“You don’t believe in the cards at all, Pookie?”
“Eh, I believe it if you do,” I murmured.
He snickered as I filled the tumbler to the brim with ice. My heart squeezed as I stood and considered all the fancy, fruity cocktails Stormy had drunk when we were out on the town together. I couldn’t do anything like that. Panic set in and I dumped a healthy amount of whiskey into the tumbler before I carried it back to Stormy.
He took the tumbler from me and I stared at the curve of his arm and the way his wrist moved. He was such a pleasure to watch doing even basic everyday crap. How could he be pretending he wanted me around to serve him? That’s what Vane had been implying. He probably wasn’t wrong. My throat hurt, I swallowed so hard. I wished Vane hadn’t said anything and I could have stayed in a happy little fantasy a while longer. Eventually I’d have to pay Stormy back for real somehow.
He kicked his foot and my gaze slid to the barely there shorts he wore. I licked my lips.
“Did I not say to impress me?” When I met his eyes, shame washed over me. For once, real judgement was written on his face. “There’s aBartender’s Guideover there. Did you even look at it?”
Embarrassment heated my cheeks, and I glanced down at my feet. Strangely I wished I was dressed in my apron, the way I had been when he’d gotten home this afternoon. “What do you want from me?” I growled. “As far as that goes, how is Mark my fucking problem, just because he was my assistant? Fuck, he’s Vane’s problem now.”
Stormy sipped his drink. “Did you fuck him, this Mark guy?”
“No, he was just some kid who believed in me for some godforsaken reason.”
Stormy sat back, and I hated the irritated furrow of his brow and the unhappy twist of his lips. “Oh, that’sawful,” he grumbled sarcastically. “How dare hebelievein you?”
“This is not my fault!”
“I think you got into more than your fair share of trouble over the whole thing, but it was your fucking fault.” He gestured at me with the tumbler, swore as the ice cubes jangled, and then he licked at the rim to catch some spilled drops. As much as I was getting pissed off, I couldn’t bring myself to look away from his quick pink tongue. “I even told you to stay out of that stairwell, told you that we should fuck in your office, but that was barely the tip of the iceberg, wasn’t it? This is precisely why I’m your Mister now, Pookie. You have no common sense.”
I crossed my arms. “You want to judge me, too?”
Stormy laughed. “Fuck no, but I am going to teach you a lesson about effort and following my orders. Maybe you can use what you learn to fix some of the disaster you made. You’re going to be very good at cleaning things up by the time I’m done with you.” Stormy leaned forward and plunked his tumbler on the coffee table. He stood, shoved down the front of his shorts, and pulled out his plump dick. “Come polish this. You’re wrong, Ross, and you’re going to learn to admit when other people have your number.”
Rage scrambled my senses, same as a TNT blast. My cock surged and my gut roiled as my body went haywire. I wanted to yell and punch him and drop to my knees, all at once. Instead, I rushed off, stomped to the bedroom, and then slammed the door with all my might. I paced away and hung my head, body strung tight as a bowstring.
Stormy came into the bedroom with a scowl, and I immediately regretted what I’d done. I’d had a brief moment where I’d thought maybe I could peel those shorts off his long, muscled legs and fuck him while he wore those socks. I could tell by the fire snapping in his eyes that was a pipedream.
“Naked. Now, Pookie.” He grabbed me by the back of the neck and leaned up to kiss me hard. The heat and insistence of his lips had me melting against him—except for my dick, which sprang to attention so fast my head spun.
“I’m not playing some fucking game right now! This is my life.” I planted my hands on his chest, but his lips tightened to a thin line, daring me to do something violent, and I lost my nerve. It wasn’t like I was that kind of guy, anyway. I didn’t push him, just flexed my fingers.
He kissed my cheek. “I don’t play games. Not really. You’re mine right now. Don’t I own you? Aren’t you paying me with this body for taking care of you?” He sucked a kiss onto my neck, and I trembled at the light touch. “I fucking heard that asshole. You’re mine right now, and don’t think twice about that. It’s a fact. Strip.” His fingers bit into the muscles at the nape of my neck.
Guilt sat heavy on the back of my tongue and I felt like my throat was closing shut. I took off the clothes I’d only just put on, including my underwear when he glared and didn’t say to keep them. I was shocked when my hard cock bounced up to slap against my abs, sending a vicious shiver through my stomach. My skin flushed hot. Then cold. My cockhead throbbed and my balls drew close to my body with a fullness that made me lightheaded.
“Go back into the living room and mix me a drink.” He spun on his heel and went out. When I finally worked up the nerve to follow him, he was spread out much the same way Vane had been, and the position gave me pause. Stormy really was bossy, and yes, he was my Mister, but I hadn’t ever really thought about him that way—as the boss. He wasn’t in charge of city hall or a company, butme. I stood in the bedroom doorway, staring and feeling stupid as he kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and crossed his ankles. “I’m waiting, Pookie. I don’t enjoy waiting when I’ve given you explicit instructions.”
“I don’t know what you like.” I let my hands creep down to hide my hard cock, but he made a small sound I didn’t need him to follow up on with words. Instead, I forced my hands to my sides.
“We were out together many, many times. You don’t remember?” He lifted an eyebrow at me, and I wanted to ask him to stop. I hated the shame that washed over me. During those outings I hadn’t given him the attention my Mister deserved, and no, he wasn’t my Mister then, but I still hated how I’d acted.
“Ross?”
I shrugged, feeling about as big as an ant.
That eyebrow crept higher on his forehead, and I wanted to go back into the bedroom. “When you were mayor, how did you learn what the public wanted?”
I flushed and struggled to think with my dick twitching under his scrutiny. “I held town halls and asked.”
Stormy tilted his head. “So….”
“What do you like to drink, Mister?” I mumbled, and my humiliation was complete. I dropped my gaze to the floor.
“Pookie, that was nice.” I glanced up, and Stormy smiled. The rosy light of sunset pouring through a crack in the curtains glimmered in his platinum hair and his eyes shone with approval. His plush lips made me want to crawl across the floor to kiss him. My insides lurched and fluttered all at once, leaving me feeling ten pounds lighter. “Gin martini. Doesn’t get too complicated.”
