"What Needs To Be Done" (closed)

[Alice2015]

"What Needs To Be Done"

(closed, but feel free to follow along).

"I moving to Dallas."

Alice looked up with a surprised expression. "What?"

The man dressing near the big bay windows of the apartment the couple had shared for over a year didn't dare look his lover in the eyes as he told her the news. "My, um ... my company. They have an opening in the natural gas research department there. I, uh ... I took it. I leave tomorrow."

She studied him for a moment, then cocked her head. "You leave tomorrow. Not we leave tomorrow."

Bret finally looked to the beautiful 20 year old, but only for a moment before again diverting his attention to donning his work suit. "No. I'm ... I'm going alone."

"You're going alone."

A moment passed in silence. "I'm going alone."

"You're not taking me with you."

"I'm not taking you with me, no." The regretful tone was giving way to a defensive one. Fully dressed except for his jacket, he turned and faced her. "I'm going alone. I'm not taking you with me. I'm not taking Samantha with me. I'm ... I'm going alone."

By now, Alice's jaws were beginning to ache from how tightly she was clenching them. She looked around their beautifully decorated home -- a result of her work and his money -- and asked, "What about the apartment?"

Bret snatched up his jacket and donned it as the increasingly tense discussion continued. "What about it?"

"Who's going to pay the rent?"

He only stared at her.

"And the electric," Alice continued. "And the gas ... the cable ... the wifi..."

He shrugged. The gesture was either sorrowful sympathy and abandoning apathy, yet despite having lived with Bret for almost a year, Alice couldn't be sure which it was. He'd never really opened up to her fully. That had always concerned her, and now she understood why: he'd never intended on staying with her and her daughter.

"What about Sam?"

Bret inhaled a deep breath, then released it slowly. He looked to her as he filled his pockets from the little bowl on the lamp table. "Samantha's not my kid."

He snatched up his briefcase and headed for the studio apartment's exit.

"That's it?" Alice growled. "She's not your kid?"

"She's not my kid!" he called back to her, turning to face her with an angry expression. "Sam isn't mine. She's yours. She's not my responsibility, financially or otherwise."

He had more that he could have said, about how Alice had latched onto him only after she learned how good a living he made; about how he'd paid all the bills over the past year and all she'd had to do was cook his meals and satisfy his sexual urges; about how she'd been secretly sticking away a dollar here, a dollar there -- his dollars -- into a bank account she thought she'd kept hidden from him.

Instead, he drew and released another deep breath, softened his tone, and said, "I left a prepaid debit card on the bathroom counter. There's $3,000 on it. That should get you by for a while ... until you can find better work than that..."

He stopped there, not wanting to get into yet another discussion about that waste of a career choice she'd made. He opened the door and just before departing, said, "I wish you and Sam the best, Alice ... really I do."



Three months later:

"I'm sorry, but I don't have it," Alice said into her cell. She listened for a moment, then donned a panicked expression. "You can't cut me off. Without the gas, I have to heat with electric, and that's-- I know. I know!"

She listened to the collection agent a bit more, then threw out the best and most often used weapon she had in her arsenal. "I have a four year old daughter." Another moment passed, but the expression on her face told it all: the agent didn't -- or couldn't -- care less. "Yeah ... I understand. When...? Tomorrow? Can't you-- No, I know. I understand."

She tossed the cell to the other end of the ratty couch that now sat in her living room after she'd sold the living room ensemble to a neighbor. She looked around her once immaculate, beautifully appointed apartment ... and sobbed.

"My life's fer shit," she murmured, hanging her head and wiping the tears away with the sleeve of the sweat shirt she was wearing to battle the October chill. She started at the sound of coins jingling in a jar and turned to find Samantha holding out the Swear Jar. Alice laughed and snatched up her little girl, apologizing, "Sorry, baby. I don't have a penny to spare. Can I get a credit line maybe?"

"Yes, mommy," the little one giggled, not understanding but at the same time not caring. "What's wrong mommy?"

"Nothing's wrong, baby," Alice lied. "Mommy's just tired."

It as true. Alice had been working three part time jobs for an average of 65 hours a week. And yet she was still behind on every debt she had.

A familiar knock at the door reminded her of the biggest debt of all, her rent. She kissed Samantha and, setting her aside, headed for the door. She stopped before a cracked mirror on the wall, ran her fingers through her hair, then rearranged her still relatively firm C-cups in the cleavage emphasizing bra. She fastened just enough of the buttons of her thin, white blouse as to not look like she was intentionally flashing the man outside, then wondered whether or not she should put some shorts on over the men's boxers that were the only thing on her below the waist.

She chose not to, instead opening the door wide and flashing a bright smile to the apartment building's Manager. "I know. It's late. $800. I, um ... don't have it. Sorry."

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas Mueller reached up to scratch his chin. This was the part of the job he disliked. Managing apartments was generally low stress. There were those moments when he got the 2 a.m. call about a busted water pipe or overflowing toilet. But even then, that was just a matter of calling the building's handyman to head up and fix the problem. Even that would have been simpler if the building's owner allowed tenants to call the handyman directly, but the owner insisted that Thomas document everything for budgetary purposes. So, that meant extra calls in the middle of the night. No big deal. And the compensation was free rent.

But then there were tasks like this one. He left his top floor apartment, heading to the elevator and punching the down button. As the doors closed behind him, Thomas regarded his features in the metal wall of the elevator. He was reasonably tall, closecropped brown hair, brown eyes and a strong jawline. He looked good, so he considered. Late rent issues weren't frequent in this building, but they did happen occasionally. Until recently. This problem with 6A started 3 months ago and had gotten progressively worse.

The first month after Bret Turner moved out, the rent was 3 days late. The next month, it was a week late. Thomas did have to admit that the tenant paid in full on both occasions. Now, however, it was a full two weeks past due. And she'd not responded to any of his calls or his written notice. He knew she worked a lot, but there was no excuse to not respond to the building manager.

Stepping off the elevator, Thomas took a deep breath, walking down the hall to 6A. He knocked firmly at the door, waiting. After a moment, it flung open, revealing the smiling blonde woman. Thomas couldn't help but notice the sweatshirt hanging open over her white blouse, which was unbuttoned pretty far down, showing off a lot of cleavage. He also noticed her lack of pants, a fine pair of legs showing below the men's boxers she wore. But his attention was drawn immediately to her blurted admission that she didn't have the money.

Thomas sighed. "Mrs. Jones, I really need your rent. It's two weeks overdue, and it needs to be paid. You've been late the last two months. This is becoming a pattern." His eyes flicked up and down her body briefly, before refocusing on her face. "If you don't have rent, the owner is going to want me to initiate eviction proceedings. You know that. I've mentioned that before. Now, when can I expect the rent?"

 

[Alice2015]

Alice didn't fail to catch the Manager's quick ogle of her scantily clad body. It was a normal reaction by most -- actually, all -- males to the sudden sight of an attractive and only partially gowned female body. And the fact that her body looked better than most ... well, that only brought Alice more attention, whether she wanted it or not.

Her excuse didn't get her much ground this time, first because the rent was so late this time around and second because the excuse was growing old.

"Mrs. Jones...

...his firm but polite protestation began.

Alice grimaced. She hated being called Mrs. Jones. First, she wasn't now nor had she ever been married; and second, the name reminded her of her mother and she hated her mother.

Alice had been barely 15 years old when she'd gotten knocked up by a college man who had been passing through town and, to this day, had no idea he had a child out there in the world. Alice's mother had insisted the man not be involved, which Alice had been perfectly fine with. But then Alice refused to give the child up for adoption after the birth, her back stabbing bitch of a mother threw her and her newborn out into the streets.

Alice had raised Samantha on her own ever since, occasionally taking charity, occasionally getting Assistance, and -- more often than not -- surviving on the good will of the men for whom she'd been parting her thighs. She wasn't a whore by any means: she'd simply learned how to get men with a few spare dollars to either move in with her, move her and Sam in with them, or -- when neither of those worked -- get them to help her with her expenses in exchange for frequent romps between the sheets ... or above them ... or without them.

Bret had been Alice's greatest conquest to date, or so she'd thought. He was a good man with a great living and -- she'd thought -- a fatherly streak in him that would mean Samantha never wanted for a male role model again. Oh, how wrong Alice had been.

"I really need your rent..."

... the Manager continued, before pausing to allow his eyes to once again drop to Alice's over exposed physique. She smiled -- just slightly -- at the additional attention and, more importantly, what it could possibly mean for her current financial woes. She knew that Thomas was just the Manager of the building, not the Owner, so it wasn't like he could make her overdue payment disappear entirely.

Or ... could he? Alice wondered. She knew from chatting with the Superintendent one afternoon that Thomas has control of a discretionary spending fund, for building supplies and emergencies such as burst pipes and vandalism. If Thomas was to get a little something something from one of his tenants, would he be able to hide the loss somehow...?

"Now, when can I expect the rent?"

"Tonight," Alice said immediately, altering her stance a bit to cause her curves to move about enticingly. She very conspicuously looked him up and down, hoping to set some thoughts in his mind as she clarified, "Stop by tonight ... 8pm ... I get paid today, and I'll have the money for you ... cash ... all $800."

She shifted her stance yet again, causing her partially unbuttoned shirt to reveal even a little bit more of her supple breasts. She smiled seductively, adding, "And ... I'll make you dinner. My way of apologizing ... for being such a pain in the ... well, you know."

She stepped back a bit and began to slowly close the door, giving him an opportunity to respond if he wanted ... or ... if he didn't ... to simply ogle her tight little ass as she turned as the spring-hinged door slowly closed and she swayed her hips to and fro, disappearing into her now depressing little apartment.

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas was caught a bit off guard by her sudden change in demeanor. He'd expected more protestations and excuses, so the promise of immediate, well, almost immediate, payment surprised him. He nodded as she promised, starting with, "That would be fine...." before she threw in the dinner invitation. He already had plans for tonight, and he started to decline, but Mrs. Jones allowed the door to shut, turning from him rather rudely and moving back inside her apartment. Thomas stood there for just a moment before muttering, "Fine."

Turning, he went back to the elevator and headed back up to his apartment. It wasn't like he didn't have other things to do. In particular, there were a couple new tenant applications on his desk that needed looking over. There was one vacancy in the building already, and, he looked back at 6A as the elevator doors closed, if Mrs. Jones stiffed him again, there just might be another.

 

[Alice2015]

(OOC: I hope you don't mind what I do with your character below. If you do -- if it's not in his nature -- I will delete it and do something different.)

When Thomas arrived at Alice's door, he found a folded note taped to the door with his name on it. Inside, it said:

If I don't answer, come on it.
Beer in the fridge.
Dinner is late.
Sorry.
Alice.​

From her bedroom, she heard Thomas knock, then a long moment later knock again, and finally open the door and head tentatively down the hallway. The apartment was filled with delicious smells, built around the pasta and garlic salad dinner that was already prepared and on the table.

Alice heard Thomas speak her name, and from the location of the call, she knew it was her cue. She opened the bedroom door and gave a bit of a surprised squeak. "Thomas! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

She studied the expression on his face that was part of his reaction to finding her topless and wearing nothing more than a tiny, lacy black thong. Her hands were up high as she feigned an inability to sink the shaft of a pierced earring.

She held it out to him innocently, asking, "Can you give this a try. I just can't seem to find the hole."

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas stopped dead as Alice came out of her bedroom wearing...well, not much. His mouth dropped open as he took in the pretty blonde's body. For having given birth, she was in remarkable shape. Her skin was nice pale color, and her breasts...they were magnificent...firm, but sitting naturally on her chest. Thomas could feel his cock surge as she stood there, essentially nude, asking for his help in putting in an earring.

"Mrs. Jones..." he began, though he took a step toward her. "I'm not sure this is very appropriate." Thomas looked around as he took the earring from her, reaching to insert it into her ear, smelling vanilla around her. "Where is your daughter? I mean, I'd hate for her to see you like this, with a man in the apartment."

Thomas couldn't deny the young woman was attractive and very sexy...most women would be, dressed or undressed as she was. The sheer proximity of her sweet smile and her luscious bare breasts was having an all to familiar physical effect on him, definitely not the kind of reaction he needed to pick up a rent check.

 

[Alice2015]

"Mrs. Jones... I'm not sure this is very appropriate."

"Pfff...!" Alice responded, sending the puff of air through her pink painted lips. "No one's here but us chickens. Relax."

Despite his objection to her state of undress, Thomas helped Alice with her earring, bringing him very close to her. She was tempted to simply grab him then and there and get started on her seduction of him, but she feared that would scare him away and -- possibly -- result in a 72 hour eviction notice.

"Where is your daughter? I mean, I'd hate for her to see you like this, with a man in the apartment."

"Third floor, with the sitter," Alice answered, turning away as he finished with the earring to return to her bedroom for a blouse. She found it but didn't immediately don it, instead returning to the hallway as she slipped it over her arms and shoulders to give Thomas one last look at what she considered her most valuable asset, particular these days with her checking account empty. She said simply as she passed close by him, "Let's eat."

The kitchen table, like the room in which it stood, was tiny, making the elaborate dinner on it seem like even more food than it was. She'd wisely taken the Take Out boxes in which it had come down the hall to the garbage chute asap, hoping to give the Manager the impression that she was an all around type of girl ... beautiful body and great cook. And to round out the lie, she'd dirtied several bowls and utensils, leaving them about the counter and sink.

She plopped down in her chair , sitting with the sole of one bare foot on the chair against the inside of her thigh. The result was that her groin was fully open for Thomas's viewing pleasure should he decide to look. She gestured toward the chair opposite her, saying, "Sit. Please. I did this for you, Thomas."

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas watched as Alice flounced around the apartment, barely dressed, seeming almost reluctant to button up her blouse and not bothering with pants. As she ushered him to the table, he moved slowly. Really, he was just here for the rent check. Though the food did smell good. Glancing again at her lush body, Thomas sat. At least the table now hid her barely covered crotch.

"You know, Mrs. Jones, this wasn't necessary. I just need to pick up the check. It does look good, though. I didn't realize you were a cook." Taking up his fork, Thomas made a stab at the salad, tasting it. "Not bad," he nodded.

Taking a few bites of the pasta settled his mind a bit, and he smiled. "Someone might think you were trying to distract me, Mrs. Jones. I mean, you wouldn't have a reason for that, would you?"

 

[Alice2015]

"Someone might think you were trying to distract me, Mrs. Jones. I mean, you wouldn't have a reason for that, would you?"

Alice laughed, quickly stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork and ate it, then said, "Yes, Thomas. I'm trying to distract you with my wily, womanly ways in the hopes that you will forget that I haven't paid the rent."

She laughed again as he himself reacted, then ate another piece of leaf lettuce. Over the next few seconds, her expression became more serious, and she said in a tone that wasn't per se seductive but was definitively suggestive, "Actually ... Thomas ... I am trying to distract you with my wily, womanly ways ... in the hopes that you will forget that I haven't paid the rent."

(OOC: Let's take this scene slowly, meaning short posts are appropriate. It might be a very fluid situation.)

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas laid his fork down at her admission. "Mrs. Jones...listen...you're already two weeks late. Once we hit a month, I am required to start eviction proceedings. I was hoping that we could forestall that. And you assured me earlier that you'd have the money for me now. Cash, I believe you said."

He pushed back from the table. "Now, what is this all about? Do you have the money or not?"

 

[Alice2015]

"Do you have the money or not?"

Alice hesitated for a moment, then slid out of her chair and dropped slowly to her knees directly before Thomas. As she looked up into his face and laid her hands on his knees, she said simply, "No."

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas looked down at the young woman kneeling before him. He shook his head, reaching down to remove her hands from his knees. Pushing his chair back, he stood, looking down at her. "Then you lied to me, and deceived me. I'll start the eviction paperwork as soon as I get back to my office." Thomas backed away and started for the door.

 

[Alice2015]

Still on her knees, Alice snatched out for Thomas hand. She got ahold of it just enough to allow her to balance as she kneed her way closer. As he pulled his hand away, she snatched the pocket of his pants and begged, "Please, Thomas."

When he turned to look down at her, she continued forward on her knees, reaching a hand around the back of his upper thigh to keep him from backing away without literally pulling her to the ground.

"Please!" she repeated, the desperation in her voice. "Don't. Just ... don't."

As she looked up to him, she reached to his groin with her free hand and unforgivingly cupped his package. "Can we talk about this?"

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas, surprised at the way she was debasing herself, attempted to move back from Alice. But as he moved, she followed, grasping at him, attempting to prevent him from retreating. He'd never seen a tenant...anyone...act this way, ever. He barely knew how to react to such a situation. There's been no training for this...none at all.

Surprise turned to shock when the young blonde grabbed his crotch, her long fingers curling around his genitals almost possessively, certainly desperately. He grunted, finally croaking out, "Talk about what?" At the same time, he reached down grabbing her wrist and pulling at her hand, fighting her insistence on fondling his organ.

 

[Alice2015]

Alice didn't quit. She couldn't quit. She had no money to pay Thomas. Her only assets were her beautiful body and her willingness to give it to this man in an attempt to keep her and her child in their home.

Thomas managed to pull Alice's hand from his package, but even as he did, her other hand found his belt buckle and pulled the leather loose. She still had the snap and zipper to get to and through, so it wasn't like he was naked and exposed to her, but the gesture left nothing to the imagination.

"I am offering myself to you, Thomas," She whispered, trying to continue her work on loosing his pants. "Please."

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas shifted as his belt came free. She was fast. Reaching out, he grabbed both of her wrists, holding them tightly. "Mrs. Jones, get ahold of yourself. What are you going on about? This is no way to behave. I am the building manager! Have you gone crazy?"

He held her wrists tightly, looking down at the attractive blonde woman kneeling at his feet. Involuntarily, he felt himself harden, as most men would when confronted by that scene, and the groping. But he tried to focus on his mission. "This is not the sort of behavior I expect from my tenants."

 

[Alice2015]

Without any idea that it had been coming, Alice suddenly sobbed. It was at first just one sad sound, then two more. But within a few seconds, she was sobbing uncontrollably as she let her weight fall back away from him, her haunches resting on her ankles. Tears filled her eyes and began flowing down her cheeks.

 

[MidnightWalk]

Realizing he was holding her arms at what must be an uncomfortable angle, Thomas released her wrists. He stood there, flustered, watching the young woman cry. It wasn't like he hadn't been confronted by crying tenants before, but never one on her knees, pantsless, who'd just been trying to unfasten his own trousers. He watched the tears slide down her face.

After a moment, he cleared his throat. "Now listen, Mrs. Jones. That's not really necessary. I suppose I can wait for a couple weeks before starting any proceedings. But you need to get at least some of the rent money before then. Do you think you'll be able to do that?" It was against the rules, but...rules didn't cover sobbing, halfnaked single mothers.

 

[Alice2015]

Alice continued to sob for a long minute, then -- when she thought she had built Thomas's sympathy for her as high as she could -- she reached a hand up and asked him to help her to her feet. As he did, she moved forward until her body came right against his and -- rising on her tippy toes -- pressed her mouth to his as one hand wrapped around to the small of his back and the other again began fumbling with the snap at the front of his pants.

 

[MidnightWalk]

"Mrs. Jones! Alice! That's quite enough!" Thomas grabbed her wrists again, forcing her back from him. He couldn't deny that she'd felt quite good pressed against him, but this was way beyond acceptable. "You're making it very difficult to resolve this situation."

He took a step back, watching the tear-streaked woman carefully.

 

[Alice2015]

Alice backed away from Thomas unsteadily, then plopped down onto the dinner chair, her sobbing returning. Tears were dripping from her eyes and cheeks onto her bare legs, sticking in place or rolling down the curves of her flesh to dangle from the backs of her thighs.

It simply looked pitiful ... and ... even though it had started as an act, it no longer was. Alice simply had no way of paying her rent, of keeping her and Samantha in their home. And if Thomas wasn't going to take her when she'd so conspicuously thrown herself at him ... well, Alice was doomed.

She murmured almost incomprehensibly, "I'm sorry."

She stood and walked past Thomas, plodding her way into the living room where she fell -- rather desperately and comically both -- onto the couch, arms at her side, onto her face. She began weeping into the throw pillow, totally unaware that the back of her panties had pulled tightly up into the crack of her ass as if nothing more than a thong strap.

Even in her current state, you couldn't help but notice that unbelievably cute and tight ass.

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas stood watching the young woman. He couldn't tell if she was still vamping for him or not. The tears and sobbing seemed real, but who knew? When she threw herself on the sofa, that had the feeling of reality. Unaccountably, his eyes were drawn to that pert bottom showing around the drawn up panties. Her thighs certainly did make a fabulous ass of themselves. Staring for a moment, he shook his head. This was getting nowhere.

He hesitated for another couple of minutes, then walked slowly over to the sofa. Sighing, he lowered himself to squat next to her. Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the sobs wracking her tight body. "Mrs. Jones.... I didn't mean to upset you, but I'm doing my job here. I really need to have your rent. Is there anyone who can help you? Family? Friends?" He looked around the room. Obviously anything of worth was already gone. Well, strike that. He saw a lot of things belonging to her daughter, but that just showed that she was a decent mother. She'd gotten rid of all of her own belongings, but apparently hadn't touched her kid's stuff. That earned her a positive mark in his book. Thomas patted her shoulder gently. "Think. Is there anyone who could loan you the money?"

 

[Alice2015]

"Think. Is there anyone who could loan you the money?"

Alice half turned her head and mumbled, "No one. I have no one."

She turned back into the pillow, gained control over her sobs, then rolled over to her back to face Thomas. In doing so, one side of Alice's only-half buttoned blouse open to fully reveal her left, unbridled breast. She hadn't exposed herself intentionally, but after feeling the coolness of the apartment on her chest, she also did nothing to correct the situation.

"Thomas, I'm desperate," she said with a sincere tone, her sobs gone but the tears still present in her eyes and on her cheeks. "I need help."

She took a moment to contemplate her next words, wanting to make sure that she wasn't compromising his principals. Hell, of course you are, you stupid bitch! she thought to herself. In the end, she asked the question anyway.

"Thomas ... that maintenance account you have..." She saw in his face a mild touch of surprise, probably at her knowledge of the account which was under his control. "Don't get me wrong! I'm not asking you to ... steal from it. I would never do that, but..."

She reached out and took one of his hands in a tight, meaningful grip as she continued, "Is there anyway that you could ... you know ... borrow from it ... until I could come up with the money?"

This had, of course, been Alice's plan all along, but even so, it was her last option short of simply going to the street and whoring herself out for fifty buck a blow. She tried to give Thomas a smile, but the sobs were threatening to return.

 

[MidnightWalk]

Thomas edged back a bit when Alice rolled onto her back, exposing that lush young breast, a dark nipple hardening in the cool apartment air. He stared at it for a moment, before started pleading.

He was quite taken aback when she suggested using his discretionary fund. That was tantamount to stealing for this young woman. Yes, she was in a desperate situation, but he'd had to evict tenants before and he'd never had one suggest stealing for them. He looked down as she took his hand, squeezing it. He saw her lips quivering, close to breakdown again.

"How...how long would you need? Could you have next month's rent? I mean, I can't take from that fund for you, but.... I have ways to cover things for a month, or so. It wouldn't be easy, but...." He shrugged, sighing. What was he thinking? Doing this for this woman was crazy.

 

[Alice2015]

(OOC: Do you mind if I put him sitting on the edge of the coffee table?"

For the first time since he'd arrived, Alice's lips spread a bit in a sincere smile. She was getting somewhere, and -- just maybe -- all hope wasn't lost. She slid off the couch, onto her knees directly before Thomas, who sitting on the edge of the coffee table. She was directly between his parted thighs, her scantily clad body close enough that her perfume was filling his nostrils.

"Oh, Thomas," she said with joy, grasping his hands in hers. "Could you ... could you really? You don't know how important this is, really. I have no other option, none, none in the world."

She chuckled loudly, leaning forward quickly to peck him on the cheek before saying with humor, "I was afraid I was going to have to go out on the streets ... you know ... to ... well, you know."

She was very aware of the sensuous nature of their current proximity, the exposure of her breast a few moments earlier, her attempt to rape Thomas in the kitchen, and her flashing of him when he'd first entered. She doubted that she needed to explain to him any further her fear -- feigned and real both -- of having to become a whore to pay her rent.

She looked into his eyes, then leaned in just an inch closer -- as if wanting to kiss him again -- before stopping and just studying his face, his lips, his eyes. She said softly, seductively, "If you could do this for me ... just ... for a couple of weeks ... maybe a month ... I would pay you back. And..."

She leaned in closer again, her desire to have him come the rest of the way clear. "And ... I could make it worth your while ... now. I can guarantee you ... you wouldn't be sorry, Thomas."