"Don't come in today," Tabb said over the phone.

I was already dressed for work--or dressed in what I wore to work: Sweatpants, baggy T-shirt. All of it would come off in the ladies room when I arrived.

"It's my business," I said. "You can't do this."

"You sold your business," he said. "I'm sorry. After what I've learned, I have no choice."

"I thought we had an agreement, Steven," I said.

He made a sort of choking gagging noise over the phone.

"What happened yesterday was unethical. It was a lapse in judgement on my part and it won't happen again."

"What won't? You getting fucked by two of your employees?"

I could almost hear him blushing through the receiver.

"That won't happen. And you whoring out Karissa won't happen either. I won't be the proprietor of a brothel," Tabb said. "And you won't make me complicit in this either."

Tabb hung up the phone. I sat down against the wall in my kitchen and let the receiver fall out of my hand and onto the floor. Looking around, I saw everything that I had built with my busines:. My new black tiled kitchen, spotless new appliances, my new 4K TV that I never watched.

I could burn Tabb to the ground. I could tell the police it had been his idea, the whole thing. But I had no evidence. He had none of the money and I had all of this. No. It was over. I was out of a job. It was over. 

I got myself up off the floor and took a habitual sip out of my thermos, tasting my black morning coffee that I wouldn't now be drinking on my way into work. I looked at my bag beside the door and the white robe folded up inside of it, the lube I knew was at the bottom.

Then I went into the cabinet, unscrewed the top of my thermos, and poured a healthy dose of Jack and Kahlua in with the coffee. I drank. It tasted awful, but strong.

I was halfway through my makeshift drink when my cell rang again. This would be Tabb, begging me to come back.

"Hello," I said.

It was Karissa.

"Hi," she said. "Tabb sent me home. Where are you?"

I told her about Tabb's call.

"I didn't think he had the balls," I said. "I thought if we fucked him, that would be it."

"Are you drunk?" she asked.

I looked into my drink. Do I sound that drunk?

"Not yet," I said, drinking again. "I can't believe we fucked him for nothing."

"I didn't mind," Karissa said. I could hear her car blinker over the phone. She must have had me on speaker.

I hestitated. As my coffee cooled, I took larger and larger sips. I could see the bottom of the thermos now.

"Do you," I said. "Do you want to hang out?"

"I'm already on my way," she said. "You shouldn't be alone right now. I'll be there in five minutes."

My heart leapt confusingly in a drunk sort of way. I was glad to hear her say it, but not because she was a good friend. I'd never really thought of Karissa as a friend before. Now, something was differnt. It could have been the booze.

When she told me she was on her way already, without me asking, I had a suspicion that it wasn't purely to check on me. But I pushed that thought down. She was a nice girl. She always looked up to me, did whatever I asked.

"Great," I said. "Thanks."

She hung up and I finished my drink. I got up and realized I was still wearing my travel clothes. Karissa always came in dressed like she was ready for anything. Sometimes a romper and low heels or a summery dress that showed her cleavage. I wanted to look presentable, but I didn't have time.

I took off my T-shirt and sweatpants and stood naked in the kitchen for a moment. Then I put on my robe and crammed my travel clothes into my bag and tossed that into the bedroom. I searched through the cabinets and found a bottle of wine. I poured two glasses and put on some music.

When I sat down again, I worried that Karissa would get the wrong impression. I turned off the music and sat down again. It was too quiet so I turned on the television. A soap opera was playing. Low music and a man and a woman talking close in a dark restaurant. I flipped the channel to network news and there came a knock on the door.

I let Karissa in and we sat down on my loveseat in the living room. I gave her a glass of wine.

"Early," she said. "You're dressed for work?"

"Yeah, I was just on my way out the door when he called."

She was wearing a lowcut, floral patterned black romper and as far as I could tell, nothing else. Now that she was here, I could tell that she was nervous about something. Maybe I was right to suspect her motives. I realized I didn't have much to say now. We both drank.

"You were great, by the way," I said.

"Really?" she said, looking shyly over at me.

"Incredible," I said.

Karissa was playing with the hem of her romper, pulling it back over smooth skin and pushing it down again. The was swirling her wine absentmindedly with her other hand.

"What did you like about it?" she asked suddenly.

"The sex?" I said. I had only meant that she picked up on everything so quickly. I only meant that she almost saved my business. "Oh, god. All of it."

She laughed. We both laughed and looked away from one another.

"It was great," I said.

"So great," she said.

I pulled the fold of my robe over my chest to keep my breasts hidden. 

"What do you think happened with Jean?" she asked.

"Oh I don't know," I said. "I was going to ask her to join us soon, you know."

"Really?" Karissa said. "She's so hot."

"I know," I said. "College girl."

Then we laughed again. I found myself a little closer to her on the couch. Did she edge over or did I? I finished my glass of wine and brought the bottle over to refill it. I freshened up Karissa's glass too.

"I saw you masturbating in the hall that day," she said

"I know," I said. Now more than ever I was aware of the fact that the only thing separating her from my naked skin was a thin robe. That had been what started us on this whole track: the idea that our secrets were protected by thin walls in windowed rooms, that I could watch her fuck strangers whenever I wanted.

"You were watching me," she said.

"I know."

Karissa finished her wine and put the glass down on the table. She ran her tongue over her lips .

"I liked it," she said.

Karissa was definitely moving close to me now. The hand that had been playing with her clothes inched towards my bare leg poking out from beneath the robe.

"You did?" I said. I wasn't listening to myself anymore. I was watching her lips.

"I did."

We both watched as her hand made contact with my leg. It was almost a comforting, friendly gesture. But we both knew there was more to it than that. She had leaned over closer to my face when I looked up from her hand.

"I liked seeing you watch me," Karissa said. "Mistress."

She kissed me. I could feel her back arch into my side. I put down my wine glass and clutched at her face. My robe slid to the side and I allowed one breast to poke out. Obediantly, Karissa placed her hand on it, feeling my nipple between her fingers.

Karissa's hand passed down my side and lightly untied the strings that held my robe on. She broke away from our kiss to watch it fall open.

"Is this what you want, Mistress?" she asked, touching her forehead to mine.

"Yes," I breathed, pulling her back in.

It was what I wanted. Being with her yesterday reminded me of what it was like to be with another woman, even if there was a man in between us for most of it. As she threw a leg over my naked body to straddle me, I remember how she had done the same with Tabb yesterday; how I took his cock out of my mouth and pushed it inside of her; how her whole body shook as he penetrated her; how her green eyes met with mine while she fucked him. It was all the better knowing that she'd just had another man inside of her, that she was doing all of this for me.

I peeled her romper away from her arms and pushed it down to her waist so that her breasts were exposed. They were perfect. Small and round.

I broke our kiss this time.

"Why haven't we done this before?" I said, putting my mouth around her nipples and nibbling them.

Karissa breathed hard. She put her hand on the back of my head.

I withdrew from her breasts and tackled her onto the loveseat, lying on top of her like a man in missionary position. Then, I pulled her clothes the rest of the way off. She hadn't been wearing underwear. Her pussy was pink and wet.

I kissed it. I ate her out while she buried her fingers in my hair and called me her 'Mistress' and moaned.

After I brought her to orgasm, I laid down on top of her and kissed her face, her neck. Her hands wandered across my back and cupped my ass. She fingered my asshole for a moment and then found her way into my pussy. I exhaled into her ear and let her fuck me faster and faster with her fingers.

Then I leaned back and she kissed her way down my body to press her tongue into me.It felt incredible. For months, I've been with no one but men, mostly paying men. This was something else, something like I hadn't had since the end of my last real relationship. Maxwell was different. I was taking Karissa away from her boyfriend just like I was taking Maxwell away from his wife, but with her, I felt free. I was in control.

I picked up the empty wine bottle and passed it to her. Karissa looked me over and smiled.

She pushed the neck of the bottle into by pussy and fucked me with it like it was a dildo.

It wasn't long before I was climaxing, thinking about her, about Maxwell, about her boyfriend. By the time we had both finished, we had fucked our way through the rest of the apartment, slamming against walls and falling down in doorways, until we fell asleep togther in my bedroom.

When I woke up again, Karissa was staring at the ceiling. My face was cradled into her bare chest. I had sobered up, but thinking about her and me still made me feel  good. I was excited all over again thinking about what we'd done.

"What am I going to tell Jack?" Karissa said.

Then I remembered her boyfriend and Maxwell and his wife.

"What do you want to tell him?" I asked. "What have you told him about what we do at work?"

"Nothing," she said. "I haven't told him about it."

"About us," I corrected her. "This doesn't have to be any different."

I leaned up on my elbow and looked into her green eyes. I realized now how badly I wanted her, at any cost. I wanted to be with her at least as badly as I wanted my massage parlor back. And I was beginning to think of a way to have both.

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell him you went out for drinks with me after work," I said. "Tell him the parlor is doing fine. In the morning, come here for work. I have an idea."

"To save the parlor?"

"And us," I said. "But until then..."

I rolled on top of her to feel her naked nipples against my breasts.

"You're mine."