Free The Night Off by Meghan O'Brien

“Sorry.”
    “You’re fine.” Chuckling, Emily shook her head and swiped at the wetness on her cheeks. “Ignore the crying. It’s nothing, really. Endorphins.”
    Nat rolled off to the side and studied Emily’s profile. As a little girl growing up, she had never aspired to be a sex worker. She honestly didn’t aspire to remain one much longer. However, the one thing this vocation had provided her was a terrific insight into human nature. Emily was clearly a woman who thrived on being seen as put together and in control. Her sudden, calm competence seemed like a well-practiced mask, making Nat suspect that she didn’t often confide in strangers.
    That meant Nat had to tread lightly, approach her like a skittish animal. Putting aside the subject of Emily’s breakdown, she said, “Do you want me to get the other toy out?”
    Emily blushed. “Yes, please.”
    No longer in the heat of the moment, Nat battled an uncharacteristic twinge of shyness as she reached between Emily’s legs and grasped the base of the slim plug. “You need to help me with this one.” When Emily’s brown eyes found hers, she struggled not to join in her red-cheeked modesty. She hadn’t felt this awkward with a woman since she was a teenager. “Just…push.”
    Emily did so with a self-conscious giggle, covering her eyes with the back of her hand as Nat extracted and then tossed the toy over the side of the bed. “Not something I’ve heard after sex before.”
    “Here’s to new experiences,” Nat said lightly. She propped herself on her elbow, winking when Emily finally uncovered her face. “Did you enjoy it?”
    For a woman who’d just been taken over the knee and spanked, then tied to a bed and forced to orgasm before getting fucked with a strap-on, Emily managed to look positively prim as she replied, “Very much.”
    Emily’s innocence stirred her predatory lust, making it difficult not to reach for her again. The only thing that kept her from doing so was the knowledge that Emily was likely still troubled. Gentling her voice, Nat murmured, “I wasn’t kidding. I had a really, really nice time just now.” When Emily averted her gaze, Nat caught a lock of blond hair between her fingers and tested its softness. The caress instantly drew Emily’s attention back to her. “And no, I don’t say that to all my clients.”
    Emily bit her lip, only partially able to hold back the smile that threatened to appear. “Just the ones who burst into tears afterwards?”
    “Not even them.” Since beginning to choose her own clients, she had taken true pleasure from only a handful of appointments, but she always remained professionally detached. She doubted that Emily realized just how much she was putting herself out there. “You’d be the first, actually.”
    A fresh tear tracked down Emily’s cheek into her hair. “God,” she mumbled, then swiped at her face and sat abruptly. “This is mortifying. I must seem so pathetic, so…” She exhaled, bringing her knees up so she could hide her face in them. “Weak.”
    “Weak? No way.” Nat sat as well, trying to decide whether Emily wanted contact or space. Yearning to offer the former, she decided to take the chance that Emily would accept her touch. With an easy familiarity she hadn’t yet earned, Nat wrapped her arm around Emily’s waist. “No one who does what you just did is weak. You not only owned your sexual fantasy, you also found the courage to make it a reality. That takes guts.”
    Emily snorted. “No, it takes money.” She lifted her face from her knees and offered Nat an apologetic look. “Don’t get me wrong. Tonight was…” Satisfaction ghosted over her face. “Magical. But it didn’t take guts—just two months’ salary.”
    Guilt swept through Nat at the thought of accepting money for sex she absolutely would have had for free. Knowing it wasn’t the right time to broach that subject, she said, “Never mind the economics involved in bringing us