separate neatly in my mind. I mean, work comes first and when I’m writing distractions of that sort would probably not…well, work, but…”
The frustrated look that time didn’t seem to be aimed at me, so I stepped in. “So I think what you’re saying is that you don’t want it completely separated but there will be times when that side of things would be negatively distracting?”
Nodding, he relaxed in his chair and focused back on my face. “Yes.”
“That makes sense.” I did my best to stay relaxed, but I knew if he looked down he’d be able to see how I was reacting to the conversation. “There’s a time and a place for both work and play, but sometimes they might go together.”
His head cocked and I could see his imagination starting to stir. Smiling, I kept going since he seemed curious. “Like if you were on a deadline for one of your sexy stories and were having a hard time writing the last sex scene, I might find a way to get your…creativity flowing.”
His cheeks pinked slightly, but what I noticed the most was the hungry way he licked his lips. “I…”
Dakota seemed to be stuck in his imagination, so I figured helping him enjoy it more was the only polite thing to do. “Did you know they make exercise balls with a dildo sticking out of them? I bet I could find one that knots if you need help writing a sexy scene.”
He swallowed and nodded vaguely, but the way his body tightened said he wasn’t focusing on our conversation any longer.
“And when you don’t get your to-do list done or just get off track, a punishment might be in order.” The shiver that raced through him said he was appreciating the ways I might help him. “Like…let’s say you were playing online instead of writing the scene you’re supposed to be working on. I might have to bend you over the desk and spank you to help you remember to stay focused.”
“I…that’s…” He stopped and took a breath before he continued. “This doesn’t feel real, honestly.”
“Do you want me to back off a bit or do you want me to prove it's real?” There were several ways we could take the situation.
“Both.” His answer wasn’t what I was expecting so I waited and, thankfully, he continued. “Back off while we talk about the work part and then…then prove it.”
So brave and sexy.
“You’re the boss.” I smiled when his head cocked again. “No matter what happens and how we handle things, I know you’re the boss. I work for you. There will just be times that we mix up the roles a bit. There will be hiccups, but we’ll both have safewords and that’s when we’ll talk things out.”
I wasn’t going to promise to be a magically intuitive Dom, but I was going to do my best.
I got another slow nod from Dakota as he seemed to try to pull his brain back into the moment and away from the dirty thoughts that I knew had to be running through his head.
“Work…yes…” He blinked a few times. “What is your availability like? Most of this could be done from your own home once we get everything ironed out but having you available to come here would be more convenient.”
“I’d rather work here so I could help where needed if that works for you.” I looked toward the rest of the house. “Even the kitchen table would work if that’s what’s free.”
“No, I think we could find another option for you.” He glanced toward the doorway like he was mentally walking through the house. “There are a few places that might work. I don’t know the best schedule.”
He focused back on me. “Jonah comes in on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, usually in the afternoon, but he doesn’t know about this stuff.”
“Are you planning on telling them? Eventually someone will ask more specific questions about what I’m doing for you.” I had a feeling it was going to be sooner than he realized.
“Soon?” He shrugged. “I guess? I mean, I want it to be a success first.”
And defining success just went on the mental to-do list because from everything I’d found online he was one of the top erotica authors.
This was going to be the most interesting job ever.
Chapter 5
Dakota
“I’m just not sure if that will be too many hours for what you’ll be doing or not enough.” Looking over my notes, it was hard to assign times to the