Page 25 of How May I Please You

When I get in, I turn to Journey who is clearly fuming. “Well that wasn’t what I had in mind for spending our day together.”

We would've had a much better time smothering someone together like the good old days.

She exhales, but it does nothing to relieve the tension in her face. “Not exactly.”

“It’s okay,” I say, placing a hand on her knee. “Don’t let it get to you, Little One. It was just a kid with an attitude. We can let this one slide.”

Journey’s eyes snap over to me. “Can we? We didn't let it slide with the guy from the club. Why now?”

“Because he’s just a kid,” I answer. “Things have been going great with us, Journey. We’re happy and not having to run from the police. We don't need to murder every person who rubs us the wrong way and put ourselves in their crosshairs. We’ve been fortunate thus far, but let’s not push it over a kid working in a diner. Okay?”

Journey stares at me for a while, and I wish I could hear the thoughts in her head. I can tell she felt disrespected in there, but we’ve already left multiple bodies in our wake and I don't want it to start drawing attention.

I rub her cheek with my hand, doing everything I can to extinguish the fire I know is blazing in her right now. Luckily, I see when she sighs and lets it wash off of her.

“You’re right,” she says. “Let’s not let it ruin our day off together.”

“That’s my girl,” I reply, starting up the truck and driving away.

Journey keeps her head turned away from me, staring out the window as we leave the parking lot and drive past the diner. Her body is tight and I can see her biting her lip from here.

“You good?” I ask.

When she turns to me, she’s no longer biting her lip. She's smiling from ear to ear like nothing ever happened.

“I’m good,” she says, reaching over and taking my hand in hers. “Everything is perfect.”

sixteen

~ journey ~

“I’m not sure exactly, but Captain Saunders called and said he wants me and Summers on it. Something about a robbery in Center City. We just need to go in and take another statement from the victim then we can really dive into it in the morning. I promise it’ll be fairly quick.”

When you turn to look at me, I'm relieved to not see suspicion in your gaze. I don't sense distrust in your facial expression as I climb off the bed and go into the closet to throw on something a bit more professional. I’m also glad that you can't see me getting dressed, because if you could you'd see the tightness in my body. There is no other investigation starting tonight. There is no robbery.

You know me so well, Sir, there’s no way I could hide how I'm truly feeling from you for long. Unfortunately, I’ve been exerting myself all day trying to hide my feelings and can barely do it anymore. Then again, I know you just as much as you know me, and I think that if there ever is a day that you find out about this, you’ll understand. You might be upset that I disobeyed you, but you’d get it. Of course you would, Evan. You're my Sir.

“Okay, so I’ll see you in just a bit. I love you, Sir,” I tell you, planting my knee on the mattress to lean over and kiss you, falling in love with the way your lips feel on mine like I do every time our mouths touch.

“I love you. Be careful, Little One. If anything happens to you, you know I would murder the entire population of Pennsylvania over it.”

My heart hums at your words. I fucking love you so much, Evan. I’m sorry that sometimes I lie.

“I know you would,” I tell you, kissing you again. “I’ll be back soon.”

I struggle to pull myself away simply because I don't like being apart from you, especially when I’m not required to for work, but this must be done. I stand up straight, holding your hand a second longer before letting go and closing the bedroom door behind me. In the garage, I quietly shuffle a couple of storage boxes around and find a little section where I stored barbeque utensils last summer. There, right next to the charcoal, I find a nearly full can of lighter fluid.

The streets are quiet on my drive—not many people out at this time of night. The sky above me is cloudless and black, sprinkled with a vast assortment of stars of different sizes and brightnesses. It’s calm and peaceful, making me feel at ease as I press the gas after a stoplight, bringing my destination into view. I'm unanxious as I drive around the building in search of cameras on the outside. To my disbelief, I don't see any from here. I mean, it’s 2024. Who the hell doesn't invest in some sort of security system for their business? The owner of Andrea’s Diner will find that to be a critical mistake.

After surveilling the surrounding area, I park my car at the entrance of the small alleyway between Andrea’s and the clothing store next to it. It’s unfortunate that the store may become an innocent victim in all of this, but sometimes there is collateral damage when dealing with assholes. It’s not my intent to put the clothing store out of business, but if it happens, so be it. I hope they have insurance.

The last time I was in an alley, I was watching you cut a man’s tongue in half for calling me a whore because he couldn't get into The Black Collar. You were so perfect, straddling that asshole with blood on your fist and controlled rage in your eyes. I was in awe of you, as I have always been, but seeing you do such damage for me was breathtaking in the best way. I couldn't help but suck your cock right there in the alley because you're just so good to me, Sir. Fuck, even thinking about it now makes me wet all over again, and now that I know that Jay Brock’s attackers will ever be found, I’m on cloud nine.

I love this about us. I adore how abnormal we are at our hearts. Both of us are capable of walking around all day and acting like we aren't thinking about burning the world down over our inconveniences. I know you feel it just as much as I do—the desire and need to brutalize someone for being disrespectful. You’ve gotten pretty good at keeping your desires encaged. Of course you have, Sir. You're so incredible. It doesn't surprise me that you’d try to keep from hurting someone if you can. That’s a good thing. You protect us both with your control over your emotions. What you said earlier today is true. We don't need investigations being opened up because we lost our cool.

But if a crime is committed within the jurisdiction of the Seventh Precinct, then the investigation will come to my office and I will have control over how it plays out. I get to pull all of the strings—the same way I was the puppeteer in the investigation of Sierra Cross’s disappearance.

I don't like having so many secrets, Sir, but the things I keep close to my chest are there for a reason. I want you to know everything about me, but I can't let you know everything about me. The most important thing for you to know is that I love you more than I have ever loved anything. I would never let anyone hurt or disrespect you. I’d protect you the same way you’d protect me. I also have to protect and guard myself from disrespect, which is why I had to force the redhead from your job out of state. It is also the reason I’m approaching the back door of Andrea’s Diner with the top popped on a can of lighter fluid and a box of matches.

---