First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“So, your first day of college.”  Sylviane pointed a mozzarella stick at Leander; it seemed that, although she had a gourmet chef at home (or maybe because she did; Leander didn’t quite understand rich kids), she knew every good pizza and bar-food joint in the city.  “What did you think?”

“That wasn’t a real day of college,” he protested.  “That was just one seminar thing and one meeting with a professor.  I mean, she was terrifying, but in a good way.”

“Terrifying, but in a good way? Explain.”

“She’s really tough, she knows her stuff, and she looks right through you and sees your meat.  Your core, I mean.” He looked at her and, feeling brave, pointed a fry at her. “You’re pushy when you’ve been at school.  Explain.”

“Oh!”  She looked at the fry and wrinkled her nose at him. “Pushy?” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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Sylviane patted Leander’s shoulder and smiled brightly at him.  He hoped he didn’t look as nervous as she was acting like he did.  “We’re going. I’m driving, if that’s fine with you.”

Leander felt as if his head was full in a way it hadn’t been – possibly ever.  He had taken notes in the seminar because Sylviane was – and because she’d given him a notebook and a pen and it seemed to be what you were supposed to do – but most of his notes had been looking at her notes and writing down something similar.

He had, he realized, no idea how to handle this whole school thing – and this had just been a seminar.

He’d listened to the woman at the front of the room talk – it was a discussion on how data could be used or abused in manners to make your business better for you, to make it better for your customers, or possibly both – and had written down a bunch of questions as he got confused, but when the time came for questions, he’d left that to people who were supposed to be here.

(Sylviane had, in three cases, written down an answer to his questions right under them, so he was glad he hadn’t asked any of them out loud). Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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Sylviane patted Leander’s shoulder and smiled brightly at him.  He hoped he didn’t look as nervous as she was acting like he did.  “We’re going. I’m driving, if that’s fine with you.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.  I’m gonna need practice to be back into driving again – I mean.”  He blinked and shut up, staring at her, waiting for the anger. 

She snaked an arm around his waist and hip-bumped him.  “Hey. I asked if you minded. If it was fine with you.”

“I -”  He looked down at her.  “Yeah. Yes, you did, ma’am.” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“It’s gonna be a blast.  Right.”  Leander snorted. “All right.”  Leander looked at himself in a mirror.  “I don’t look stupid.”

“You look – may I?”

He was not going to get used to the way she asked permission before touching him, but he nodded.  She ran her hands over his face, over his shoulders, looked at him again. “There. You look like a college kid.  Kinda nervous, new school, meeting your girlfriend’s friends, that’s fine. Try not to punch too many of them, okay?”

“I’m only gonna punch someone if you ask me to, if they grab me some way I don’t like, or if they’re gonna hurt you.”  He grimaced. It came out sounding half street thug and half military. “Damnit, I can look like a college kid all I want -“

“Doesn’t matter.”  She patted his shoulder. “Works, actually. So. You went straight into the military, can’t tell people what you were doing, classified, you’d have to kill them.  I have a guess that there’s more truth in that than you’ll want me to know, so that works out pretty well. Less lies to keep straight.”

There was the big, giant lie of being her boyfriend still to contend with, but – well, they were going to have one of those lies no matter what.  He was pretty sure her friends wouldn’t be all that cool with “my dad bought him to protect me.”

“Okay.  Military.”  He rolled his shoulders.  “This is nuts.” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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Just sneaking in a bonus to make up for not posting on the 7th or 14th!

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You SHOULD understand.

Eventually someone would teach him to shut his mouth once in a while before he put his foot all the way in it. 

Leander looked at Sylviane – her pursed, surprised lips – and made himself meet her eyes.  “You should, because you’re, uh, you’re controlling me. You’re holding my leash, at least in a day to day way.  Yeah?”

“I don’t like that metaphor.  I don’t like that it’s not a metaphor,” she added a second later.  “But go on. I’m with you so far.” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation

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“Well.”  Sylviane cleared her throat. “That is Melody.  You okay?”

Leander blinked.  “Yeah. Yeah, she’s intense.”  He smiled for Sylviane, although it might have been a bit of a weird smile from the way she looked at him.  “She’s,” he tried again, “I expected that to go much worse from the way it started.”

“Oh, yeah.  She’s like that.  She’ll just dive in and then the next thing you know you’re best friends, for like ten minutes or something, and then bang she has something else to do and you do it all over again the next time.  I blame Dad.” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation
Previous: Soft

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Sorry about this one too.  Wow, it’s been weeks! 

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“Here.”

Leander didn’t know the woman in front of him, but she clearly already didn’t like him. Her lips were pursed, her brow was furrowed, and she was thrusting a very tall stack of cloth at him.

He took it, noting that the woman was also attractive, older than Sylviane but younger than Mr. MacDiarmad (at least in general appearance), un-collared (unsurprising) and strawberry blonde. Also, she was as tall as he was.

“Thank you?” he tried. In theory, the breakfast table should just be a couple feet away. But there was an angry woman and a pile of cloth — no, a pile of cloth and now she was handing him two bags too — between him and food.

“I am Mr. MacDiarmad’s personal assistant. I am not personal shopper to his staff. Certainly not to Miss MacDiarmad’s staff. If you have any confusion on the matter—” Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation
Previous: User’s Manual

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He woke slowly, finding himself warm, comfortable, well-rested.  There was a warm pressure on his chest and shoulder.  

Leander opened his eyes slowly.  There was a tumble of auburn curls on his chest.  Sylviane was snuggled against him, her eyes closed, her breathing even. 

This, this he could get used to.  

The moment he had the thought, he wanted to slap himself.  She was beautiful, sure. She was very nice. She also, more or less, owned him.  He’d be an idiot to get attached. Eventually,  she was going to get bored, and things were going to get difficult. He didn’t have the temperament to kowtow and keep her entertained.  Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation
Previous: College Prep

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The problem was, Leander had no idea what Sylviane wanted, what she meant, or what she was thinking at any given moment.

That had been the case with almost everyone who had owned him, of course, but on the other hand, most of the other people who had owned him hadn’t wanted him to act like a person.  They certainly hadn’t cuddled him, with one notable, unpleasant, hopefully-forgettable exception.  Continue reading →

First: Purchased: Negotiation
Previous: Dad

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If pressed, Leander would never have admitted that he was nervous about bed time. Even if ordered, he thought he would have found a way around it. Possibly just getting an aneurysm and passing out.

But pizza had led to sitting on the couch while Sylviane watched TV, played on her computer, and chatted with her friends and Leander mostly watched the TV and wondered if he was going to need to pick up a hobby. Continue reading →