by Tia Siren
“And that’s another thing,” Liz cut in. “This whole Grant thing is odd. Like really odd. I just don’t trust the guy. Promise me, promise me, that you won’t sleep with him.”
I could never lie to Liz. So, I chose not to. Instead, I looked away, anywhere but in her eyes, and took a sip of coffee. Of course, she saw right through me. When I finally braved a look at her face, her mouth hung wide open.
“Kendra, no. You already did, didn’t you?” I nodded weakly. “Kendra!” She exploded, spilling her coffee all over the table as she threw her arms in the air. “Babe, what were you thinking?”
I had no answer. I didn’t know what I was thinking. All I knew was that, despite myself and all my instincts, I was falling for Grant.
“I just don’t want to see you hurt,” Liz continued, leaning back as the waitress silently mopped up the mess that Liz had made. “Look, I don’t know that guy, but based on your history and everything you’ve told me about him, I know his type. The odds are that he’s using you as some sick means of revenge. He’ll fuck you, use you up, and throw you out.”
Everything Liz said rang true. I had gone through all of it in my head already and was more than aware of the likelihood that he was just using me. For sex or revenge or both. The sick part was that I didn’t care. There was a part of me, a very small part, that hoped that maybe the asshole exterior was an act and that he actually liked me. Because of that, I knew that no matter what, I would go crawling back to Grant. Again and again and again.
“I know,” I finally said to Liz. I could never tell her the truth. All I could do was hope that when I fell, which inevitably I would, that she would be there to pick me back up.
--
We spent a lot longer than intended at the coffee house. Most of it was Liz berating me while I promised her that I would not sleep with Grant again. By the time she was finally done and satisfied, it was early morning. That point where the sun was on the precipice of rising and all the drunks and club goers could be seen stumbling home.
It was because Liz dropped me off just around the corner from my apartment that she didn’t see him waiting for me. And it was because of that, I didn’t see him until I was right at my front door.
“You never called.” He leaned against the front door to my apartment, watching me as I walked down the sidewalk toward him.
“Grant?” I asked, more surprised than anything. My heart also gave an involuntary leap at the sight of him. Was he being here a sign that he cared? Was he worried about me?
“I told you to call, and you didn’t. What did I tell you about disobeying orders?” His voice was cold and steely. There was zero warmth in it and any ideas I had about him actually caring about my well-being evaporated instantly.
“You’re my boss, not my keeper,” I shot back as I reached my door. As I did, I ignored him, reaching into my purse and fishing for my keys.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing me by the arm again. As sick as it was, I loved the way he did that. The way he spun me to face him, pulling me up. It turned me on in a way I didn’t even know was possible. “I’m both,” he said in that same steely tone. “And it’s time you realized that.”
“Okay,” I said quietly, my eyes fixed on his grip around my arm. “It won’t happen again.”
“Good. See that it doesn’t.” With that, he let go of my arm, and I felt my heart drop a little. A part of me hoped that he would drag me inside after that and teach me a lesson. I was sure that he wanted that, too.
The two of us stood there for a moment in silence. I had no idea what to say. Had he come all this way just to scold me? I was sure that he cared for me. He had to? He wouldn’t do this just for a regular lay.
“Do you… Do you want to come in—”
“I’ve got to go,” he cut in. “But I’ll see you tomorrow. Early, too. I don’t want you using tonight as an excuse for being late.”
He turned and left. He didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t kiss me. He simply walked away.
I remained standing where I was for a long time. I didn’t look for my keys or try and open the door. I simply stared at the spot where he had been, unable to comprehend what had just happened and what the meaning of it was. The way he treated me was disgusting. I was an object to him. Something to be used and discarded. So why didn’t I hate him for it?
I opened the door and made my way into my tiny studio apartment. It couldn’t have been more different than Grant’s. I took off my jeans and top and removed my thong and bra, before falling into bed. Considering what time it was, there was a chance for maybe four hours of sleep, although I knew I wasn’t going to get even one.
Every time I closed my eyes, I thought about Grant. I knew right then that I had feelings for him. And they went beyond sexual desire. I hated to admit it, even to myself, but I knew I was starting to fall in love with him.
But how did he feel about me? His actions said that he cared for me. But his words, they spoke a different tale. As I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep, I hoped beyond anything that my instincts were true and that Grant just might give me a second chance again.
Chapter 11
Grant
Luscious was coming along nicely. The store wasn’t even close to being fully stocked or operational yet, and already, I could tell that the place was going to be a hit. Bigger than that even. I was so confident that I had already begun talking to Jack about his club idea and how the two could tie in together. Every time I thought about that I got excited. Too excited. I always had to stop and remind myself that the first store hadn’t even opened yet.
It was Wednesday morning, and I was at the store, supervising the set-up. The place was packed. Teams of electricians stormed through the rooms, ensuring that everything would be ready for the opening. Carpenters worked tirelessly in the back rooms, finishing off the shelves and furniture. I had dozens of workers from my other stores there, too, unpacking boxes and putting all the candy out on display. The store needed to be ready for opening day, and I would do whatever it took.
Kendra was also at the store. True to her word, she had turned up on time, despite how late I knew she was up the previous night. And despite that, she looked radiant. If I hadn’t known otherwise, I would have guessed her to be coming off a full night’s sleep.
Even better than that, when she arrived, I demanded that she put on her new uniform. It was a red corset, paired with a tight black pencil skirt, black garters, and stockings. The corset came in tight at the waist, pushing her breasts up to her chin and making her butt look extra big and round.
As she waded across the store, swinging her hips as she walked, it was all I could do to not stare at her. Every time she bent over or turned around, I had images of the other night and how she looked bent over in front of me. If it weren’t for the other people around, I would have grabbed her, then and there, dragged her into the store room, and had my way with her.
But there were other people around. Lots of them. That morning, I had the pleasure of meeting the other workers that Kendra had hired. One of them, Selena, seemed like a good pick. Her dark features and lithe body stood in perfect contrast to Kendra and would do well to satisfy the clientele who weren’t as into curves as most were. But the male hire? I wasn’t so sure about him.
His name was Brody, and he was younger than Kendra and Selena by at least five years. He may have only turned twenty if his baby face was anything to go by. But even if he was a little young, I had to admit that he was annoyingly handsome. He had a great smile and a big set of white teeth that paired perfectly with his dark green eyes and dirty blonde hair. What was more, he was the type of guy that knew he was good looking, too.
Right from the get go, he was flirty with Kendra. Outrageously so. He in no way tried to hide it as he told her how good she looked in her new outfit and how hard it would be to work with her looking like that. It was non-stop, and Kendra seemed to love it too. Like really love it. Every time he commented on her sexy appearance, she giggl
ed like a school girl and slapped him playfully on the arm.
And every time she did, the anger burning inside me got hotter and hotter. I wanted to grab the kid by the scruff of the neck and throw him outside. Tell him to never come back in the store again. But I couldn’t. And not because it would have been bad form or anything like that, but because it would have proven to Kendra that I had feelings for her. That, I could not allow.
In fact, too many times already, I had come close to revealing my true feelings for Kendra. Even showing up at her apartment the previous night had been risky. At first, I got the sense that she thought I was doing it because I cared for her. In truth, I was worried when she didn’t call me. I wanted to make sure she was okay, but I could never let her know that.
As luck would have it, the perfect distraction walked through the door at Luscious just after midday. Not only was it a distraction, but it was also the perfect way to play with Kendra and confuse her even more.
The distraction was an old acquaintance of mine, Loren Pratt. The two of us used to date, albeit briefly. But she also did some interior design work for me, and we still kept in touch. There was never that spark between the two of us to keep me invested in the relationship, but I always sensed that she still wanted me.
“Grant, darling,” she cooed as she walked through the front door, making a beeline towards me. “The place looks amazing!”
“Loren!” I exclaimed, acting equally as excited to see her. “What are you doing here, you gorgeous thing?” I pulled her into a hug as she reached me.
Loren was, of course, very good looking. Like Kendra, she had long blonde hair and pretty features. But her body was the complete opposite. She was petite yet muscular, sporting strong legs and a firm ass from what she claimed was years of ballet dancing.
“I was in the area and wanted to see the new place. I’ve heard some pretty amazing things and needed to see for myself.”
“Heard? From who?” I loved hearing that Luscious was being spoken about. I also knew that Loren catered to a very expensive clientele. It delighted me to know they were gossiping about the store. We hadn’t even opened yet, and the buzz had started.
“I’ll never tell,” she said, winking at me. She then took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “Come. Show me around.”
As she took my hand, I dared a glance out the corner of my eye to where Kendra was standing. She had, without a doubt, been watching the exchange, and I delighted in the way it must have looked. In fact, seeing her watch us, gave me a wicked idea.
“Here,” I said. “I’ll introduce you to the manager.”
When she saw us coming, Kendra pretended to look busy, quickly shuffling through some boxes that were on the counter. It wasn’t fooling me though. Her insistence on not noticing as we pulled up at the counter spoke volumes.
“Kendra,” I said, getting her attention. “I want you to meet Loren Pratt. Loren and I are... what would you say, Loren? Friends seems a bit casual.” I made sure to give Loren’s hand an obvious squeeze.
“Oh, stop,” Loren giggled, slapping me on the arm. “You know what we are.”
“Do I?” I said, giving her a wink.
“Nice to meet you,” Kendra said curtly. She didn’t offer her hand to shake, instead, keeping her gaze fixed firmly on whatever was inside the box in front of her.
Enjoying how uncomfortable Kendra clearly was, I decided to push a little harder. “What have you got here?” I reached into the box, pulling out a cotton candy feather duster. It was a part of our French Maid Ensemble and could be used to both inflict punishment and, of course, be eaten.
“What is that?” Loren exclaimed.
“What do you think?” I joked, prodding her in the nose with the cotton candy duster before taking a bite out of it. I then offered Loren a bite, which she took gleefully. “Here, let me show you the back room.”
“Darn, I’m afraid I can’t,” Loren said, looking genuinely upset. “I’ve got a meeting down the street in five. That’s why I’m—Say. Are you free any night this week?”
“I’m sure I am,” I said, making sure to catch Kendra’s eyes as I did. She was resolutely not looking at me, doing all she could to keep her eyes on the box and off of me.
“How about we have dinner? We can catch up on old times.”
Not even bothering to look at Loren, I kept my eyes on Kendra, burning a hole through the side of her head. “I don’t see what could possibly stop me.”
“Perfect!” Loren exclaimed. As she turned to go, I grabbed her by the arm, pulled her to me, and planted a kiss on her lips. It wasn’t anything sexual, just a peck. But I knew it would have the desired effect. And sure enough, the moment our lips touched, Kendra slammed down whatever she had in her hands and stormed from behind the counter and into the back room.
“I’ll call you,” I said to a dazed looking Loren, who nodded as she stumbled from the store.
Once she was gone, I decided it was time to check up on Kendra and ensure that my play had the desired effect. Watching her squirm as I flirted with Loren gave me an unbridled amount of pleasure and was, quite frankly, a bit of a turn on. I loved to imagine what was going on in Kendra’s head, and even more, what I would do about it when I finally had her alone.
Kendra was in the stockroom when I found her, on her knees as she unpacked a series of boxes. At least that was what it was supposed to look like. I was quite sure that she was doing nothing more than attempting to look busy.
“Make sure that you get all of these out by the end of the day,” I said as I stepped into the room. I didn’t say hi or ask how she was. I was all business. “This store needs to be ready to open on time.”
“Why don’t you just get Loren to help? I’m sure she’d be delighted.” Kendra’s voice was curt, and she refused to look at me.
“What did you say?” I asked in a stern tone.
“What is she, your girlfriend or something?”
“That’s hardly any of your business,” I responded, smiling to myself. I loved how upset she was over somebody as trivial as Loren. “And besides, I’m free to date anyone I want. I didn’t know I needed to run it by you?”
“You don’t. But how do you think she’ll feel if she found out about us the other night?”
My smile faded instantly. “That sounds like a threat,” I said, serious this time. “Don’t forget, I’m still your boss.”
“Oops, I forgot,” she snapped. She then stood up and made to walk past me through the door.
“And where are you going?” I asked, grabbing her by the arm again. As I did, I could feel her body tense up. She looked down at my hand, wrapped around her arm, with an expression of loathing.
“Brody,” she said. She then paused before letting a mischievous smile spread over her face. “He said he needed help in one of the VIP rooms. I’m going to go and make sure he has a handle on everything.” She pulled her arm from my grip, stepping out of the stock room and into the main part of the store.
I felt the blood run to my face as she walked away. And it wasn’t because she disrespected me. It was the mention of Brody and the way she spoke about him. Him wanting to fuck her, I could handle, but her flirting with him? There was no way I could let that take place. Not in my store.
“Hey,” I said, chasing after her. “Just so you know, there’s a new rule. No dating anyone from work. Starting today.”
She gave me a quizzical look before smirking to herself, turning back, and disappearing into the VIP room. Alone, I suddenly became aware of how stupid I had just made myself look. Any power that I may have asserted with Loren was instantly lost the moment I showed jealousy over Brody.
If she didn’t know how I felt before, she had to know now. How could I have been so stupid?
Chapter 12
Kendra
“All the chocolate products are melting.”
“The lights are out in booths two and three.”
“This kid claims he’s eighteen but I’m pret
ty sure his ID is fake. Can you take a look?”
And on and on it went.
It was the grand opening of Luscious, everything that could go wrong was going wrong.
It started with an electrical failure in the VIP section. I was the first to arrive that morning, opening the store and turning on all the lights. Unfortunately, as I was in such a rush to get everything ready, I didn’t even realize that the lights in booths two and three weren’t working. And more than that, the iPad attachments weren’t working either. By the time I was able to get through to the electrical company that hooked them all up, they told me it would be several hours before they would be able to come out and take a look.
That was the first problem. If that had been it, then maybe I would have been okay. But nothing was ever that simple.
Within an hour of the doors being open, the air conditioner stopped working. It was the middle of summer in New York, which meant that the days were peaking at a minimum of ninety degrees. The store itself was like a hot box, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the chocolate products had all begun to melt. Like the electrician, the air conditioner maintenance crew were going to take several hours to get out as well.
Surely, that had to be the last of the problems. Those two events had taken place within the first hour of the store being open, and I was sure that despite that, the rest of the day would still be a success. But the day just kept getting worse and worse.
It was the little things that got to me in the end. It was the school kids trying to steal sex toys. It was the pervert teenagers trying to pretend they were adults. It was the pervert adults leering at me and Selena, or standing in the corner and snickering. It was the couple I caught getting carried away with some of the gummy samplers. It was everything and everyone.
And it was all made worse by the fact that everything in the store reminded me of Grant. And every time I thought of Grant, I thought about his date with that Loren girl. And every time I thought of that, I felt physically ill.