“And what do you do outside of work?” Velvet asks me.
“Nothing special. I stay late at the office or work at home. Then I lift. I can’t say I do laundry or cook, though.” I smirk. “I have people who do that for me.”
She answers with a mischievous grin of her own. “That sounds nice. I’d love to never have to do laundry again.”
“I suppose I play some Gekaran,” I say after a moment of silence.
“What’s that?”
“An orcish game, much like your solitaire. It’s meant to be played alone, always trying to be better at solving the puzzle than the time before.”
I eat one of my olives, then tip back more of my martini. It’s easy talking with her, thisVelvet. She is curious and forward, eager and pleasant. I wonder how much of her personality she truly shares with Ms. Kristoff, and how much is the show she puts on working at Octavio’s.
“How did you end up in finance?” Velvet asks, her hand stroking my chest in a way that’s supremely comforting. “You don’t run across many orcs in the city.”
“I grew up in an orc clan in the mountains. But I knew that kind of isolated life wasn’t forme, so I came to the city instead. Worked my way up here.”
Her brows lift. “Humble beginnings.”
We talk for another hour, perhaps two—I’m not entirely sure. But the longer I sit beside Velvet, breathing in the musky scent of her perfume, the harder it is not to simply grab her by the hand and drag her off to one of the private rooms in the back.
Eventually, I know it’s time for me to go or I won’t have as much control over what I do next. The alcohol has gone to my brain. I’m an orc, and orcs conquer. We take what is ours, leaving no prisoners. And what I want now more than anything isher. Already, my arm is around her middle, my hands cupping her perfect breasts. When did that happen? She’s nearly in my lap, and surely she can feel how eager I am, how desperately my cock longs to be free and find its way inside her.
“I must go.” I hastily extract myself, setting Velvet down on the seat before I rise to my feet. She blinks up at me, surprised.
“It’s still early.” She is about to extend a hand to me when she must see the fire in my eyes, because she withdraws it.
“I go to bed early.” I fish out my cash and putit on the table. “Thank you for your company tonight, Velvet.”
She nods, unsure. “Of course, Vincent. I’m here every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.”
So I could come and see her tomorrow? It’s painfully alluring, but I have an engagement with a congressman.
“Thank you.” I take her hand and bring it to my lips, pressing them to the soft skin on the back. “I will see you again soon.”
Even when I am outside in the cool evening air, though, I can’t slow the rapid beating of my heart.
CHAPTER
SIX
VINCENT
Tasting Velvet has unlocked something in me, and making her gush all over my face only emboldened me. I’ve always known that she likes my attention, that she wants me to cross the line between us, but until now, I’ve held myself back.
She is my employee, and I’m her boss. It’s a human resources disaster. But after having her, I don’t know that I can maintain that boundary any longer.
On Sunday, I try to mellow myself with a game. Pondering my next move, I tap my Gekaran token against the table. It has fivemarks on it arranged in a pattern. Where it goes on the board depends on the other numbered tokens. I do some quick calculations in my head, then place the token where it should go.
I score across three rows and add it to my tally.
Picking up my next token, I ponder what this attraction to Ms. Kristoff means. There is somethingmoreto her, something that demands exploring, something that calls to me in a voice that only I can hear.
I can’t help myself. She is too delicious, too savory a morsel for me to leave alone. Having her as Velvet isn’t enough, not when she stretches the confines of her blouses all day, when her perfect ass moves under her work skirts with a slight bounce. I can’t stay away.
I know it’s dangerous ground we’re walking, but as foolish as it is, my will is weaker than my hunger.
This one is a seven. A bit harder to find a home for.
