Tags:
thriller,
Crime,
Mystery,
Dark Romance,
romantic suspense,
bondage,
Love Story,
romance novel,
office sex,
modern romance,
bdsm sex,
domination submission,
erotic spanking
We were in this together, whether either of us liked it or not. Admittedly, I didn't quite like the idea of being on the run from the police, but on equal levels I didn't quite like the idea of being arrested and thrown into jail, locked away from Lucent and the outside world for the rest of my life, either. I didn't know if that's exactly what would happen, because off the top of my head I had no idea what the punishment for arson was, but...
The hard drive in my lap spoke of potentially deeper crimes. Possibly harmless ones, victimless and more white-collar than not, but that didn't make them any less criminal. I still didn't know what other information was on there, either.
"I own Sam's Delicatessen," Lucent said, his voice quiet yet confident and assured.
"Um... what?" I asked. "It's Sam's Deli. He owns it." I thought he did? I looked towards the counter and saw Sam standing there, working on some puzzles in the newspaper.
"I'm a private benefactor. The deal was made in strict confidentiality between Sam and I. There are specific rules and regulations that we both must adhere to, though we find it mutually beneficial to continue doing so."
"And that means what?" I asked.
"I'd rather not say," he said.
"You've already told me part of it, so you might as well tell me the rest."
He went to take another bite of his breakfast, but I stole his fork away from him. Lifting his brow, he gave me a peculiar stare.
"I'm going to feed you," I said. This was new. We hadn't really done this before. It made sense in my head, though.
Lucent blinked, unsure and confused, then he acquiesced. I took up a piece of his food and brought it to his mouth, feeding him.
"Alright, tell me now," I said.
"I'm chewing," he said, as politely as possible with a mouthful of food. It made me smile.
He finished chewing. "Alright, now," I said. "Go ahead."
"Listen," he said. "What I'm going to tell you must remain private. Do you understand?"
"You listen," I said, pointing his fork at him. "Who exactly do you think you're talking to right now?"
He stared at me, both resolute and befuddled all at once. "Point taken, Miss Tanner."
"If you're going to tell me important things, you have to call me Elise," I said, suddenly feeling rather bratty.
"I don't want to call you Elise," he said. "I'd prefer to call you Miss Tanner."
"I won't feed you anymore, then."
"You're going to deprive me of nourishment and force me to starve because I won't call you Elise?"
"Yes."
"I feel as if that's slightly more than unreasonable," he said.
"I don't," I said with the exact same tone.
He stared at me hard and I stared right back at him, refusing to give in. Neither of us blinked. I didn't know if this was a staring contest or what, but I knew I needed to blink soon, so in this drastic situation I took drastic measures. Moving fast, I kissed him on the lips.
He blinked, caught off guard.
"I won," I said. "You've got to call me Elise now. Just for a little while, at least."
"You won?" he asked. "What exactly did you win? I don't remember agreeing to the terms of any particular game or dealings between us, Miss Tanner."
"Guess what?" I said.
He frowned at me, obviously disliking this entire turn of events and unsure what to make of it. "What?" he asked.
"I don't care," I said. And, with that, I stuck my tongue out at him.
Yes, childish, but I didn't care about that, either. He was going to tell me, and he was going to call me Elise, no matter what, whether he liked it or not. I'd make sure of it.
"You do realize I own this establishment?" he said.
"What are you going to do?" I asked, playfully taunting him. "Have me thrown out? Ban me from ever coming here again?"
He considered my words, silent.
"Just so you know," I added, "that'd be worse for you than for me. Who would you go to breakfast with then? You wouldn't get to split meals with anyone, either, and there'd be no one