Page 15 of Atonement

“Only authorized personnel are allowed through here, Sir.”

The way she says “Sir” should have my balls tightening desperately needing a release they haven’t had in far too long, but surprisingly - it doesn’t. To any other red-blooded man, she’d be considered drop-dead gorgeous, but not me. Not when everything my soul will always crave is standing just a few feet away around the corner.

“I just received authorization,” I lie, but she doesn’t take the bait. “But, God,” I stammer as I lean in against the top of her desk. “Like an idiot, I lost my...” clicking my fingers together once, twice, three times, acting like a damn fool, kind of like our friend Timmy, I smile as I silently beg for her to have mercy on me.

Because, let’s face it, we all know there’s nothing a girl wants more than to help a defenseless boy out in his time of need.

“...key,” she finally finishes for me.

“That’s right,” I whisper, as I smile, lean in further and brush her hair back behind her ear. “Key.”

Her breath catches in her throat just as her eyes grow wide from my brazen touch. In fact, in two more seconds, I’m guessing I’m going to have to remind Goldilocks here to continue to breathe if I don’t back away soon. So, giving her some much-needed space, I shove my hands in my pockets and lean away from the shocked look on her face, knowing even before she does, that she’ll let my error slide.

Truth be told, little girls like to play the same games as little boys, and I’m entirely uninterested and slightly bored being able to call the shots while standing here, waiting for her to say something next.

“I don’t think...”

“Sandy Winslow,” I say, reading her name tag and making her look me in the eye. “Short for Sandra right.” She doesn’t respond.

Fine, Sandra, I’ll bite and play along.

“Sandy,” I roll her name on my tongue again in a sort of seductive growl. “What a pretty name.”

She blushes and then looks down at her lap. “I like the way you say that,” she whispers, right before she laughs nervously, and then looks back up with another bashful grin. “My name.”

Oh, Sandra, you’re making this entirely too easy.

Leaning against her desk, feet crossed at the ankles, I fold my arms over my chest and bite my bottom lip as I take her in. She grins with excitement right before she bashfully looks away, but not before her eyes graze down my frame, stopping when they reach my cock.

So scandalous, Sandy. What would all the little boys think?

“Do you think you can make an exception, just this once?” I ask, a sort of tempting seduction dripping from my lips as I study her and wait for her to tell me yes.

Because we both know she will. She goes to rebuttal. Most likely about to object.

Stop with the fucking games, Sandra.

But I cut her off quickly, and say, “if you can, I’d like to take you out to dinner, Sandy. That is, if your boyfriend won’t mind?”

“I... I... don’t have a boyfriend,” she stammers, her same anxious chuckle from before filling the space between us a moment later.

“Husband?” I ask, playing right along, although she’s arguably too young to have one of those. Then again, in the world of Botox, plastic surgery, and boob jobs, who the fuck knows anymore. Her blush deepens as she smiles and looks back down at her lap.

Eyes up here, Sandra.

Confidence is sexy. Bashful and inexperienced is not.

“You ever been with a man, Sandy?”

Her eyes bolt up to meet mine, shocked, horrified, and slightly fucking turned on, there's no denying it.

“On a date. Out to dinner?” I deadpan, earning me a nervous swallow from the girl sitting across from me as I grin with mischief.

She looks around my back, taking her time, assessing her options, and wondering how best to respond. “I guess, just this once,” she finally whispers.

She reaches over and grabs a card off the left corner of her desk. Leaning forward, I capture her wrist and pull her into me, noticing the gasp as it escapes her lips and the tremble in her arm as I lean in even closer the same second I slide the card from her grasp and hold it behind my back.

“Sandy,” I breathe, as I stand and keep her eyes locked on my own. Her face is so close I can almost taste her innocence as the card slips from my fingers and into the hands of Magnolia. “On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t let me take you out.”

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