Doesn’t help that the weekend apparently invigorated George. He’s acting particularly frisky today and takes every private moment he can to drop me a wink, or bite his lower lip, or some little gesture that has my cock roaring to life and me struggling not to squirm or adjust myself.
Fucking sadist.
Dammit, I love all of this.
After the lunch ends, before we can head back to our office suite, Commissioner Darren Freeman, the labor commissioner, hangs back to have another word with George. The man’s a well-known attorney from Memphis, and we’re hoping his political clout will help deliver George even more votes.
Then I realize it’s me he wants to speak with, but George stays at his invitation.
“Don’t want anyone accusing me of being a coward and going behind your back, Governor.” He turns to me. “You know, Declan, my law office is very interested in talking to you about bringing you on as a partner.”
I was expecting him to want to discuss many things, but that hadn’t blipped my radar.
George stands with his hands in his pockets, feet shoulder-width apart, body tense. His practice debate stance. Maybe no one but Casey and I recognize it, but he’s ready to do battle.
“Trying to snipe him out from under me, are you, Darren?” George’s blue gaze bores into mine, challenging, daring me to defy him.
This is my barely disguised Sir in the house, the sadist, the man who makes me unabashedly whimper and beg for every dark and dirty thing he does for me.
And has me enjoying every second of it.
Once again, my cock wakes up andhowls. Fortunately, I’m carrying my laptop in my hands. I shift it in front of me to hide the tent in my slacks.
“He’s got a reputation, Governor,” Darren says. “You darn well know it.”
“Yes, he does.”
“Don’t know if she told you or not,” Darren says, “but I tried to hire Casey-Marie away from you a while back. She told me I could go fuck myself.”
George and I both laugh. “That sounds about right,” I comment, although I’m a little surprised to hear him say this. Casey didn’t tell me that. I wonder if she told George, since he doesn’t look surprised by this news.
“I’ve been authorized to guarantee you aminimumof $500,000 a year to start,” Darren adds. “You’d be a full senior partner. Your record precedes you, counselor. You are a heavy earner, and we expect with your experience in state government and politics that you’d be bringing in some major clients. All you have to do is accept. Starting immediately.”
Holy fuck.
Right now, if I was working full-time at our law firm here in Nashville, I’d probably be pulling in about half that amount. There, I’m not even a junior partner yet.
Except Casey is there. And George.
And our long game.
“Your firm’s getting more into politics, then, is it?” George asks, shifting Darren’s attention onto him. I know damn well what he’s doing—he’s giving me a moment to think about that proposal.
This is a career issue. George would never outright forbid me from accepting the offer. Especially when that’s alotof fucking money.
Except as I study George in this moment, I see the building tension in his neck and shoulders, the murky darkness in his gaze.
His barely constrained fear.
Memphis isn’t exactly a daily commute from Nashville, even for that kind of pay. Besides, if I was working there instead of in the governor’s office, it’d make it damned difficult to explain why I was always hanging around with George if I worked for a law firm that I know for a fact is leaning more heavily into lobbying efforts. That’d mean I couldn’t be seen alone with him, or it’d risk triggering an ethics investigation.
It’d also mean I’d have to limit my contact with Casey because of ethics rules.
That’s a double hard no for me, even at twice the money. Before I factor in anything else.
“While that’s a very generous offer,” I tell Darren, “and I’m very flattered, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass. I serve at the pleasure of the governor.”
George refocuses on me and his blue gaze narrows, nearly predatory, every last hint of fear vanishing.
