Page 94 of Cashmere Cruelty

I take in the tone of her voice: frazzled, but not scared. Without realizing I’d stopped, I begin to breathe again. “No. I was already up.”

Part of me, anyway.

“Oh, good! Good,” April mumbles. “I wouldn’t have called so early, but…”

“April,” I interrupt, though not unkindly. If anything, there’s a small smile playing on my lips now, one I don’t let show often. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”

“Well, nothing’s wrong, exactly,” she says. “But Dr. Allan had to move up today’s appointment. She’s been called in for a double this afternoon, so she’s coming over in an hour. I know you don’t like surprises, so I just wanted to let you know.”

“Oh.” For once, I’m speechless. It’s taken me years to train secretaries to be half as competent as April’s being right now: sorting out priorities, anticipating my needs. “Good. You were right to call.”

Mindlessly, I begin to stroke my cock over my boxers.

“I’m glad,” April sighs. “Again, I really didn’t wanna bother you, it’s just?—”

“It was time-sensitive,” I complete for her. “I understand.”

“Thank you.”

It feels like a natural place to end the call. For a second, I’m sure she’ll do just that. I pick up my pace, wanting that velvet-smooth voice to carry me as far along as possible.

But her next words aren’t a goodbye. “So… early bird, huh?” April jokes. “I had you pegged for a night owl.”

“Definitely a night owl,” I correct.

“The plot thickens, then. What could possibly be keeping Your Owlishness awake?”

The little lilt in April’s voice is driving me insane. I hook a finger under my waistband, take myself fully in hand. “Feel free to guess, Ms. Flowers.”

Maybe I imagined it, but I think I hear her breath hitch. It never fails to rile her up—calling her that. “Let’s see… Shootout by the river?”

“Guess again.”

April harrumphs. “Fine, then not a shootout. Important Poo-king duties, then?”

“Pakhan.”

“Right. That.”

I huff a laugh into the darkness. “Wrong.”

“Really need to go to the bathroom but don’t feel like getting up?”

“That’s extremely specific.”

“Try being pregnant. I promise you, it’s a journey filled with extremely specific experiences.”

The image of her pregnant belly sends a spark running down my spine.Fuck.“Last guess before you’re out of lives.”

For a long moment, April’s quiet. I can practically hear the gears in her head whirring, her determination to win this game no matter what. With April, everything turns into a race.

“Thoughts?” she hazards finally.

I mull it over. “Mm. ‘Thoughts’ isn’t wrong.”

“A-ha! I knew it. It’s always thoughts.”

“Not so fast,” I chide. “You haven’t told me what kind of thoughts yet.”

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