you how great in bed you are.”
“You didn’t forget,” he writes back. “You showed me last night how good it was.”
At last, it feels like last night wasn’t a dream! I don’t know if this is how our relationship is going to function, but I’m grateful for some acknowledgement. Something magical happened, dammit!
“Well, good,” I reply. “I hope you know that it was spectacular.”
“Happy to hear it. In other news, I’d love to chat with you about the launch gala coming up. Can you stop in after you get settled this morning?”
And back to business we go. My heart sinks a little, but not too far. At least we have some way to talk, and I like seeing him more as Master than Booker. Maybe this is easie
r for both of us, until we figure out how to navigate this whole thing.
“Of course. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Wow, really?” he asks.
“Really. I don’t like coming in late. Staying late, sure. But I pride myself by being on time.”
“You are a gem. See you soon.”
I watch as he leaves the chat, and I grant myself one gleeful moment of giggles before I steel my nerves.
Professional. I am going to be professional. It’s the only way we’re going to get through this.
I think.
Chapter Twenty
Booker
I grin down at my phone.
I’m grinning down at my phone. Booker, stop!
I turn the screen down and look out my window as I tap my fingers on my desk.
I tried. I really did. I wanted to keep her at a distance, to keep things casual. I don’t have any good reasons for starting a relationship with Sasha. There is a chance she could go to the press about me, about this company. If things go south, she could cause a lot of damage.
I’ve seen it before with many of my friends. They fall for a woman in their building. Beautiful, playful, fun. Then that woman gets dumped or decides she’s ready for a payout and goes to the tabloids with some ridiculous story. These days, the internet mob is ferocious. Companies live and die based on public opinion over outcries.
It’s a dangerous world to be doing something like this.
I can’t stop myself. The way she looked this morning… so damn vulnerable. So disappointed by my distance. I wanted to give in, to let her in, but I couldn’t. It was too hard to do, when keeping people at a distance is what I’ve been good at my whole life.
That won’t change just because of one woman. I am who I am, and that won’t change.
But Master is a part of me that doesn’t worry about those things. When I’m him, I can be the man Sasha wants, the one she needs. I can tell her the things I can’t say when we’re together.
I crave her. Getting back on the app was one of the most refreshing things I’ve ever done. It felt so good to talk to her freely again, even if just for a moment. I don’t know if we’ll ever fully get that freedom with one another back, but I hope so.
I miss the way we were before we got revealed.
I hear Sasha’s voice down the hall.
“Hey, Lucy!”
“Good morning,” Lucy chimes back.
I wonder how long it will take her to walk in. I wonder what she’s wearing this morning. An image of her naked, in her heels, walking down the hall toward me appears in my mind’s eye, and I swallow.
Don’t mix business with pleasure. That’s what they say.
Shit.
Sasha’s door opens, and I hear her setting her things down next door. I’m listening far too intently. This is getting ridiculous. Her heels click out of her office, and she rounds the corner to face me.
Absolutely beautiful. This woman is perfect in every single way. Just seeing her again has my dick hard under my desk.
What if there is some kind of future for us?
“Good morning, Mr. Knight,” she says. I notice that she’s wearing another skirt and blouse combo. I wonder what color her underwear is beneath that fabric.
“Miss Ellis. Good morning. Can you close the door, please?”
“Of course.”
Her tone is light and professional. She does as I ask and then turns to face me, a question in her eyes.
“You wanted to discuss the launch?” she prompts.
Oh, right. I had a purpose in getting her in here besides drooling over her backside.
“Yes,” I say. I shuffle around in my drawers for some files and pull them out. “I’d love to hear your ideas for the event.”
“My ideas?” Her voice is laced with confusion.
“Yes. I had a chance to go over you notes regarding changes to the back-end of the app. You have good ideas. I’d like to hear if you have any for this.”
Sasha purses her perfect lips and sits on the sofa across from me. “Well,” she hedges. “I think formal dress would be a good idea. Makes it feel more like a gala, a ball, a big deal. I think we should have a big screen up that flashes people’s profile information, so we can get glimpses into who’s on the app. There should be romance, champagne, strawberries, really sell that whole love thing.”
I chuckle. “That whole love thing? You’re starting to sound a bit crass, Miss Ellis.”
She tilts her chin at me and considers my comment. “I suppose we have to keep our business hats on, mustn’t we?”
I can’t stop looking at her lips. When I finally look back into her eyes, there’s a knowing gleam there.
I’m done for.
“Perhaps, though I believe there is always room for our app personas as well, don’t you?”
“How do you mean?”
I lean in. “Are you sore from last night?” I ask in a whisper-soft voice.
A small bloom of color blossoms along her cheeks. “A little. Not enough that I wouldn’t want another round, were it to be offered.”
Bold. I love it. I stand and walk around her to the door. I slide the lock into place and then turn back to face her. She’s turned to watch me, but she remains seated.
“What exactly were you thinking, Mr. Knight?”
I circle back around until I’m on her side of the desk. I rest my palms against the edge and gaze down at her with a challenge in my eyes.
“That depends. What would you do to me, if you could do anything in this moment?”
She considers that thought as she eyes my crotch. Her burning gaze has my cock rising higher, and I wait with impatience for her response.
“I suppose I would unzip your pants and take you into my mouth. I like the way you taste, the way you feel against my tongue. Then I would ask that you fuck me, on your desk, and I would like to watch while you do it.”
My god, the woman is a freak in the sheets… er, the office? I swallow.
“Well, then, I think we should act on that, don’t you?”
“On one condition,” she says. She crosses her arms as she looks up at me.
“Yes?” I ask.
“We call one another by our first names this time.”
I grin down at her. True, I love the way she says “Mr. Knight,” but if that is the only term for a quickie in my office, then I’m happy to take it.
“Deal,” I say.
She beams up at me. “All right then, Booker. Time for me to have a little treat.”
She reaches with eagerness for my belt. In a flash, she whips it off and unzips my pants. I glance at my locked door, then back down. There is something extra intoxicating about possibly getting caught in the office. I’m half-panicked and half-aroused, but all thought of panic dissolves as she lowers my underwear and takes my cock right into her mouth.
She licks it as though she’s in a desert and my dick is the only source of water. Her tongue travels up and down my shaft, and I lean back and close my eyes as I allow her to pleasure me. The fact that it gives her pleasure to do so only serves to harden my dick even more.
She slides her tongue back to my head and fucks my dick with her mouth, up and down, sliding along my rock-hard pole. Her spit has lubricated me fully, and I’m ready to take things to the next level. I don’t want to spill my load too soon.
“Stand up. Lift your skirt,” I say.
She stands and slides her skirt all the way up to her hips. Beneath it is a bright pair of red lace underwear.
“Those need to go,” I say.
“As you wish, Booker.”
Somehow, my first name in her mouth is so much sexier. She slides out of her lacy panties, exposing her perfect pink little flower to me.
I can’t wait to bury myself inside.
I slide my hand between her legs and run my finger along her smooth slit. She’s wet and ready, once again. I grasp her arms and turn so that she now has her back to the desk. I lift her u
p from her ass and plant her on my desk, then open her legs for me once again.
And once again, her heels remain on. Hot as fuck.
“Now what?” I ask.
This is the game we play. It’s as though we’re sexting. I have her tell me what she wants, and I deliver. I give her everything she needs while taking what I need in return. The perfect give and take.
“Fuck me. And when you do, say my name.”
I grin down at her and plant a gentle kiss against her lips.
“I’m going to fuck you now, Sasha,” I breathe against her mouth. I plunge into her then without warning, and she gasps as she takes all of me at once. I watch as she glances down to watch me fuck her, and I slide in and out nice and slow, to give her a good show.
“Are you going to scream my name?” I ask. I pick up my pace and run my fingers along her clit as my dick glides in and out of her body.
She tilts her head back and rocks her hips to meet my pace. “What if I do, Booker? Will you get me fired?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I reply. “Maybe a promotion.”
She laughs, and I realize that in this incredibly intimate moment, we’re able to have a laugh together. It’s somehow even more intimate, and that little insertion of fun has my heart palpitating for a whole other reason.
I just don’t feel like evaluating what that reason is at the moment.
I grasp her ass with both hands and increase my pace and pressure. Her laughter dies as she tilts her head back and closes her eyes.
“Tell me. Tell me how that feels.”
I’ve seen her write it out, but I’ve never heard the words from her lips before. I want to hear her say them.
“Incredible. I never thought sex could be like this,” she pants.
“It can be a little bit more,” I say.
I remove my hand from her ass and slide it beneath until I reach her puckered little asshole. I press my finger against it as I keep up my pace, and her eyes widen.
“Oh,” she breathes.
“Good?” I ask.
“Y… yes,” she gasps. I take the encouragement and slide the tip of my finger in while I fuck her.
“Yes. Yes! Oh god!”