Haze

"What is it? I'm really busy right now, Cicely."

"Are you and Mr. Foster doing things? You are having sex with him, aren't you?"

So far just really spectacular oral sex, thank you. Well, technically, thank you to Mr. Foster for that.

"My personal life isn't your business." I perch my hands on my waist. "What I do after work isn't your concern, Cicely."

"Did you do it in the office just now? If you did, that's my business."

"I've never had sex in this building. Have you?"

"Once."

My mouth literally falls open. I feel it and I do nothing to stop it. "You've had sex in the boutique?"

"It was after hours." She points at a table covered in lace panties. "It was over there, against that table."

I rest my fingertips against my forehead. How did I get involved in this conversation and beyond that, is there a way to get that mental image out of my mind?

"Don't run to Mr. Foster and tell him that." She points her finger at me. "I'll deny it and you'll look like a fool."

My lips twist wryly. "I won't tell a soul, Cicely. Your secret is safe with me."

I mean it. I'm not even sure I could form the words to tell anyone, let alone Gabriel, about Cicely's sex life.

***

"Isla, did you ever make it to Skyn?"

I close the door of the change room with a small push of my shoulder. I feel instant relief once I hear the latch catch.

"I went there once," I admit. "I can't say it was the best experience I've ever had."

She adjusts the lace bra she's trying on. "I like the way this fits. Does it come in different colors?"

I nod slowly. "Black, violet, I think there's also a red option, but I'll need to double check that we have it in stock."

"You don't carry collars, do you?"

She's not the first customer to ask me that. She is, however, the first, and only customer, I've had who has ever talked about Skyn, that club I went to a few weeks ago in Lower Manhattan.

"I'm sorry, Tiffany, we don't."

That's the name she likes to be called. I'm not sure if it's part of her fantasy life, but it's not the name on her credit card or on her driver's license, which she had to show me to verify her identity when she opened an account with us.

If I had to wager a guess, I'd say she's at least fifteen years older than me. The first time she came in, she asked me to help her try on dozens of different bras. During the hour I spent with her she rambled on about her penchant for being tied up. It had sparked my interest immediately and when she talked about the men she'd met at Skyn, I made the mistake of asking her where the club was.

"I know a place I can get one." She gestures to her back in an effort to get me to unclasp the bra. "Do you want to come with me after work one day? It might be fun."

There's no actual protocol that states that we can't hang out with customers, especially the ones who have the same interests we do. It's not as though I can tell Cassia about what I like in bed. I tried once, two or three years ago, when I asked if she would like it if her boyfriend spanked her.

Her reaction was telling, not just the words she used but her body language. She'd laughed uncontrollably before announcing that she'd kick any guy who tried to do that to her right in his groin.

I never brought it up again after that even though it's been something I've craved since my first year of college when the boyfriend I had helped me understand the pleasure I could find in pain.

His experience was as limited as mine but together, we'd experimented and when we broke up, I felt a void that couldn’t be filled with just a good fuck. I craved more and I still do.

Last night was the first time I felt so aroused under a man's touch. When Gabriel pulled my hands back and laced them together with the sash, I almost lost my balance. I practically came when he slapped my ass. It was so much, too much but I wanted even more.

"I think I'll take these two." She motions towards two bras on the bench next to us. "You'll think about my offer, won't you?"

"I will." I might. Then again, Gabriel may give me everything I need.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Gabriel

"Tell me about haze."

Her head pops up as her eyes skim the perimeter of the restaurant. "You want to talk about that here?"

"Is there a reason we shouldn't?" I take a small sip from the glass of wine I ordered after we were seated. Isla opted for sparkling water again. I might have joined her until I saw the dress she's wearing. It's the same one she had on at Skyn when I spotted her through the glass. Her body is on ripe and almost full display and if we weren't in the center of Axel NY right now, enjoying what I hope will be a quick dinner, I'd be fucking her raw.