Lockout (2 page)

I rocked back in disbelief. "You held up a plane to come and talk to me?"

He shrugged. "It's our company plane, and it was only for a few hours. I didn't like the thought of leaving knowing you were upset with me."

"Well, you sure know how to make a girl feel special," I said with a laugh. "When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure. Could be a few days, could be a few weeks."

I tried my best to hide my disappointment. "Okay. Stay safe."

"I'll try." He turned and began to make his way down to the waiting car. "And Sophia, don't worry. I have a few ideas about how you can make it up to me. I'll be in touch."

There was something wicked in his smile that made the muscles between my legs clench. I had the sneaking suspicion that even from across the country, the sexy games would continue.

CHAPTER TWO

The rest of the week passed in a familiar rhythm. It turned out that Monday's flurry of work was a sign of things to come. The phone just wouldn't stop ringing. I tried my best to get my other jobs done quickly, hoping some Wrights work would come my way, but the deluge of menial tasks simply wouldn't let up. It was frustrating. Other associates were across the hall doing something really meaningful, and I was stuck drafting settlement agreements for petty insurance claims and cleaning up my colleagues' contracts.

In spite of my busyness, Sebastian was never far from my mind. It was strange. I felt like we'd known each other a lot longer than a few weeks. It irked me to admit, but I realised that I missed him.

His text messages certainly didn't help. They started innocently enough.

Sebastian: I'm sorry I had to leave the other night. I wanted to stay, but my hands were tied.

Sophia: That's alright. I know how it is. Is everything okay down there?

Sebastian: Not really. We've had some major setbacks. Hopefully I can get things back on track soon though. I'm already sick of being stuck down here.

I liked that he was thinking of me even when he was busy. It seemed like our argument in my office had done some good.

But as usual with Sebastian, things quickly grew hotter. I started one morning with this exchange.

Sebastian: You know, I haven't been able to get our last night together out of my head.

Sophia: Oh? =)

Sebastian: I can't wait to do that to you again. I can't wait to tie you up and fuck you until you can't even speak anymore.

Sophia: So hurry up and get back here!

Sebastian: Haha. Patience. Sometimes a little wait does a lot of good. I'm enjoying thinking of all the things I'm still yet to do to you. You have no idea how hard I'm going to make you come.

Yeah. How the hell is a girl meant to function with messages like that in her inbox?

They didn't come too often, but they were just frequent enough to leave my libido on constant simmer. To make matters worse, no matter how hot I got, I wasn't allowed to relieve myself. He'd made it very clear that was against the rules. Several nights when I was nearly at breaking point, I considered doing it anyway, but something stopped me.
He'd know. Somehow, he'd know.
And so I powered on and did my best to ignore it.

Because of the sheer volume of work coming in, I spent the entire weekend at the office. There were a few less people around then, and so some more meaty jobs trickled down my way, but by Monday they'd all dried up again. Finally I decided I'd had enough of sitting on the bench.

"Ernest, have you got a minute?" I said, knocking on my boss's door.

"Sophia, sure. Come in."

I shut the door behind me and took a seat in front of the desk. I never quite knew what to make of my boss. A slim, balding man of about fifty, he constantly wore a harried look, as though he were just an instant from being overwhelmed by it all. He was the law firm equivalent of middle management; reasonably competent, but totally unambitious. He'd been a partner at the firm for the last twenty years, but never seemed to care about moving any higher than that.

He'd always seemed to like me, which is why I felt comfortable going to him. His relatively lowly position meant he couldn't intervene directly to change Alan's orders, but he still held more sway than I did. If he pushed hard enough, he might be able to make something happen. Besides, I was desperate.

"I just wanted to talk to you about the Wrights case."

His eyes brightened. "It's fascinating isn't it? A real coup for us."

"I wouldn't know. I've basically done nothing but pick up the slack for the last week."

He looked a little uncomfortable. "Oh now, I'm sure that's not true."

"It is true. You know what I spent the morning doing? Cross referencing Nick and Will's notes for that fraud case."

He licked his lips. "Well, that kind of thing needs to be done too. You know how it is, you don't always get to pick and choose what you do. Work gets given to the people best suited to the task."

"Sorry, but that's bullshit, Ernest. I'm one of the best associates on this floor and you know it. So why aren't I being allowed to help?"

His mouth curled into a sympathetic smile. "I'm not co-ordinating this case, Sophia. Believe me, if I were you'd be at the top of the list."

I slumped deeper into my chair. That was pretty much the response I'd been expecting. "Okay, let me ask you a different question then. Do you have any idea why Alan dislikes me so much?"

"Alan doesn't dislike you. He's just very... particular about how he does things." It was an incredibly diplomatic way of saying that he played favourites.

"Well I wish he'd be particular in my direction occasionally. Seriously, I bust my ass for this company, Ernest, and lately I get nothing in return."

He gazed at me for several seconds. "Look, how about this. I'll make some calls and see if I can't call in a few favours. But in the meantime I need you to ride this one out. If you kick up too much of a fuss you might piss off the wrong people. You know how this place is."

I felt a glimmer of hope. "That would be great, Ernest. Thanks." It probably wouldn't do much good, but it was better than nothing. "Now if you'll excuse me, I better get back to it. I think there's a child in my office who needs his school absence note drafted."

He chuckled. "Good luck with that."

Well, I'd played my hand. All I could do now was wait.

"It's something," said Ruth, when I called her a few hours later.

"Yeah. I don't think it'll amount to much though." I let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe it's just the girl factor. Maybe I need to suck it up and find a nice boutique firm somewhere where a cock isn't considered mandatory equipment for success."

"Hey, there's always a job for you here. Helping unhappy couples tear each other apart financially is rewarding in its own way."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said with a laugh, although I knew that wasn't really me. I could never do what Ruth did. It was a little too daytime chat-show for me.

"So how are things with your mystery man?" she asked. I swear I could hear her grin travelling down the phone line.

"Okay. Actually to be honest, I had a bit of a freak out, but it turned out I was just being an idiot. We talked it through, and things are good now... I think."

"You think?"

"Well, he had to fly to Melbourne for work the day we made up. We've texted a little, but I haven't actually seen him since then."

"Ah bummer. Oh well, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that crap."

"It's not his heart I'm interested in."

She laughed. "Ah, well it can make that grow fonder too. Trust me."

I didn't sleep well that night, and the next morning I arrived at work in a foul mood. However, it didn't last long. Resting in the centre of my desk when I walked into my office was a neatly wrapped box. There was no postage stamp or delivery address. Instead, on the face, in elegant, flowing script, was a single word.
Sophia
. My heart leapt. I'd only seen that handwriting once before, in the Royal Bay, but everything about that night was etched permanently into my brain.

I walked over and picked it up, weighing it in my hands. It wasn't particularly heavy, but there was something solid within. Shutting the door to protect from wandering eyes, I sat down at my desk and slowly peeled away the ribbon.

Rather than containing the object itself, inside the first box was another box. On top rested a note. I found myself grinning. Games within games. That was so like him.

Dear Sophia.

I'm sorry I've been gone so long. Things here are still messy and I have to stay until we can sort them out. Please forgive me.

I know I promised you a way to make up for the other day, and as much as I would like that to involve me being inside you, it will still be a few days until I return. Fortunately, I've come up with an alternative that I think you're going to enjoy.

Today I have a task for you. After you finish reading this note, I want you to sneak off into the bathroom, lock yourself in one of the cubicles, and masturbate through your panties. Play as long as you want, but our rules still stand: you're forbidden to come. Take the second box with you. When you're done, open it. There will be further instructions within. Have fun.

-S

A tingle rolled through me as I read. The request was both exciting and risky. Aside from Sebastian's kiss the other week, I'd never so much as fooled around in the office before. My job was just too important to me, and I didn't want to do anything that could come back to bite me. But the fact that Sebastian had commanded me to do it made it much more alluring. I could hear the words in his voice as I read, that strong, implacable tone that seemed impossible to resist. It was as though he was right behind me, leaning over my shoulder, strong hands lightly caressing my body as he whispered in my ear. And I felt compelled to do as I was told.

Glancing out into the corridor I saw that the building was still largely empty. Most days I tried to arrive before the bulk of my colleagues; I found that first hour of silence before the daily office buzz began was my most productive. And at that moment, it provided the perfect cover. Picking up the smaller box, I slipped casually out the door and headed for the ladies' room.

I passed a few other early-birds as I went, nodding greetings and trying to look calm. Were their smiles just friendly, or was there something smug behind them? It seemed impossible, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they knew what I was up to. It was like the fabric store all over again. I knew it was all part of Sebastian's game, but that didn't make it any easier. I clutched the box to my chest and began to walk faster, my cheeks burning with embarrassment, or excitement, or some baffling combination of the two. I'd never thought of the threat of being exposed as appealing before, but I was quickly learning that there was something strangely thrilling in that fear.

I made it to the bathroom without anyone crying foul and slipped into a cubicle with a sigh. Giving my heart a moment to settle, I sat on the toilet seat and inspected the smaller box. It was made from the same dark cardboard as the larger one, and as I tilted it from side to side, I could feel the object inside sliding around through the thin walls. Like a child on Christmas day, I began to try and guess what lay within. Judging by his request, it was probably something sexy, maybe a vibrator? Or something I might have to wear? I was incredibly curious. It took a lot of restraint not to simply tear the lid off then and there. But he'd asked me to wait, and so I did.

Instead, I reached down and hiked up my skirt, exposing my intricate pair of black lace panties. Like most girls, my underwear collection ranged from stuff I didn't wear out of the house to a few Victoria's Secret pieces I saved for special occasions. Normally for work I wore something in between, but since meeting Sebastian, my sexier pieces had been getting all the attention. As much as I hated the idea of grooming to please a guy, with his spontaneous appearances and unconventional approach, I never knew when I might need to look my best.

Masturbate through your panties.
It seemed like an odd request, but I'd already learned that with Sebastian, the specifics were often important.

After listening once more to make sure there was nobody else hidden away in another cubicle, I reached out and ran a hand tentatively across my shrouded sex. Even through my underwear, I could feel how turned on I was. My juices had already begun seeping through the sheer cloth. I had no idea how he could do that to me with a simple letter, but I wasn't about to waste time considering it any further.

I began to stroke myself in a slow, steady rhythm. I was no stranger to a little fun for one. When you work the kind of hours I do, you just don't have time to seek out the real thing as often as you'd like. But this was a totally new experience. Being in a public place gave it a frenetic edge that seemed to heighten every sensation. At any moment, one of my workmates could burst in and catch me in the act. After just a minute, my heart was thundering in my chest and I could taste something sharp on my tongue.

It felt a little like I was putting on a performance. Sebastian wasn't there to see of course, but nonetheless he knew what I was doing. He knew that sometime that morning I'd be in the office bathroom, just thirty feet from my colleagues, pleasuring myself at his command. I imagined him doing the same thing, stroking that magnificent cock and picturing me. That thought drove me wild.

A moan escaped my lips as I shortened my motions, strumming my trigger with increasing urgency. The lace of the panties was rough against my skin, and the faster I rubbed the more it bit into me. Perhaps Sebastian intended it that way, perhaps he knew the kind of underwear I'd be wearing. Such precise planning wouldn't have surprised me — he'd long since proven how easily he could read me — but in truth the sensation didn't bother me. It was nothing more than a tickle compared to the delights he'd already shown me.