Page 58 of Solanum

Chapter Eight

"What did you do?" Samirah answered her phone in two rings when I called her on the evening of our second night in Tacoma.

Unlike our previous ventures, only Roderick and Taylor shared a room, while Chin and I each had our own. Wilkinson sent in the accommodation request and car requisition this time, and the unusual set up unnerved me.

"Nothing." I laughed when I heard her voice. "Wondering where you're at in your travels. I'm holed up in Tacoma."

"Boo." She blew a raspberry into the phone. "I'm on a rotation out in Bellingham."

"You're all over the damn state, Sami." I laughed at her reaction. "What kind of doctor are you?"

"An in-demand kind. Been thinking about settling in Seattle at some point, but not until U.W. makes an offer I can't refuse. They're getting closer."

"You're also making friends there. Probably helps."

"Sure does. You never call me without a text first. What gives?"

"I did a thing—"

"Tell me you did not do the thing—"

"I did the thing—"

"Caroline." Samirah groaned.

"For three days—"

"Fucking hell—"

"And I don't regret it yet."

"You will." She sighed softly. "Hang on. Let's video chat. Accept the request."

"Got it." I pressed the button and both our cameras turned on. I propped my phone on my knee and Samirah appeared, clad in her green scrubs with her hair pulled back and a surgical mask dangling off her ear. "What did you do?"

"Everything." I leaned my head back against the pillows. "Spanked her fine ass pretty good though."

"Damn." Samirah's expression softened as if the very mention of it soothed her. "Nora's delicious though, I don't blame you. Why don't you invite her to scene with us? Take the pressure off. She and Marley will play nicely."

"I could…"

"Did you two make it official?"

"No." I felt my insides crumble at the question. "The opposite. A promise that, if we're unattached, we would spend a night like that together for her birthday each year."

"Yeah." Sam smacked her lips. "That's not gonna work."

I laughed and dropped my head in my hand. "I know."

"You want her in all ways. To claim her as your sub, and make her your vanilla girlfriend, too. What's stopping you?"

"Work, Sam. I'm literally her superior. If the FBI finds out about our relationship, I'll be fired, and she'll be somethinged. Disciplined at the very least. They could choose to fire her, too. I don't know." I drew in a shaky breath at the thought of it. "I've only ever worked for the government, national and international. Imagine me getting fired for sleeping with a subordinate?" I laughed out my discomfort. "I'll have to work at Leather & Lace, because fuck knows no government contract would hire me."

"Nora's a psychologist. She could lose her clinical license for professional misconduct if the FBI chose to pursue it…" Sam's words, firm but delivered more gently than usual, unnerved me. "It's a shitty situation."

"At least Wilkinson split us up. Makes it easier, I guess. We brought on a new team lead for a special assignment. Wilkinson put Nora with him. Which is odd, but fine, I guess…"

"Do you think your boss suspects?" Sam's brow furrowed, then glanced to something behind the phone when an announcement came through the loudspeaker. "Not me. Yay."

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