Overtime

*ping!*

Dominic looked up from his work and clicked on the notification. Meeting with Evelyn @ 5 PM. An end of the day meeting, with no other details. He swallowed. He'd only been with Phantasmic Press for a month, and was already getting called in for a meeting with his boss? This was either very good...or very bad.

"Hey! Joining us for lunch?" He jumped when Alyx clapped him on the back, leaning in over his shoulder. "Whatever you're doing ain't more important than...oooh what's this?" They leaned in closer. "Big meeting with the boss, eh? Lucky you, newbie."

"Why is that lucky?"

"Oh please. You, me, and everyone else in here has had a crush on her since their first day. Maybe it's the skirts. Or maybe it's being so intimidated you can't help but be attracted to her. You know, fear is an aphrodisiac." They paused, posing thoughtfully. "Nah. Probably the skirts."

Dominic flushed. "I don't think...I mean, I haven't..." He cleared his throat. "And if I'm in trouble?"

They smiled. "Oh no, if she was mad at you you'd know it. Trust me."

"Then what's up with the late meeting?"

"Beats me." They pulled back his chair and tossed his jacket at him. "But for now we gotta go. It's Taco Tuesday at that truck over on Charles, and you do not want to miss it." Dominic pulled on his jacket and anxiously ran a hand through his hair. Alyx punched his arm. "Don't worry dude, you've still got a few more hours to have your nervous breakdown followed by your miraculous recovery. But for now: the tacos are calling my name! Like, I can literally hear them screaming. Let's go."

Dominic chuckled. Alyx was never bothered by anything, but maybe they were right. It was probably nothing to worry about.

***

At 4:57 PM Dominic stood outside of Evelyn's office, anxiously checking his watch. At 5:00 PM he took a deep breath and knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

He stepped into Evelyn's office. It was smaller than he expected: the large, impeccably organized desk took up most of the space, and in front of the desk sat a single armchair. One wall was lined with bookshelves stocked with trade magazines, style guides, and galleys; the other with low cabinets housing some of the company's best selling titles: Wet Hot Summer, Point of Contact, and a number of classic regency titles from the 90s. A TV sat on top of one of the cabinets. The back wall of the office was bare except for a tall window on either side of the desk overlooking the city as the sun sank below the skyline. Ah, so these are the perks that come with top level management.

She was sitting behind her desk when he walked in. She did not look up from her work as she greeted him. "You're punctual, I like that. Have a seat." Dominic sat in the armchair and straightened his tie. She was engrossed in making notes on the marketing kit he'd spent last week working on. Well, at least now I know what she wants to talk to me about. He thought back to Alyx's advice, repeating it to himself like a mantra: If she's mad at me, I'll know it. But how?

Evelyn closed the folder and leaned forward. He met her eyes but quickly dropped his gaze to her lips—no, no good—dropped his gaze further—too far!—before settling on her nose. Nothing about her nose was as piercing as her eyes or as, well, distracting as the rest of her. He straightened his tie again.

She smiled and leaned back in her chair. "At ease Mr. Fuller. Surely you don't believe all the scary stories Alyx and the others have told you about me?"

"Well, actually they haven't told me much of anything, which is what worries me."

"Why does that worry you?"

"I don't know what to expect. And I don't like surprises."

"And why not? Surprises can be quite pleasant" She smiled. "You, for instance. I won't lie I wasn't quite sold on your application, but your interview was promising and frankly the work you've done for us thus far has been more than adequate."

Dominic let out the breath he was holding, trying not to appear so noticeably relieved. She noticed.

"I didn't invite you here to reprimand you, if that's what you're worried about. I invited you here to ask for your help."

"My help?"

"Yes. I have a special project that requires special attention, and I think you're just the person to handle it. You're familiar with our forthcoming title from Lily, yes?" She placed a hand on the file she had been reading when he entered.

"Oh, of course. I finished drafting the jacket copy on Thursday, but if you have any edits I—" She held up her hand.

"The copy you wrote is fine. Tell me, what did you think of the book?"

"Well, I mostly skimmed it...we don't have time to read every title in the catalog, but I did enjoy it. It was well-written, engaging, sexy—"

She laughed. "Please, spare me the buzzwords, Dominic. I've heard my fair share of them today. Besides, with the amount of care you've taken with this marketing packet, I'll wager you more than skimmed it."

A brief blush colored his cheeks. But what was there to be embarrassed about, anyway? This was his job, after all. "I did skim it...at first. But by the end of chapter four I just couldn't put it down. I stayed up all night to finish it."

"And what was it you found so compelling?"

"I mean at first it reads like your typical romance." He relaxed, gesturing as he continued. "It's your regular girl meets boy setup. But by the end of that chapter...I didn't expect the turn it took at all. And when Veronica really steps up and takes control I found it very empowering and...sexy."

"Ah, that buzzword again. But this time you mean it."

He grinned. "That is what we do, isn't it?"

"It is. And do you like a woman who takes control?"

Well...he certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"I...sometimes. I mean, I respect a woman's agency and her ability to, uh, take control of a situation and think every woman can and should, uh, have agency in their personal and professional lives and that women want to feel powerful—I mean, they *are* powerful and I..." Well, fuck.

Evelyn smiled. "Yes, you can just say yes. Anyway, that's the reason why I want you on this project." She stood and walked around her desk, leaning back against it. "As you know, most romance publishers market almost exclusively to women. And that's all fine and dandy but I think we have an excellent opportunity here to expand our audience." She picked up a remote off her desk and clicked on the TV. "I had the digital team whip up this little promo video. I'm curious to hear your thoughts." She pressed play.

On the screen, a young, attractive woman was preparing for her day. This is what Dominic had imagined reading the early chapters of the book. She dressed, took the train to work, sat through what had been described as "a meeting as dull and tortuous as it was unnecessary," came home to an empty apartment and heated up a microwave dinner. The blue/gray tones of the scene faded to black, and text scrolled across the screen.

When there's no time for intimacy...do you take matters into your own hands?

The next scene briefly depicted a passage from the book he remembered well: a nearly pornographic description of Veronica masturbating, only for her to cum and reflect on how her moans echoed in response to themselves in the emptiness of her bedroom, how the infrequency of her personal intimacy made her feel even more that she was making love to another version of herself, "like she was her own one night stand."

Her final moan echoed and faded with the screen's transition back to black.

...or do you seek fulfillment in another's arms?

Cut to the meet cute, when Veronica and Justin meet in a bar that looks like it serves overpriced drinks. Cut to Veronica pressing Justin against the wall outside the building and dropping to her knees...

Discover fantasy...

Flashes of a woman in leather, a head between her thighs, wrists bound in silk rope...

...desire...

...bodies pressed together, chests heaving with stolen breaths...

...and romance in the new devilishly decadent novel from Lily Black...

Playing by the Rules

One last shot flashed on screen, a close up of a woman smiling and biting her bright red lips, before fading to black once more.

What do you desire?

The white text of the final line hung on the black screen. Evelyn looked at him. "Well, what do you think?"

"I...it's bold."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Bold, yes. And don't you think boldness is called for with a book like this?"

"Well...yes. It will get people's attention for sure, and, I think, make them want more."

"Make them want more of what, exactly?"

"More...more of the story of course. And..."

"Yes?"

"...I think it will make some people feel empowered, and I think it will make others...want a taste of that power."

She looked pleased with his answer. "You know, there are some who think that empowering another is a form of empowerment in itself." Her eyes—that inescapable gaze, fuck—met his eyes. "Don't you agree?"

He fought the urge to look away, meeting her gaze. "Yeah, I do."

She smiled. "Excellent. I knew you'd be a good fit for this project." Her eyes slid downward. "I'm hoping you can give me some insight on a particular demographic. Let's say, I'm a woman in a bar looking for a good time. You've been checking me out all night," she winked. "Show me how you would make a move on a woman like that." She relaxed, leaning against her desk as if she was leaning against a bar, scoping out the territory.

"Show you?"

"Don't worry, we frequently use roleplaying in our market research. We're very hands on here."

Dominic stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. He leaned against her desk beside her.

"So...you, uh, come here often?"

Evelyn laughed, and he couldn't help but laugh with her. He had to admit a line like that was rarely successful.

"We're going for bold, remember? Think about Veronica and Justin. What made their meeting so exciting?"

"Hmm...well, Justin was clearly intimidated, but didn't let that stop him." He relaxed a bit more and tried again. "You're lookin' awfully lonely over here, and there's no sense in a woman like you being lonely. Care for some company?"

She smiled. "Good, very good. Keep that one in your back pocket next time you decide to pursue a woman like me." She winked.

He paused. "I...are we still in character?" He shook his head and settled back into his role. "You know, when I saw you over here all alone it almost seemed like you had your eye on me."

"Well I would have to if I noticed you noticing me, wouldn't I? But hard not to...a man like you is hard to ignore."

"And...what about me is so hard to ignore?"

She turned to face him. "The first thing I noticed is that you carry yourself like someone who knows what he's looking for." He jumped as she placed a hand on his chest. "Have you found it?"

"I...yes, I think I did."

"And what will you do now that you've found it?"

He hesitated, then placed his hands on her hips. "Do you want to find out?"

She smirked. "Are you asking me as an imaginary date, or as the woman standing in front of you?"

Don't you think boldness is called for? He remembered her words, which suddenly sounded...different. They sounded like an invitation.

"I think...you asked for my help for a reason, didn't you?"

"In your professional analytical opinion, what do you think?"

"I think you want to know what a man like me does when confronted with a woman like you."

She gently loosened his tie. "You know, I think we had a similar reaction reading the scene at the bar. However...fantasy doesn't come very close to the real thing, does it?"

He remembered the scene well, remembered Veronica on her knees, unzipping Justin's jeans, remembered how hard he'd been at the thought... "And do you...want to taste the real thing?"

She smiled. "You would be doing me a favor in more ways than one."

"Well then... I guess you should get on your knees."

She laughed. "I don't recall giving you a promotion, Dominic." She gestured to the armchair. "Have a seat."

He took a seat and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, too bold?"

She settled on her knees in front of him, pulling her pencil skirt up to the middle of her thighs. "There is a difference between boldness and disrespect. But if you need a lesson in the distinction, I am happy to teach you."

"I think I'd like that."

"I know."—there's that smirk again I swear—"Hands on the armrests please."

He was all too happy to oblige.

She unzipped his pants and pulled out his cock, stroking it gently with her fingertips. "How very nice..." she licked her lips and slid them along the length of his cock, occasionally flicking her tongue out to taste him. "And you taste just wonderful." She slowly licked him from base to tip, savoring every inch.

"Th-thank you. It feels very good..."

She rested a hand on his thigh, holding his cock in the other as she kissed the tip. "Tell me what feels good." Her eyes were on his again, and they seemed...hungry.

He moaned a bit. "Your lips, your tongue, your hands..."

She slid his cock into her mouth, digging her nails into his thigh as she sucked harder and faster. Dominic moaned again. He didn't want her to stop, but...

"Wait."

Evelyn looked up at him, flushed and disheveled. "Yes?"

"I think...you want more than this."

She smiled. "I want all of you...after all what kind of boss wouldn't be pleased with someone so...devoted to his work?" She stood and straightened her skirt. One of the buttons on her shirt had popped open, but rather than fix it she looked at him expectantly. "Seems I could use a hand with these pesky buttons...won't you?"

Dominic stood and slowly unbuttoned her shirt, his fingers lingering over her breasts. His lips followed, trailing down her body as he sank to his knees. He ran his hands up her legs, sliding them up her thighs. She sighed with pleasure and stroked his face. He hiked up her skirt and pressed his lips to the smooth skin of her navel. He slowly ran his lips down past the edge of her panties and kissed her gently through the silk. His lips came away wet as he looked up at her. "I want to taste you."

She smiled down at him and tangled her hand in his hair. "Then taste me."

The words had hardly left her mouth before he pulled down her panties and pulled her leg up onto his shoulder, cupping her round ass in his hands. She moaned as he flattened his tongue and licked her pussy, lapping up her wetness. He imagined he was Justin being used by Veronica for her pleasure, and Evelyn's words echoed in his thoughts: Empowering another is a form of empowerment in itself...and who was to say he wasn't using her for his pleasure as well?

He spread her lips, gently sucking them as he slid his fingers inside her. He started slow, exploring her warm, wet cunt with his fingers. He circled her clit with his tongue and then gently sucked on it, allowing her to guide him.

"There...fuck, yes, just like that." Her commands were breathy and her thighs quivered as he obliged, paying special attention to the places that elicited the most eager and excited gasps. He pressed his fingers deeper into her as she moaned, every muscle in her body tensing against his until with a gasp it snapped. She shivered as she relaxed against her desk and slid her leg off his shoulder, but before loosening her grip entirely she took his hands and pulled him to his feet. She smiled at him, brought his hands to her face, and slowly sucked her cum from his fingers. He was still hard, and couldn't help remembering how those lips had felt wrapped around his cock, or imagining how she would look bent over her desk with skirt hiked up and panties around her ankles...

"Well, that was quite a performance wasn't it?" Evelyn stroked his face, pulling him out of his fantasy. She ran her fingers over his lips and smiled. "But, it is quite late, isn't it?"

Dominic gazed out the window behind her, wondering how long ago the street lamps had flickered on. "I guess it is pretty late..." he said. He rested his hands on her breasts, her chest still heaving from her orgasm. "But..."

"But?"

"I...if I was bolder I might ask you if you'd like to continue our, uh, research somewhere more comfortable."

She smiled and kissed him for a long moment. "Well, perhaps we'll make a bolder man of you yet, won't we?"