So she wasn’t going to be the party pooper.
Or the bitch who needed to bolster her own confidence by trying to change the man she was hooked up with.
“Is this the part where I deal with privacy becoming a casualty?” she asked as she twisted the top off a small jar of strawberry preserves and started spreading it on a slice of toast.
“At least I left the shade down.”
She’d bitten into the toast before Ramsey commented. With her mouth full, all she could do was shoot him a questioning look. He hopped out of his chair with a smirk and pushed a button on the wall. There was a low, motorized sound as what looked like the wall between the bathroom and outer room rose up. What she’d thought was a wall was in fact a window, covered by a colored shade.
That rose all the way up to offer a full view into the bathroom and shower.
“Oh shit.” She almost choked on the toast. “Who in the hell thinks to put a transparent wall into a bathroom?”
Who would want a view of the toilet?
“Guys with too much money who have had so much sex they need to get creative to get off.” Ramsey was rummaging through the other offerings on the table. “Slave play. Fetish stuff. Toilet humiliation.”
“I’m eating,” she said, cutting him off.
“You’re cute when you’re pissed,” Syon said.
“Taz says to clean the cuffs before you give ’em back.”
“They didn’t get dirty,” Kate said as she pointed her knife at Ramsey. “Ground rules. You don’t get to see me naked.”
Ramsey pouted. Syon reached over and shoved him half out of his chair. “You heard her.”
“Alright.” Ramsey righted himself. “Touchy. I thought you two would be a little more mellow now that you’ve—”
“None of your beeswax,” Kate interrupted him.
Ramsey bit into a piece of bacon in reply. Syon was watching her, a guarded look creeping back into his eyes. He shifted his attention between her and Ramsey, taking in the scene. She lifted her mug and extended it toward Ramsey.
“And I like my coffee with cream.”
* * *
“Do you normally sweat during fittings?” Syon drawled softly. “Seems a bit…unprofessional. Like you’re nervous.”
Kate pulled a pin from the cushion she had strapped to her wrist and waved it over the fabric she had draped along his groin. “Sure you want to rattle me?”
He chuckled ominously. “Yes.” The tip of his tongue appeared on his lower lip, sending her heart into a gallop. “You’re fun when you’re pushed past your limits. And I’m betting you like my cock…uninjured.”
She sent him a withering look. “I need this draping.”
He made a low, throaty sound of male satisfaction. “I love feeding your needs. But remember, I need there to be room for a major hard-on.”
She drew in a fresh breath and concentrated. It was getting close, but she needed it perfect. Reaching out, she worked the fabric with her fingers along his hip line. Then from his inner thigh up…up…and over the bulge of his erection.
She looked up at him but settled her hand over his cock. “It was harder when you came off stage in Los Angeles.”
Syon had his arms crossed over his chest. “Guess you’d better find a way to make it work. I hired the best and expect it.”
“You ambushed me,” she corrected. “It would serve you right if these pants crawled up your ass.”
He snorted.
“Umm-hmm.” She stepped back and considered the draping. “Well, I guess if I have to make it work…”
She popped the first latch closure on her corset top. The weight of her breasts separated the front, drawing his attention instantly.
“I love how you troubleshoot,” Syon drawled.
She opened the second one, giving him a view of the sides of her breasts.
“It’s really having an effect,” Syon continued. “A very desirable one. But I should warn you…my resolve to keep you is…hardening.”
She heard the truth of it in his voice. A deepening in the timbre. It stroked her senses, making her nipples tighten into hard little points.
She opened the last one, and her corset split open. This one had straps, so the garment stayed on her body, only open to give him a full view of her chest. She didn’t have a chemise on, so her breasts were in full view.
“Stay right there, or you’ll ruin my work,” she ordered him.
He snorted but settled back into his stance. She stroked the sides of her breasts, slowly trailing her finger down one until she got to her nipple. His eyes narrowed.
“Let me see if we’ve found the solution.”
She reached out and stroked the bulge of his cock. It was iron hard now, and she had to adjust the fabric.
“That’s it.”
She straightened up again to take one last look. “Got it.”
“You’re going to get it as soon as you take this fabric off me,” he warned her wickedly.
She stood still, fingering one of her puckered nipples, enjoying the moment of having control in her hands.
The door to the suite pushed in.
“In here, we have a full leather studio for outfitting the performers.”
Cid walked in, a guy with a huge camera right behind him. Kate gasped, whirling around, but not before the cameraman hooted.
“Right on!” he commented as Cid led him forward. “Perfect shot of those tits!”
Kate succeeded in getting her top closed and turned around to see Cid flashing a smug smile at Syon.
“This is the team from Roadkill. Local fan-based blogosphere,” the road manager said as he introduced them to Syon. Kate was as insignificant as a used coffee cup.
An ultrathin girl was with the cameraman, impeccably dressed in a hot dress with a plunging neckline and short enough that it showed off her tiny butt. She smiled at Syon, batting her eyes and boldly licking her lower lip before she pushed a microphone up to his mouth and started asking questions.
Syon didn’t miss a beat. His voice was liquid sex. The girl’s eyes took on a sultry mode as she flashed him an inviting look. Kate unpinned her draping, trying not to look at the camera.
When they were finished, Cid guided them off to find the rest of the band.
“I got to get ready for the show.” Syon sounded disappointed. “Didn’t expect the interview.” His eyes narrowed. “We’ll have to wait.”
“Does Cid know how to knock?”
Syon shrugged. “I’ll talk to him about it. Don’t worry. Those shots won’t get out. I’ve got to get over to the arena for sound checks and warm-ups.”
Kate looked up from her worktable. She felt the real world jerking them apart. Like they’d been hiding, and now their cover was being ripped away. It was a little strange to discover something as normal as work obligations getting between them. But that added only another layer to their interaction, that touch of normalcy that made it seem much more real.
She was definitely scaring herself now.
She pointed at the draping she had laid out on the table. “Got work to get to myself.”
His expression was guarded. He gave her a single nod and turned around.
It was stupid to get emotional. He was a rock star.
So…she should get busy making him look like one.
At least working with leather restored her balance. It had always been her comfort zone, since she’d first discovered what she could do with a sewing machine. She stroked and worked with the pattern. Time melted away while she was focused on getting it perfect. It wasn’t going to be some universal size. It was going to fit Syon perfectly, with just the right amount of give.
In the right places, of course.
She spent a lot of time going through her stock of hides, searching for the right color and then for one that had a great finish. She settled for a magenta-colored one, deciding it would go stunningly well with Syon’s eyes. Adjusting it on the tabletop, she circled it several times, making sure the pattern was in the best spot before going in with her shears.