Read Online The Night Off by Meghan O'Brien - Free Book Online Page B

even if tonight had seemed somehow transformative, allowing her a glimpse of what it meant to truly surrender, none of this was real. Nat was a prostitute, not her lover. The single most intimate experience of her life, and she’d had to pay for it.
    Emily’s throat tightened as she choked back a sob. Her stomach churned at the thought of breaking down in front of Nat, but as hard as she tried to hold back the tears, the night had shattered her normally iron hold on her control. Turning her head to the side, she closed her eyes and tried not to let Nat see just how weak she really was.
    “Hey.” Nat’s husky voice, tinged with worry, unleashed a renewed flood of tears. She ran her hand across Emily’s cheek, coaxing her to face forward. “Emily, hey. Don’t cry.”
    Emily shook her head and tried to laugh but it came out all wrong, and she just sounded so pathetically sad. Fresh humiliation washed over her, and this time there was nothing arousing about it. “I’m sorry.” In a desperate attempt to swing the evening back toward normal, she opened her eyes and whispered, “I’m so sorry, mistress.”
    Nat blinked. “Unicorn.”

Chapter Five
    The confusion on Emily’s face mirrored what Nat was feeling inside. She’d never used the safe word with a client before. Ever. Not only had she never stopped a scene, but she’d only ever had one woman make that choice with her. Usually Nat did an excellent job of staying safely within individual limits, which allowed the safe word to remain a mere formality. The idea of breaking scene had rarely crossed her mind in the past, and she’d never even come close to succumbing to the notion. To say she was shocked didn’t begin to describe her state of mind—especially because she’d chosen to disrupt her client’s fantasy when Emily had been making a valiant effort to stay in character.
    But Emily was different. That was the only way to explain why she kept upsetting years of routine for this woman. This wasn’t the first time she had reduced a woman to tears, but watching a stranger’s emotional release had never before elicited such an intense answering reaction. When she saw real sadness in Emily’s eyes—and not just the usual post-euphoric explosion of emotion—Nat’s immediate impulse was to protect her. To comfort her. Maybe even make her smile.
    Unfortunately, she didn’t really know anything about Emily Parker beyond the fact that she was achingly pretty, with a delightful penchant for kink. Also that she’d just given Nat the best sex of her life. It wasn’t much to go on as far as figuring out the perfect thing to say, but it was enough to intimidate the hell out of her.
    Emily’s lower lip quivered. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin everything.”
    Instinct took over. Nat used her thumbs to wipe away the tears that rolled down Emily’s face, then pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. “You didn’t ruin anything.” Though she didn’t think the tears were a response to physical pain, she had to check. “Did I hurt you?”
    Wide-eyed, Emily shook her head. “Oh, no. Not at all. It was…” She smiled shyly. “Incredible. Thank you.”
    “Yes, it was.” Relieved to be able to drop the stern mistress stuff, she gave Emily a playful eyebrow waggle. “ Incredibly incredible.” Emily tightened her expression in an obvious effort not to dissolve. Alarmed, Nat cradled her face tenderly. “Hey, that wasn’t supposed to make you sad. The opposite, actually.”
    “I know, and I appreciate that.” Emily fidgeted, making Nat uncomfortably aware that their lower halves were still intimately entwined. “I’m just a little embarrassed right now. I’m never this emotional.”
    “Let me just—” Nat lifted herself up slightly, nodding between them. “I’m going to pull out now, okay?”
    Emily nodded, twin tears sliding down her cheeks. “Okay.”
    She withdrew as gently as she could, wincing along with Emily.