“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Noah?” I teased, my gaze caught by the steel filing cabinet where I could lay my art flat. Perfect.
“Never enough times for it to actually work.” He grinned at me and it was a sight I welcomed. Now that Alton and I were dating seriously, Antoine had relaxed. He smiled more, and there was something calmer about his attitude. I liked this version of him.
A whine had us both turning, and I grinned at the three dogs and one cat that wandered into the room. Cheshire, the ginger cat with confidence that only a feline could have, was the leader of our small pack, and he pranced at the front of their ragtag parade everywhere they went. Where he blazed a trail, the three dogs followed. There was another cat in the mix, too, but Luna was more independent and came out when she wanted food or cuddles.
Brutus, in particular, always trailed after another animal, excited he had new brothers and sisters. After I’d adopted him, Bo and Peaches joined our canine family. Bo was a mixed breed but had a husky appearance. Like Brutus he had one eye and was part of an animal fighting ring. Jonas, the animal-shelter assistant, called me as soon as he came in, very sure that Bo wouldn’t find a home soon. He was still beautiful, but Jonas said his shyness would put people off.
Peaches wasmostlya German shepherd, but she was completely blind. She’d come into the shelter with Cheshire, and they were both strays. Jonas had said it was like Cheshire guided her around and helped her find her way, and he was right. I’d seen it firsthand. The ginger cat grabbed Peaches’ leash in his mouth and showed her where to go. That’s how Cheshire became our first cat. Of course, that only made me love felines even more, and I was lost to the temptation of getting another one—and then there was Luna, with her stumpy feet and scarred body where some asshole had poured hot liquid over her. As far as I was concerned, those cruel bastards would rot in hell.
It was a whirlwind of adoptions, and Alton could do nothing but offer me a home for them while hiring another staff member to solely take care of the animals. If I didn’t already love Alton, I would have after that. He was helping me build my own imperfect but perfect animal sanctuary.
“What are you doing?” I cooed, bounding over to the animal troop and getting to my knees. I rubbed Brutus’s knobby ear and went down the line, giving them each a scratch and a kiss on the head, even Cheshire, who was less than impressed. “Look at my babies.”
Antoine snorted and huffed. “Bailey should be here soon to take them for a walk.”
He was referring to our new staff member, who got paid a lot to take care of them. As far as I was concerned, that was the perfect job. If I didn’t want to be an artist, I would want to take care of pets.
“Did you hear that?” I murmured to them, going down the line for more scratches. “Your best friend, Bailey, will be here for walkies.”
“Oh God. You and those animals.” There was a lightness to his voice, and I threw a grin over my shoulder at him. “The boss is waiting for you in his office. He wants to know what you think about your studio.”
“Really?” An idea formed in my head. If Alton wanted to know what I really thought about it, I’d show him. Rising, I turned to Antoine and gave him the sweetest look I had in my arsenal. “Can you do me a favor?”
He blinked at me. “What?”
I laughed nervously, my cheeks growing hot. “Can you make sure the staff who are still here are preoccupied so they don’t disturb us?”
He pressed his lips together and I thought he was trying not to laugh. “It’s four in the afternoon, sir. Most will be going home soon, and Bailey will be walking the animals while Tucker’s cooking dinner. But yes, I will make sure everyone stays away from the office.”
I nodded, giving him a nervous half smile, before I rushed out of the room and upstairs towardourbedroom. All my belongings were already packed away into my walk-in closet, including the special underwear I’d kept with me, and the jewelry Alton had bought me before we divorced—as well as the extravagant gems he’d used to try to win me back. As soon as I entered the room I went to the attached bathroom and had a quick shower, and when I came out I dressed in one of the prettiest pairs of underwear I had—lacy red lingerie withrealsilver trim—and grabbed out the jewelry. I draped myself in the finest treasures Alton had given me, accenting my underwear with the rubies he’d bought before we’d divorced. By the time I was done, I glittered in Alton’s wealth, including the tennis bracelet I never took off.
I grabbed a red silk robe and headed to the office. I stopped in front of the door, knocking lightly. It didn’t take long before I heard Alton giving permission for me to enter, and I opened the door, stepping over the threshold. It took him a few seconds to look up from his work, but when he did, he froze, gaze sliding down my robed body and back up again.
“Hi.” He smirked and leaned back in his chair, palms flat against the black armrests.
“Hey.” I closed the door gently behind me with asnickand locked it. When I turned back to him, his eyes grew darker, tongue slicing across his lips hungrily. “I came to tell you how much I loved the studio.”
“Yeah?” His voice dipped a notch, and the Texan drawl came out a touch more. “How much?”
I slid my hands over my belly and to the tie that held the robe together. I tugged at it and it came undone, then slid the material off my shoulders, leaving me in nothing but the jewelry and lingerie. “This much.”
“Fuck.” He let out a long breath and sat back, the chair dipping slightly as he did another once-over of my body. His cheeks turned a ruddy red, dousing his freckles until they were nearly invisible.
“You always said you wanted to see me dressed up in your jewelry. Here I am, all for you. Yours.” I spun on the spot showing off the belly chain that curved around my stomach and sat on my waist, and when I faced him again, I slowly moved toward him.
He watched me, his eyes trained on my hips as I put an extra sway into the way I walked until I was in front of him, sliding onto his lap. He grasped my sides, holding me tight as I dragged my lingerie-clad ass over his crotch, my hands dancing over his chest and to his shoulders.
He held me tighter, fingernails digging into the skin above my waistband, and he leaned forward, dragging kiss after kiss over my neck. I shuddered under his lips and closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation of his hot mouth on my skin. He drank me in like I was his drug, his addiction, and when he kissed up to my jaw, I moaned.
“You’re mine,” he whispered, all growly in the way I liked to hear him. “Fuckin’mine.”
“Show me,” I whispered. My cock was already hard, pushing at the constraints of my flimsy underwear, ready to break free. Heat swirled in the pit of my stomach and my skin felt alive with excited prickles. “Show me how much I’m yours, while I show you how much I love my studio.”
He dragged me in for a rough kiss, his stubble scratching my chin. He tasted like a hint of gin, and it only made me crave him more. I couldn’t get enough of him, and now that we were dating like normal people, he treated me right and still spoiled me and made others aware I was his. The media didn’t know what to make of it, but we didn’t care what they thought. We only needed each other.
He broke the kiss and my gaze slid to the drawers of his desk. I couldn’t help it. A stupid part of me wanted to look inside, to see what he’d done with those cards from the Courtesan. As though he knew what I was thinking, he smirked and leaned down to open the one I knew had held the cards before. They were gone, as was the flashlight.
“Never again, little mouse.”
