Ben From Accounting (Office Gentlemen Book 1)

by Sophie Stern

  “Being above average isn’t appropriate? Why, I thought we were all supposed to do our very best.”

  “You know what I mean…” Her voice trails off.

  “No, I’m afraid that I don’t, Miss Cherry. Why don’t you explain it to me? Are you implying that I should lower the caliber of my abilities?”

  “Well, no, but…but that’s not what you meant! We both know you were talking about your…about your…”

  “About my?”

  “About your…” She nods her head toward my crotch, and now I’m the one acting shocked.

  “Why, Miss Cherry!” I hold my hand to my mouth. “Are you insinuating that I was discussing the size of my cock? With a woman I’ve only just met? How low is your opinion of me?”

  She blushes furiously, and the bright red of her face contrasts with the blonde of her hair. She’s got very pale skin and it reddens beautifully, brightening. I can only imagine what the rest of her will look like when it’s red. Would Alice’s bottom turn a beautiful shade of pink when paddled? What if I used a flogger? Would her creamy thighs turn red for me?

  I’m hard at the thought, and I hope she doesn’t look at my crotch again, or she’ll definitely notice. There’s no way for me to discreetly adjust myself here in the small elevator, so I simply stand still, staring straight ahead, saying nothing as we move.

  Eventually, the doors to the 8th floor open and we exit the elevator. Natasha looks up at us and her jaw drops, but she’s on the phone and can’t say anything to Alice. Good enough because right now, Alice is all mine. I show her down the hallway, past the offices, and to the conference room at the end of the hall.

  “Here we are,” I tell her.

  She looks at the room and then back at me, as if she can’t quite believe I’ve brought her to the proper place. What kind of girl is Alice Cherry that she’s so suspicious of people and their motivations? I can’t tell if no one has ever been nice to her before or if she’s just cautious around men.

  “Here we are,” she repeats. “Thank you, Ben. It was nice of you to show me the way.”

  “Anything for you,” I tell her, and then I turn and walk away, striding down the hall. I can feel her eyes on the back of me, but I don’t stop, I don’t turn around, and I don’t slow my pace.

  Alice Cherry is like a delicious cocktail: pretty, sweet, and best enjoyed slowly.

  There might be an office policy against dating fellow Blossom Falls employees, but that’s never stopped me before, and Alice Cherry?

  She’ll be mine.

  Chapter Three

  Alice

  “How was your first day?” Joanna asks me, sliding into the booth. She smiles and gives me a hug. “Was it everything you hoped it would be?”

  My best friend, Joanna, has been with me through it all: my parents’ divorce, the crazy emotional fall-out, and the financial impact. I don’t like to admit just how much they supported me financially through college or even right after graduation. Even worse is the fact that I didn’t bother to save any of the money they threw at me. Now I’m struggling to pay bills and even to afford food. Getting this job at Blossom Falls wasn’t something I did just because I have a degree in marketing. It was a necessity, and it was my last shot. If I hadn’t gotten it, I was about to start applying at fast food places and move in with Joanna.

  It was either that or ask one of my parents to let me crash at their new bachelor and bachelorette pads, respectively.

  As it is, I get to stay in my apartment.

  “It was…interesting,” I tell her. Our server appears and we each order a coffee: me because it’s the cheapest thing on the menu, and Joanna because she’s on some new diet that seems to be driven by caffeine. Once our waitress leaves, she turns to me again.

  “Tell me everything.”

  I fill her in on the Monday meetings, on filling out paperwork, on my cool little cubicle, and on the project I’ll be working on this week. I leave out the part about meeting Ben. I don’t tell her how he made me excited and nervous and anxious. I don’t tell her he made me want to jump his damn bones. I don’t like keeping things from Joanna, but I’m also not ready to talk about how he made me feel.

  Ben seemed so self-assured. He was almost cocky, but not quite. He wasn’t over-the-top. He just seems like the type of person who doesn’t let life get to him. He seems comfortable, and there’s a part of me that wants to feel that way, too.

  I don’t know if I can.

  It would be nice.

  “Your co-workers sound agreeable enough,” Joanna comments. The girls who sit near me in the marketing department are total sweethearts. They’re helpful and so far, no one seems to be particularly catty. It was only my first day, though.

  “Not bad,” I agree. “Not like Tanya.”

  Joanna shivers. “Don’t get me started on Tanya,” she says. “Did I tell you what she said to me at lunch yesterday?” Before I have a chance to answer, Joanna launches into a story about her super-evil coworker. While she’s talking about Tanya, I start thinking about Ben. I shouldn’t let my thoughts drift to him, but I do.

  Ben.

  He seems nicer and friendlier than he should. Then again, maybe it’s my naivety speaking. Before this, I had only worked on campus in the writing lab. That was mindless work that seemed to drag on forever and didn’t really pay very much. Then again, my parents were throwing money at me, so I didn’t need much. I just did it to fulfill a requirement for a class.

  “Sounds like you’re going to be busy,” Joanna comments.

  “You have no idea.”

  “Sounds like you’ll really be able to use that night at Anchored on Saturday.”

  “The sex club?” I raise an eyebrow. “You were serious about that?”

  “Oh, come on!” She says. “It’s an open weekend and they never have those.”

  “What does that even mean?” Joanna is into some kinky and weird stuff. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. There’s not. She’s all about threesomes and ménage and group sex and being tied up. Me? I’d be happy if I could just find a guy who could get me off. Somehow, everyone I end up in a relationship with seems to be a dud. I can’t tell if she’s actually having amazing sex or if I’m actually having terrible sex.

  “Well, it’s a private club, which means each member is vetted and has to pay a shitload of money to be able to come.”

  “Be able to come have sex?”

  “More happens at a club like this than sex, Alice,” she admonishes me, shocked that I might get the details wrong. “There are classes and demonstrations on how to administer bondage and how to take care of your partner. There are theme nights and performances. Yeah, people have sex there, but that’s not all people do. And, like I said before, you don’t have to have sex when we go.”

  “I don’t know if I want to go,” I tell her, whining. “It’s going to be a long week.”

  “But you aren’t working Saturday,” she says. “And I already bought your ticket. Do you really want to see your poor, under-appreciated friend throw away $200?”

  “The ticket was $200?” For fuck’s sake. That’s more than I spend on food in a month.

  Joanna just waves her hands. “Don’t worry about it. Consider it an early birthday gift.”

  “My birthday isn’t for six months.”

  “Okay,” she shrugs. “A super early birthday gift.”

  Chapter Four

  Ben

  The week flies by in a rush of paperwork, financial spreadsheets, and advising meetings. Despite my best efforts, I don’t run into Alice Cherry again until Friday evening when we’re leaving work. We happen to be in the elevator together on the way to the lobby. She smiles at me almost shyly, clutching a couple of folders to her chest.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” I say.

  “It is quite the surprise,” she agrees with a smile.

  “How was your first week?” I ask. “Was it everything you expected?”

  “And more,” Alic
e tells me. The elevator stops again and another person gets in. The doors shut, and we ride in silence for a few minutes. When the doors open again at the lobby, the three of us exit. The random guy heads off in one direction, but Alice and I head together for the front doors.

  “I’m glad to know Blossom Falls meets your expectations,” I tell her. “You know we hate to disappoint.”

  She pauses and looks at me for a minute. “You mean you hate to disappoint, don’t you?”

  “Oh, darling,” I lean close, whispering in her ear. “I never disappoint.”

  “How do you manage to do that?” Alice whispers. A blush creeps up her neck and covers her cheeks. “You always do this to me.”

  “Do what exactly?” I ask, pulling away with a devious smirk. I like knowing she’s having this sort of reaction to me. Even as our colleagues at Blossom Falls stream through the lobby, she’s getting excited. Anxious. She likes when I talk to her this way.

  “You know what you’re doing,” she insists, looking up at me. Her lips press together to form the perfect little pout, and I’m afraid I’m the one who’s being affected by her now. Alice is the perfect paradox of virgin and minx. She seems to know exactly what it is that delights me, and that just makes me more curious about her.

  It’s not usual that a woman intrigues me the way she does.

  “Is that right?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

  She nods slightly.

  “Teasing me,” she whispers.

  “Me?” I press my hand to my chest and feign surprise. “Do you really think that’s the type of man I am, Miss Cherry?”

  “You remembered my name,” she seems surprised.

  “I did file your paperwork. I remember your bank account number, too,” I wink at her.

  “Hey! That’s personal.”

  “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

  She looks at me for a minute longer. Something is on the tip of her tongue, but I’m not sure what. Suddenly someone pushes by her, bumping into her. She falls forward into me and I catch her easily. She’s light and dainty, even as she falls, and I help her back to her feet.

  “Thank you,” she says.

  “It was nothing,” I tell her.

  “I should go.”

  I don’t say anything for a second. I just watch her lick her lips, adjust her hair. She’s nervous around me, but she’s not sure why.

  Oh, Alice. We could have so much fun together, you and I.

  She doesn’t even realize just how wonderful she is. I get the feeling that no one has taken the time to let Alice know just how beautiful she is, just how unique she seems to be.

  “You don’t have to leave,” I tell her.

  “Work is over.”

  “It’s the weekend,” I say. “Get a drink with me.”

  She hesitates for a minute. I’m certain she’s going to tell me to get lost, but she doesn’t. Instead, she just smiles and shakes her head.

  “I’d love to,” she tells me. “But I have plans with my friend tomorrow and tonight we’re going shopping. I need to find something to wear,” she adds, lowering her voice, as if this is some sort of secret.

  “Shopping, huh? What kind of outfit do you need? Something for clubbing?” I raise an eyebrow. Somehow, Alice doesn’t seem like the clubbing type. She’s much too reserved for that, much too prim and proper. I get the feeling that when Alice lets loose, she really lets loose, but right now? Right now she’s in intensity mode and I’m not sure why.

  She blushes.

  “Something like that,” she squeaks out. “I’ll see you Monday.”

  Then she turns quickly and hurries away, almost as if she’s running. I watch her for a minute and then I head toward the doors. I should get going, too. I don’t have any shopping to do, but I do have a good book on my coffee table I’m planning to finish. Tomorrow night is my own clubbing night, although the one I go to is different than any little Alice Cherry is likely to find herself in. No, my club is one for people who have certain…inclinations.

  My club is a little more extreme.

  I make my way out of the building and start walking home. Usually, I take the bus or an Uber, but it’s so lovely out that today, I just want to walk. It gives me time to clear my head and to think about how I’m going to handle this weekend.

  When my friend June asked me to help act as a dungeon monitor for the party on Saturday night, I was honored. I’ve been a Dominant at Anchored, a local sex club, for almost a year now. June, the owner, is a good friend of mine. She and her husband run the club together now and they make quite a team. Tomorrow night, they’re hosting an open evening and they need experienced club members to help out in exchange for a reduction in membership fees. Since I practically have to swear over my future children to afford to attend, I jumped at the chance.

  What would little Alice Cherry look like in a sex club?

  Is that a place she’d ever go?

  I doubt it.

  Somehow, I get the feeling that girl hasn’t so much as been French-kissed, let alone watched someone being fucked on stage. Would that sort of thing disgust her? Freak her out? We all have our kinks and secrets, and there’s a part of me that wants to know hers. I want to know what makes Alice Cherry exited. I want to know what makes her nervous. I want to know what makes her ache.

  And there’s a part of me, a dark part of me, that wants to be the one to make her feel all of those things.

  On Monday, I’ll get to see her again. I’ll get to talk to the new marketing girl and to get to know her. Something tells me I’ve got my work cut out for me, but there’s a little voice at the back of my head telling me that Alice is worth the wait.

  Chapter Five

  Alice

  “It’s cute,” Joanna looks at the dress I’m holding up. “But it’s not appropriate.”

  “What do you mean?” I eye the little black number. “It’s perfect. It’s not too low cut, not too short.”

  “Exactly,” she says. “Besides, it’s got ‘Domme’ written all over it.”

  “So?”

  “So you’re not.”

  “Not what?”

  “Not a Dominant,” Joanna smiles.

  “How do you know that?” Dominant. Submissive. Bondage. Safe words. All of the trivia and vocab Joanna has been feeding me is mixing together in my head. Oh, I know enough of it. I’ve read the books. Who hasn’t? Still, there’s a big difference between reading books about this sort of thing and actually seeing it up close or even participating.

  “Do you really want to know?” Joanna asks.

  “Yes.” Maybe I don’t. It’s too late to back down now, though.

  “You’re sweet, but you don’t need to control the people around you. You’re assertive at work. You’re determined, and you’re strong. You’re knowledgeable and goal-oriented.”

  “It sounds like you’re reading my resume to me.”

  Joanna ignores me and keeps talking. “But when it comes to guys, honey, you aren’t exactly a go-getter.”

  “What do you mean? Are you calling me weak?”

  “Not at all,” she shakes her head. “You aren’t weak at all, but you like a man who takes charge. You want someone who’s going to kiss you without asking permission. You want someone who’s going to push your limits. You like the idea of a man sliding his hand under your skirt in the middle of a crowded restaurant when no one else around knows what he’s doing.”

  I stare at Joanna.

  “Tell me I’m wrong,” she says.

  “You’re wrong.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Then you’re in denial.”

  “That’s not fair,” I protest. “I’m not a submissive just because I like the idea of a guy taking control sometimes.”

  “Do you like the idea of leading a guy in the bedroom?” She counters. “Do you want to pin someone down and ride him until he forgets his own name? Do you want to handcuff him to the bed?
Or do you want to be the one handcuffed?”

  I swallow hard. Suddenly, my mouth feels dry. Is she right? Am I submissive? Somehow, I don’t like the idea. It seems kind of funny to me. Maybe it’s how I was raised, but Joanna is right about one thing: I’m amazing at work. I’m a total go-getter. I was a straight-A student and now, at work, I’m a top-notch employee. I’m fantastic, but maybe that drive ends at work.

  Could she be right about the whole kink thing?

  Could she be right that I crave more than I’m getting?

  “There’s nothing wrong with it,” Joanna says, placing a hand on my wrist. She softens her voice. “I’m submissive, too, Alice.”

  “You are?”

  She nods.

  “How long have you known?”

  She shrugs and turns back to the rack of clothing in front of her.

  “Awhile. I started going to clubs back in college. Freshman year, actually.”

  “I never knew that.”

  “Peter Carson invited me to one and I liked it more than I liked him. Even after we broke up, I kept going. It awakened something in me.”

  “What?”

  Joanna turns to me, seriously, and smiles. “The need to submit freely. The need to give myself over to something greater than myself. When I’m with a Dominant partner I trust, Alice, I don’t have to worry about anything else. I just do what he asks, and I feel free. It’s freeing. It’s calming. It’s soothing. It’s the best damn form of therapy I’ve ever experienced, and you know me, doll. I’ve been to a lot of therapy.”

  It’s true. After a whole lot of childhood trauma, Joanna spends a lot of her free time on a shrink’s couch.

  “What if that doesn’t happen for me?” I ask her. “What if I’m…what if nothing happens?”

  “You mean, what if you come to the club and you don’t get turned on or excited?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you worried I’ll think you’re a prude?”