Page 24 of Ashley
She held fast to his hands and worked to keep her voice even, but it was hard with the thread of excitement that was humming through her like lightning. "I can do, Sir. I like Sir."
"Thank you, honey. Do you want me to call you anything special?" he asked.
"I like it when you call me that," she said and then smiled at him. "I don't know if I need more than you've given me. I just want to know you approve of me. I need someone to show me how to work through my fear, and to know that I can be stronger. Be better."
"Why do you want to be better, little one?" His voice was low, hypnotic, and it set off a heat in her core that Ashley almost didn't recognize, so primal was her need for this man that she could scarcely comprehend. She was suddenly greedy for this. She wanted every last bit of his attention and anything else wouldn't do, couldn't do, not when she could have it all. She raised her eyes to his.
"I want to finally get what I want in life."
"And what is that?"
"I want," she swallowed hard, working to get the words out around the lump in her throat, "all of your attention. I'm tired of being in the background. I hate it."
"You want to be front and center. Have it all from me?"
"Yes. More than anything. When I saw those women talking to you earlier, I thought I was going to die, but when you looked at me and didn't care about them, it was amazing. I wanted it to go on and on."
He ran his tongue along his bottom lip, and Ashley felt herself grow wet. There was no denying the damp spot that would be evident on her panties if anyone, if he, looked. "Can you handle that, baby girl? All of me?"
She ventured a smile. "I won't know if I don't try, now, will I?"
He chuckled and then leaned back, their hands separating as the server approached with a tray full of food. "No, I guess we won't. I accept."
She blinked in surprise. "You do?"
He gave her a perfunctory nod. "I do."
"Why?" she managed after a beat.
"Because you'reworth it, little one."
* * *
Dinner was amazing. Dinner was perfect. It was everything a good date should be when you were in those early days of something new and special with a potential partner, except what Ashley had with James wasn't that. It was something different. They were different.
He wasn't her partner. He was her teacher.
She followed him out of the restaurant on a cloud of air and led him toward her apartment. All of it was happening in a dreamy state that made the summer night even more magical. Ashley wanted nothing more than to make tonight last forever, which is why she shyly asked him to come upstairs.
"You don't have to," she quickly said, cheeks hot. "But if you wanted to, I would—"
"Call me Sir." His hand cupped her face and his fingers were light on her skin as he turned her face up to his. "Say it for me, honey."
"Sir."
"Ask again."
"Will you come upstairs, Sir?"
James hummed his approval and moved close, his lips only centimeters from hers. "Can I kiss you?"
"Yes."
He pressed his mouth to hers, slanting their lips to each other as he lazily explored her mouth.
Her hands came up to grasp his shoulders as she moaned into his mouth. "So good for me."
He pressed another kiss against her lips, this one chaste, before he took her hand and moved her toward the door. "Show me the way, little one."
