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“No, oh no, oh please, Marvin. Don’t do this to me now.” I squeezed the steering wheel tight as Marvin hitched and wheezed and groaned before backfiring. A huge plume of black smoke erupted from the tailpipe, and Marvin died with another quiet groan.
I steered to the side of the road and shut off the car before, praying under my breath, I turned the key. Nothing happened, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Fuck. Come on, Marvin. I know you’re tired, and I know it’s cold, and I fucking get that, I do, but please, buddy, you need to start, okay? Please, for me?”
I held my breath and turned the key again. Marvin chugged, gasped, and whined before falling silent.
“Fuck!” I screamed, banging my hands on the steering wheel so hard that pain shot straight up to my elbows. I grimaced and rubbed at my hands as I studied my phone. Mr. Rainer had given me a last-minute job, and I’d worked so late that I hadn’t had time to go home to change or grab a quick bite. The stressful day, crying, and lack of food had left me with a raging headache.
I rubbed my temples, trying to think past the throbbing pain. I didn’t have enough money for an Uber, and even if I did, they wouldn’t make it out here in time to get me to Mr. Steele’s house for seven. There was a bus stop back on the main road, but that was at least an hour’s walk away, and I hadn’t seen a single bus stop on the road leading to Mr. Steele’s house anyway.
Obviously, I didn’t have Mr. Steele’s number, but I could text the sisters and let them know I had to cancel.
I rubbed again at my aching temples. If I cancelled, I’d lose my payment tonight, and maybe Mr. Steele would be so annoyed by the last-minute cancellation that he’d find someone else at the agency to play with. If Marvin were even fixable, I would need every extra bit of money I could find. I hated to use the money from the agency for something other than my mom’s treatments, but I didn’t have much choice.
I glanced at the time again. I wasn’t that far from Mr. Steele’s house. If I booked it, I could make it by seven. Maybe.
It’s freezing out, and you’re wearing a skirt, and you didn’t bring mittens or a scarf or anything.
That was true, but walking fast would keep me warm, and I at least had my winter boots in the car, right? If I had to walk through the snow and the ice in my heels, I definitely wouldn’t make it on time.
How will you get home after your play session is over? It’ll be really dark by then and even colder. Even if you can walk to the bus stop without freezing to death, what if the bus has stopped running for the night?
That was a problem for later Riley. Right now, I needed to get my ass moving to Mr. Steele’s house.
You’re fooling yourself if you think you won’t be late. He’ll be so mad at you. He hates tardiness, remember?
I muttered a curse, stuffed my phone into my purse, and slid out of the car. I slung my purse over my shoulder and zipped my jacket up, tucking my face inside my collar. The cold air bit at my nose and ears, and I pulled the hood up, tugging the strings tight. My winter jacket was a thin, cheap thing I’d picked up at Walmart a couple of months ago. I used to have a nicer one. In fact, I’d had a whole closet full of nice clothing, but I’d sold most of them as my savings had begun to dwindle. I’d kept a bit of the expensive stuff for work, but any clothing and household items I could sell, I’d done so, sending the extra money to my parents to help cover their living costs.
Stuffing my heels into my purse, I slammed the car door and hauled ass toward Mr. Steele’s house.
* * *
Deacon
Charlotte was late. Despite how clear I’d been about my disapproval of tardiness, Charlotte was nearly fifteen minutes late. I paced in my office, my annoyance growing steadily higher. After a supremely shitty three days at my new job, I’d been looking forward to tonight, and Charlotte had ruined it with her carelessness. Now I wouldn’t get to hear her sexy voice moaning my name, taste the sweetness of her pussy, or -
The front door opened and then shut with a bang. I sat down with a thump behind my desk, staring stone-faced at my laptop as I heard Charlotte run up the stairs. She didn’t make her usual stop at the bathroom, just hurried down the hall and into my office. I could hear her panting, hear the thump as she dropped to her knees on the cushion, and smell cold snow in the air, but I refused to look at her.
I waited two minutes before saying, “You’re late.”
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Steele.” She was out of breath. “I’m late because -”
“Tardiness is not acceptable. I made that clear, did I not?” My voice was icy, and I needed to take it down a notch. I knew how sensitive she was. But dammit, I’d been looking forward to tonight, and she’d ruined that for the both of us.
“Yes, sir.”
I could barely hear her despite how quiet my office was.
“Yet, you still arrived late.”
“I’m very sorry. I didn’t -”
“I’m not interested in your excuses,” I said. “Our play session is cancelled for this evening. You can return home.”
“Please, Mr. Steele,” she said softly, “if you could give me another chance, I promise I -”
“I was also clear that I do not give second chances,” I said. “Wasn’t I?”
