Page 16 of Aries

“Hmm, is that a no on the spanking?”

“I never said that. I just think it’s important not to turn this into a place of sex,” he said, cocking his head on sex. “There are clubs around for that.”

I wondered just how much playing Ash had done. He intrigued me to no end. “I know all about those clubs.”

“What do you know?”

“I know that they cater to a certain type of person.” I looked him up and down. “You know the type. Right?”

Wetting his lips, he gulped hard. “You,” he said. “Daddies.”

“Since you use the term, I’d hope you’d show me the same amount of respect.” I raised my brows at him. It was risky for us to be verbally fore playing with each other. Someone could come in at any moment, but we were opposite each other, so they wouldn’t see much.

“You want to sit this side of the desk then?”

“No, that’s a reward for your ass, after everything I put it through last night, you deserve somewhere soft to sit,” I said, almost biting my tongue to stop flirting.

“I guess your face is occupied then.”

But the flirting didn’t stop. At this point, I don’t think that was possible.“Oh? I don’t see anyone else on it.”

“I’m talking about food,” he said, picking his bagel up. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

Horny or hungry, they both created this ticklish void within me that needed filling. “Mhmm, is that so.” I turned the iPad around to him. “Let’s get back on track then. I’m doing these two today.”

“I thought you were going to tell me more about these temporary tattoos that didn’t come from the wrappers of suckers.”

“Let me eat something first, otherwise I might try biting you again.” The hickeys on his neck slightly on show as he moved around. And I wasn’t joking, I was ready to go in again and occupy more of his body with little bites that claimed him as mine.

I watched as Ash went through the drawings on my iPad, raising his eyebrows, and making strange inflections. They were all the tell-tale signs of someone critiquing your work, except I didn’t think he was, he was just putting it on because those were the types of people we’d both been around in art schools.

“I’m—” he paused and looked at me. “I’m kinda convinced to get something.”

I shook my head as swallowed my food. “I don’t think I’ll ever want to tattoo you.”

“Oh, I thought this was—”

“No, no, I told you I wasn’t going to convince you, I just wanted to share my art,” I told him. “Your skin is—a canvas, and I don’t know if I’d ever feel worthy to tattoo it.”

“You left these.” He tugged at the collar of his t-shirt.

Just as he did that, one of my employees came in behind me. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

I turned to see Kelly turn fast on her heel and cover her eyes. “Relax,” I called out to her. “You can come back in.”

“Hi,” Ash said, slightly lifting his wrist to wave.

Kelly stared at him. “All I saw was his neck, and I figured it was best if I walked back out,” she said. “So, this is the one you fucked in your office?”

“Uh—uh—” Ash stuttered.

“Relax,” I told him. “Yeah, he is. Don’t be jealous, K.”

She chuckled. “I was only coming in to see if you were ordering breakfast,” she said. “But it looks like you’ve already eaten. In more ways than one.”

“It’s closer to lunch,” I said.

“You know what I mean,” she said. “Anyway, I’ll wait until Brandon and Jenny come in and we can order together. Unless your—”

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