Page 115 of Blush

“Coffee? Tea? Herbal tea?”

Then I have to laugh. Jackson hates herbal tea, which is why, when he came back up the other night and mentioned the chamomile, I knew something was off.

He wanted to see me. The only problem is that I don’t exactly know why, and then Penn called.

Things are strange now. He’s seen me naked, and he’s had his tongue…in places. His dick in other places. How would his cock feel in my mouth?

I’ve never given head before.

Then I laugh out loud.

“What’s so funny?” Jack says from the couch.

“Nothing.”

Nothing I can tell him, anyway. Here I am, taking classes on how to be a submissive, when I’ve never even had a man’s cock in my mouth.

I’m willing to bet submissives give a lot of head.

Yeah, the class was a mistake. Good thing it was free. If I’d paid for it, I’d have to take the loss.

I’m not even sure I’ll go back to the shop, even though I love my bras, panties, and the corset. Manhattan has many more lingerie stores. It’s a shame, really. I like Mary. I like her a lot. She was a great salesclerk and an even better submissive teacher.

I may miss her, but I certainly won’t miss Liberty and her constant questions. I kind of liked Lakisha and Jason, who I’m pretty sure are hitting the sheets right about now. The electricity between them was so thick, I could cut it with a knife.

Me, I won’t be hitting the sheets anytime soon. Not with Jackson or anyone else. Somewhere between the mustard and the meat, I decided I really didn’t want to hear why Jackson was bringing another woman flowers. Ever.

I place Jackson’s sandwich on a plate, walk to the couch, and hand it to him. “Here you go. Stay as long as you need. If you leave, please lock up. I’m going to bed.”

Then I turn and walk away from my best friend.

Chapter Forty

Jackson

I stayed at Mandy’s for a few hours, took Roger out twice, but then I ended up leaving. Sleeping on her couch felt all wrong. Just as wrong as leaving her with everything still unsaid between us.

I wanted to be next to her, sleeping in her bed. Beside her. I want to wake up and grab her and hold her in my arms and kiss her.

Those thoughts scared me, so I got the hell out of her place.

After a crazy day at work, where I nearly had my ass handed to me on a platter by Braden Black because of someone else’s mistake, I finally left the office at ten p.m. and headed straight to the club.

If there was ever a day where I needed to wind down, this is it.

But then I find Blossom.

She’s standing out in the hallway, wearing jeans and a black T-shirt—far from her usual club attire—her fiery hair flowing over her shoulders.

“Hey, there,” she says.

“Hey, love. Those flowers last night…”

“Listen, Jack, everything’s fine. You don’t have to apologize anymore.”

“All right. If you’re sure. Why are you standing out here?”

She shrugs. “Just waiting for someone.”