Page 35 of Praise Me: Soldier

“July, baby, JesusCHRIST!”

A flood crests and decimates everything in its path.

I press my cheek to the chilled surface of the conference table and watch their faces as Theo erupts inside me like a man possessed, ramming his lap into my buttocks, humping and bellowing for God and relief, his seed making a mess on the table, between my thighs, inside of me. Everywhere. Despite the fact that my legs are trembling with the aftershocks of my own orgasm, I manage to smile at them, and they go, bumping into one another before disappearing from sight.

I turn from temptress to angel, then, in a pattern I plan to get used to, allowing my boyfriend to pluck me off the table, cradle me in his arms while raining kisses down on my head, praising my adventurousness, my “slick hole,” and expressing gruff, passionate gratitude for letting him be so aggressive twice in one day. Apologizing for my soreness. Telling me I’m a good girl. That I’mhisgirl. That he loves every single thing about me.

I absorb his words like a flower sucking down sunshine, even preening a little when he strokes my hair and rubs gentle hands over my breasts, hips, ankles. Touching every part of me, as if to spread the praise evenly.

When he looks me in the eye, his throat working in a swallow, I already know what’s coming, because I can feel his emotions all around me.

“I’m in love with you, July,” he rasps, cupping my face and kissing me.

Tears roll down my cheeks. “I’m in love with you, too, Theo.”

We bask in each other for long moments, before we finally manage to stop touching each other long enough to get dressed. Walking out hand in hand, we leave the office, but right in front of the elevator, I hear whispers behind my back in the office.

I squeeze Theo’s hand. “I’ll be right back.”

Holding my chin up high, I walk into the break room to find Dierdre and my boss, still slack jawed and obviously talking about what they’ve just seen. If this is the moment I get fired, so be it, but I’m going to go out with my pride.

“Hi,” I say.

“Hi?” sputter Dierdre. “That’s all you have to say after we caught you being…seen toby that animal on the conference room table?”

“That feeling your experiencing? It’s called envy.”

They gasp in unison.

“We came back here with coffee because we feltbadfor you,” says my boss. “Instead, you were committing a firing offense.”

“First of all, you’re the one who made me stay late in the first place,” I calmly point out. “And second, good luck finding someone to come up with a half-decent presentation for Friday this late in the game. Mine is good. And itwillland. You might want to consider that.” I transfer my attention to Dierdre. “If you call my boyfriend an animal one more time, you meddling troll, I will tell our boss you applied for her position next quarter.” I gasp quietly and cover my mouth. “Oops. Good night, ladies. See you in the morning.”

I walk out with a smile and an extra spring in my step, hand in hand with my boyfriend who can’t take his eyes off me as we walk down the windy street together, smiling over the promise of something new and lasting.

Something neither one of us expected.

Something right and true.

The love of a lifetime.

EPILOGUE

Theo

Five Years Later

My dickstill only gets hard when I’m with July.

Some people might see it as a curse or an affliction, but me, personally?

I fuckingloveit. It gets her hot—and I’m all for anything that does that. I’m in heat the moment I see her. My security job takes me on small trips occasionally, if the businessmen we’re protecting need to travel. By the time I get home after a few days without my woman, I’m so stiff I’m stumbling like a drunk through the front door, shouting for that pussy. We’ve damn near worn a spot on the living room rug where I’ve torn into her after work trips.

Today is one of those days.

I’ve been gone for my longest trip yet. Five grueling days.

It’s the only downside to being promoted to head of security within the thriving company. I need to be present to survey event venues before high-profile guests arrive. Our clients are paying a premium and they want a supervisor running the show. That’s me. When I returned to the States, before I met July, I never could have imagined I’d have a lucrative career. One that is such an easy fit for me. Maybe I would have gone into the darkness and never come out, if it wasn’t for my wife.

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