Perfectly Inappropriate

“We had a housekeeper here when I was a child for as long as I can remember. She’s a sweet lady who shouldn’t really be working anymore but she likes to feel useful, so I give her the odd job, like stocking the fridge before I come.” He turned around, carrying a couple of paper towels and two plates with the sandwiches on top.

“Jeez, she must be old if she worked for your family while you were growing up.” Olivia grinned.

Noah placed the plate in front of her. “Careful.”

“Kidding,” she said with a laugh. “You’re only forty, not that old.” She snuck a peek at Noah, finding him scowling. She laughed loudly now. “Another joke. I know you’re thirty-five.”

“You’re not funny.” Though his eyes laughed anyway. He pulled a stool around to the other side of the island and sat down facing Olivia. “Cheryl has been with our family for a very long time.” He scooped up one half of his sandwich and took a big bite. “She’s a proud woman. A good woman with a handful of grandkids now.”

Olivia reached for her sandwich. “That’s nice you keep her on even though you don’t need her.”

He shrugged. “She’s a nice lady.”

Apparently, he was starving because after that, he didn’t say a word, with his attention only on his sandwich.

Olivia supposed that made sense. Noah needed fuel to feed that hard, incredible body. Though as she sat and watched him eat, she realized he was quite the contradiction. She’d expected a senator to be more arrogant…maybe more in your face, showing off what kind of man he was. But Noah was silently strong and seemed to downplay his kindness.

She liked that about him.

And so did her womanly bits and pieces. Tingles stirred between her thighs again. She shifted against the stool, trying to get away from all that heat.

When that failed, she asked, “Why didn’t that tough guy come with us here?”

Noah finished chewing then gave her a quizzical look. “What tough guy?”

“Your driver.” After their first meeting at the restaurant, Olivia had noticed Noah chat with him then get into his SUV. The guy belonged in an action movie.

His mouth twitched. He sucked the mayo off his thumb then added, “I would suggest you never call Jared my driver to his face. He’s a retired Navy Seal who owns a private investigation company in Manhattan.”

“Oh.” Nothing like putting her foot in her mouth. “He’s kinda a big deal then?”

“A very big deal.” Noah nodded, wiped the paper towel over his mouth, then continued. “To answer your question, Jared’s not here because there’s no reason for him to be. He was only with me that first day I met you because I’m cautious.”

Olivia finished chewing. “He’s not full-time security?”

“No.” Noah reached for his glass of water. Once he polished off half of it, he explained, “Politicians aren’t granted security unless it’s necessary. I’ve never had a threat against me. We do get security when we go to the Hill, but that’s provided by Capitol Police. I hire Jared independently to keep my interactions with SiR private and to look deeper into the submissives whom I allow into my life.”

Olivia mulled that bit of information over, taking another bite of her sandwich. She never really took the fact that she could do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted seriously. But to have such restrictions on her life was not something she could imagine. “Do you ever wish you could have sex without having to go through all the security?”

“Sure.” He tossed a piece of the crust into his mouth. “It would be great to live my life without worrying that my competition is going to air my dirty laundry on all the news outlets. But on the flip side of that, I love my job.” His eyes filled with something better than happiness. They filled with pride and fulfillment that his dreams had been met. “I love the political game. I love it enough that I don’t want to lose my position because I happen to like my sex to have a certain flavor.”

She finished off the final bite of her sandwich. “The media sure does love a juicy scandal.”

“Yes, they do.” He reached for her empty plate then took his as well and set them in the dishwasher before turning to her again. “A scandal involving dominance and submission would destroy my career. People would turn it into a witch hunt and make up stories to vilify me.” He leaned against the counter, folding his arms. “I won’t allow that to happen. I want to win the election again in a couple years.”

She tried not to notice his ripped arms and defined abs…and failed miserably. “What about after that?”

“Who knows what I’ll do,” he said with a slight shrug. “I never think that far ahead. One goal at a time. Dream the dream. Face the dream. Conquer the dream.”

Olivia sipped her water, the coolness easing the tightness in her throat that the conversation had brought out. The way Noah spoke made chasing dreams seem all so easy. “I envy your fearlessness.” She polished off her water then set the glass down. When she looked up, she found him watching her very carefully.

He pulled out the stool beside her then turned her in to him, his strong legs hugging hers. The loaded silence stayed with them for quite possibly the longest minutes of her life while he stared at her and she stared back, wondering if she’d said something wrong.

“I want to ask you a question,” he finally said. “If it’s too personal, tell me to go to hell and that will be that.”

“Okay,” she said with caution.

He leaned in just a little and his voice softened. “What happened with Cameron?”