Page 19 of Salacious Desires

“I’m driving you to and from work from now on.”

My mouth falls open. This man is a bulldozer.

“Drake, you can’t do that. You’re already at work when I get here. I’m fine.”

His fingers capture my chin, holding me in place firmly so I can’t look anywhere but at his beautiful face and clenched jaw. “I’m driving you to and from work. It’s a safety issue. If you’re worried about being in a car alone with me, I’ll have my car service drive you. Either way, you’re not riding the bus. Understood?”

“I’m not worried about being alone with you,” I whisper.

Awesome argument.It’s true, though. Drake won’t hurt me. I may not be good at reading people, and I may not understand a lot of social cues, but I’m safe with this man. Physically anyway. I’m not so sure about emotionally.

“Good. Then I’ll wait for you to finish up and drive you home.”

“I’m almost done. I have three more receipts to enter, and I need to grab my coat and purse.”

Drake reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes sparkling in the dim light. “I’ll get your stuff. What locker?”

I give him my locker number and the code, a warmth spreading low in my belly. Hannah’s husband does things like this for her, but other than that, I’ve never seen a man doing something like getting a woman’s coat for her. It’s sweet, and I feel a bit like what I’d imagine a princess would feel like.

“Be right back, baby.” Before he strides off toward the locker room, he leans in and presses a chaste kiss to my temple. I stare at his backside in shock, admiring the view. My skin tingles where his lips touched. Wow.

“You did great tonight, Lily. You’ve done fabulously all week.” Shelly saunters my way, a relaxed smile on her face.

My cheeks heat at her compliment. She’s a demanding boss, but she’s fair, and she always stops to check on me before we leave. Like she cares about how I’m handling things.

“Thank you, Shelly. Do you need me to do anything else before I go?”

“No. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Before you know it, you’ll be one of the lead cocktail servers here.”

I stand a little taller, trying to suppress the smile that’s threatening to break free. “Really? I mean, I don’t need to be a lead, but I’m doing good?”

Shelly reaches out and puts her hands on my shoulders, giving a slight squeeze. “Sweetie, you’re the best server I’ve ever worked with. I don’t know where you got your experience, but you’re good.”

Wincing, my smile falls slightly. “Thank you.”

She tilts her head slightly. “Your experience hasn’t come from a good place, has it? I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t think before I spoke.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not. Was it a previous Dom?”

My eyes go round, and I shake my head a little too quickly. “No. I’ve never…I mean, I’m not, uh, a sub. I was a stay-at-home wife before, and my ex-husband was, well, he was demanding. So that’s where my experience comes from.”

“Your ex-husband sounds like a real asshole,” Shelly says firmly.

I giggle because the woman is blunt, but I appreciate her honesty. Jack really was an asshole.

“Yes. He is a true asshole.” I giggle a bit louder as the curse rolls off my tongue. That felt good. “A real dick. A dickish asshole.”

“I haven’t heard you swear once. You’ve spent five minutes with Shelly, and you’re swearing like a sailor.”

My giggle turns into a full belly laugh, and soon, Shelly is laughing along with me while Drake stares at us, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Sorry.” I wave my hand through the air, trying to get myself under control. “I’ve never used that sort of language before. It felt good. I won’t do it at work or around customers.”

Shelly snorts. “Sweetie, have you heard the filth that comes out of people’s mouths here? I think it’s fine if a curse word comes out once in a while. Especially if it makes you smile like that. Don’t you agree, Drake?”

I peer up at him from under my lashes, my heart lurching at the way he’s staring at me. Like he’s proud.

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