Page 54 of A Temporary Forever

My heart contends for a world record in the number of beats per millisecond. I lick my lips and part them, but still no voice. Or the willpower to push him away.

“It’s—” I stammer. Apparently this morning,it’sis the only phrase in my vocabulary.

“Making your pussy weep for my cock?” He whispers in my ear.

Not until you beg me for it on your knees because your pussy weeps for my cock.

All this time, he’s been teasing me. His behavior has been deliberate. To make me beg.

The bastard. Game on then.

I push at his chest, ignoring how his skin burns and invites me, or how his muscles mold under my touch. “I’m not getting on my knees.”

Even his smug smile is sexy. “Maybe we can amend that. You don’t need to get on your knees.”

I duck and slide under his arm to gain some distance. “I’ve never agreed to any conditions. I offered sex, you refused. I don’t beg as a general rule, let alone when I don’t need something.”

He snorts and folds his arms across his chest, his biceps bulging. “Don’t you? Are you telling me if I checked now, you wouldn’t be soaked?”

“No,” I lie. “Don’t worry about me. My pussy is well-serviced, thank you very much.”

I take a sip of my latte and spit it back into the cup. “I’m sorry, Cora, but you need to let her go.”

Cora puts her hand over her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes. “No wonder she agreed to minimum wage. But I can’t afford anyone else. Besides, I feel sorry for her. She needs the job.”

“Maybe I can ask Caleb to come around and advise you on how to increase the profitability of this place. He ran hotels and restaurants, so he understands these kinds of operations. There must be a way for you to increase your revenue enough so you don’t have to slave here constantly.”

“I don’t know. I’m sure he has his hands full. It’s been two years. If I haven’t figured it out by now, I don’t know if I can.”

“Hey, don’t give up. Do you want me to look at your books and see if there’s room for improvement? I used to run a viable dancing studio.” I shrug.

“Would you?” Cora smiles. “I really need a break.”

“Of course, but you need to let Lily go.”

Cora whimpers. “I know.”

Abandoning our drinks, we watch Lily work. Orrather, we wince every time she drops, spills, or breaks something.

“I can’t do this. I’m going to help her.” Cora stands, but then she hesitates and sits again, this time with her back to her fumbling employee.

“You know what, I’m going to enjoy ten more minutes of freedom before I’m chained to the counter again. How are you? Are you back on stage now?”

“No, we didn’t get the paperwork sorted in time, but Caleb’s lawyer promised it should be any day now. He even had a conversation—I wish I was a fly on the wall for that one—with my boss, and my job is safe until I get the permit.”

“Caleb really stepped up, helping you like that.”

And driving me mad with his allure. “Yes, he’s been really great. But it’s such a different life. I need milk, so I just punch it into an app and it gets delivered. I was searching for a yoga class near me, and he laughed, called hisconcierge,and within minutes, I got an email with options and schedules. And he gave me a credit card.”

“For household expenses?”

“No, he put no limitation on it. I haven’t used it, and I don’t plan to. It shocks me how anything essential is hard work and optimizing for me, and easy for him. Like he can focus on what matters to him because hismoney takes care of the rest. I could buy into that concept.”

“Couldn’t we all? And Saar worried you’d kill each other.”

I snort. “We still may, Cora. We still may.”

I consider telling her about my attraction to Caleb, but decide against it. I trust Cora, but I can’t risk her telling Saar.

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