I giggled because I could imagine that.
“Your mom mentioned that your sister wasn’t fond of their relationship?”
Sir shook his head. “Not so much, no. She pretended they didn’t exist for the most part. As much as my mother would allow it, anyway. Laura ended up marrying her high school sweetheart, then moved to Kentucky with him for college. She settled down there and rarely comes back.”
“Do your parents see her often?” I remembered they were heading there for Christmas.
“Oh, yes. My mother insists. They go to Kentucky at least six times a year. My sister claims she hates it, but I know she doesn’t. My nieces and nephews adore their grandparents.”
It was nice to hear about parents who went to the effort of making the relationship work. It was obvious their sister would’ve kept her distance if they’d allowed it.
We finished eating in silence. Surprisingly it wasn’t awkward although I was sure I’d dampened the mood by talking about my mother. I certainly hadn’t meant to.
Twenty-Six
I GOT A LITTLE GLIMPSE of Sir’s routine the next morning. He was up at five, so I was, too. While I headed for the shower, he went upstairs for a long time. I had no clue what he was doing, nor did I try to find out. I went through my ritual of getting ready for work. Although I was with Sir, I didn’t want anything to interfere with work. I was ready and waiting for him by six thirty. He was showered and dressed a short while later.
We arrived at the office right at seven thirty and went right for our respective desks. In fact, the entire day went by as normal. And not once did anyone suggest I work naked.
•
“Are you hungry?” Sir asked when we walked in the door that evening.
“Starving.” It was true. My stomach was growling. I’d had a sandwich for lunch, which had been delivered to me at one o’clock by Jordan, who informed me that someone (Sir) had placed the order for the two of us. Jordan and I had shared our meal in the break room shortly thereafter. I couldn’t deny that Sir’s thoughtfulness had gotten me a little misty-eyed.
Sir leaned down and kissed my neck. “Do you cook?”
I shrugged. “A little.”
“Why do I get the impression you’re downplaying that?”
I laughed. “Since it’s just me, I don’t often have the chance to cook. But I do enjoy it.”
“Is it edible? Because my brother says he’s capable of cooking, but most of the time, it’s not all that edible.”
Still laughing, I turned to face him. “Of course it’s edible.”
“Good.” He nodded. “The kitchen’s that way. You’ll find all you need to make pretty much anything you want.”
I stared up into his eyes. “Is there anything you don’t like, Sir?”
“I’m relatively flexible when it comes to food.”
Turning, I headed toward the kitchen. Before I got two steps away, Sir smacked me on the ass.
“You have thirty minutes. That’s all. Impress me, sweet girl.”
A thrill shot through me as I skipped to the kitchen, eager to do as he requested. I spent a couple of minutes reviewing all the ingredients he had. Being considerate of the time I’d been allotted, I pulled out the items I would need to make beef liver and onions, as well as mashed potatoes and peas.
I didn’t know where Sir wandered off to, but I focused on my task, wanting to ensure I got this right. Admittedly, I sought the instructions on how to make beef liver on the Internet. I liked the idea of cooking for my master. It seemed so domestic.
Almost exactly thirty minutes later, Sir returned to the kitchen, just as I was putting everything on the table.
“What would you like to drink, Sir?”
“Iced tea would be great.”
“Sweet or unsweet?” See, my time as a waitress hadn’t been pointless.
“Sweet.”
I quickly made two glasses of sweet tea and joined him at the table. We ate in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. For some reason, I didn’t feel the need to fill the void with words. Instead, I enjoyed looking around the space and out the windows at the barn and stables I could see in the distance.
When we were finished, Sir instructed me to clean up, then join him in the living room.
I loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, then set it to start. Once I’d wiped all of the counters and the table, I lit a candle to get rid of the liver smell that overpowered the space, leaving it on the island where it would be safe.
I found Sir sitting on the sofa, his shirt off, his feet propped up on the table. He was watching television and when he glanced my way, I noticed he wasn’t wearing his glasses. Admittedly, I liked seeing him without his glasses. Sure, those specs were quite appealing, making him even hotter, but it felt as though he was letting down his guard a little when he wasn’t wearing them.
