Corrupt Love

by Cee Perkins

  And Corra...I would have hated myself if I’d slept with her and not remembered it. Not only because it’d be rude, but also because I’d really want to remember my first time.

  My first time. I felt so pathetic suddenly. And honestly, I didn’t know why it was suddenly important. I mean, I was a virgin in high school and didn’t feel this pathetic. I didn’t drink in college or party, and I didn’t feel so inadequate. So what’s changed? Was it losing Dad? Mack and Ryan both had said I needed to change? Or was it maybe just time?

  But I was so stuck this way that it was going to be so hard to change. And I did need to change. Over the last few days, I’d started to feel…lonely. I wanted to have companionship, and good grief this was weird, but I wanted to have someone else besides me sit on my couch and cook in my kitchen and maybe, just maybe, wake up in my bed with me?

  It seemed like such a difficult, long road to get there though. Even if I did have my tongue in Corra’s…um, area last night, I couldn’t have done that sober. And then there was Corra herself. She wasn’t at all the kind of woman I’d ever thought I’d be with, if I’d ever thought I’d be with anyone. She was brash and yeah, kind of slutty. I always thought if I were to be with a woman, she’d be the picture of class and modesty. She’d wear pearls under her collar, have perfectly styled hair, and certainly no tattoos. But for whatever reason, she’s the one I was drawn to.

  My phone beeped with a new message. Apparently, thinking of Corra conjured her.

  Unknown: so, about this dinner date…

  No capitalization? Shaking my head at myself, I typed back.

  Me: Yes?

  Unknown: could we maybe go tonight instead?

  Did something come up and tomorrow she can’t go? Or…is it possible that she just wanted to see me?

  Me: Sure. Where were you thinking?

  Unknown: the game room has a trivia tournament every saturday night. I know it’s where you and ryan go so I thought that might be a good place for us.

  I loved trivia. I loved that she considered my comfort. And I loved that she remembered where we officially met.

  Me: That sounds great. I love trivia. What time would you like to meet?

  Unknown: how about around 8? The tournament starts at 9 so that should give us time to eat

  Me: That sounds like a good plan. I’ll see you there at 8.

  Unknown: awesome. And dan?

  Me: Yeah?

  Unknown: maybe leave the top button of your shirt unbuttoned ;)

  I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Me: I’ll consider it.

  I programmed Corra’s number in my phone and thought about my mother. I hadn’t heard from her since I took her out for dinner a week ago, so I called her. It rang to voice mail, so with a worried sigh, I left her a brief message.

  “Hey, Mom. Just checking in. Call me back, please? I just want to know you’re alright. I love you.”

  Ending the call, I put the phone down on the table next to the couch. I hoped she was OK. I felt the anxiety welling up inside. Not knowing where Mom was caused a whole bunch of unwelcome assumptions and my mind started to run away with me. I should have brought her to stay with me.

  But…she still hadn’t asked me if I was OK.

  Corra

  I was determined to get Dan to open up and loosen up that night. This crap had gone on long enough, and I was tired of not having his dick between my legs. I had a sneaking suspicion that my off-the-wall concern for others last night stemmed from him. That shit don’t fly, homey.

  But how could I get from point A to point B? I supposed I was sort of at point B already, since I talked him into a date and got him naked the night before. So, I guessed I needed to get to point C?

  Why was I wasting time on this? I needed Dan’s dick. Who cared what point I was on?

  Bottom line, I wanted in his pants that night. Likely to happen? Mmm, probably not. Would I work for that goal anyway? Definitely.

  So there I was, sitting across from Dan in that sports bar, trying to sit close enough to him that my boobs brushed his arm every time I leaned over to fake reading the answers on the trivia device. Not surprising, he knew the answers. Not to toot my own flute or anything, but so did I. We made a great team, and we were in first place. Woo. I could die happy with this championship belt. Insert epic eye roll here. But Dan wasn’t taking the bait. I was trying my damnedest to flirt with him, down to pretending to absentmindedly trace my fingers along his neck. God, what would it take to get him to break?

  “So, Dan, tell me a little more about yourself. Do you have siblings? Speak to your parents? Have a secret D/s fantasy?” I asked, making Dan choke on his drink. “Sorry, I can be a little off the wall sometimes,” I said to make up for it. But really, I just wanted to see his reaction.

  Dan wiped his mouth and gave a little smile. “Ah, no siblings. I speak with my mom regularly, especially lately since my father passed away about a week ago and she doesn’t really have anyone now. She has…a gambling problem and if I don’t check in with her, she can go days without coming up for air.”

  “I’m really sorry to hear about your dad. Were you close to him?”

  “No, not really. I mean, we had a…tolerable relationship, but he was an alcoholic and sometimes couldn’t function beyond drinking. They gave me the best they could, what with their addictions, and I never wanted them to think I was ungrateful, so I tried to take care of them. Oh, and no D/s tendencies.”

  I felt my eyes burn, hearing Dan talk about his parents. What the fuck was wrong with me? They were addicts, but he still spoke of them like they were at least decent. I cocked my head, studying him as a thought occurred. His parents were addicts. They couldn’t have given him a stable upbringing. Is that why he was so rigid and uptight? Because he never wanted to live the life his parents did?

  “Um…Corra?” Dan was staring back at me, and I could actually see the insecurity in his eyes. I snapped out of my trance.

  “Yeah, sorry. What’s the next category?” I asked, wanting to sidestep the feelings I was feeling for Dan. I didn’t do feelings like this. Especially for Dan, who was so uptight, he could probably iron clothes with his butt cheeks. He was a conquest, nothing else. Jesus Christ.

  We got back to the game while munching on appetizers, trying to keep the conversation light. I’m not sure if Dan wasn’t interested in knowing anything about me or if he was too shy to ask, but he didn’t ask questions about me. Not even about what I did for a living. Regardless, I found that I was actually having fun with him. He was smart, which was not something I was used to. Normally, my hookups were dumb as rocks. It was easy to conquer the dumb ones, but with Dan being intelligent, I knew I wouldn’t be able to simply put my hand on his dick and lick my lips. Figuring out how to get around that hurdle would be just as fun as the rest of them, I think.

  When the final round had played and we won the game, we high-fived and sat back in our seats, sipping our drinks.

  “Now it’s your turn. Siblings? Parents? Secret society membership?” he finally asked.

  I grinned. “Yeah, I have parents. They’re great, still married after thirty-six years and two or three affairs. I have an older brother— you may have seen him last night, with the leather vest? Tall, blond, man bun?— that happened from my mom’s first affair. And I have a younger sister who’s a nurse, and a younger brother, who’s in college for software development. We’re a close family, even my dad and Salty. Hm. I never really thought about that before…my dad never treated Salty any differently than the rest of us.” I looked at Dan then and almost laughed at his expression. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He shook his head and looked down at the table. “You speak about your parents’ affairs like they’re no big deal. Is…monogamy, not something that’s important to you?”

  That drew me up short. I’d never had a relationship, so how could I really answer that? I mean...“Well, I suppose for them, it wasn’t a big deal because they knew they still lo
ved one another best. Even if they had sex outside of their marriage, they always knew they’d come home to each other. As for me, well, I’ve never been in a relationship, so I can’t honestly answer that question.”

  Dan’s head jerked up. “You’ve never had a boyfriend?”

  I shook my head. “Normally, I’m not interested in someone beyond one night.” Wow, that made me sound awful. Also, made me kind of a liar since meeting him. “You’re actually the first man I’ve had to work for and the first man to make me think the work is worth it.” And that was the damn truth of the matter. The whole crux of my situation, right? Dan didn’t fit my normal, which made me want to pursue him. He was definitely the first to make me think that way.

  “Are you serious?” I looked at Dan and realized he wasn’t being rude or accusing. It was genuine disbelief. “Me? You see me, right? My baggage not only has compartments but also its own separate cargo ship,” he said, then clapped his hands over his mouth like he couldn’t believe he’d said that.

  “Dan…yes, I’m serious. And yes, I do see you, and I know you have issues. But,” I paused so I could say this carefully, “everyone has something about them that makes them unique, even hard to deal with sometimes. Shit, even my siblings find me hard to deal with sometimes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can be kind of an asshole. It’s what gives us personality. And maybe I’m crazy, but my personality thinks your personality is the bee’s knees.” God, I could be such a sap.

  Dan chuckled, a slight blush across his cheeks. “Well…my personality is starting to think that your personality is the cat’s pajamas.”

  So corny. So cute.

  We both knew the date was winding down, so we started sipping our drinks slowly. I didn’t want to leave. I really did like Dan, as a human, not just a dick attached to a virginal body anymore. Ugh, the man had exclusive reservations for one at my pussy table and now I had suddenly decided that maybe I wanted to date him. Sex had never been made second on my priority list when it came to men, nor had it ever been exclusive to one man.

  And yet.

  I couldn’t muster up the desire to find a one-nighter, despite the fact that, I was so horny a sideways wind would make me come. And I knew for Dan to be ready to touch me, he needed to be comfortable with me. He’s not ready yet. And for once in my god damned life, I wanted to be patient. For him.

  I looked up from my drink swirling to find Dan’s eyes on me. He was looking at me like…like he was willing to take a chance. He was looking at me like he wanted me. Was it suddenly hot in there?

  He cleared his throat, licked his lips— God, Karma, why are you trying to be funny now— and said, “Corra—”

  “Y’all guys ready for your tab? I’ll just leave it right here and pick it up whenever you’re ready,” the waitress with the worst timing ever said. I’d never wanted to kill someone so badly and I wasn’t even being offered any money. I glared up at her and said, “ Fuck off, lady.”

  Dan stared at me for a minute and then pulled out his wallet before I grabbed the little book with the ticket inside. “Nope. I asked you out, I pay. You ask me out next time, k?” I asked, sending him my best smile.

  He looked like he was going to argue, but instead chuckled at the last minute. “OK, Corra, would you like to go out with me Tuesday night? There’s this one thing I do every month, and Tuesday is the day.”

  I slipped my card in the book and held it up for the waitress, who reluctantly walked over and cautiously took the book. “I’d really like that. What are we going to do?”

  This time, Dan sent me his best smile. “It’s a surprise,” he said, “but you don’t have to dress up or anything.”

  Hm. “Ok, I’ll let you keep your secrets.”

  We stood and started to walk out, and Dan did that thing men do when they like the woman they’re with— he placed his hand on the small of my back. When we cleared the doors, he stepped up beside me and offered me his arm. Such a gentleman. I wondered how well I could play the part of a lady?

  I took his arm with a small smile and he led me to my car. He even opened my car door for me. But before I got in, Dan touched my arm. “I had a really good time with you, Corra.”

  “Good, because I want to have more time with you.”

  He stepped closer and leaned in, placing his hands on my waist. He searched my eyes for permission, and I leaned in to meet him. He pressed his lips to mine gently, then backed up, looking at the ground and blushing. I put my hands on both sides of his head and turned his face up to me, smiled, and kissed him again with no hesitation. His hands tightened on my waist and I let my tongue slip out to trace his lips. He sucked in a breath, then wrapped his arms around me, letting his tongue tangle with mine. I felt him everywhere, from the ends of my hair where his arms were wrapped around me to the tips of my toes that were tingling, and back to my thighs where I could feel his cock swollen in his pants. He was so unpracticed and fuck if that didn’t feel good, for him to trust me enough to be vulnerable.

  Shut the fuck up, Corra. It’s a goddamn kiss, not a fucking orgasm.

  He broke first, this time looking into my eyes as he licked his lips and smiled again. “Let me know you got home safe?” he said, his voice smooth and low in my ears.

  “OK,” I answered, breathless.

  He stepped back and helped me into my car, then closed my door and waved before walking away.

  Son of a bitch how did he get my panties this wet with a fucking kiss? Tuesday wouldn’t come quick enough.

  Chapter 11

  Dan

  “Mom, it’s me again. Just…trying to get in touch. Wanted to see how you are doing, ah…give me a callback, please? I’ll try to drop by tonight after work. I love you, Mom.” I ended the call and pocketed my phone as I walked into my building up to my cubicle. This was the fifth unanswered phone call since last Wednesday, and I was starting to worry. I knew she was at the casino a couple of weeks ago, but surely her bender couldn’t have been this long? Maybe she was home and passed out on the couch. I’d go by there and see.

  Since Jason’s unfortunate end last week, our department had been in sort of a suspended state. No replacement had been named, and I had the ridiculous hope that maybe I could be considered. I was still working on the file I was given from Alaina, and I’d found several mistakes that had resulted in the client having gains in excess of $10k last quarter. I composed an email to my supervisor to inform him…and promptly realized my supervisor was no longer with us. Well, shoot. Who did I go to now?

  I decided to email the client directly. It was a simple email explaining what I’d found and asking the client how they’d like to proceed. Then, I put the account aside and filed it in the back of my mind.

  I worked throughout the morning and after lunch, I checked my email. There was a response from Walker Investments, Inc., the client with the mistakes. The response was a simple, “Have Jason review the numbers. There are no mistakes there.” No thank you, no “hey, glad you caught that!” and now I had to tell them that Jason is not able to review the account.

  I composed another email, this one explaining the implications of what I found and why Jason couldn’t review the numbers.

  Dear Mr. Walker,

  Unfortunately, Mr. Simons passed away last week unexpectedly. Therefore, he will not be able to review the numbers. However, if you would like a copy of what I have found, I can go over it with you. The numbers were run from the paperwork we received from your headquarters. We could set up a time to sit down together if you’d like so I can show you the discrepancies.

  Thank you,

  Dan Smith

  I hoped Mr. Walker would get back to me soon because I didn’t want him to face an audit under our company’s guidance.

  I hadn’t heard back from Mr. Walker by the time I left for the day. Oh, well, I’d try to talk to Jason’s boss the next day. After closing down my station for the day, it occurred to me that I could have asked Alaina what she’d found when she re
viewed the file.

  “Hey, Alaina, can I talk to you for a second?” I asked her as she grabbed her purse from her drawer.

  “Sure, what’s up?” she asked with a faint smile.

  “The Walker account— how far into those files did you get?”

  Her brows furrowed before she answered, “I didn’t. Jason gave me the file at the end of the day before he told us to switch. Why? Is something wrong with it?”

  “The numbers just are not adding up. The books show $10,000 less than the receipts.”

  Alaina’s brow wrinkled even more. “That’s odd.”

  “It sure is. But I think I’ll just look over it again tomorrow, maybe try a finer-toothed comb, you know?”

  She stood and began walking. I fell into step next to her, heading to the elevator. “That’s probably a good idea. I think Jason was working on that one himself just before he gave it to me. It’s possible he missed some things. You might want to look in his office as well to see if he left any receipts in there.”