Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Aiven
We arrived at the Distillery separately as planned.
Dessi got out of her car with two silver tumblers and her work satchel. I watched as she called out to an employee whose name I could hardly remember and asked about his holidays. They chatted idly as they walked through the front doors together.
I wondered if she wore the little red dress just to mess with me.
Sure, some might call it festive and somewhat modest, but I saw it for what it truly was: a tease.
She wanted to torture me with the outline of her ass and the indents of her waist, knowing all too well that I wouldn’t be able to unremember how they felt beneath my palms.
Even through the glass doors, I thought I heard her voice call out good morning and how was your solstice?
If I walked in right now, all conversation would cease. People would clam up and shut down. Any lingering festive cheer would be wiped away. And so, I continued to sit in my car, watching the outline of the red dress as she caught up with the receptionists.
I hated how good she looked. If I noticed, I was sure others would, too. But no one else had the smell of Dessi’s cunt on their fingers. No, that privilege was all mine.
Filthy didn’t begin to describe my behavior. Despite telling her that I’d be heading home to wash and dress, I’d decided against the former. Instead, I still stunk of Dessi, the sweetness of her skin and sheets. Every breath I took pulled her to the forefront of my memories.
Curse it all, I could still feel her, the way her fingers dragged down my back, the way her moans had been muffled against the bed. I rubbed my face, trying to shake it off—trying to shake her off—but only succeeded in getting a deeper whiff of her pussy on my fingers.
I should’ve bathed. I knew that. I should’ve scrubbed myself clean of all evidence of her and let the hot water wash away the scent of her pheromones. But I couldn’t. I simply didn’t want to.
Instead, I wanted to wallow in it and remind myself that the last couple of nights hadn’t merely been a fever dream.
When the clock ticked nine on the dot, I strode from my car and made my way through the Distillery, feeling the chill of the employees’ gazes follow me through the cavernous space.
No one wanted to be here today. The day after the solstice was usually spent with family, but with the way our processing times had slowed due to demand, I couldn’t afford to give them an additional day off.
Not without delaying processing times even further.
I passed Dessi’s desk.
“Good morning, Ms. Burns,” she said, exactly like she did every single morning. I replied with my customary nod, striding past her and sequestering myself in the office.
When the double doors shut behind me, I felt the conversation pick up outside. A low hum—nothing more. I wouldn’t tolerate anything louder than that.
A sweeping glance around my desk assured me that everything was in place.
My morning brew waited in its assigned coaster, papers were stacked neatly on my desk according to the order that I’d need them, and a small red light flashed on the holo link, letting me know that I had several unread messages.
None of that mattered right now as my finger jabbed the button on the intercom.
Dessi glanced up from her desk, eyes wide.
“Yes, Ms. Burns?” she said into the speaker.
“My office.”
She hesitated for the briefest second before picking up a notepad and a pen. Her heels were sharp on the tiles as she entered and let the doors whoosh shut behind her.
“You needed me?”
Terrible choice of words, I thought, sitting back in my chair.
She hovered by the door, refusing to take a single step closer. Was she worried about what might happen if she dared to breach the distance?
There was something about the way she looked today. Her cheeks held a distinct glow and her hair was freshly washed and styled. Neat as a pin, I thought. Dessi always looked well put together.
Why did it irk me that there was no evidence of our rendezvous on her skin? Even the slight indents I’d left on her mating gland had faded.
“Um.” She gripped her notepad tighter. “Did you need something?”
Yes, I needed everything from her. Her touch, her closeness, her burst of laughter ringing in my ear.
I’d jabbed the intercom buzzer on a whim. Hell, I hadn’t even taken the time to come up with a proper excuse to lure her in. That was truly pathetic.
“You look nice,” I ended up saying, hating the words as soon as they left my lips.
“Oh.” She glanced down at herself. “Thank you. I thought it would be appropriate, you know, for the solstice.”
A sheer gloss coated her lips, shimmering in the light. The image of her on her knees with her sweet little lips parted around my cock flashed through my mind.
“Ms. Burns.” Her voice dropped several decibels. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” I asked, even though I knew exactly how I was staring at her. Lascivious would be a mild way of putting it.
She made an annoyed little noise. “If you’re not more careful, you’re going to give yourself away. No, scratch that. You’re going to give both of us away!”
“Would that be so bad?”
As soon as the words left my lips, I knew exactly what I wanted from her—what I’d wanted from her all along.
“You said you wanted to keep work and whatever-this-is separate,” she said.
That was what my lips had articulated, but certainly not what thudded through my heart. I never pushed forward with soft feelings, did I? It was a foolish move. I knew it would be wise to base forecasts on facts and numbers, rather than intangible feelings.
Even as I tried to logic away the tightening around my chest, I found my willpower faltering.
In its place was a surge of happiness that was… Terrifying.
I wanted her all to myself. The thought gripped me hard, refusing to let go.
This thing with Dessi… I wasn’t ready to pretend it was nothing. Our connection wasn’t something easily brushed under the carpet.
“Miss Nayak,” I said, getting to my feet and pushing my sleeves over my elbows.
“Yes, Ms. Burns?” The teasing note was in her voice again, and I found that I loved it.
“Would you object to spending the day with me?”
Her smile faltered. “What?”
“Spend the day with me. At my house. In my bed.”
She blinked, gazing up at me in surprise.
“But… What about work? The quotas?”
I didn’t know who I surprised more when I shrugged.
“We’ll still be behind tomorrow.”
A smile flashed across her face.
“In that case, why the hell not?”
Her yelp echoed in my office as I stepped forward and threw her over my shoulder, balancing her comfortably with a steadying hand on her ass.
“What the hell—”
Her surprised gasp turned into a giggle as I squeezed a curve that fit perfectly in the cup of my palm. Curse it all, I couldn’t wait to hear her make those noises between my sheets.
As we stepped out of my office, silence fell over the mezzanine like a curtain descending on stage.
Employees peered around the tops of their cubicles, gaping at us, their jaws almost on the floor.
“Take the day off,” I told everyone, gripping Dessi tighter as she laughed in that special way of hers. “Spend it with your families. Happy solstice.”
As I carried her across the factory floor, a cheer whooped in the air, followed by another and another until everyone was cheering us on. I walked past the large mirror in reception and realized the ruckus was a result of Dessi giving everyone two thumbs up and a toothy smile.
Happy solstice indeed.