“Sit.” I point to the table.
“If I move with you, can you not go back to the super-professional Steven all the time?”
“Ummm...”
“I prefer this version of you. Relaxed. Smiling. Taking orders from Harper.”
“When did I take orders from Harper?”
“I’m sure it happens. You’re pretty whipped.”
Heat rises to my face. “Do you want to talk about your position?”
“Sure, but do you want to know what happened to Matt in the meeting this morning?”
Curiosity wins. “What happened?”
“He flopped on his face. Big-time. And since no one likes him, no one stepped in to save him.”
I hold my fist out, and she opens her mouth wide. “Wow! I even get fist bumps now.”
“Okay, you need to stop.”
She straightens up. “Okay, tell me the details.”
“Twenty percent pay raise, same schedule, two extra weeks of vacation, and full benefits similar to what we have now.”
“Hmmm.”
“Hmmm? This is a great deal.”
“What would I be doing?”
I decide to tease her. I put on my serious face. “Getting me coffee, making copies, running my errands.”
She scowls.
I hold my hands in the air. “I’m only joking. Jeez, you need to chill out.”
“Since when do you joke?”
“I kid around all the time.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Sure I do.”
“No, you really don’t.”
“Okay, well, anyway, I had something made for you.”
“What’s that?”
I reach for the box on the shelf behind me and set it in front of her.
She tilts her head. “What is this?”
“Open it.”
She opens it and pulls a card out. Her expression turns into a smile. “Director?”
“Thought it was time you moved past assistant.”
“Director?”
“Mm-hmm. What do you—”
She jumps up and hugs me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I won’t let you down, I promise.”
I laugh. “I know you won’t. So does this mean I should tell Ethan we accept?”
“Duh! I’ll give my two-week notice today.”
“Good. Ethan wants us to start right away. We need to secure space, so we may need to work out of our homes for the first month.”
“Awesome. I can stay in my pajamas all day.”
“Whatever floats your boat.”
She puts the box in her purse and slings it over her shoulder. “Time for me to write my resignation letter.”
“Glad you’re excited to do this with me.”
“Are you kidding? You could have given me a pay cut and I would have come with you.”
“You would have?”
She raises her eyebrows. “Duh.”
“Okay. Go write your resignation letter.”
She says bye to Harper and leaves.
I go into the kitchen. Harper has the spices all over the counter. Her back is to me, and she’s studying a bottle.
I sit on the barstool. “Wow.”
She spins. “Do you know this bottle of basil expired four years ago?”
I shrug. “It’s a spice. I don’t think the expiration date matters.”
She scrunches her face. “Yes, it does.”
“No way.”
“All these are expired.” She sets it on the counter with a dozen other bottles.
“Please tell me you aren’t throwing those out.”
“Of course I am. They are way beyond the expiration date.”
I rise and walk around the counter. I pick two bottles up. “These haven’t even been opened.”
She points to each bottle. “May, two years ago and February, three years ago. Not safe.”
I really didn’t know spices had expiration dates, but just to mess with her, I open the bottle of smoked paprika up, put some on my finger, and lick it. “Tastes fine to me.”
She gasps. “Steven, do not eat expired food.”
I add more to my finger and hold it to her lips. “Try it. It tastes like normal smoked paprika to me.”
“Do not put that anywhere near my mouth.”
I rub it on the curve of her neck.
“Yuck. What are you doing?” she cries out.
I step closer to her, and she retreats until she’s against the counter. I dip down to her neck and lick it off then gently suck.
She inhales deeply.
“You know what I like about smoked paprika,” I murmur to her, nipping at her ear.
“What?” she breathes.
“It’s hot. Don’t you like to be hot?” I move her hair farther off her neck.
“Mmm.”
I brush my lips lightly against hers. “But I love it when it gets wet.” I move my hand into her panties and slide right into her sex.
Her mouth opens into an O.
“I think we should keep the paprika.” I slide my finger up and rub her clit. “What do you think?”
She whimpers.
I kiss her until she’s panting and pull my hand out of her pants. “Great. I’ll let you get back to work now.” I turn and go into the other room and open my laptop to the spreadsheets Ethan sent over.
A few minutes pass. I’m lost in my numbers when she comes and straddles me. A mischievous grin is on her face. “Hi.”
I push the hair off her face. “Hi.”
She kisses me while circling her hips and dry humping me until my cock is hard.
I move my hand up her shirt and am about to remove it when she ends our kiss and rises. “Back to my spices.” She leaps out of my arms and scurries back to the kitchen.
I guess I deserved that.
I try to concentrate on my numbers again but can’t. She turns on her playlist of songs I don’t know.
I better find out what this is so she can be my sex slave when I win.
I get up and turn. She sits on the barstool, organizing the spices in alphabetical order.
I step forward and trail my finger up her spine, and she shivers. I lean into her ear. “What are you doing?”
“I’m working,” she claims.
“Yeah, me, too.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Doesn’t look like you’re working. Maybe you should go put on a tie.”
“A tie?”
“Yeah. A suit and tie.”
“You want me to put on a suit and tie to work out of the house?”
She spins and pulls me down to her. “I think I’m ready to pay you an office visit.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
“Okay. I’ll humor you.”
She kisses me then smacks my ass. “Good boy.”
I go into the bedroom, put on my best suit and tie, then go back out.
“Go, do your work. I’m going to finish this first.”
I glance at my countertop full of spices. “How long is that going to take?”
She shrugs.
I groan but sit down at the table. She takes so long, I get lost in the numbers again until she turns the music down and stands in front of me in a green mesh bra and panties that match her eyes. Her camera hangs around her neck.