Maybe Hiring Page 10

  "You can go again that quick?" Surprise raised the tone of my voice. A delighted smile spread across my face.

  "You think I could make you squirt again?" His face filled with excitement.

  I laughed. "Yeah, probably"

  "Then I'm ready now." He jumped on top of me. He wove his arms around me, tangling our bodies together. "You have no idea what I can do to you, baby" and his mouth was on me.

  16

  "Do you have to go?" I asked him while stroking his hair. We'd finished having sex. He didn't lie about his stamina.

  "Only if you want me to." He told me happily.

  "I didn't plan on kicking you out yet." I had a playful smile on my face. Our bodies lay tangled together. Something occurred to me "You're a corporate lawyer?"

  I expected tension, but he stayed relaxed. "I wondered when you'd bring that back up. Lucky for me you're distracted." He laughed out right at me.

  "I worried it would be bad." I admitted.

  "I figured that out by your reaction last night." He touched my cheek. "You're quite the alarmist, aren't you?" He continued to laugh. I began to grow offended. It wasn't that funny.

  He seemed to sense the tension in my body as he told me "Being a corporate lawyer might be worse than you imagined. Many people assume my actions are criminal. I don't do anything interesting or sexy like boost cars, but I can be dangerous if that's what you crave." He laughed as he spoke but grew serious at the end.

  I didn't have anything to say. He was right I hoped for danger. How many hours had I spent imagining something more dangerous. Was that my pessimistic side or the side of me that wanted to screw bad boys? If I wanted danger I still got it, only not in the way I expected. "You're plenty dangerous without trying." I told him with a flirty little smile.

  He put his hands on my face, catching me and forcing me to look deep into his eyes. They were green fields waving in the summer sun. "How so?" His voice was deep, and the proximity of his body distracted me. I thought about it a moment as I watched the way the light played with his features. I thought about the way it could touch his entire being. I wished there was a way for me to be that intimate with him. There is no way to ever touch someone the way light does.

  I fell into him as he waited. "I'm a little crazy about you."

  He moved his body to hover over me, sexual and protective. "I'm pretty crazy about you too." He told me as his lips crushed me. Something in his expression told me he understood what I meant. I started to understand that I could be dangerous too. He moved his hips into me suggestively.

  As much as I wanted to have him in every way I could I was very sore. My bits were all chafed from the extensive friction. "I would love to, but I'm sore, baby. Can we later?"

  He laughed gently and rubbed our noses together. "I suppose that's fair." He reached down touching himself. "My dick is a little raw." He kept moving his hips into me, the exact opposite of his words. I arched an eyebrow at him. "I'm not trying to fuck you. I'm enjoying myself." He told me in a comically normal tone.

  "Dry humping me?" My voice questioned his sanity.

  "You get it now." He told me. I couldn't help but laugh. He pressed into me one last time. I made fun of him, but it still made me wet. He hopped off me without warning and I huffed in disappointment. He started moving around the room looking for his clothes. I watched him as he found his clothes and put them on. "Let's get something to eat." He told me fully dressed. An entire two minutes passed. I laid there naked looking at the most wonderful thing in the world.

  "Okay" I agreed with a happy smile. "Where are we going?"

  "It's a little place I like. You'll see when we get there." His smile was infectious.

  "Is there anything you enjoy more than making decisions about food, and then being mysterious about them?" My voice floated with lofty sarcasm. I wanted to antagonize him. "Does it make you feel powerful, Mr. Sharp?" I gave him a flirtatious look my teeth played with my lip. I didn't know what I was doing. I just turned him down, and I meant it too when I said I was too sore. I still had this desire to tease him and rile him.

  "You have no idea how powerful I can be, Claire." His voice came across intense and sexual. He didn't make some chauvinist point about being the boss. He spoke to my libido and it was the truth.

  I hopped out of bed and stretched next to him, showing off all my naked bits. "Why do I doubt that?" I didn't doubt it at all, I had only one way to get him to prove it. I baited him with my words and expression. My intentions registered with him immediately.

  His face lit up, all excited. It thrilled me how attuned to my body and desires he seemed. He grabbed me by my neck with both hands. He didn't hurt me, but he had my attention.

  He pulled me close to him putting his lips to my ears. "Would you like to see?"

  I couldn't think of anything else. I nodded my head. "Please" the word came out interrupted by his hands around my neck. He held on harder than I thought. It only fueled the attraction. He bent me over the bed still holding my neck. It happened so quick I didn't know what happened until I hit the mattress.

  A little huff escaped my lips. My ass landed straight up in the air, on display for him. He kept one hand around my throat and with the other he gave each of my ass cheeks a hard squeeze. His hand hovered over me for a moment, and then it came down smacking into my flesh and making me yelp. I loved the stinging of his hand against me. "Do you still doubt it?" He asked rubbing and squeezing me.

  "You don't seem very tough to me." I told him in a soft, defiant voice. He measured me up, determining what I wanted from him. His eyes lit up as he seemed to realize I knew what I wanted from him. I gave him a perfect excuse to punish me. It was something I sensed in him from the beginning. I knew we both wanted it.

  He pressed his fingers against the tight opening between those cheeks. "You asked for this." His hand moved away and came down on my ass with such force I screamed out. The noise cracked through the air filling my ears and other senses. The pain started sharp and intense and then changed to a tingling spreading warmth.

  For a few moments I couldn't make sense of what happened. My sense of self altered and then returned. I realized the mewling creature I heard was me. He rubbed my ass. "What do you think now, baby?"

  He pressed his fingers against the tight opening between those cheeks. "You asked for this." His hand moved away and came down on my ass with such force I screamed out. The noise cracked through the air filling my ears and other senses. The pain started sharp and intense and then changed to a tingling spreading warmth. It settled in my system as lust and adrenaline. For a few moment I didn't exist.

  He took a deep breath. "You could ask you know." His palm must have been stinging but he paid no attention to it.

  "What if I don't want to have to ask?" I shook my red ass at him. "What if I want you in control sometimes?"

  "Well, we can work with that too." He gave me one more slap, not as hard. He leaned down kissing the side of my mouth and releasing my neck. I stood up replete in a way that's hard to explain. We both got me dressed, having fun and laughing as we did.

  Him spanking me satisfied me in a separate way from sex, but they were inextricably tied up. It didn't make sense to dwell on the why. Some things are meant to be enjoyed not understood. I thanked whatever made it so that my wiring made his firm hand on my ass pleasurable.

  We left my apartment together. I opened the door to the hallway. I saw a shadow out there, but by the time the door opened enough for a proper look it was gone. "Did you see that?" I asked him in a concerned voice.

  "Hm? No, I didn't. What was it?" He came back from some far-off thought.

  I wouldn't have worried about it at all. I lived in an apartment building there were loads of people coming and going. This stood still outside my door instead of moving passed. "A shadow, I'm sure of it." I decided not to worry about, not with Mason here.

  The day continued serenely. It was gorgeous out. The sun shone, bright and warm. He took me to a litt
le diner. This differed from his usual speed, but he assured me the food was great. We ordered omelets with home fries and toast. As he promised they were delicious.

  We talked a lot about his work, which to my chagrin was legal, lucrative, and interesting. He told me he didn't like to bring it up because people don't typically have a fondness for lawyers. I laughed at that. He explained how it made him proud to carry on his mom's legacy and practice law under her name.

  He didn't spend much time talking about himself. When he did, I tried to remember his every word and mannerism. The yellow lights of the diner even made him look good. He smiled at me with that face and I couldn't help my fat infatuated smile. He had me so interested it shocked me when he said, "I'm talking too much, you talk."

  I took a bite of my omelet, chewed, and swallowed. "I quite like you talking so much. It's nice to know you better." I didn't have the easiest time with giving genuine compliments. I looked down as I said it.

  "If you made time for me you'd know quite a bit more than you do now." I didn't look at his face. I didn't want to see his expression.

  "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." Intense curiosity forced me to check his face, stubble and light pink.

  He looked off toward the bathrooms. His lips were turned down. "I know you're busy, but-..."

  I interrupted him. "I'm not avoiding you." I grabbed his hand trying to force him to believe me. "I'm having a tough time adjusting. It's... a lot." I rubbed his hand and considered my words. "I'm not used to having so many responsibilities at work and it hasn't been easy. There's hardly been a moment I stopped thinking of you." I smiled at him, amazed I could cause him that much distress.

  "Is it going to be another six weeks before I can spend the night with you?" His tone lightened up, but the question remained.

  "This week, I promise." He turned his hand over then and held mine. I hoped my smile charmed him.

  "I'll hold you to it." He smiled brightly and squeezed my hand.

  17

  I continued to succeed at work. I handled my responsibilities well and growing accustomed to bearing them. I had a good thing going with Mason. I felt like flying when I thought of our sex and conversations. I tried to think of a time in my life where I had been happy like this. I couldn't think of any. I couldn't remember a single time in my life that unmarked by significant pain.

  I was becoming alright with my fundamental self. I couldn't tell if Mason made the difference, or if he came at the right time. I stood on top of a mountain on a tiny ledge. It was incredible, the experience of a lifetime. I stood so close to the edge, and if I fell I didn't think I could survive the consequences.

  It was Monday morning. The start of the day had been nice. I managed to shove away my doubts and fears long enough to experience some real joy for my situation. The library opened easy enough, no hassle there. I sat at my desk sifting through my email. I liked my chair, and I appreciated being alive.

  There were a lot of emails today. There were a bunch of community programs going on or beginning soon. Sending questions about those programs to the wrong email was common practice. I good-naturedly forwarded them all to the community programs manager.

  I came across one with the subject line "Fucking Bitch". My heart dropped. I thought about ignoring it. I shouldn't let someone ruin my day. I couldn't do that though. This was my job and I needed to know what it said. I clicked it open, noticing it was from an email randomizer. I hoped the library's virus software was decent, but I didn't know how to tell for myself.

  You fucking bitch, you think you're going to ignore me? I won't be forgotten that easy.

  It wasn't signed. Something, insidious started to slither inside me. The wording in this email was very similar to another message I received here. There was some possibility that they were pranks from the same person. Something inside me told that wasn't the case. I started to think of how many times over the past few months I thought I was being followed and written it off. I thought of the shadow outside of the apartment the other day.

  I tried to think about when it started. I did my best to make some sense of all the things I told myself I imagined. There were many times I thought I was being watched when I was walking home. It was hard to figure out with how much time I spent ignoring it. It had to be one of the guys from the ad. It was right around then that it all started. In fact, I was sure that I started to notice being followed after I posted the ad.

  How did they find out who I was, and what did they want from me? What else did this guy know, where I worked, where I lived? I ignored all of them but one. There could have been a thousand I didn't answer. Which one of those penises was the one that was sending me threatening messages?

  I jumped at a shape in the doorway. It was only Emma. "You've been nervous lately." She tried to keep her tone light but there was real concern in her eyes.

  She seemed to be making some assumption I hoped to interrupt. "I'm fine." I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm always a little jumpy. How was your weekend? Tell me all about it." My voice didn't sound as even as I intended.

  She came to lean against the edge of my desk. The concern on her face told me she wasn't fooled. "It was good. I went out with this guy." Her tone was unenthusiastic. "It was nice enough I guess, but he's not Mr. Right, or even Mr. Right Now." We both laughed at that. I wondered if she could tell I sounded off.

  "They can't all be winners."

  "No, I guess not." She looked like she was thinking of something far away. "Speaking of winners how is this guy, you're so obsessed with?" She lifted a long elegant eyebrow.

  I tried to break through my distraction and think back to our weekend. "He's amazing actually." My voice didn't sound convincing.

  "Don't sound so happy about it." Her tone was a little sassy.

  My nerves were too raw to handle human interaction, "This has nothing to do with him." My voice was harder than I meant it. "I'm distracted today. I have a big list of things that need to get done if you don't mind getting started."

  She gave me a hard look. "Yeah of course, as long as you're fine."

  I was getting annoyed. "Yeah I am. The list is on the circulation desk" I turned away from her then and looked at my computer. I could see her in the corner of my eye and she looked offended. I would have to worry about that later. At least she took the hint and left. I turned back to the email trying to decide what the best course of action was.

  I didn't want to tell Mason. I was taken with him and the last thing I wanted was for him to realize the crazy crap that came with me. I was pretty sure from a legal standpoint there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn't illegal to send an email, even a creepy one. It wasn't illegal to drop a threatening note in a book return box.

  I could make a report with the police, so they would have some back story if things escalated. If I needed help, I would be more likely to get it if there was a reported history. This wasn't even a threat. It was only threatening in tone. It was hard to imagine myself sitting with a police officer. Trying to give an account of what happened these last few months. I couldn't remember for myself, especially not tell someone else.

  I didn't spend much time thinking about why. I knew that crazy didn't often have a reason that sane would understand. It was easy not to torture myself about it. There were plenty of other things to obsess about. Who they were, and what they might want to do to me. I didn't think I wanted an answer. There weren't any good options.

  I considered that it might be a prank and not in the way that Emma meant. I put myself out there in a ridiculous way. Maybe some tech savvy kid found my real email and thought they were hilarious. That didn't explain the feeling of being watched and followed. I tended to be dramatic. It was possible I was imagining things. After wracking my brain for long enough to get behind I decided not to dwell on it. I shoved it into a box in the back of my head and locked it up.

  I decided to go check on Emma. I was starting to feel bad about how I treated her. There was a big bouquet on the ci
rculation desk. "Emma when were these flowers delivered?" I called unsure where she was.

  "A little while ago." Her cold voice wafted up from an unknown aisle. I offended her. I thought about saying something back. Something told me I couldn't get in the right mind set to try and make things better with someone. I would say something stupid and make it worse. The flowers were beautiful fresh orange lilies and red roses. The combination was like fire perfectly arranged in a delicate vase. There was a small card attached.

  Claire,

  This weekend was amazing. You are about a thousand times more beautiful than these flowers. Keep them near so their beauty can pale beside yours. Have dinner with me tonight at 7. No, I won't tell you where.

  Text me,

  Mason

  I picked up my phone and typed out a message.

  Yes, pick me up at 7. Next time I pick the place.

  I sent that message. Then remembered I was being rude and followed it up with,

  Thank you for the flowers, they're lovely.

  He texted me back quicker than I expected.

  You make the date you pick the place. If I must vie for your affection I chose.

  Could I be doing that? I did like how hard he pursued me. I never thought of it that way before. Did I intentionally lengthen that pursuit? I didn't know. I could have made more time for him since I met him, but my work was important to me. He was only half right.

  You didn't even give me a chance this time.

  I sent him smiling.

  You still wouldn't have asked

  I imagined him saying it in a lofty voice.

  You speak like someone who knows me well.

  I quoted him. His reply came a few minutes later.

  I'm getting closer.

  He was right. I didn't text him back. Nothing I thought to say sounded right. How do you properly convey to someone that they are turning your life upside down? Is it couth to tell someone when they're near you, your heart could explode? Add to that the resentment I and I would never tell him.