“That’s great.” I nod, forcing a pause. “What’s your teacher like?”
Alice opens her mouth to answer, but George cuts in. “You sneaky bastard. That’s what this is about. You slept with Sam.” At his wife’s surprised look, he clarifies. “I gave him one of the business cards.”
She gasps in delight. “How fantastic. Did it work? Isn’t Sam amazing?”
“He… um.” He makes me do things I don’t want to do. He gets me hard within seconds. He’s devious, and alluring, and I can’t sleep without his voice inside my head. “He puts me to sleep.”
“I’m so glad.” After a moment, her smile widens. “You should come to a class with me. Then you can meet Siren Sam for yourself.”
My breathing stalls. “Siren Sam?”
“It’s the nickname we’ve given him,” Alice says with a laugh. “But he hates it when we call him that. Makes him blush every time.”
Forcing a smile, I break off a chunk of muffin and shove it in my mouth. I’ve lost count of the times over the past few days I’ve thought of Sam’s voice as my siren’s song. Apparently, it’s notmysong at all. Sam’s out there seducing everyone with his aural talents. I wonder what kind of burdens he’s convincing them to chuck away.
“I told you,” George says, nodding his head towards his wife, “the guru-worship is strong with this one. I’d be worried if the guy wasn’t gay.”
Jaw clenching, I grip on to the sides of the chair as every available drop of blood in my body dives headlong into my groin. “Sam’s gay?”
“And single,” Alice adds in a stage whisper.
My gaze flicks back and forth between their matching smirks. Oh, for the love of—
“I’m not looking for a date,” I grouch, slumping in my chair. “I have insomnia. This man puts me to sleep. I’m interested to know more about his techniques—nothing more.” They cast sidelong glances at each other but say nothing. “I thought maybe I could meet him for an hour or two. Ask him some questions.”
Alice grimaces. “You might have some difficulty there.”
“Why? I’m happy to pay a consulting fee.”
“It’s not that.” She shakes her head. “The thing is, when he’s not teaching he’s… shy.” Her hesitancy suggests that’s an understatement. “I have another idea, though,” she says, brightly. “You could offer him a quid pro quo.”
“A favour for a favour?” I frown. “What do I have that he needs?”
Her nose wrinkles. “He’s never said anything of course, it’s more a feeling I get, but I don’t think his business is doing well. The classes are kind of small, and I don’t think the app has been as successful as he hoped.”
I’m not surprised. The content is so good it could probably elicit snores from a stone, but the packaging is woeful. “You think I should offer him a business consult in exchange for his meditation consult?”
“Exactly. It could be the perfect thing to get your foot through the door.” Alice puts her hands together in a prayer pose. “Please, prevent me from having to find a new teacher.”
The idea turns over in my head for the rest of the day and into the evening, where it follows me all the way to bed. When I start up Sam’s app, the thought of meeting the man behind the voice leaps from the confines of my imagination and rushes all the way down to my dick—dragging my hand along for the ride.
I hiss in a breath as my grip tightens around my erection. This is so inappropriate. I’m considering bringing this man on as a client—sort of. I shouldn’t be using him to get myself off, but there’s no stopping it now. I’ve given in to temptation and soft sounds of relief are already spilling from my throat.
Sam’s voice fills my ears, telling me I’m okay, that it’s all right to be free for a while. His image burns inside my mind. The soft smile beckoning, inviting me to take what I need from him.
This. I need this.
My orgasm washes over me and I arch my back, spilling pleasure across my stomach in hard, jerking spasms.
A few minutes later, after I’ve cleaned up, I lie back down and close my eyes. What the hell am I doing?
“Sam.” Not even a whisper, the name barely grazes the silence of the darkened room. If I try, I can pretend it was never uttered at all.
By the time I wake the next morning, my mind is made up. Sam Stephenson is slipping too far beneath my skin. He’s burrowing too deep inside my brain. This growing dependence I have on the relief only he seems able to provide is intolerable.
It’s time to meet the man I’ve been sleeping with. I must own his secrets—before he ends up owning me.
FOUR
