The Exposure

   In her mind, she thought of the things Luke would be saying to her.

   Feel that? Do you like it? Do you want more? So greedy.

   And she would reply, “Yes, yes, yes.”

   But he wouldn’t give it to her just yet. Oh no, he would make her wait. Keep her right on the edge and not let her fall over until he was ready. And it would be so, so long until he was ready.

   Her phone buzzed again.

Close?

Getting there.

Run your fingers down your slit. Tease yourself.

   The ass. What did he think she had been doing? I am. She refrained from using an exclamation point, knowing if she did so, it would only add to whatever he had planned for her.

   Nice self-discipline, he replied.

   He knew her so well, almost too well. How was it possible that he knew what she was thinking? Was she that transparent? Or was he that good?

   She decided not to dwell on it, wanting more of the fantasy. Wanting more of him, even if it was only in her mind for now.

   She played with herself the way he asked and in her mind, he was with her. He was the one touching her. He was the one bringing her so close. It was almost impossible how close she was. She had barely touched herself. And yet with Luke, almost anything seemed possible.

   Thoughts of Luke, paired with the feeling of arousal that her fingers created, had her nearly panting with want. She reached for her phone.

Now?

   No. His reply was almost instant.

   What? Why? she replied.

Are you questioning me?

   She couldn’t help the snark that came without her thinking. I believe that’s what the punctuation I used meant.

Oh sweetheart. You’ll never learn, will you?

   That didn’t sound good, but she replied anyway. Probably not.

Now it’s time for you to go to bed.

   But what about, she started typing. Before she could finish her sentence, he wrote back.

Do not come. Do not ask. Go straight to bed.

   Her fingers hovered over the a. Ass, she wanted to write. She decided not to, though, thinking maybe he would change his mind if she followed directions.

   Yes, Sir, she wrote instead.

Good night, Meagan.

Good night.

   Though she had been tired before texting with Luke, she found after they ended their conversation she wasn’t tired at all. Not only that, but she needed release badly. She debated what she should do. Going to sleep would be her best option. That didn’t seem likely, though. She could get herself off, even though he told her not to. Yes, she decided, that was actually the best option. After all, how would he know?

   She lay back on the bed, letting her knees fall open wide. Her fingers drifted to exactly where she wanted them. This time she didn’t think of Luke. How could she, when she was doing what he commanded her not to? With her eyes shut tight, she quickly brought herself to completion. And though she felt relief, it was not a satisfactory orgasm.

   Afterward, she was wide-awake. Eventually, she heard Abby and Nathaniel in the hallway. There were soft murmurs at the opening and closing of a door and finally, silence.

   Sleep didn’t come easily, and it was well after one a.m. before she drifted off.

   She still felt guilty the next morning. It wasn’t like her. Guilt was a new emotion. The last time she remembered feeling guilty was the debacle with Abby at the club. She was glad she wouldn’t see Luke today, because she didn’t think she could hide what she’d done the night before.

   Nathaniel cooked breakfast for everybody. Apparently, this was not a common weekend occurrence. Meagan remembered Abby had told her once that she normally wore his collar on the weekends. She supposed that meant Abby normally cooked. But this morning, Abby’s neck was bare.

   Abby and Nathaniel’s two children, Elizabeth and Henry, joined them for breakfast. They were both precious. Meagan had never spent too much time with them, but they were so much fun to be around. In fact, they had her rethinking her stance on being childless. Perhaps, maybe, she did want children one day.

   Lynne came down to the kitchen right as Nathaniel was plating the French toast. He wished her good morning and made her a plate as well. Once again, Meagan thought Abby was a very lucky woman.

   “How did you sleep?” Abby asked.

   Meagan decided to be honest. “Not too well, but I blame that on Luke.”

   Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. “Luke?”

   “We sent some texts back and forth last night.”

   “Ah, texts,” Abby said. “Done that before.”

   “And it wasn’t the most relaxing ending.” Meagan didn’t want to say any more, since there were children present. Hopefully, the adults would understand what she was trying to say.

   Nathaniel chuckled in understanding. “Done that before,” he said, copying his wife.

   “Done what, Daddy?” Elizabeth asked.

   “Teased your mother,” he said.

   “Not nice, Daddy,” Henry said.

   Nathaniel ruffled his hair. “I know. And your mother was quick to tell me the same thing.”

   “That I was,” Abby said. “For all the good it did me.”

   Nathaniel winked at her.

   Yes, Meagan thought. Abby was a fortunate woman.

   * * *

   When they pulled up to the Parkses’ house a few hours later, Meagan was surprised to see a familiar car. What the fuck was Luke doing here?

   “I didn’t know Luke was invited.” She asked Abby, “Since when do men come to baby showers?”

   “I know Nathaniel was invited to this one,” Abby said. “But since Lynne was also coming, he decided to stay home with the kids.”

   “Okay, but since when do Luke and Jeff know each other?”