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Whipping around, I stared at him, but he didn’t look at me. Instead, he glared at the computer screen. His apartment? That would mean seeing him outside of work. Not that this was really a work thing, whatever the fuck we were doing right now. I bit my lip.
“It’ll be all night, soon,” he said casually, then glanced up at me. There was something in his eyes, something vicious, that made my heart beat faster. “And I do mean that I’ll work you to the bone there,” he growled out. “You don’t deserve any rest.”
His tone and the hardness of his jaw sent pins and needles racing over my skin. Curling forward with a hand on my abs, I gasped as bliss pooled in my groin and my cock throbbed. Precum leaked from my tip in a big enough gush that I felt it cooling on my boxers, and it would take less than nothing to get me off.
“Don’t you dare touch it,” he whispered, staring holes through me. We both knew what he was talking about.
I rushed for the door but stopped with my hand on the knob, resting my forehead against the cool wood.
“You’ll be spending all week after work making up for this,” he said casually. “Go do what I told you to do.”
“Yes, Sir,” I muttered. I should’ve told him to go fuck himself, but instead I slunk out of his office and refused to look anyone in the eye as I collected the bucket and toothbrush out of the cleaning closet and made my way outside into a boiling summer day.
4
ALBION
Despite enjoyingthe sight of little Wade Lee Sawyer licking my shoes, I had rules that I followed. Consent was something I never played without, even if I’d already dipped into a very gray area with Wade. Hatred in rough play was dangerous and could take the consensual fun of power play and turn it into something darker.
Abuse.
Iwasn’tthat type of Dom.
When the end of the day came around, I grabbed my briefcase and a piece of paper I’d written on earlier, nodded at Annie on the way out, and found Wade still outside in the burning Louisiana sun, his skin flushed and sweaty as he scrubbed at the stoop in front of the door. It appeared as though he’d done it numerous times because the cement looked brand new, and I couldn’t help but be a little impressed with his effort. The boring gray brick building would, ironically, never win any design awards, but now it was a bit improved.
He sat back on his knees, white undershirt soaked under his armpits and around his neck, and he wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. He panted, swallowing as I stopped in front of him. His lips were chapped, and sunburn made his pale cheeks slightly pinker. Part of me felt a tiny bit guilty.
I blinked at him. “Go inside and get some rest and a drink of water after I’m done speaking,” I said, and he nodded immediately in response, so easily agreeable. The submission was both irritating and entirely too attractive. “Listen to me, Shoelicker.”
He tensed and dropped the brush he had in his hand into the bucket of water before laying his palms on his thighs. He really did look every bit a sub, waiting for his Dom’s next demands.
“I’m going to go home right now, and I’m giving you a choice. I don’t like you and I never will. Traitors are nothing but pieces of shit in my book. I don’t trust you, and if I could pawn you off to some other sucker, I would.” Probably not so true now, but I didn’t mention that. I straightened my back and gripped my briefcase handle tighter. “The next thing that happens is your choice. You can go home, shower, andprepareyourself before coming to my apartment, where I will do anything I damned well please to you after discussing a safe word.Or, you can go home and stay there. In that scenario, you will come to work tomorrow, and we will never speak of this again.” I held out the piece of paper to him with my home address, and he took it hesitantly. “But if you come to my place tonight, Sawyer, I will have complete control over you. We will sign our own contract about our personal affairs, one that you will participate in because I’m not risking you turning around and accusing me of inappropriate workplace conduct?—”
“I wouldn’t,” Wade whispered, eyes wide. He snapped his mouth closed when I held up a hand, annoyed at his interruption.
“You will sign this contract if you want what I have to offer. When you’ve had enough of it, you will have a safe phrase you may use. But we will discuss all this if you choose to come to my apartment tonight.” I simply nodded at him. “Now get off your knees and go get a drink of water and freshen up. You stink.”
Scrunching my nose at him, I spun on my heel and stalked toward my Ford Raptor. All black, my vehicle was one possession I loved more than anything else in the world. I’d originally bought the Ford for my dad, and it was the first thing I’d ever bought him after making my own money, but he’d died a month later. His death was four years ago, but it felt like a million years since I’d seen his face. My heart still ached from the grief of losing my best friend. He’d raised me after Mom passed away from an aneurysm, and it was through him I’d learned to be proud of who I was.
Fuck.I pushed the thought of him out of my head. The only thing I should be thinking about was Wade and what I was going to do to him if he actually showed his face at my apartment.
As soon as I got home, I thought about making a mess just so Wade could clean it, which was silly because I couldn’t stand my place being anything less than perfect. So, I didn’t do a damned thing. Instead, I headed for the shower, then shaved until my chin and jaw were smooth before spritzing myself with cologne. I walked into the bedroom in only my towel and opened my closet, picking out something simple to wear. I had no intention of trying to impress Wade or force an attraction to me. Either he came crawling to me tonight or he didn’t.
I slipped on a pair of tan chino shorts and a white Henley, then walked out of my bedroom to my living room. Grumbling under my breath about whether or not I was an idiot—I was leaning towardyes—I went to my office and brought out the contract, then put it on my dining room table along with a pen.
There, now I was ready.
My apartment wasn’t the penthouse, but it sat two stories from the top of one of the tallest residential buildings in St. Loren. Even as a one bedroom with a small office, my place still cost a pretty penny, but as far as I was concerned, it was worth every dollar. Painted varying shades of gray with few personal touches, my home resembled a display apartment rather than something lived in, and that was how I liked it.
I’d always hated creating attachments, whether it was to people or possessions. The only belonging Itrulyconsidered something I would keep forever was the Ford. My ex used to accuse me of being emotionally stunted, which was nothing short of amusing. I’d warned him from the start I wasn’t interested in anything but sex and playing. He’d left me eight months after we’d met, and if he’d expected me to follow him, he’d have been sorely disappointed. I saw him sometimes at Club K with another Dom. He always shot me a smug smile, as though I was missing him and this was my punishment, and it always entertained me.
He was right in a lot of ways. Iwasemotionally unavailable and had been since I’d lost my best friend and dad. I’d also seen the way Dad walked through life like a ghost after Mom’s death. Loving someone meant getting hurt bad, and I refused to let that happen to me.
Rolling my shoulders, I glanced around myhumbleabode. This was me. Cold and impressive and immaculate, and if Wade came in and didn’t like it.... Well, he could leave. I had no intention of keeping the rat anyway. It was all for fun.
I rested on my powder gray leather couch and crossed my legs. I picked up my phone, but it stayed boringly quiet, and I sighed in response. I’d already made up my mind that I would give Wade until 8:00 p.m., and if he didn’t show up, then he’d made his decision.
To keep myself occupied, I texted Massimo.
