“Smarting.”
“I love your sense of humor.”
“Thank you, Sir. I’m fond of it as well.”
He fisted her hair and pulled, forcing her to meet his gaze. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, but it only made the green of her irises stand out more. She was beautifully disheveled. “Let’s get one thing clear, Sugar. I won’t put up with you denouncing our relationship. This isn’t meaningless sex, and I may not be your Master yet, but I will be one day when we’re both ready to take that step.”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“And I am your boyfriend. You’re mine, Sugar, and I’m yours. I may not know your name, but I know your heart, and I’ll never let you hide that from me.”
“Good luck, Sir. I sincerely wish you success.”
He laughed, though it wasn’t funny. She’d built some thick walls that he had to penetrate. He had every confidence he’d succeed. “To that end, I propose a compromise. Every Thursday night, you get to ask one question that I must answer with complete honesty, and I get to ask you one in return.”
She blinked. “Tonight is Thursday.”
“It sure is.” If she agreed to this, then she was agreeing to tell him things she’d sworn not to reveal. He waited while she mulled it over.
“No. It’s just going to piss you off when you ask me things you know I can’t answer.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
“Both.” She winced as she sat up to rest her hands on his shoulders, but when she looked into his eyes, he recognized her silent plea. “David, in a month or six weeks, you’ll be gone and we’ll never see each other again. It’s not worth the hassle. Can’t we just enjoy our time together?”
“If I swore not to press you for your real name, would you agree?”
That stopped her. “I—Yes.”
“Great. You can go first.”
She hadn’t expected that. “I probably should get dressed for this.”
“No. You don’t get to wear clothes until tomorrow morning when I say you can get dressed for work.” Clothes were a type of armor, and he wasn’t going to allow her to backslide when they’d made such progress.
“Okay. Um…Why do you hate Mr. Calder so much?”
Shocked, David’s mind went blank, and he tried to stall for time. “What? Why would you think I hate him?”
Her mouth turned down. “This is honesty? I’m neither blind nor stupid. I’ve seen you with him, and I’ve heard you talk about him. You respect him, yes, but you also hate him. Not merely dislike, you outright hate him. If you don’t answer honestly and truthfully, then I won’t either.”
He exhaled hard. She didn’t pull her punches, even when she didn’t know what a sore spot she’d hit. He ran a hand through his hair. “He’s my father. Before last week, I hadn’t seen or talked to him in thirteen years.”
Her lips parted in shock, but otherwise she held it together well. “Go on.”
“Growing up, he was a bastard. He was controlling and mean. Nothing I ever did was good enough. If I hit a home run in Little League, he screamed at me for not getting a grand slam. If I brought home a B on a report card, I hadn’t tried hard enough. If I got perfect scores, then the class was too easy. As I got older, I started arguing back, and the things he said got worse. He criticized everything I did. I don’t remember a single encouraging thing he said to me or an accomplishment that he told me he was proud of. My mom used to run interference. She’d calm him down and make me feel like I wasn’t a worthless piece of shit. He was a different person with her. She made living there bearable. She got sick my senior year of high school, and she passed away when I was eighteen. I quit college and joined the military, cut all ties with Bill Calder. I even changed my name. Eastridge was my mother’s maiden name.”
She cupped his face, and fresh tears tracked down her cheeks. “But you came back when he needed you.”
“Because I promised my mother on her deathbed that I’d be here when he got in trouble. He called, asking for my help, and I came to fulfill a promise. Nothing more. I’ve been very clear about that with him. Once I figure out where that money is, that’s it. My debt is paid, and I’ll never look back.” He wiped away the tears she shed on his behalf. “I trust you to keep that information to yourself.”
She nodded. “I was wrong. You don’t hate him. You just don’t know how to love him.”
“He’s not loveable.” David grasped her wrists and held her hands while he kissed her palms. “Your turn, Sugar.”
“You’re really going to call me that, aren’t you?”
“You bet your sweet ass.”
“But not when other people are around.”
“Especially when other people are around, and when they ask why I call you that, I’ll tell them all about your very red, sweet ass.”
“You’re flirting with a sexual harassment lawsuit.”
“Nah. You’d have to put your legal name on the complaint.” He squeezed her sensitized flesh until she gasped. “I want to know who you go see at Sunshine Acres.”
She sighed. “I knew you’d ask that. My sister, Summer. She was driving when we got into the accident that tore my shoulder up, but she was hurt worse. She’s been in a coma for three years. I visit every day.”
Some of that he already knew, and he suspected that Summer was her sister, not an elderly relative. Of course, he couldn’t ask about the discrepancy. “Go on.”
Her sad smile made his heart constrict. “She wakes up every few weeks, never for more than a minute or two. Whenever she does, she’s terrified. When I’m there and she hears my voice, she calms down. Every time her eyes open, I hope it’s permanent.”
He threaded his fingers through hers, holding her hand to let her know he was there for her. “She woke up last night, didn’t she? That’s why you were crying when you called.”
She sniffled but didn’t cry. “Yeah. Julianne was there. She’s Summer’s friend. That’s how I met her—she showed up at the hospital after the accident.”
“And she helped you get a job at CalderCo. Does she know you’re not who you say you are?” And, obviously, her sister’s real name wasn’t Summer Sullivan.
“I’ve never said it wasn’t my name. That’s your thing.”
“You’ve existed for six years.”
“So you say.”
“When I run the name Summer Sullivan, what will I find?”
“A woman in a coma.” She nibbled his lower lip. “If you’re very nice to me, I’ll take you to see her.”
“I spanked you when you really needed it. That was nice.”
She loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. “You know what would be even nicer?”
“What?” He cupped her breasts, holding one in each hand.
“If you were as naked as I am.” She tugged off his belt. “You might try using this for discipline next time. You might get faster results.”
“Thanks for the critique.”
She froze, staring at him with wide eyes. “David, I don’t mean it as a critique. Those things I said when I was upset—I didn’t mean them. The names I called you—Did I go too far?”
“No.” He grasped the sides of her head and kissed her with all the tenderness in his heart. “I knew what you were doing, Sugar, even if you didn’t. You were pushing me because you needed the punishment, and SAMing is your way of making sure you get it. Instead of asking for it harder, you called me a dickhead.”
“You’re okay with that?”
“Context, Sugar. We were in a scene. If you started spewing that shit now, I’d rethink the healthiness of this relationship.” The fact that she was so concerned spoke volumes. He eased her so that she was lying on her back, and he covered her body with his. He touched her face and hair, and he reveled in the fragile trust and adoration in her gaze. They’d both shared something intimate, personal, and close to their hearts. David recognized the danger in what he was feeling for this woman who was not who she claimed to be.
<
br /> But he didn’t think of that as he made love to her.
Chapter Nine
“Where you going?” David rolled over, but he didn’t open his eyes.
Autumn didn’t think he was quite awake, and it was a too early to make him get up for work. She didn’t sleep well in strange places. Growing up, she’d moved around a lot, and it had always taken her at least a week to adjust. Her father used to rub her back and sing to her until she drifted off. Summer, on the other hand, could sleep anywhere, anytime, and in virtually any position.
“Bathroom.” She whispered so that she didn’t jolt him out of his semi-sleep state. He didn’t respond, so she figured she was successful. The room in question was larger than her bedroom, and when she saw the luxurious shower, she didn’t have the will to resist.
David came in after she’d finished shampooing her hair. “You said you were going to the bathroom.” He sounded like a boy whose blankie had been stolen during the night for a clandestine meeting with the washing machine.
“I’m still here.” She smiled into the spray. “The shower said, ‘Psst. Autumn, check me out. I’m big and sexy, and I have more than one massaging head.’ I was powerless to resist.”
The door opened, bringing chilly air with it, and David joined her. His impressive erection already wore a condom. “And my dick said, ‘Gimme more of that sweet Sugar.’ He has a crush on your pussy, and he was very disappointed that she wasn’t waiting for him when he got up.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and hauled her against him for a kiss. The other hand spread her pussy lips and massaged her clit.
Autumn had already been thinking about David and his magic touch, so she was wet. “Well, it’s a good thing my pussy has decided she gets off on hugging your dick. I say we get those crazy kids together and see what happens.”
“Turn around. Brace yourself on the wall.”
The moment she turned, she felt his hands on her hips, tilting her to the angle he wanted. He entered her with slow jabs, sliding deeper each time.
“Play with your clit. This is going to be quick and dirty, and I want to hear you come.” His thighs pressed to hers, he pumped into her with graceless, frantic strokes. Fortunately, he’d found her sweet spot.
“Holy shit, Sir. Right there. Oh. My. God. Please don’t stop.” Her fingers kept time with his sloppy rhythm, and in minutes, a hard climax convulsed through her pussy, squeezing his cock and forcing his orgasm.
He fell forward, collapsing partially against her and the rest of the way against the marble tile. Marble—in a shower. He took a few moments to gather his wits, and then he sat on the bench along the far wall with his eyes closed. “Sub, you woke up too damn early. Wash me.”
“You can go back to bed.”
“That’s the plan—after you wash me. Don’t be bratty, Sugar. You’ll just earn another punishment.”
Autumn removed his condom, and then she took a detachable shower head to rinse his body before wetting his hair. After that, she took a break to put conditioner in hers. She liked to let it soak in for a while. As she shampooed his hair, his eyes opened, and he stared at her breasts.
“There’s nothing like a spectacular pair of tits in your face first thing in the morning.”
“I don’t like that word.”
“Morning? I’m not a huge fan either, but this kind of makes up for it.”
“Tits. It’s an ugly word. Boobs, breasts, knockers, rack—those are acceptable terms.”
Confusion wrinkled his forehead and chin. “Let me get this straight: You’re okay with knockers and rack, but not with tits? What’s the difference?”
“It’s too close to teats, and animals have those.”
“Gotcha. Have I mentioned that you have a fantastic rack? I didn’t get to play with them much last night. I’ll make up for it tonight.” He closed his eyes while she rinsed away the shampoo suds, and then he pulled her onto his lap.
She thought he might try to play with her boobs, but he just hugged her to him. She relaxed and let the warm water wash over her skin. He was truly a wonderful man. How had she managed to be so lucky?
After the shower, she tried to get dressed while he shaved, but he stopped her. “You stay naked until I tell you to get dressed. There’s plenty of time before we have to leave for work.”
“But I’m going to need you to take me home so I can get my car.”
“We work at the same place. I’ll drive.”
“I go see Summer every day after work.”
“I’ll take you there. You said I could meet her.”
That was going to be awkward. Her time with Summer was marked by unlimited topics of conversation. It had been that way before the coma, and Autumn hadn’t changed a thing just because Summer couldn’t respond. “Today might not be the best day. I haven’t told her that you were coming.”
The buzz of the electric shaver stopped. He checked his chin in the mirror, but he didn’t appear troubled. “If you’re not ready for us to meet, then I’ll take you home after work so you can get your car. If it’s still there and in one piece.”
“You’ve seen it. If anything, the boys bring me spare parts I might find useful. One time, they surprised me by putting a new bumper on the rear.”
He donned pants and a shirt, which made her feel extra naked, and he looked at her strangely. “You do realize the part was probably stolen.”
It wouldn’t be the first stolen item in her possession. “Who would come looking for it?”
Shaking his head, he led her to the kitchen, where he made cheese omelets and bacon. Nothing made a day better than starting off with bacon. He sipped coffee as he munched. “Are you busy tomorrow afternoon?”
“Probably. My boyfriend’s dick has a crush on my pussy, so we’ll probably help them get together at some point.”
He laughed. “I like that idea. I have tickets to see the Tigers play. Would you like to go?”
“Sure. I’ve never seen a baseball game. I heard they were boring, but with you around, I’m sure it won’t be.”
“Boring?” He sputtered. “Whoever the hell said that doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”
“My dad did. He wasn’t much of a sports fan.” To be fair, he had been an avid sports fan. He loved trolling outside venues for easy marks. Baseball and hockey games were where Autumn had perfected her pickpocket skills. She just hadn’t ever been inside.
He perked up at the mention of her father. “Your dad? I don’t think I’ve heard you mention him before.”
Waves of sadness washed over her. “He died. Same accident that put Summer in a coma. We were very close, like you and your mom.”
He reached under the table and closed his hand around hers. “I’m sorry, Sugar. I didn’t mean to malign your father.”
“You didn’t.” She attempted a smile to lighten the moment. “He was always chasing adventure, and so he found many things boring. Growing up, we never had a television for very long because, as Dad liked to say, life was for living, not watching.”
“He sounds like a great guy.”
Autumn gave him points for trying. “Mostly, yeah. But I’m not blind to his faults. During the winter, a TV somehow always found a way into our living room. I’m looking forward to the game. What time should I be here?”
The look on his face said she might never leave, and it made her feel warm inside. For the past three years, Autumn had led a cautious life. She made sure that her work and personal lives were separate. The only person at work who knew anything about her personal life was Julianne, and Julianne knew not to say anything. She was the kind of friend who didn’t come around very often—the kind who respected confidences even when she didn’t understand the reasons for keeping them.
Autumn had resisted making friends at work. She’d shut out friendly overtures, though she’d done it with maximum charm and professionalism so that people still liked to work with her. Some might call her manipulative, and they’d be right, but she didn’t us
e her powers for evil. She used them to maintain privacy and a positive work environment. Things were going so well with David that she felt like she was ready to open herself to more people and new experiences. And remembering what her father had liked to say about living life also motivated her.
Of course, he was also the one who had taught her to be cautious about what she said and who she said it to. Until now, she’d taken that as a directive to keep people at arm’s length. Reconsidering that strategy brought a smile to her face. Julianne was a friend who had no idea about the less honest aspects of her life. Why couldn’t she have more than one female friend?
Today, she had lunch with Julianne as she frequently did. The round tables in the lunchroom fit at least six people, so they were rarely alone. This time, as their table filled up, Autumn smiled and greeted each person. It was amazing how that one gesture could jump start a conversation. Even Stephanie Ceichelski, who normally affected a holier-than-thou attitude that rankled Autumn’s nerves, didn’t bother her today. And as she chatted with the woman, the attitude disappeared.
After lunch, she walked with Julianne to the acquisitions department. “Are you going tonight?”
“Briefly.” Julianne smiled shyly. “I have a date. It’s a second date. I didn’t want to say anything, but I’m excited. Autumn, do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a second date?”
“Eleven months. There was the guy who took you to a concert, so you felt obligated to agree to a follow-up dinner date even though he yelled obscenities through the whole concert.” Remembering how appalled Julianne had been, Autumn laughed.
“It was a Kelly Clarkson concert. We were surrounded by kids, and he kept yelling, ‘Fuck, yeah!’ I was embarrassed.” Even thinking about it brought color to Julianne’s cheeks. “Anyway, it’s been a while. This one isn’t a pity date. We went ice skating, and we had a great time.”
“Ice skating? It’s summer.”
“Indoor rink. They have those. The one we went to apparently has a bunch of Olympic ice dancers or pairs skaters that practice there. Who knew?”
Autumn knew. It was one of those trivia items that somehow lodged in her memory in the place where something important should go. “What is his name?”
Re/Leased (Doms of the FBI Book 5) Page 12
