Chapter 53

Ira

I'm someone who enjoys the finer things in life. Extraordinary thread-count sheets, aged wine and cheese that delights not only my senses but my memory as well, tailored suits that make my body look the best in the room…

…Beautiful women in my bed….

It's early on a Thursday morning. Sunshine cascades through my bedroom window as I get ready for work. The cat is sunbathing in the middle of my floor, threatening to trip me every time I round my bed. I'm not running late, but I can't afford to rip my pants or jacket.

A flirty yawn erupts. Kathleen catches me as I'm putting on cologne, her golden hair spilling over the side of my bed as she turns over, one of my T-shirts clinging to her frame.

"Do you have to leave so soon?"

I bend down and kiss her forehead, my fingers fumbling to finish straightening out my tie. Yes, folks, I'm wearing a tie today. Got a few investors to work over and Daddy Dearest likes it when I "look my best." Apparently, my best includes this piece of unfortunate clothing that feels like it's constantly me. Out of all the male attire in the world, the necktie is the thing I do the most without.

"I've got a meeting at ten. Really, I should be railing at you for having the day off." Although Kathleen is my cohort of sorts in the remodel, there are lots of things that don't need her assistance, such as dealing with money. I've got an assistant to help me with that notetaking.

Kathleen reaches up and grabs the hem of my jacket. "Look at you wearing this sexy suit. Promise me you'll come back later and take it off for me."

Her sleepy smile is something I'll never get over. For nearly two months, we've been fooling around, casually, although that dreaded L word has dropped from our lips more than once. Since my first confession, I've said it a total of five times. Letting it slip here and there as if it doesn't mean a thing. To be fair, she's been the same way.

We dance a dangerous dance, Katie and me. Although she's come a long way in feeling comfortable with me, we still have a largely vanilla relationship. The other shoe is about to drop at any moment. Because yours truly is dating a Domme. A Domme with a very sweet side that she likes to express to me, like now, when she rolls on her stomach and kicks her feet up in the air, letting me see her bare ass and enticing me in ways she has no business doing.

"What, are you going to stay here all day?" I tap her ass. "Not that I mind."

"Maybe!"

"Feed the cat, would you?"

She rolls over and slams her head against the nearest pillow. I try not to smile too hard at my good fortune. Yup. Someone like me truly deserves a woman like her in my bed.

Life's good, ain't it?

Well, it's almost perfect. I grab my briefcase and head downstairs, where the doorman tips his hat and wishes me a good day. Since the weather is gorgeous, I walk to work a few blocks away, enjoying the crisp air and the sounds of the busy city around me.

Yup. Life is almost perfect.

My love life could be better. Don't get me wrong. Kathleen is the best lover I've ever had, and thinking about her makes me want to act like the most foolish creature to ever be silly. Yet we sit on this precarious edge of losing everything. For the past two months, I've fought the urge to make her my girlfriend girlfriend. Not just my lover I see twice or thrice a week. Not just a friend I fool around with and sometimes get to spank. No. I want to make her my everything.

She'll say no. When I think of that, I seize up.

Katie will tell me to fuck off because she's a Domme and I'll never submit to her. We can't equally switch like our business partners the Anderssens can. Kennedy will spank her wife one night and then be Topped by her the next. Sure, Kathleen submits to me…

But I would never submit to her.

Just the thought makes me nearly stumble in the street. Unfortunately, I am not someone who is happy submitting. I know many people are. No, I've never tried… because I don't have any desire to. Not even for her.

Don't think I haven't thought about it. Late at night, alone in my bed, trapped with my thoughts of work and love. I want Kathleen. I'll do almost anything to keep her… but not that.

Unfortunately, for us both.

Work is also kicking my ass. Not that there's no headway to account for. Quite the opposite. When I walk into the lobby of The Ace Hotel, I walk into a piece of history. For weeks on end, the construction crew has been working overtime to make sure our vision comes to fruition – and in record time. I barely have a moment to admire the work done overnight when the head of marketing comes rushing up to me and talks about the opening ball we're throwing in – shit, a month. Is it really a month? I can't believe it.

This is fast, even for us.

One of the reasons my father wants us going above and beyond on this project is because we've sunk so much money into it. A lot more than we originally planned, thanks to the Anderssens greed and knowing that they can get away with it. My father is determined to make our money back in record time. The only way we can do that is by opening a project like this before anyone has the chance to blink.

Good thing everyone on the team is meticulous to a fault. The plans were already finished. The crews already picked out. Everything pre-paid so they could get underway. As excited as I am to be done with this project and move on to the next – we already have our eyes on an exclusive property upstate – there's been a lot of hours going into it that leave me so stressed I nearly collapse in my shower.

All work and no play. That's why I'm grateful to have Katie in my bed twice a week.

We're exclusive. I wonder how much she's itching to dominate someone. We haven't had that fun at the BDSM Manoir in weeks.

"Ah," my assistant Vivian says late in the morning. "Your father is here to take the tour. He's brought… his friend."

I can tell by the look on her face that this "friend" is one of my least favorite people.

Sure enough, Dad has brought his new squeeze Stephanie May. A woman almost forty years his junior. If that wasn't shady enough, she's technically my ex-lover.

She's a bit bitter about being called Kathleen during sex. Still.

The two of them stroll through the front doors as if they're honored guests and not the owner come to survey his kingdom with some arm candy. My father looks dapper, as usual, but Stephanie is sporting some new fancy threads that came straight from The Ruby Peacock, the most upscale boutique in the city. No way could Stephanie afford those clothes outright. Of course, she's been dating my dad a few weeks now, and I don't doubt that he's buying her these dresses. Like the orange and yellow ensemble she has on now, highlighting her strawberry blond hair and the angle of her nose.

"Ira," she greets with a purr, her arm wrapped solidly around my father's arm. Hilariously enough, she's almost taller than him. "You're looking well today."

Ah, by the way, she still flirts with me. And has made it very, very clear that she's still interested in more sex.

You know, after she tried blackmailing me.

"You look radiant as always, Stephanie." I smile politely, for the sake of my father, who is so in love with my ex that I've almost stopped talking to him outside of work.

The tour is mostly for my father's sake, who only stops by about once a week to check the progress of the renovations. Nevertheless, I accompany them, winding through ballrooms, kitchens, staff rooms, and of course the bedrooms and suites on the upper floors. Back in its day, The Ace was one of the biggest hotels around. Now it's swamped by the high-rise hotels nearby, some of which my family owns.

There's nothing wrong with that. We're setting out to recreate a luxury hotel, and the best only have limited board available. A lot easier for a manager to keep track of everyone that way.

We don't go through every room, however. That would be ridiculous. Partially because every time we see a model room complete with bed and other furniture, Stephanie leans in and whispers something flirty into my father's ear. Gag. Gag. I try to ignore it, but their laughter and shushing is about to drive me out the third-story window.

"You should come have lunch with us, kid," my father says at the end of the tour. He's in a good mood because he only found two minor things to criticize, and they'll be fixed by tomorrow morning. Otherwise, everything is coming along without a hitch. "I know you…"

"Oh, Donovan, did you forget?" Stephanie pats his chest. "I have an appointment in an hour. I'm afraid I have to skip out on lunch."

"Appointment? I don't remember this."

"It's for work, dearest. Let's rain check for dinner. I should be available around five."

Works for me. To the sounds of the foreman barking orders at his workers, I text Kathleen that we should meet for lunch if she's in the neighborhood.

"Can't. I have a meeting in an hour."

Because I'm a fucking idiot, I think nothing of it.