arrival. “I can’t believe I did that!” She tossed the phone face down, ignoring the messages as they started returned. “I still like guys you know. I guess, I’m just…”
“Greedy?” teased Tori.
“Lucky,” replied Tara. “I have the whole campus to choose from!”
“Well anytime you get an itch…” Tori’s hand snuck under Tara’s skirt, feeling for her bare pussy, finding it and slipping a finger between the lips, all the time keeping eye contact, “let me know, and I’ll scratch it. That’s what friends are for.”
Sophia Vale writes red hot erotica from taboo to contemporary. Check out her website at www.sophiavale.com for more titles, new releases and special offers every month.
A Desire for Dragonfire
Lily was nervous about going to work at the Socard estate. There were all kinds of rumors about the Socards: that you never saw them outside of the house, or that they were all inbred, that people disappeared. When she found that the current living Socard, Lionel, had asked for her specifically at the temp agency, a tiny voice in the back of her head had started to recite those stories and she couldn’t seem to make it stop.
She pulled up to the Socard mansion and drove around to the rear, to a genuine servant’s entrance. She knew the Socards were traditionalists but this was a little more traditional than she’d expected. The mansion deserved the name; Lily had no idea how big the building was but it was the biggest one that she’d seen outside of the state capitol. She went up and knocked and after a measured amount of time the door opened. A tall man in a severe suit looked at her as if she had lice. “Yes?” he said.
“Lily, um, Peck. I mean, I’m Lily Peck,” she said, cursing her nervousness. She sounded like a mouse. It was bad enough that she felt like one.
“Quite. Please follow me.” He turned and glided into the mansion, moving quickly enough that she nearly lost him when she turned to shut the door. She hurried to keep up.
“I am Preston,” he said, as if she should be impressed. “I run the day-to-day for the Socards.” He led her through several hallways, moving through the maze with the ease of long practice. He stopped in front of a door and turned to allow his nose to stare at her. Once more she felt herself wilting a little. “I’m sure you’ve been informed that you were specifically requested by mister Socard. Please try to make his choice a wise one, hmm?”
He unlocked the door and swept inside, revealing a very plain suite. “This is the maid’s dressing room. If you wish, and if you work out, you may use it as your private quarters as part of your pay.”
“A room? The ad didn’t say anything about a room,” said Lily, looking around in surprise. There were no decorations but there was stout furniture and a separate bedroom off to the side. She glanced inside and saw more of the same, though the bed was larger than she was used to. It was a lot better apartment than the one she’d managed to find off campus. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay in this huge old building’s basement or not but it was tempting.
Preston shrugged; either she would take the rooms or she would not. “Regardless, your uniform is in the closet in the front room. Do put it on. I’ll wait outside, of course.” His tone implied that he wouldn’t wait very long.
Once he stepped out into the hall, Lily scrambled to get into the uniform. It wasn’t exactly a bondage-style French maid outfit though it was black and had white trim and ruffles. She felt slightly ridiculous but the mirror told her that the outfit actually looked quite nice on her. It flattered her slim curves and she felt comfortable enough in it. She put the dust-shield in her hair and bustled out to meet Preston, who stood there looking as if his day was ruined by her mere presence.
He looked her up and down and his face relaxed slightly. “Acceptable, I suppose,” he said. He turned and started gliding again. Lily followed him. “You’ll now meet mister Socard. Do not refer to him as anything but mister Socard. Your goal is to be neither seen nor heard, but if you must choose one try to remain unheard. Your duties are strictly cleaning. You will not be asked to prepare or serve food, nor anything beyond the scope of your cleaning duties. You will have Thursdays and Saturdays off to start.” He droned on about her duties as she followed him, and she gradually phased him out while she looked around.
The passageways got larger and more opulent as they ascended into the house proper. Small statues and paintings decorated the halls, set in recesses with discreet lighting that set them off without drawing attention. She stopped at one painting with a gasp. “Is that a Van Gogh?” she whispered.
Preston raised an eyebrow, irritated at being interrupted. “Of course,” he said. He continued and she made a mental note to come back and admire the painting.
Preston stopped again, this time at a pair of large, closed double doors. He said, “The master is in his study. Do try not to embarrass yourself or me.”
Lily opened her mouth to respond but the words died on her tongue when Preston opened the doors. Socard’s study was elegant and well-lit, walled mostly with dark walnut shelves that stretched to the ceiling and groaned under the weight of hundreds of books. A few small recesses held more tiny antiques. Socard’s desk dominated the end of the room, the rich red wood top reflecting the lights in its polished surface. A laptop sat open and a few paperweights held down perhaps half a dozen documents but the expanse was otherwise clear. Lily wondered for a moment what it would feel like to touch the smooth wood. Those thoughts melted away when Socard stood to greet them.
Lionel Socard was somewhere between thirty and forty, tall and dark. He had the clearest green eyes that Lily had ever seen, and he stared at her as if he could see straight through her. He was lean, with long muscles like a swimmer’s, and his straight back and broad shoulders implied impressive power at his disposal. Lily instinctively lowered her eyes, face flushed. She could still feel him looking her over. A brief image of his wide hands touching her flashed through her mind and she flushed more.
“Lily Peck, correct?” he said. Lionel had an odd accent, as if several had been joined together and sanded smooth. The timbre of his voice made her shiver, the sound vibrating through her and into the deep parts of her body.
“Yes, sir. Um. Mister Socard. I’m Lily.”
“Excellent. Quite the pleasure to meet you. I hope Preston hasn’t scared you off yet.” She dared to glance up at Socard and was surprised to find him half-smiling. He looked genuinely amused at something. She glanced at Preston, who was not, and went back to looking at the floor.
“No, mister Socard.”
“Good. Well done. You may go.” Socard turned back to his computer, dismissing them entirely. Lily found it difficult to refrain from staring at his broad back and sculpted behind.
Preston bowed. “Sir.” He turned and stared at Lily until she remembered that it was time for her to go as well. He followed her out of the study.
Preston wasted no time in showing her what was expected of her. It was easy work, especially given the pay that she was to receive, and Lily tuned him out when she realized that many of the rooms required exactly the same care. Her mind was full of Socard’s green eyes, the ones that had read her so fully in the space of a few seconds. She suspected that she was going to dream about him later that night.
Lily suddenly became aware that Preston was looking at her without speaking. “Sorry, what?” she said.
He sniffed. “I said, do you have any other questions?”
“Oh, no, nothing.”
“Very well. You start tomorrow.”
He turned to glide away, and she said, “Oh, I did have one thing. You hear rumors in town, about girls who’ve gone missing up here, and I was wondering if there’s any…any truth to…” She trailed off under his irritated glare.
“Mister Socard is a fine, upstanding gentleman,” said Preston, snapping off the words. “Rumors are simply that. Attend to your duties and only your duties, please.”
Lily went back to what she had decided were her new quarters to change back into her street clothes. She’d
