Page 60 of Ink & Desire

Cass’s eyes light up. “You were trying, weren’t you! You dirty slut!”

“Shut up,” I mutter. “I was, yes. A little. But not before that.”

She shrugs. “I’m not judging. I support all slutty behavior. Slut is only a bad word if we give it that power, and I don’t. Embrace your inner slut!”

I toss a couch pillow at her. “Stop yelling about sluts. I have neighbors.”

She shrugs. “Then they’ll know you have fun friends,” she says with a wink. “Who don’t slut-shame.”

“Seriously,” I say. “What should I do about Corbin? Keep in mind that I’ve still got to work with the man.”

“The way I see it,” she says. “You have three choices.”

She holds up one finger. “You can ignore it, like he’s doing. Pretend it never happened and keep the memory in your fantasy bank for solo sessions with your vibrator.”

She’s not wrong about the fantasy bank. There’s no way I’m forgetting a single detail of what happened between me and Corbin last night. Especially if it’s not going to happen again. But as soon as I consider the option, I reject it. I shake my head.

“I don’t want that to be our only time together,” I admit.

“I didn’t think so,” she says. Holding up another finger, she says, “So, another option is to confront him. Tell him what you want and hope he feels the same way and doesn’t get defensive and weird.”

I shy away from that idea, too. I can picture exactly how that conversation would go. Corbin isn’t the kind of man who likes being pushed around or backed into a corner. He might like my defiance and bratty nature, but that’s only because he likes the challenge of getting me to submit. And damn it, that thought is turning me on all over again.

“What’s the last option?” I ask.

“Torture him until he can’t help but give in and fuck your brains out again,” she says with a grin.

She makes it sound so simple, but Corbin is the kind of man who’ll see through any kind of manipulation tactics. And he hates liars. When I say exactly that to Cass, she just shrugs.

“No one said you’ve got to be manipulative about it. If he calls you out on it, be honest. Tell him you’re not satisfied with just one time together and you’re just doingwhat you need to do to get what you want. He strikes me as the kind of man who likes a challenge.”

I think over her words, considering how Corbin would react to me telling him I’m trying to seduce him. The idea has merit, but part of me worries he’ll be angry and dismissive. But a much larger part of me remembers how he’d lost control last night and taken me against a wall. Besides, hadn’t he mentioned using every part of my body? We definitely didn’t get that far last night. He should make good on his threats.

Right?

And now I’m back to thinking filthy thoughts about my boss. Great. What if Cass is right and I can get what I want without confronting Corbin directly? I consider for another moment before looking up to meet Cass’s gaze.

“Okay,” I say. “Tell me how to drive him over the edge.”

“That’s my girl.”

Chapter 24

Corbin

I expect Avery to be pissed at me after the way I acted the other night. And I know I deserve every bit of her anger. What kind of a man has sex with a woman and then sneaks out while she’s in the bathroom? An asshole; that’s who. Just because she didn’t say anything to me the next day doesn’t mean she’s not pissed at me. It’s possible that she’s had time to cool off and everything will be okay now. But it’s also just as likely that she’s going to tell me off when she comes back to work today. I almostwish I could avoid her some more, but that’s the coward’s way out. Besides, I have clients scheduled today. It’s not like I can stay home. But I don’t need to crowd Avery’s space either. I’ll let her call the shots.

I’m determined to be polite but keep my distance as much as possible. I know I still need to talk to her. I need to apologize for leaving the way I did, not to mention for my loss of control. I also need to drive home the fact that it can’t happen again. And I will. Today, in fact. Maybe she’ll show up before Jessie gets here and we can talk in private before the day really gets going. The last thing I need is to provoke her into yelling at me in front of my clients.

Unfortunately, I don’t get the chance to talk to her in the morning. Avery walks in with Jessie, both women laughing and talking. They each wave a hello in my direction, but they’re both involved in their conversation and don’t stop to talk to me. Maybe Avery has the same idea as me about keeping to ourselves. This could be a good thing. Maybe I won’t even need to bring up the elephant in the room. Maybe we can just ignore it and it will go away on its own.

But as the morning wears on, I start to grow concerned by the lack of reaction from her. She doesn’t even shoot me any dirty looks. I expected her to be pissed. Any woman would be. I’d been gearing myself up for battle. But that’s not what’s happening. I know I should be grateful for the reprieve; and I am. But I’m also a little nervous. What if she’s saving it up for a massive explosionlater? I stay on my guard all morning, wary. But nothing happens.

By the time I’m able to take a break for a quick lunch in the middle of the afternoon, I’m even more on edge. I’m confused by her behavior and feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s not like her to give something up without a fight. I also know I’m on thin ice as it is with Avery. I don’t need to provoke her right now. I screwed up, and we need time to get past it. But we can’t get past it if we don’t acknowledge it. Right?

I still can’t believe I lost control and fucked her. Not only that, but I’d done it in the shop. What was I thinking? I hadn’t been thinking, I know. I’d let my dick call the shots. It was amazing, but I’m not sure the price was worth it. I guess time will tell. As I wait for my leftover stir fry to heat in the microwave, my gaze drifts toward my office and the wall I’d pinned Avery against the other night. My dick instantly grows hard as I remember the way it felt to press inside her, the noise she’d made when I was finally buried in her fully, the whimper she’d made when I began to move. I don’t think I’ll forget that moment for years to come. It might just be the best sex I’ve ever had.

I stand there, my unseeing gaze fixed on the wall as I relive that night. It’s not the first time I’ve replayed the experience in my head, but it’s the first time I’ve allowed myself to do it here. At work. In the same place where I fucked Avery. The memory is so vivid in my mind, I can almost feel her clench around me as I thrustinto her. I can almost hear those sweet moans as she came, gripping my cock in that hot, tight—

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