Page 6 of Devoted Love: A BWWM Romance

"Yeah, you're uptight. You need a beautiful woman to work you out. We need your mind open and ready for the next year."

"Absolutely not. What we need is for you to find another hobby that doesn't involve me."

“Oh, I have plenty of those.” He winks as we stop near Sarah.

I roll my eyes. “Are you heading over to The Dungeon?”

“No, send my best. I’m heading to Brooke’s place. She wants to prepare a few things for tomorrow. So, I need to run.”

“Me too.”

We share a brotherly hug, and he heads to the valet, passing his claim ticket.

“And Ryker…”

“Yeah…”

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t say yes.”

“You will.” Erik flashes a smile before slipping into his car.

I glance down at Sarah. “You have a full day tomorrow.”

"Move what you need to block out the evening."

"Yes, sir," she mumbles, standing to gather her belongings again. She's been my assistant for ten years. I made the mistake of crossing the line with her once a few months after my divorce. We kissed, and parts of me still wonder if that's why she sticks around.

“I thought you’d be gone by now.”

“I rode over with you unless I need to call an Uber.”

“I apologize. I got so caught up in Erik’s announcement.” I pass my ticket to the waiting valet calculating the time I need to complete everything on my agenda for the night.

“I can ride with you to The Dungeon, and you can tell them I need a ride back to the office.” She struggles to hold back a laugh. “That should put you home and reviewing the Goodman files in less than two hours.”

"Am I that obvious?" I chuckle, guiding her to my car, now waiting at the curb.

"No, you're a creature of habit." I open the door, and she sits inside.

I toss my jacket in the backseat, then I sit behind the steering wheel and sigh. What a night. Erik blindsided me. The cars ahead of us move forward, and I follow around the circle drive into the flow of the night traffic.

“Would you like to review your appointments for tomorrow?”

“Not yet.”

Sarah nods. I glance over at her for a brief moment before turning back to the road. The soft sounds of jazz music fill the car.

I round the final block, and the cars slow to a crawl. We near The Dungeon, and the line is wrapped around the building. The digital clock reads fifteen minutes until ten.

Park and enter. Roughly thirty minutes.

Find X and Ryann. A half-hour or so.

Drop Sarah off and return home. Easily an hour.

I won’t open a file until at least one in the morning. What a fucking night. I rub at my tight muscles.

---