12. The File Room
Madison
After Coop helps me clean up and cuddles me a little, I return to work. He took the files I already pulled and gave me a new list. It’s been a while since he left, and I’m on the last one. I find the file cabinet in the back corner of the room.
Everything is well maintained and cleaned, but it still feels a little creepy all the way back here. Especially on my own. But I shove it to the side. The guys wouldn’t leave me somewhere they thought might be dangerous.
I pull the file and add it to my stack on top of the cabinet.
The lights go out and everything around me is darkness. I hold my breath to listen, waiting for footsteps or the door, a voice, but nothing. I don’t even have my phone to turn on my flashlight.
“Hello?” I call out and wait. A shuffling noise reaches me from far away. “Guys? Coop?”
I huddle into the corner and watch the blackness, hoping that maybe I’ll adapt and be able to see a little, but there is no light coming into the room. I can’t see my hands in front of my face. The shuffling sound reaches me again.
My heart trips over itself with fear. I’m here by myself. Any employee can access this floor from the lobby with their card. It’s not as protected as the top floors, where only the guys and I have access.
Reasonable, I can be reasonable. The lights could have just shut off. I need to make my way to the door.
I try to make myself move, but I can’t. My feet are glued to the floor.
Coop’s fantasy comes back to me. I never said yes or no, but it’d definitely be something we’d need to discuss beforehand. And if he decided to play, I have a way out.
“Yellow!” I yell into the darkness.
The shuffling draws closer. I lower myself to the ground and hold my knees against my chest, trying to be as small as possible. I squeeze my useless eyes shut.
If it’s the guys, they need to tell me, now. “Red! Gold! Gold! Gold!”
Flashes of that night in the apartment come at me. Valerie laughing as her boyfriend holds me by my neck. The flood of relief when Blake came to the door followed by Jeff’s hand tightening around my throat.
Suffocating. Not being able to breathe. Knowing this could be my last chance to survive.
My chest is tight and I can’t catch my breath. The shuffling noise sounds louder, closer, like it’s right on top of me.
I cover my ears with my hands as a scream rips out of my throat.
“What the hell is going on in here?” a woman’s voice shouts.
Light floods the room, and I close my eyes against the sudden brightness. My breath comes out in pants as I claw at my neck. Nothing is holding it. I’m free to breathe. I’m not trapped.
I’m fine. I’m fine.
“Hello?” My voice cracks.
A tall brunette stands at the end of the aisle with her hands on her hips. “Why are you sitting here screaming in the dark?”
I slowly rise to my feet and brush off my skirt, feeling embarrassed and ridiculous. “Someone shut the lights off.”
She scoffs like I’m being a child. “They’re probably on a timer over the weekend.”
I shake my head. That’s not right. I’ve been in here for a while now, and they’ve never gone off. What about the shuffling noises?
Did I imagine them? My hands are shaking. Grabbing the files off the cabinet, I hurry toward her. I need out of here.
As I get closer, I recognize the woman as the hater who whispered with the receptionist and gave me a disdainful look on my first day. She’s gorgeous and tall and has on slacks and a sleeveless top. Her arms are crossed over her chest.
“Thank you for turning on the light.” I’m not sure what else to say to her.
“Whatever. Come on. I’m not leaving you alone in here. I’m almost done with the project I came in for and don’t want to waste any more of my weekend babysitting.” Her gaze drags over me like I’m some poor street urchin. Her eyes linger on my neck.
I resist the urge to reach my shaking hands up and touch it, knowing I left my scarf upstairs. It’s not as bad as when it first happened, but the bruises are still noticeable. The press of his fingers remains on my skin in vivid color.
“I’m finished in here, anyway.” I look back over my shoulder, positive that something will be there. Following me. Stalking me.
When she opens the door, I step out into the hallway and take a deep breath. Everything is still exactly the same. I release my breath as the door closes. “I’m Madison, by the way.”
“Courtney.” She stops and points down the hallway. Her blue eyes linger on my throat a second time. “Your elevator is that way.”
She’s trying to get rid of me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still be nice. I may have been acting like a child, but she did come in and turn the lights on for me. She saved me. Who knows how long I would have been trapped there in that nightmare?
“Thank you, Courtney. I’m sorry if I alarmed you.” I tuck the files against my chest and head toward the elevator. Back to safety.
I don’t get far when she mutters, “It’s not like you’re the first person I’ve found screaming in this place.”
What the fuck does that mean? Turning back, I catch sight of her dark hair as she’s walking away. I’m tempted to follow her and ask her what she means, but I also want to get to the safety of upstairs and my guys.
The elevator ride helps me calm down. I’m sure it was just my overactive imagination. Maybe I should talk to a therapist about the assault.
When I walk on to the executive floor, the guys are deep in it and spread out in the conference room. I walk in while Seth and Coop are quietly talking in one corner. Blake gestures for me to come over to him.
When I reach him, he takes the files from me. “Thank you.”
He sets them on a stack and goes back to reading the file in front of him. I could tell him about it, but what really happened? I panicked because the lights went out. Maybe they go off after hours or are motion sensing. No one but employees can get into the building.
I’m safe here.
“Is there anything else I can do?” I ask quietly. I don’t really want to interrupt their flow, but if there is something I can do, I want to help.
Blake shakes his head. “You can go back to reading, tiger.”
Not really wanting to be alone right now, but not wanting to disturb them, makes me hesitate. Blake glances up, and his green eyes narrow on mine.
“You okay?” Blake’s fingers capture my fingertips. Coop and Seth glance over at us for a moment. I can’t tell them I freaked out like a child because the lights shut off. I’m fine now. I need to let them work when they need to work. They’ve already taken a lot of time to comfort me.
Making my smile bigger, I nod. “I’m good. I’ll just go upstairs.”
“Noah’s up there if you need anything.” He releases my hand and gives me a half smile. “If you need company, you can come down and read in here, but this is the quietest it’s been.”
The guys are still talking, and while I’m sure I’d be able to focus, I might distract them. “I’ll go see what Noah is doing.”
* * *
Noah
The apartment is blissfully empty as I read in the library. The main door opens and closes quietly, and I wait to see who’s come up. Madison walks through the living room in a floral sundress, looking a little lost.
I clear my throat.
She spins, and her smile is beautiful as she finds me. My heart beats a little harder as she makes her way toward me.
“You don’t have to work today?” She drops into the seat next to mine.
“Not today. Are you finished?” The problem isn’t a financial one, so I took the day off after working last Saturday.
“I found all the files they needed.” She shrugs and plays with the skirt of her dress. “I thought about reading...”
I hold up my book, but I close it and set it to the side. “We could do something together.”
She brightens at my suggestion. I wish I could take her out of the apartment, but it’s still too risky. Especially if she really did see Valerie the other day. But there haven’t been any new texts from Valerie or the stalker.
“We could watch a movie or show.” I gesture to the TV room.
Her smile falls a little. She’s not big into watching things. During college, she didn’t have the time. It’s not really my thing either.
“We could play,” I suggest. I always want to play with Madison.
Her eyebrow arches with interest. “Did you have something in mind?”
“We could explore the play room.” When I stand, I offer her my hand.
She takes it, and I help her to her feet before walking to the door. I shove it open and gesture for her to precede me. As she walks in, I flick on the lights.
Glancing over her shoulder, she gives me a naughty look as she trails her fingers over the furniture she passes. My cock stands to attention, even though we may not actually have sex right now.
It isn’t a matter of Madison letting me or not. If I express interest, she’s usually down to do whatever, but right now is about exploring and learning. Tonight, we all have her again, and I don’t want to wear her out for the grand finale.
“Can you show me something?” She leans back against the bondage horse. My cock twitches, imagining her strapped down on it with her mouth, pussy, and ass all exposed, ready to be fucked.
“What do you want me to show you?” I lift an eyebrow but don’t move closer to her. That fantasy needs to be built up to.
“You could show me the ropes, maybe?” Smiling with a mischievous look, she bites her lower lip. “Knots?”
I nod and walk over to a dresser, then open the top drawer. She stayed by the horse, but I gesture her over. Different ropes fill the drawer. Her fingers reach out to touch, but she stops to look at me first for permission. Such a perfect little submissive.
“You can touch anything you like, kitten.” I give her a smile.
She picks up a nice thick twist of blue-dyed hemp rope. Her gaze lingers inside the drawer. “Why are they so thick?”
“You want thicker rope so it doesn’t cut into your skin. That’s hemp in your hand. I have a good supplier. It was difficult to find a good quality one that didn’t shed. I have some cotton and a few others.” I pull out some natural-colored rope and hold it out to her. “This is silk rope. My particular favorite.”
She sets down the hemp and takes the silk. The end of the rope slides through her fingers.
“Can you show me how to tie a knot?” She holds the rope out to me.
Taking it, I gesture with my head for her to follow me. I sit on the bed. She joins me, sitting cross-legged, facing me. I unravel the rope and take her wrist. As I talk, I work on tying the knot.
“This is a single column tie. The knot ends up flat and it’s aesthetically pleasing.” My fingers work easily around her small wrist until the rope is wrapped around her and tied tight.
She gives it a tug and the knot doesn’t collapse. Her gaze lifts to mine. “Will you teach me?”
We spend the next few minutes going over how I made the knot and then having her use my ankle to tie one of her own around. That way, if she needs my hands, they’re free. And my jeans keep her from tying it too tight.
When she finally gets one that looks fairly decent, she grins up at me. “I did it.”
Her genuine excitement makes me long to touch her. Using my knuckle under her chin, I nudge her face up and claim her mouth. It’s a gentle and exploratory kiss. When I pull back, she smiles softly.
Her gaze wanders to the bondage horse.
“Will you tie me like that picture for tonight?” Her blue eyes sparkle as she meets mine.
My cock hardens at the lust in her eyes. The woman tied onto the horse in the picture had a gag, but for Madison, I’d want us to be able to fuck her mouth. I stroke my thumb across her lip. “We can modify it slightly from the picture. You’d have to hold a bell, so if your mouth is full and you need us to stop, you could drop it.”
She kisses the tip of my thumb and smiles. “Yes, please.”
“Let me see when they’ll be finished downstairs.” I take out my phone and shoot a quick text to Coop. He responds that they should finish in time for dinner. It’s only four thirty now.
“What did he say?” Madison tries to put the rope in some sort of twist.
I take it out of her hands and say, “I have time to show you one more hold before dinner.”
“Okay.”
“Hold your wrists out for me.”
She does as I ask and I start tying.
“This is a double column tie, useful when you want to bind two columns such as arms or legs together.” I finish the knot and pull the free end through a metal loop, effectively tying her to the headboard.
“You did that rather fast.” She studies the knot and holds them out to me to untie.
“I just needed you ready.” Smiling, I pull her legs down on the bed until the rope is tight. “We have time to play, but I only want you to come.”
“What?” Her eyes meet mine right before I toss her skirt up over her face. “Noah.”
I pull her panties down her legs and drop them off the side of the bed. I push her knees to her chest. “Hold them like this, kitten, or I’ll tie them that way.”
“Fuck, Noah.” She’s spread out before me. Pink and wet. I lean in and lick her sweet pussy.
She gasps at my first touch. I use my fingers to hold her open as I taste her, licking and sucking and flicking my tongue over her sensitive bud. Driving my tongue into her slick channel. She makes those needy noises in the back of her throat that drive me wild.
I’m so fucking hard, tasting her, making her squirm. Her entire body tenses, and she moans when she finds release, but I don’t stop. I dip lower, spreading her cheeks, and drive my tongue into her puckered hole.
Every inch of her is a feast for me. I want to explore every freckle, every scar. Find the parts of her that are ticklish. The parts that make her moan.
I lick and fuck her asshole with my tongue. Her breath catches as she shatters, arching and tugging at the ropes. When I sit back on my knees, I lower her skirt and study her. Her face is red and she’s panting.
I could keep her like this all night. Make her come over and over until her brain shuts off entirely and all she feels is pleasure.
“Noah.” She lowers her legs around me. Her gaze falls to my erection. “Let me help you.”
“How do you want to help me, kitten?” I undo my pants to relieve the ache and pull my cock out to stroke it.
With her eyes on my cock, she licks her lips. “Use my mouth like you did the other night.”
Not needing more of an invitation, I crawl up her body until I straddle her chest. Leaning against the headboard, I feed my cock between her waiting, parted lips and let her engulf me in her warm, wet mouth.
I let her lick and suck as I rock my cock in and out of her mouth. Loving the tease almost as much as coming. She moans and her darkened eyes meet mine. Fuck, she wants me as much as I want her.
When she gags a little, I draw back, but she brushes her tongue along my length. I push in deep and she moans around my cock. So fucking good. I could go as hard as I like, but she doesn’t have a way to let me know to stop. Holding her gaze for any hint of panic, I fuck her face slowly, sliding my cock deep into her throat.
When she hollows out her cheeks and sucks hard on me, I explode, groaning my release, clenching the headboard. I draw out of her mouth, and she swallows for me. My cock twitches. I can’t get enough of her.
Moving off the bed, I release the knot on the headboard before untying her hands. “Come on, kitten. Let’s get cleaned up for dinner, and then we can tie you up for dessert.”