Page 32 of Serving the Maestro

TEN

JAZZ

Caught up in the contract I was reading, I shifted on my office chair. Wincing as my tender backside protested, I checked the time and was relieved to see how late it had gotten.

I wanted to get home and pull on a pair of soft pajamas.

“You look like you just smashed your finger in the drawer.”

Looking up to see Cam in the doorway, I swallowed a curse. Feigning confusion, I asked, “What?”

She cocked a brow and leaned her shoulder against the doorframe. “You’re hurting. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” When she kept staring, I protested again. “I’m fine. Just a little sore.”

Even that wouldn’t have been an issue if Trent hadn’t decided he wanted to push the boundaries of our...relationship. I’d told him the BDSM thing stopped at the bedroom door. But once he told me what he’d wanted me to do, then whispered in my ear what he’d been thinking about if I did it, I couldn’t stop.

And so what if I went to work without any panties?

That was tame compared to what he’d done before spreading me out on his bed last night and tying me down. He’d spanked me, using enough force that the blows had stung—and I’d loved every second of it. I’d loved it so much that when he shoved a pillow under my hips, then mounted me, I was on the verge of climax. His hard entry had pushed me right over—and he’d spanked me again, punishment for coming without permission.

My ass was sore.

And I couldn’t wait to do it all over again. I couldn’t believe how erotically charged everything was with Trent—even when he wasn’t here with me, I felt him. In the way, my skirt irritated the sensitive skin of my butt, in the way air currents whispered up along my bare legs to caress the naked flesh between my thighs. Everything.

“Okay.” Cam shut the door and strode over to the scooped seat, settling on the padded cushion and curling up with her feet tucked under her butt. “You’re blushing now, and I’m not leaving until you spill. What’s going on?”

Hesitating, I wondered what she’d say, then decided, what the hell. I was still confused over all of this. What was a best friend for if not to listen?

“I’m...involved with somebody,” I said slowly.

“You’re seeing somebody?” she asked, a grin lighting her face. “Oh, now, you must spill. Who is he? Do I know him?”

“I didn’t say seeing. We’re not dating.” Nibbling on my lower lip, I tried to find the best way to explain, then realized the only way to do it was with the truth, plain and simple. “He’s my neighbor. He’s only in New York for a couple of months. And...”

The words lodged in my throat. Grabbing my thermal water bottle, I took a long drink, the icy cold a relief to the heat that was now scorching my face.

“We’re having sex,” I said bluntly.

“Oh.” Cam blinked, clearly caught off-guard. “Well, sometimes it starts that way.”

“No.” I shook my head. “Sex is all this is, all it’s going to be. We’re not going to hook up and get together. Neither of us wants that.”

Cam straightened in the seat, swinging her legs around, so her feet rested on the floor. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, studied me closely, then shook her head. “You’re not wearing that look because you’re only having sex with a guy, Jazz. There’s more to it. I can tell. I know you.”

Closing my eyes, I let my head fall back against the padded chair. Thinking of the heat I felt with Trent and the deal we’d made, made my heart race. But I didn’t want to be involved. He didn’t want that, either.

“I want a baby, Cam,” I said softly.

When she didn’t say anything, I lifted my head and opened my eyes. My best friend had a worried look on her face, but there was a glimmer of understanding in her eyes.

“I want a baby,” I said again. “But I’m not having much luck in the relationship area. I don’t want to settle for somebody who doesn’t make me happy just so I can have a chance at motherhood.”

“So...this neighbor of yours...does he know you’re using him for his...bodily fluids?” Cam was blushing now, her cheeks as hotly scarlet as mine.

“Of course.” Now that I’d opened up about it, it was easier, I realized. “I told him what I wanted, that he’d never be responsible for anything if I got pregnant. And he agreed. He agreed to get tested, we signed a contract and everything.”

“And he gets...what?” Cam still looked confused. “Sex?”

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