Page 47 of A Little Harmless Pleasure

He nodded, the weariness of the day weighing heavy on his mind. She slipped through the doorway and sat in front of him.

“I did some research. Seems that every night we lost money, Lee was working.”

“And?”

“She has to be the one.”

He studied the young woman for a second. May’s feelings about Evan and Lee dating were known to him. The attraction she had for Evan was hard for most people to miss. That was one of the reasons Chris was sure Lee went after Evan. She’d hated dealing with May from the beginning of her employment.

“I know what you’re thinking, boss, and you’re wrong.”

“Prove me wrong.”

She rose and came around the desk, handing him some papers with schedules and payroll on them. “I went back through all the days we lost money. You know at first it wasn’t much, one reason neither of us caught it. But then here,”—she pointed at the computer screen, indicating the date two weeks ago that a little over a hundred dollars went missing—“is where she started getting careless.”

“I know that. But how do you know it was her and not just someone else who worked those days?”

“She was the only one who worked every one of those days, Chris. No one else was scheduled and clocked in those days the money went missing. Not every single day.”

He looked over the papers she handed him, then up at the screen where the days the money went missing were highlighted. “Hell.”

“Yeah.”

He glanced up at her, surprised to see the look of regret on her face. “What?”

“The fact that I found the information isn’t going to sit well, and it will have a lot of people talking.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. Besides, you aren’t firing her. I am.”

Her shoulders sagged with what appeared to be relief. She leaned down and brushed her lips over his cheek. “Thanks, bra.”

“Just remember you owe me one.”

She headed to the door but paused and turned to face him. The seriousness shimmering in the depths of her blue eyes stunned him. He often forgot just how young she was because she took on so much responsibility. “I appreciate you listening to me, Chris. Most employers wouldn’t, considering.”

He nodded, not saying what they both knew. She was infatuated with Evan, or had been, and a lot of other people might assume she zeroed in on Lee because of her crush. Chris knew better. No matter what her personal feelings were, May was a professional, through and through.

“Send Lee back when you go out there.”

When she left him, he mentally prepared himself to fire Lee as fast as possible so he could get home to Cynthia.

By the time Chris pulled up to his house, most of his anger was just a memory. A little still burned his gut, along with a healthy dose of worry. Lee had not been easy to get rid of. Before she left, she made accusations that would never hold weight, but could hurt bothDupree’sand May. Things about him, things that weren’t true, but that didn’t matter. If she filed charges of sexual harassment, it would hurt him in the business community. She’d never win in court because everyone who worked there knew of her pursuit of him—and knew he turned her down. But the attention would not be good, and May didn’t need more stress in her life.

He turned off his car and stepped out of it. Just being here, knowing Cynthia was waiting for him, caused his body to relax. The stress of the day dissolved with the anticipation of seeing her.

As he walked up the steps to his front door, he thought of the last couple of weeks and the changes in Cynthia. She was gaining more confidence every day. When he’d talked to her earlier, she’d been reading her favorite book of late,Sensuous Magic. Chris had suggested the classic BDSM guide.

More than once he’d felt something else simmering beneath her surface, a hunger she wasn’t fulfilling. Chris knew better than to push or prod. Cynthia needed to take the steps in her development without feeling forced and one of those steps was to take complete control of the situation. He sensed her desire for it, wanting to command his every action, but she didn’t feel ready to take that last step. Knowing he had to wait until she understood her true Domme personality before he could take her under his control was driving him out of his ever-loving mind. Each step she took pushed him a little closer to the edge of sanity. He could feel it slipping from his fingers.

When he reached the top of the stairs, the door opened. Cynthia moved into view, an understanding smile lighting her face.

“May called.”

He nodded but said nothing as he slid his arms around her body and pulled her close to him. The warmth of her, her unique scent, wrapped around him, draining the rest of the irritation from the day. Even the simple touch had his body reacting. His cock hardened as he leaned into her.

She hummed at the contact, then nipped at the sensitive flesh just beneath his earlobe. He shuddered. She skimmed her fingers down his back, allowing him to feel the bite of her nails through his cotton dress shirt. Cupping his ass with one hand, she squeezed. His dick jerked in response, eager for the same attention.

“Let’s get inside before I strip you naked and jump your bones with Mrs. Fukisamo looking on.” Her breath was warm against his skin when she spoke.

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