8. Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Marshall
E lsie thrusts the folder in my direction without a glance and shifts back to her computer screen to continue working.
I take it from her desk making my way back to my seat, and collapse into it before opening the folder to examine its contents.
Of everything I could have thought it would be, what I find was not on the list.
“What is this?” I ask, looking down at the sheet of paper before me.
“Read it, and you’ll find out,” Elsie says, rolling her eyes and avoiding looking at me.
“It says ‘Roommate Rules.’” I say, scanning the heading of the page again. “Elsie, what is this?”
“Exactly what it says they are.” She snaps, turning to face me from behind the safety of her desk. “If you’re going to barge into my life, camp out in my apartment, and interrupt every facet of my life, then you’re going to do it with at least some respect for my life and how you’re disrupting it.”
My jaw drops in shock.
I know having me move in and be around all the time has been an adjustment, but this seems like taking things a little far.
“So, we need a formal agreement?” I ask, still taken aback by the whole idea.
“Yes.” She says shortly.
“Elsie,” I say with a sigh. “Do you really think this is necessary?”
“I do.” She says, trying for a bit more patience. “Read and sign, Marshall.”
The list isn’t long, but I have to re-read each line to really wrap my head around what she’s asking me for.
I can feel Elsie’s eyes on me as I read, and I glance up a few times only to catch her looking away.
“It says I’m not allowed to eat anything you’re unable to eat?” I ask, fully facing her this time.
“Yes. No sushi. No lunch meat. No coffee. Et cetera.” She reasons with a roll of her eyes. “If I’m going to put up with you being around for the next seven months, then I’m not going to put up with you taunting me with food I can’t eat.”
“Okay,” I reply slowly, drawing out the vowels. “That seems fair enough.”
Gonna be a lot longer than seven months, though.
My eyes go back to the page in front of me and read through the rest of her “rules.” None of which sound entirely unreasonable.
The document reads like a full-on lease. It starts with a breakdown of the agreement term—seven months—and my monthly rent, along with the breakdown of my contribution to each month’s utilities and groceries.
Article II: The Apartment Rules are what have my eyebrows raised. It covers everything, including smoking, alcohol, illegal activities , parties/ gatherings/ celebrations, guests, and quiet hours. She’s even outlined things about laundry, cleaning routines, and schedules.
Article III: Decorum includes rules about not touching the thermostat, the food thing, and no shoes on in the apartment. Also, no gum?
But my eyes snag on the last rule and lock in.
“Sex at any time?” I ask.
“Yes. Free use, carte blanche.” She says dismissively before mumbling. “It wasn’t my idea.”
Her’s or not, the idea of having her body pressed against mine again, my cock snuggly fit in her pussy, has my whole-body heating.
“Tell me what that means to you ,” I say, looking to her for clarification.
I know what free use is and how it can work between partners, but I’ve also watched enough awful porn to know what other people think it is.
“It’s a kink,” She answers slowly, and I try to keep my expression neutral as she continues. “Essentially, either of us can request sex at any time, and the other party cannot say no.”
Images of me fucking Elsie in every room of her apartment flash through my mind, driving my need for her higher.
Just the thought of how blissful these next months could be has my cock hardening beneath my jeans.
“So, either of us can request sex at any time? That’s what you’re proposing,” I repeat back to her .
“That is what’s outlined.” She sighs, clearly done with my line of questioning. “Selene and Oliver insisted I include it. They say I’ll be needy later in my pregnancy, and I should set a clear boundary around sex now.”
Honestly, not the worst idea considering I don’t know how long I’d be able to keep myself from riling her up just so that she’ll fuck me again.
“Of course, they helped you with this.” I chuckle before my thoughts grow contemplative.
Do I want to sleep with Elsie again?
Yes. Fucking hell, yes.
But do I want it to be because I demand it of her?
No.
I know she sees this as a short-term situation where I’m staying with her through the pregnancy. Then, well, I guess she has some bizarre vision in her head that I can’t wrap my head around. Because in my mind, I’m not leaving.
Elsie and the baby she’s carrying are my future now. They’re my family.
You don’t leave family.
I know what it’s like to grow up without a father. I would never put my own child through that.
So, no. I won’t be taking advantage of a clause that says I can take her whenever I want.
No. She has to want it just as much as me, need me just as much as I already need her.
She has to ask .
After a few more moments of silent consideration, my mind is made up .
“I can’t agree to that part. The rest is fine, but that has to change.” I explain firmly.
Like a meerkat, Elsie pops up from her chair behind her desk and rounds it before stopping before me.
She’s a woman who’s used to getting her way. I can imagine having me push back on a rule she probably imagined was something I would want would frustrate the hell out of her.
Maybe even more irritating than having me lurk around the office all week, which is strictly prohibited per the agreement now.
“I’m offering you unlimited sex, and you’re saying no?” She asks, her voice pitching up at the end.
“Correct,” I reply, standing as I speak so I’m looking down at her.
“Why?” She asks with a glare up at me.
“I want to renegotiate,” I say firmly. “I’ll agree to everything else, but this one rule changes.”
I take her chin between my fingers and hold her firmly in place as I lean down.
“What are your terms then?” She huffs with chipmunk cheeks, and I smile.
“On one condition. You’re the only one who can request sex.” I pause. “And I have to ask permission to touch you. But you have to say it… out loud.”
“What?” She asks, seemingly confused at my request.
“You heard me. You have to ask me for sex verbally.” I repeat coolly.
“That’s absurd. You’re turning down unlimited sex?” She questions .
“Not at all. I’m totally on board for unlimited sex.” I move my face inches closer to hers, just a breath away from her lips, brushing my own. “But you’re going to ask for it every time. Not me.”
“Why?” She says breathlessly.
“Because if I were given the option for unlimited sex at my request, I’d have you tied down to a bed 24/7 and fuck you full of my cum every chance I got.”