Page 57 of Pretty Mess

“You don’t have to sleep. I can cook something, and we could watch some TV.”

“TV?” he says as if he’s never heard of the device.

“Yeah. I’ve got some shows saved to watch. We can chill out and eat junk food.”

“That isnotsomething I eat.”

“Oh, okay. I can eat junk food, and you can eat food only fit to line a hamster cage.” His lip twitches, and I edge close. “You could help me settle into the flat,” I say in a wheedling voice.

For a second, he hesitates, and my heart starts to hammer. But my hope deflates when his usual controlled expression returns, and he shakes his head. “Thank you for the offer, but I have work to do.”

“That’s fine,” I say in an easy tone of voice.

His shoulders relax slightly, and I suppose he was expecting me to make a scene. I trail after him into the foyer, watching as he presses the button for the lift.

“Well, I’ll see you.” I pause. “Whatisthe new arrangement?”

He steps close and takes my chin in his hand before kissing my lips. He pulls away to examine my face and then drops another kiss, this one lusher than the previous gentle peck.

We’re both breathing heavily when he pulls away, but he takes a short, controlled breath and says, “I’ll text you when I’m coming over, and I’d like you to be ready. Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, of course. That’s what you pay me for.” I can’t resist the last little dig and regret it when his expression shutters.

“It is, indeed,” he says silkily. “Be a good boy, Wes.”

The lift doors open and he steps in, but I catch them before they can shut. “Is that what you want?”

He leans back against the lift wall. “What?”

“Do you want me to be a good boy?”

He shakes his head, an expression on his face that I can’t work out. “You already are.” He gestures to me, and I step back, letting the lift doors close.

However, just before they shut, I call, “See you later, lover.”

I laugh at his grimace and then grab my phone from the counter, typing quickly.See you soon, lover.

His text comes back super quickly.

Kindly lose this number.

My grin dies away when I wander back into the flat and look around. This is the most ludicrously over-the-top place I’ve ever been in. It’s like the set of a film minus the smudged window, of course. It also seems empty and… a bit lonely.

“You’re being ridiculous,” I say out loud, the words echoing in the silent room. “He never stays. Stop thinking of him as a potential boyfriend. He’s aclient.”

Even as the words leave my mouth, I know they’re a lie and have probably never been true.

I look at the streaks on the window and sigh before going to find the Windowlene.

eight

I collapse onto Mac, feeling his arms surround me for a brief, lovely second. “God,” I whisper fervently into his throat. “That wasamazing.”

His arms tighten, and then he pushes at me. Taking my cue, I climb off his cock and fall to his side into the sweaty sheets. I can feel his come start to slide out of me and almost immediately his hand comes down, his fingers tracing idle patterns through the cooling spunk. I spread my legs. I love it when he does this.

“I like being on top,” I say thoughtfully. “Although I thought the person doing all the work was in control.”

He settles back on his pillow. “I get the feeling you wouldn’t like that.”