Chapter 18
Contract Negotiation
Sara
I’m totally thinking with the wrong part of my body when I step into Wyatt’s office and close the door behind me. He can’t possibly be coming on to me during the workday. But my breathing quickens and my panties are no longer dry.
Maybe he just wants to reiterate work during work hours.
He shuts his laptop. “What time does Drew pick you up?”
I hide my disappointment and step forward. “That’s what I needed to check about. Drew is held up in a meeting, so he can’t take me to lunch. He wants to pick me up at five instead.”
Wyatt glances at his watch. “What did you have planned for lunch?”
“I don’t know. Drew usually plans our outings.” I don’t want to say that I was hoping for a couple of orgasms, but there is that. Orgasms can wait until five.
“Sit.” He points to the chair and I arch an eyebrow at his tone. “Please.”
I walk over and sit in the chair, crossing my legs.
He’s occupied with his phone, so I look around his office.
Pictures of him and the guys with Tom hang on the wall.
They’ve been friends forever and even taken vacations together.
Mostly adventure-type vacations where they climb something or hike something or jump out of something.
Mom doesn’t know about that last one. Even though we’re grown, she still worries about us. I pull out my phone and text my mom a real quick message to say everything is fine. A twinge tugs at my heart for lying.
But most things are fine. Just not everything. I don’t want to get sucked into that feeling again today though.
I slip my phone back into my pocket and look up to find Wyatt contemplating me. His chin rests on his hands. His elbows are on his desk and his dark eyes are on me.
I swallow down that burst of heat that flows through me. “Did you want to talk about work?”
“No, trouble.” He glances at his watch. “It’s twelve. We’re officially on lunch break.”
“I didn’t bring anything.” I frown. There’s a deli down on the fourth floor. Maybe I’ll go grab a sandwich.
“I ordered us lunch.”
“You did?” My eyes widen.
“I did.” He leans back in his chair. “We need to discuss things and now is a good time.”
“Okay.” I still don’t know what he needs to talk to me about. But I’m nervous because this is Wyatt. The only other time we’ve been alone he spanked me and made me come multiple times. Those thoughts are not helping my panties. “About work?”
“No, trouble.”
“I don’t understand.” Maybe things are just easier with the others around. I don’t know how to just be with Wyatt. My feelings for him are all tangled up with the fact that we’ve had sex. Amazing sex. But that doesn’t dismiss the years of him ignoring me. Those years still haunt me.
He chuckles and there’s a knock at the door. “Give me a minute and then I’ll explain.”
He opens the door. Someone hands him a bag of food and he thanks them. When he closes the door, he locks it and heads to the couch and coffee table in the corner.
“Come on. I won’t bite.” He pats the seat next to him.
Somehow I don’t believe that, but curiosity gets the better of me. Especially since he locked the door. I join him on the couch as he puts a bottle of water in front of me along with a sandwich and a bag of chips. He sets the same things near himself before putting the bag off to the side.
“You still like turkey and swiss?” He cocks an eyebrow.
“Yes.” My stomach growls and I reach for the sandwich. I unwrap it and it smells really good.
“We need to discuss our situation.” He bites into his sandwich.
“Our situation?” I feel a little stupid right now trying to figure out what he’s talking about. Because Wyatt doesn’t normally talk to me. It’s a workday and we’re in his office. Alone. And he locked the door. That keeps pressing on my mind.
If he wanted to have a discussion about work, he wouldn’t need to lock the door. But I can’t see Wyatt crossing the line of absolute professionalism in the office. Do I want him to ravish me? Hell yes. But I honestly don’t expect him to.
This is work Wyatt, not I want to spank you Wyatt.
He clears his throat. “You wanted to know what I want from you and I need to understand what you need from me. This may be temporary, but if we’re going to go beyond just sex, we need to understand what that means for both of us.”
I swallow my bite of food and take a drink. Trying to hide my shocked look, I say, “So we’re going to have the sex talk? At work?”
“In a sense. And it’s our lunch hour. We’re off the clock.” He takes a drink and meets my eyes, sending a warm shiver down my spine. “What do you know about dominant-submissive relationships?”
My smile is uncontainable. Never in a million years would I have believed I would be eating in Wyatt Hawkins’s office about to discuss the intricacies of a Dom/sub relationship. Even more far-fetched, discussing our relationship.
“I mean, I’ve read a few romances with BDSM in them, but I haven’t really looked into the actual lifestyle. The books present the fantasy side of it, but not always the reality.” I eat more of my sandwich as I think. “So, what do I know? Not much really.”
“And your sexual experience is limited to what we’ve done this weekend.” He wets his lips and my insides burst into flames.
“Yes. But nothing has been too much.” I don’t know why I want to assure him of that. This isn’t a long-term relationship for either of us. It’s just a way to get each other out of our systems.
“Good.” He wipes his hands on the napkin. “I don’t want a slave-master relationship. That’s not really what I’m into. I’ve tried it before and found it annoying more than appealing.”
My last bite of sandwich falls like a lump in my stomach. He’s done this before. Of course he’s done this before. Just because I saved myself for him doesn’t mean he saved himself for me. I drink some water. “You don’t want me to be your sex slave.”
“Mmm.” He finishes his drink and leans back on the couch to look at me. His brown eyes take in every inch of me and it’s hard not to squirm under his scrutiny. “First, we need to talk protocol.”
Setting my water bottle down on the coffee table and slipping off my shoes, I turn on the couch to face him. “Okay. What does that mean?”
“What I expect of you as mine.”
A little thrill races through me. I want to be his. It’s all I ever wanted.
“My expectations and when you should do them. Obviously, we have a different situation than most.” He gives me a little smile that makes my insides flame.
“We do.” I run my hand over my skirt before lifting my gaze back to his.
“We’re going to be together a lot, but this relationship doesn’t leave the apartment.”
My heart stops. Oh. The reminder hurts a little. We’re a secret, but I’m okay with that part. “That makes sense.”
He tips my chin up and glances at the door. “Or if we’re sure we’re in private, away from prying eyes.”
I arch an eyebrow. “So, if we’re together and sure no one who shouldn’t know about our relationship is around…”
“We can slip into our roles if we choose.” He trails his thumb over my lower lip.
Sparks drift through me. “And what are our roles?”
“Lovers.”
My pulse quickens.
“Dom and sub. Brat. Sometimes, hunter and prey.”
Brat? Hunter? Prey? Heat fills me. My lips part at the darkness in his eyes. “So what are the rules?”
“I’ll train you. Show you some positions. We’ll have a code word that means we’re entering a scene. If there’s something new I want to try, we’ll discuss it before we act it out.” His hand drops to my skirt. “Or anything you’d like to try.”
“Positions?” I place my hand over his large, warm, ridged hand. My eyes meet his.
He smirks. “Not necessarily sexual. Like kneeling or sitting. But we might get to presenting.”
I almost ask what that means, but he turns his hand over to take mine, pulling me closer to him so his leather scent and the allure of his body overwhelm me.
“I have rules for you, trouble.” He brushes my hair over my shoulder and leans in so his lips caress my ear. “And punishments for disobeying.”
Gasping at the heat surging within, I put my hand against his chest, feeling his heartbeat against my palm. His cheek presses against mine.
“When we’re at the apartment, you’ll be mine to do with what I wish.” He weaves his fingers into my hair as I try to draw away. That might not work. This isn’t just between me and him.
“I have Finn and Dante and Drew too.” I get back far enough that I can search his dark eyes. Our relationship is complicated, but I need to make sure we have all the pieces in order. I won’t ignore the others to only be with Wyatt. That ship has long since sailed.
“Yes, you serve many masters.” His gaze drops to my lips. “I should punish you for that.”
“The only one who deserves punishment for that is you. You pushed me away. You didn’t want me.” I try to retreat again, needing space.
“I’ve always wanted you, trouble.” He tips my head back with his hold in my hair. He leans over me. “I was a fool, but we wouldn’t have been happy. You would have given in too easily and I like you feisty.”
“You want me submissive and feisty?” I laugh even though he has me captured in his hold. “Those aren’t the same things.”
“I don’t want you to submit to my every demand, trouble.
I want you to fight me when you want. To resist my commands and be the brat I know you can be.
” He studies my eyes before his attention locks on my lips like he’s going to kiss me.
We’re so close. I can feel his breath on my lips.
“You’re not only mine. I know that. Trust me, I’ve seen you with Finn and Dante enough. ”
My brow furrows.
“Getting fucked by both of them in the middle of the night.” He dips his head toward mine but still doesn’t kiss me. His hand tightens in my hair, almost pulling. But instead of making me angry, something warm slithers through my insides.