Page 172 of Masters of Pleasure
Pulling out her phone, she quickly tapped out a message to Patrick, asking him for the night off to help her roommate, who was having some personal issues.That done, she started a second pot of coffee and left it ready-to-go, so all Noelle would have to do was push the ‘start’ button when she woke up.
Feeling better, if still tired, Iris headed to her car.
“Today is going to be a good day,” she murmured to herself.A little positive thinking never hurt anything, right?
Law
Lunch out with clients was never one of Law’s favorite things but was occasionally a necessity.Part of being a contract lawyer was schmoozing and keeping the clients happy.He wasn’t great at schmoozing but did his best.Thankfully, most of them were happy to be taken out to lunch and talk while he listened.Sitting, eating, and listening were things he could manage.
Except today.
Halfway through lunch, Iris Baez had walked into Murphy’s Meals and was shown to a corner booth for two.She’d ordered, then sat, reading something on an e-reader while she waited for her food.The table where he was sitting gave him a good view, but he wasn’t sure she had noticed him.
It was incredibly distracting.
“Okay, we should get back to the office,” Bryan Daniels said, getting to his feet.Law nodded, standing and holding out his hand.Daniels was one of the good ones.Ethical, generous, and easy to talk to, even if Law didn’t do much talking.“I’ll email you later with the contract.”
“Sounds good.I’ll keep an eye out for it.”Law gave the other man a firm handshake before turning to his two associates and doing the same.
He should have then followed them out the door.
Normally, hewouldhave followed them out the door, after pausing to take a last drink of water in order to give them time to go ahead of him.
But not today.
Instead, he took a sip of water, watching them walk out… then turned around and walked to the corner booth.
It had nothing to do with his fantasies from last night.He was just curious what Iris was doing eating lunch by herself.Not knowing anything about her outside of the club, he didn’t know what she did for a living and was having a little trouble guessing based on the clues provided.
She was out at lunch on a Friday, but she looked like she had already been at work.Somehow, he didn’t see Iris as the type to wear a white button-down shirt as her own choice, even if she was wearing jeans with it.With her hair pulled back in a bun, she came off as a tad more casual than business casual but far dressier than he guessed she would be if she wasn’t working.
As he approached, she looked up, and her eyes widened almost comically.She snapped the e-reader case shut, putting it on the booth beside her, which, of course, made him wonder what she was reading.He knew a lot of submissives at Stronghold liked reading racy romances.Was she one of them?
“Mas— I mean… um… Law, hi?”
Law grinned inwardly.It wasn’t often he got to see her flounder.At the club, even as a submissive, she was usually completely in control of herself.
“Iris, hello.I hope I’m not interrupting.I saw you and…” His voice trailed off.And what?He’d seen her and wanted to say hi?Great, tell her what a creeper you are.Trying to hide his sudden discomfort, he shrugged a shoulder.“I figured I’d say hi.”Yup, it sounded just as weird when he said it out loud as he’d thought it would.
“Oh, well, hi.Um… do you want to sit down?”She blinked, seeming as surprised she’d asked as he was.
“Sure.”That definitely had not been what he’d meant to say.This was a terrible idea.
What are you doing?!
Iris
Oh my God, what was she doing?
Master Law had probably come over to be polite, and now he felt like he had to sit with her because she’d asked him to.If she could have banged her head on the table, she would have.
Adjusting his jacket, he slid into the booth.Being a corner booth, meant to fit two people side by side, the arrangement was a lot more intimate than she’d realized.
“So, uh, what are you doing here?”she asked.They could chat a few minutes, then he’d probably leave once her food got there.
“Lunch with clients.What about you?”He actually sounded interested, which she wouldn’t have expected.
“Lunch break.I’m a house manager, and they didn’t have much for me to do today, so I figured I would give myself a treat.”Hands in her lap, she fiddled with the edge of the napkin, folding it over itself and pressing down.It sprang right back as soon as she let it go, which allowed her to do it all over again… and again… and again…
