Unexpected Guest Ch. 09

"Jared," she groaned out loud, knowing that he couldn't be so dense as to misunderstand what she wanted.

"Impatient, are you?" Jared lifted his head and gave her a smug smile.

"Just get on with it."

"What? Is Miss Mason putting demands on me?"

"Oh yes, I most definitely am," Ann stated boldly.

"Then I suppose a poor slave has nothing else to do than to perform," Jared said teasingly.

"Slave? Oh my, what an interesting concept. Although I don't think you can fit that part, Jared."

"Why not?"

"You're simply not the submissive type. I bet you'll not even last five minutes before you take control."

"All right. What do I get when I win?"

"A clean conscience."

"Oh, come on. A slave needs to have some sort of reward to look forward to."

"Like what?"

"How about you cook me dinner some time? I have a soft spot for home-cooking."

Ann just stared up at him. His voice had sounded so casual she couldn't be sure what he meant by the question. Did he actually want them to continue the relationship once they returned to the city? She decided to answer him the same way.

"If you think that you will survive my cooking, then that's a deal." She gave him her right hand to settle the deal. He shook her hand while he roamed his eyes over her breasts. Then he lowered his eyes while exited the bed and sank down on his knees on the floor in front of her.

"What does the mistress want?" he asked suddenly.

Ann just sat up in surprise. He was actually going to do this? His stance suddenly reminded her of a proposal, although then he would surely be looking her in the eye, she would hope. She mentally kicked herself. As if he would ever propose to her except in her dreams. Oh well, she would see how long he could bear to act the submissive. He would crack at once, she thought. The Jared she knew didn't have a submissive bone in his entire body. She would bet on it.

"Lick my toes," she ordered him.

That surprised him and he looked at her as if to decipher whether she was serious or not.

"What? Would you like that?" he fired back almost instantly.

"I knew it!" Ann said triumphantly. "You couldn't even last four seconds before questioning your mistress. You make a lousy slave, that's what I've said all the time."

"Damn it," Jared murmured as he climbed into the bed again. "So then there's no home-made dinner for me?"

"Nope, not this time."

"What would you have made?" Jared wondered as he started to roam his hand over her belly.

Ann just lay back and enjoyed his touch. The strong sexual need suddenly replaced by a playfulness she had never experienced before. It made her feel even more relaxed than before, she discovered as she gave Jared a broad smile.

"I haven't decided yet. Meatballs, I think."

"Meatballs? Man, I haven't tasted that in ages. Are yours any good?"

"The best." Ann smiled. "I have a special recipe from my mother. You should remember that the next time I want a slave."

"H'mmn, maybe I will," Jared answered vaguely, as if his concentration were somewhere else all of a sudden.

He was probably wondering how to end their affair, it suddenly occurred to Ann. A shill went through her entire body as the unexpected idea interrupted her happy thoughts. Perhaps he was even thinking about how to avoid her telling Cade anything negative about him, causing bad feelings between the best friends.

He would probably try to tell her in a nice and utterly devastating way. At least it would be devastating for her. She would have to ensure a quick break unless she would risk crying in front of him. She would never give him that. It was far better that he understood how lightly she took their affair. She would have to rely on her acting abilities in order to persuade him that she was just as casual about it.

"I have to return home tomorrow," Jared suddenly stated as they were eating dinner later in the day.

Now, so that was what had been bothering him all day, Ann thought. Just as she had suspected he had tried to polish his words just so that she wouldn't feel hurt.

"Oh. Already?"

"Yes, it's Saturday tomorrow and I need to fix a few things before I start working on Monday."

"So that's it then?"

"Guess so."

"What about Cade?"

"What about him?"

"What will you tell him?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Won't he be suspicious when you return with no catch to show off."

"No, it will be fine."

"You're a lousy hunter then?" Ann said more lightly than she felt.

"No, I'll just tell him the truth."

"Which is what?"

"That I got a bit distracted."

"Distracted? Yes, that should sum it up," Ann murmured as her heart felt as if it was breaking. How could he be so casual about what they had experienced together? She needed to get a hold on herself before he could detect how deep her feelings for him were.

"What else would you call it?"

"A fling, perhaps? That should explain it all," Ann admitted with reluctance as she tried to maintain the light tone of her voice.

"A fling? Is that all you think of this?" Jared sounded a little agitated. Probably because she saw their relationship so clearly.

"What else would you call it? We meet at a cabin and fuck our brains out for a week's time before returning home."

"What about Cade?"

"What about him?"

"We need to tell him something."

"He doesn't have to know anything about this."

"He called me, you know. The day after I arrived."

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing that he didn't know already. That we're both here."

"Good. Then don't tell him any more. He has nothing to do with how I spend my holidays."

"What if he suspects anything? How will I answer that? I'm not sure I can lie convincingly."

"Tell him it's none of his business. That should cover it."

"This is Cade we're talking about. He will ask."

"Look, tell him whatever you feel like. But I still think it's none of his business how I spend my holidays or who I fuck."

Jared just looked at her as if trying to figure out if she meant what she said, before he concentrated on the food again.

The rest of the meal passed in almost complete silence and Ann felt that she had never had such difficulty swallowing the food. Maybe it was because of the large lump in her throat. The food didn't taste anything at all and she soon finished eating and started cleaning her plate.