Page 7

They stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity. Surprisingly, Samantha was the one to break first. She gave Rebecca a tight smile. “Very well, Miss Cuinn. No changes.”

Rebecca let out a sigh of relief. Well, she wasn’t fired, and she won. This round at least. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I will get this room at some point. You better be that good. And, the next time you decide to speak to me in that manner… well, we will have to think of a good punishment.”

A light knock sounded at the door and Rebecca looked over to see Gigi—scantily clad as always—standing there.

“You may go.”

Samantha had dismissed Rebecca like a child. Unfortunately, Rebecca wasn’t finished. She still needed to talk to Samantha about the money they needed by the end of the week.

“I need to discuss…”

“Unless you want to drop to your knees and suck my clit, you need to get out.”

Rebecca stood abruptly, hating the fact that she tasted that now familiar bitterness of anger and jealousy. It wasn’t the first time she was sent away, ousted by Gigi. It wouldn’t be the last. If only she hadn’t wanted to be the one to drop to her knees.

REBECCA PRESSED A hand to her stomach as it growled loudly. Once she had gotten back to her office after that disaster with Samantha, she got right to work. It was typical of her to forget to eat, even when she was starving. But, since Samantha would rather have a playdate than discuss business, it was up to Rebecca to figure out the impossible. In the grand scheme of things, fifteen grand should be the easy part. And, it could be, she told herself silently.

She jumped at the sound of a throat clearing and looked up to see Samantha leaning against the doorjamb. It would help matters enormously for Rebecca if she didn’t find the woman sexy and intriguing.

“May I come in?” Rebecca nodded, and Samantha folded her long frame into the uncomfortable guest chair. “I wanted to apologize for earlier.”

Blonde eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had been on the receiving end of Samantha’s bad moods quite a few times. Never once had the woman apologized.

Samantha smirked. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. It was inappropriate and rude.”

“I’m not sure what to say.”

“I think you said it all when you put me in my place,” Samantha answered. She held her hand up when Rebecca opened her mouth. “If you’re thinking of saying sorry, don’t. I deserved it.”

“All right.” Truth was, Rebecca still wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t sorry for what she said, but perhaps she could have been a bit more tactful.

“I would like to make it up to you if you would allow me to.”

“Samantha, there’s no need.”

“I insist,” Samantha interrupted. “How about dinner?”

Rebecca tilted her head. “What would your girlfriend think about you taking me out?”

“Girlfriend? You mean Gigi?” Samantha laughed heartily. “Gigi is merely a means to an end. I’m in between… companions at the moment. Gigi assuages any needs I may have.”

“I see.” I’m not jealous. “Even so, I have class in the morning. I should have left more than an hour ago.”

“Yet, you’re still here. And, from the noise I heard coming from your stomach when I came in, you need to eat.” Samantha leaned up in her seat. “Come to dinner with me, Rebecca.”

Part of Rebecca begged her to say no. Another part, the one that was consistently intrigued by Samantha, begged her to say yes. Her stomach chose that moment to growl again and she made her decision.

“Okay.”

HINDSIGHT IS TWENTY-TWENTY. Isn’t that what they say? There are those moments in life when you had to ask yourself; if you knew then what you know now, would you have done it all differently? Rebecca’s answer was a resounding yes. If she had known then what her future would be, she never would have said yes to having dinner with Samantha that fateful night nearly a year ago. But she did. And that was something she now had to live with.

She couldn’t remember now if it was the attention Samantha gave her? Or maybe it was the fear that she really was boring? Or perhaps it was the intrigue of letting go and giving herself over to someone completely? Had she been lonely and never realized it? Ever since Rebecca’s parents died, she had pushed herself to be the person she thought they would be proud of. The demanding work never allowed for much of a social life, but Rebecca hadn’t cared much about that.

Fact was, whenever Rebecca was feeling particularly horny, it was easy for her to take care of it herself. She didn’t need anyone, and honestly, she thought that was the way she preferred it. From what she had observed around her, relationships were messy and falling in love couldn’t be an option for her at this point in her career or life. However, that one dinner had changed everything. She told herself it was bound to happen eventually. Working so close with someone as sexual as Samantha had Rebecca yearning for more for the first time in her young life. How could she resist the pull she felt every time the woman was near?

God, how she had thought she fully understood what getting involved with Samantha would mean. She knew the sex would be anything but conventional. She knew that if she gave in she would be submitting to Samantha and everything she thought a lover should give. Having heard all that entailed on her first tour of the club, it was perhaps the one major element that had caused Rebecca’s hesitation to get too close. She hadn’t known if she had it in her to be a submissive. The thought of the pain that she was told came with pleasure was daunting. Nevertheless, in the end, the attraction was too strong to resist.