Page 62 of Savagely Yours
I lightly dragged my fingernails over her skin, and her eyelids fluttered. “Tell them this is all on me,” I insisted. “Tell them I’m power-tripping. Let them say I’m a dick, a piece of shit—whatever. Put it back on me. Don’t take the heat for this.”
She shrugged. “I don’t mind taking the heat for you.”
“But I do.”
Because I love you.
I pulled her back in for another hug, kissing her cheek in the process. The sigh she rewarded me with almost did me in.
“So, how’s it going in Operations?” I asked, needing a distraction for how good she felt in my arms. “We have a lot to catch up on, I think.”
While she was still recovering at my place, I went to Cerner. As much as I’d planned to go against her suggestion, I knew she was right; selling the mistress idea would have gone over better.
And it did.
Cerner found it admirable.
What I hadn’t expected was his advice:
“Don’t turn your power into a punishment, Harding. I know that this is probably someone who would have never given you the time of day, but don’t get tempted into torture. It’s the easiest way to lose your head. Right now, she needs you. She needs your resources. So, take your time. Break her down. When you’re done, she should beg to come for you.”
“You were right about the ration manipulation,” she said. “So, I made some changes to Sanitation’s resource distribution, offsetting it with the waste in Woodhaven. Woodhaven gets rid of too much food with how limited provisions are now. But the changes aren’t noticeable enough to stand out. Next, I altered some work schedules. A coworker of mine, Yvette, usually handles the Sanitation roster, but I pretended to lose a bet to do her work for a week.”
My fingertips dipped inside her waistband. “What about the personnel narratives? Was I right about that? That everyone has a file, and they’ve been collecting data?”
“Yes, but most of the data’s collected post-intake. Actually, want to see my notes?”
“Does that require letting you go?”
“Yes.”
“Then no.”
“I won’t be long.”
Reluctantly, I released her, and she headed to the bathroom. Curious, and a little bit obsessed, I followed and found her standing on the vanity counter, digging around inside a dusty vent fan opening.
“I’m behind you,” I warned, gently, to avoid startling her. “Tapley, you could have asked me to get whatever it is you need. And watch out with all that dust.”
“Yes,CaptainHarding,” she teased.
“Be careful.”
Again, she probably assumed I was talking about her footing, but I would never let her hit the floor. Soreness should have been the least of her worries. Soreness from a fall, anyhow.
“All done,” she said.
I helped her down, her skin sliding along my palms. Instead of setting her on her feet, carrying her back to the mattress kept her against me longer. Then, as much as I wanted to keep her close, I let her have a space that wasn’t my lap, completely thrown off by my overwhelming need to touch her and feel her body against mine.
She handed me a notebook, rose to her knees, and positioned herself behind me.
“You smell nice,” I said.
It was far too early for anyone to smell this good.
She snorted. “No, I don’t. I sweat a lot last night, and I need to brush my teeth.”
“To me, you smell incredible.”
