Page 65 of Bite Me
The damage was done.
Yes, I was infatuated with my direct supervisor, and I was letting him fuck me and suck my blood because it was the best feeling on earth. I was addicted to his venom—which I knew was medically impossible, but what about psychologically? When he had his cock in me to the root and bit down on my neck, I’d been as close to heaven as a living being could get. Of course, I wanted more.
This could never end well, but what I felt when I imagined never touching Russel again could only be described as grief. I avoided thinking about it. The second worst-case scenario would be Anthony finding out. He’d be disappointed in me, and he’d fire me. What would I do then? Wash dishes at some restaurant downtown and take courses to become a barber or something? Plenty of folks did that, even people with college degrees. Times were rough.
Was I insane? I’d worked my ass off to gain a modicum of stability in my life, and now I was throwing it away.
Russel walked into the room with a large paper cup in his hand and a shy smile that scrambled my brain and sent butterflies aflutter in my belly.
“I hope this is the right stuff,” he said as he handed me the mug.
The smoky scent tickled my nose. “Coffee!” He saved me, bless him. I took a sip and groaned. “Thank you so much.”
Russel’s face lit up as he watched me drink the coffee he must have ordered with the lunch delivery. He was so incredibly thoughtful; it blew my mind. I still hadn’t recovered from the breakfast experience. He showed me more care and respect than either of my exes, and I soaked it up like a sponge.
Something in my brain blinked, a little red light in the back of my head. Maybe this was the real danger. Russel treated me like I was something precious, almost as if we were in love. It would be easy to forget what he wanted from me and let myself be swept up in this fantasy.
As if to confirm my worry, he took my hand in a gentle grip. He squeezed my fingers and played with them, then he lifted my hand to his face and nuzzled my wrist. Humming, he brushed his lips over the frail skin covering the veins.
You can’t fall in love with this guy, silly. You’re his food.
“Thank you for the coffee,” I said.
“Anytime. Are you hungry? Your sushi is on the kitchen table.”
I lifted my coveted paper mug. “I’ll finish this first.”
“Okay. What would you like to do after lunch?”
“I don’t know. We can’t go anywhere.” As soon as I said that, I wanted to take it back. It was stupid of me to remind him of our situation. I was fine with staying in and having copious amounts of irresponsible sex. More than fine.
But Russel pressed another kiss to my wrist, unperturbed. “I have a car. I rarely use it because I walk to the office. Most days, it just sits in the garage. How about we drive out of the city? Somewhere remote and quiet.”
The look he gave me was hopeful.Don’t fall in love with him.
“I’d like that.”
We talked about work during the drive north before Russel put a stop to it as he parked the car.
“This is supposed to be quality free time, and we’re discussing strategies.”
“Sorry.”
“Not your fault. But from now on, work is a prohibited topic.”
“Okay, boss.”
He smirked at me as he put on dark shades. “Cheeky thing.”
Though the sun hid behind fluffy clouds, Russel wore a ball cap and sunglasses. He said daylight could give him headaches when he wasn’t careful.
I followed him out of the vehicle and looked around. I hadn’t visited the coast in years. The scent of saltwater in the air brought a wave of nostalgia; my parents’ beach house, where I’d spent summers as a kid, was long gone. Confiscated and sold.
Closing my eyes, I tilted my face toward the breeze. Seagulls yelled above, and waves hummed in the distance. It was the same scent, the same sounds, and I could almost feel the warm sand under my feet.
Russel’s arm around my shoulders brought me back to the present, and I blinked, pushing the bittersweet memories away. He led me to an outlook at the edge of the tourist parking lot and gestured downward.
“There’s this cute restaurant on the boardwalk. We can have dinner there later.”
