I take a step toward her bedroom and that’s when I hear it. A low yowling sound that raises the small hairs on the back of my neck. I turn slowly to find a white long-haired cat standing in the middle of the hallway behind me, its back arched and hair standing on end. It hisses.
It’s a gorgeous creature, but there’s no denying it’ll try to take a bite out of me if I approach. Figures. “She would have a feral fucking cat.”
“Rogue is simply a creature of habit. He doesn’t like change.”
I let out a surprised shriek and spin around. I’m distantly aware of the cat fleeing, but the majority of my attention is all on Malone. She’s wearing a black suit with a white silk shirt that’s just shy of being too sexy for corporate work. And she’s barefoot.
I don’t know why that detail sticks in my brain and derails every thought in my head, but I can’t quite drag my gaze from her pretty red-painted toes. She was barefoot last night, but somehow it didn’t register the same way it does while she’s in business clothing. “You have a cat.”
“Yes.”
“Where is your cat stuff? Cats have stuff, right? Like a litter box or whatever?”
“There’s a specially made cupboard in the laundry room.” Malone snaps her fingers, and I’m obeying without making a decision to move my body, walking to her side. She pivots easily and leads the way into her bedroom. “This way.”
I manage to stay silent despite the questions swirling through me. When she said she had work, I just assumed she’d left the apartment. That was careless of me. If she catches me snooping, I’m not sure what she’ll do. I’m still under Hades’s protection right now, so I doubt she’d toss me out a window, but there are a number of less lethal ways she could punish me. I have to be better than this. To be better than her.
A laptop and phone are sitting on the low table in front of the chairs arranged in a small sitting area. Malone stops in front of the one she was obviously using and turns to me. “I’m sitting in on a meeting with a new team giving their first report. My presence is more to lend additional heft to their manager, so it will be tedious.”
I manage to clamp my mouth shut before I press her for more information. She hasn’t asked a question, and she’s already proven to be a Domme who won’t put up with her submissive edging past the lines. Not that I’m hers, but the label applies for the next thirteen days.
She lifts an elegant brow. “Well? You’re wasting time.” When I still hesitate, Malone sighs. “With your experience, I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out for you.” She motions to the front of her slacks. “Keep me entertained, Aurora.”
Oh.
Oh.
I hit my knees, the soft rug cushioning me, and go for the front of her slacks. Even as I tell myself this is solely for the scene, I know I’m a goddamn liar. I want my mouth on her again, want to taste her, want to feel her come all over my face. I unfasten her pants and ease them down her legs, taking a little longer than strictly necessary. She’s built lean, but Malone is strong. Her legs show the same strength as her arms, muscle readily apparent with each move she makes. She steps out of the pants and waits while I fold them neatly before she sinks onto the chair and casually throws a leg over one of the arms. “Be quiet.”
“Yes, Mistress.” I move to kneel in the space she created for me. I should…
But there’s no room for should, not when she’s so pretty and pink and right there waiting for me. I dip my head down and kiss one inner thigh and then the other, easing my way up her legs. Malone makes an impatient noise but doesn’t stop me. Instead, I hear her picking up her phone.
When she speaks, it’s coldly professional. “Yes, I’m here. Bring on the team and do what you need to do. You’re taking lead on this one, Marshall.”
I slide my hands up her hips, pushing her shirt higher. She reaches down without looking and stops me before it reaches much past her navel. A severe look tells me that this is all the territory I have to work with. I bite down on the disappointment I have no business feeling. Why should I be annoyed that I don’t get access to her breasts when her pussy is right here and waiting?
Maybe I’m just annoyed at everything Malone does.
Or, more accurately, I’m annoyed at myself for wanting her despite everything she’s done. And I do want her. I’m honest enough with myself to admit that. I dip down and kiss her pussy, doing what I always do—channeling my frustration and anger into lust. It’s so much easier to manage this way, to smile and orgasm and cry out the emotions I’m not comfortable showing to the world. When I’m in a scene, no one expects me to display perfect control. The carefully orchestrated shattering is the point.