Chapter 2 - After Hours

CHAPTER 2: AFTER HOURS

The chains made every ordinary thing feel altered.

Thandeka could type. She could answer emails, move figures across the screen, and make the final pages of Mxolisi’s proposal look as calm as if her wrists were not linked by steel. But every shift of her hands made the chain whisper over the glass desk. Every careful step reminded her that he was somewhere behind those closed doors with the key.

By the time the intercom sounded, the ache between her thighs had become impossible to mistake.

“Another double espresso,” Mxolisi said. Then, after a pause: “Please, slave.”

The word warmed her more quickly than the coffee could. “Yes, master.”

She made the trip to the small staff kitchen in measured, rattling steps. The level was empty. The thought of anyone hearing her sent a hot little panic through her, but it did not make her turn back.

When she brought the cup in, Mxolisi watched her set it down with both cuffed hands.

“Those look beautiful on you,” he said.

Thandeka lowered her eyes. “Thank you, master.”

He came around the desk slowly. His fingertips brushed her shoulder, then the side of her neck. Her breath caught. She could smell the sandalwood on him, warmer now, mixed with coffee and the faint salt of a long day.

“Kabelo was a fool,” he murmured. “You are not a woman a sensible man leaves behind.”

The heat in her body sharpened. She wanted his hand to stay. She wanted to see how far the command in his voice could go when the office was dark and no one was listening.

Instead, he stepped back.

“Finish the proposal.”

The frustration made her almost laugh. “Yes, master.”