I slide the kitchen door open and … empty. I open the foyer and go in to check that the elevator is indeed locked. Yep.
With my hands on my hips, I face my condo. Where did I miss her? I walk back through the living room, into the hall, and stop. Wide awake now, I head to Precious Kitty's playroom. Is she in there? I pull the door open and look around. Nope, but I walk across to check the treehouse. Just in case, she's curled up there, out of sight.
Hmm, I walk back into the bedroom and look at the bed. I'm tired, but I'm not getting back in there alone. I turn around and retrace my steps. She's got to be in the library. Bookworm. Got it.
This time when I look, I step inside. Scanning the room, I don't see her. I tiptoe in further to check each chair. Next to the last one, I discover her curled up in a ball with a blanket and an open book lying on her lap. And the most amazing sight. A white ball of fur is curled up next to her with its head upside down and a pleased smile on its face.
My God. If that doesn't beat all! Precious Kitty loves her too.
I bend down and gently push my hands behind Samaera. Hoping I don't wake her, I stand, lifting her off the chair and cuddling her body against mine. The book she was reading falls on the floor, and the blanket drops on top. Precious Kitty uncurls, stretches, meows, then jumps off and trots with me to return my princess to my bed.
I ease onto it, crawl a few feet to the middle, and ease her body down. Then pull the sheet up over us, and snuggle against her. She stirs and wiggles closer, and I kiss the top of her head. Then I close my eyes and rest.
22
Samaera
The first raysof dawn wake me from a sound sleep, and I bat my eyelids, trying not to rub the sleep out of them. Not wanting to disturb Bastian, who is lying next to me, still asleep. I stare up at the ceiling, thinking about the incredible day I had yesterday.
Nothing will ever be the same again. Not that I'm sad about that. I'm not. I'm ecstatic, but I'm still in shock too. My life and my time, every minute of my day, is tied to someone else. I'm no longer responsible for only myself, but for him too. It's my responsibility to make sure everything in his day goes the way he needs it to.
After my initial sex-induced coma last night, an anxiety attack overtook me. Too much happened too fast to comprehend, and in my dreamlike state, I panicked. My eyes opened, I sat straight up, looked around at the suite bathed in the moonlight, and realized I had fallen into a fairytale. I watched Bastian sleeping, trying to comprehend how someone like him would want someone like me, and I couldn't find an answer. I eased off the bed, went into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face, and came face to face with a spa! The luxuriousness of the place he showers and shits did nothing to ease my anxiety, so I headed for the only place I could find reprieve from my dilemma. The library.
I pushed the door open wide enough to ease in, stepped inside, closed it behind me, and felt along the wall for a light switch. But apparently, it's recessed and hidden. The light from the floor-to-ceiling window, though, was enough to bathe the room, so I saw a floor lamp next to a wing chair and made my way there. I turned it on, then searched for a book on the shelves that I could lose myself in, and found a biography written about Bastian a year ago. I picked it up, returned to the chair, reached for the blanket, and discovered a white ball of fur fast asleep.
Knowing Precious Kitty would probably freak out, I tiptoed back to the door and eased it open a few inches so she could escape. Then I returned to the chair and gently scratched her under her chin. She stretched and purred, then opened her beautiful green eyes. I didn't speak to her. I simply stared. She blinked, surprised, but I kept scratching, moving my fingers to her chest. She breathed through her panic, enjoying the rub.
I slowly eased into the chair next to her, under the blanket, lifting her into my lap, then opened the book and lost myself in learning who my boss is to the rest of the world.
Two hours later, tired and needing sleep but not ready to return to his bed, I turned the light off and closed my eyes.
I turn my face to see if Bastian's awake, and boom, his gorgeous green eyes are soaking in every inch of my body. I blush under his scrutiny. The lust on his face means we're going to be late for work. "Good morning," I whisper.
"Mmhmm!" He says, as his finger traces a circle around my nipple, making it go taut with goosebumps. Then his lips pucker and latch on. His tongue teases the tip, and I try to push him away, but he only chuckles, pinning me down with his body.
"This feels like payback," I squirm, and he chuckles harder.
Despite my mind trying to reason away all the reasons why we shouldn't because there is work to do, my mouth can't form a single coherent argument, and my body is begging him to crush me until I whither with joy. When he finally slides inside, the moan we share means more to me than any words either of us could say.
Despite the crazy way we met, the crazy way I was hired, and the crazy life, apparently, I'm going to be living for the foreseeable future, none of it comes close to the crazy, perfect way we come together as one.
23
Sebastian
"Morning, Rufus!"Samaera speaks as she rushes past him into the building.
"Morning, Sam," he acknowledges, then nods to me, "Sir."
"Morning," I speak as I casually walk by. Then broadcast through the empty showroom, seeing Samaera tippy-toe trotting in her new steep stilettos and the A-line cut of her business skirt that restricts her naturally long stride. "Slow down. You're going to trip and fall."
She half turns, throwing over her shoulder. "If I hurry, I won't be late to upstage Janet."
"Hey," I speak sharply. My tone is firm and commanding, "Stop, right there."
She breaks and almost busts her ass when her new sole slips on the polished marble floor. Her face registers her near fuck-up. "Oh, lord! That was nearly disastrous."
I nod as I come alongside her. "Listen, Samaera. Let's refresh what your duties are." I offer my hand, and she stares at it without taking it. So, I reach out and capture it in mine. "You work for me. You answer to me. You're my personal assistant, first and foremost. You are my surrogate to run interference on my behalf and to communicate my directives to my staff."
