Under His Influence (Love Under Lockdown)

I nodded, and hastily made the round trip home, stuffing what I hoped was at least two weeks’ worth of everything I’d need into a duffel bag. I could barely think straight. I was really going to be locked down… alone… with Seth Black.

I probably overpacked, but I figured it would be better to err on the side of caution, and I even stuffed some of my favorite albums into a backpack, just to have them close.

Content with what I’d gathered, I rushed back to the office, and Seth whisked me downstairs to get tested.

Harrison, it turned out— much to my surprise, which I tried my best not to let show— was an awesome Punk babe about my age, who also happened to have a nursing degree. It must have been nice to work somewhere where no one would care if she wore her gear.

It wasn’t too extreme. No rubber skirts or leather lab coats, but her tribe alignment was very much on display in other ways. Particularly in her hair and make-up.

“You're all clear,” Harrison said, when the results came through. “Each of you.”

“Can I get that in writing?” Seth asked.

“Sure, I’ll have you both letters by the end of the day.”

“Thanks, Hari, you're the best.”

“You’re welcome, but remember— don’t call me Hari.”

She glared at him, clearly not afraid to piss off her boss. I admired her bravery. And her efficiency.

That was it. We’d both been tested and cleared, the clouds of doom rolling in over my mentorship clearing as soon as they’d gathered.

“Do you want the address, or will you ride with me?” Seth asked.

“With you,” I blurted out.

Despite my dirty mind that being around Seth seemed to have brought out in me, I didn’t even think about the double entendre of the word ‘ride.’ I just wanted to be close to him, and my car was safe in the staff parking garage, and it wasn’t like it was going to be checked anyway. Lucky thing, too, because I was about to get closer to him than I’d ever imagined.

“Okay,” he said. “But I brought my bike today. I find traffic more tolerable that way. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Umm, okay,” I told him, unsure.

There was a notion, often repeated, that the best view was from a motorcycle. This might well be true for the drivers. I was too scared to open my eyes the whole way there. I screwed my eyes shut and clung to Seth like a baby koala.

“We’re here,” he said, the engine reducing to a lower ebb.

I unstuck my face from the back of his leather jacket as he put down the kickstand, the smell of freshly cut grass permeating the air.

“Careful now,” he said, helping me down on to solid ground, my thighs still vibrating.

I lost my footing and fell against him, feeling the solidness of his torso through his cotton polo. I couldn’t resist pressing my hands against him, just to make sure it was actually real. It was.

Seth kept himself in really great shape. I could feel my pussy twitch, but I did my best to ignore it.

“Better?” he asked with genuine concern.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just a bit, you know, off balance.”

“First time on a bike?”

“Yeah, first and probably last.”

“Was it really that bad?” Seth asked with a chuckle.

“Scarier than a roller coaster.”

“Well, let’s get you inside and settled in.”

“Sounds good.”

I wasn’t exactly expecting a mansion, but Seth’s house still came as a surprise to me. Not least because of its surroundings. It all seemed so… domestic. Not that that was a bad thing. The more I thought about it, in fact, the more appealing it seemed.

“You’ll have your own room, of course,” Seth said, as he led the way up the stairs.

It did seem like an “of course” thing to say, although I wasn’t really happy about it. To be quite honest, I wanted him to fuck me, but I understood if he didn’t. It could be really costly for him, were he to be caught messing around with an intern. That was the sort of thing that could get a president of a country impeached. Let alone the president of a company.

As far as I knew, Seth still ran things at Suspicious Activity, but the label had gotten big enough that it had HR, as well as a legal department. I’d seen them listed next to the elevator. We could get in a lot of trouble if we indulged in any forbidden flings.

“This is you, and I’m just across the hall,” Seth said, and I put my bag down on the four-poster bed.

“It’s lovely; thank you.”

“No trouble. Are you hungry?”

I was, come to think of it, and so I nodded. Breakfast was the last meal I could remember eating, with everything involving the pending lockdown becoming so hectic all of a sudden.