Chapter 15: Part 4 – Getting a bit handsy on the couch

= Sarah POV =

After cleaning and packing away all the dishes into a secure carry box, Chris came over to sit beside me and handed me a piece of paper.

"What's this?" I asked, setting my phone down to read it.

"So, as I mentioned, we're hosting several balls. This week, our graphic design team is short-staffed and needs a part-timer for some remote work. It doesn't require much commitment, you can work from home, and they pay ¥15,000 an hour. Not bad for contract work, right? What do you think? It could help you with your debt," Chris explained.

I looked over the paper; it was a job application for the position of graphic designer, printed on official company paper with the hotel's emblem at the top.

I looked up in surprise. "But I… I didn't go to school for this, and I don't think I'd be any good at graphic design," I said nervously.

Chris shrugged, leaning back into the couch. "Well, I talked to the art director, and they said they've hired illustrators before. A lot of the work is photo touch-ups. If you have a working tablet and drawing software, it should be manageable. From what I hear, most of it involves editing photos of guests from previous events to upload to the hotel's website or print them as keepsakes for patrons. They'll provide training too, so I think it's doable—as long as you're willing to try," Chris said, her tone casual but laced with quiet confidence.

I put the contract down, my hands trembling slightly. I suppose I could learn on the job… and the fact that it was remote work was great since it meant I could keep my part-time job at the café.

I glanced back at Chris, my lip trembling. I was so moved that she'd gone out of her way for me like this.

"You… shouldn't have. I'm sorry I've been such a burden on you. Thank you for offering this to me," I said softly.

Chris chuckled, brushing off my gratitude with a wave of her hand. "I'm just sharing the opportunity. You still need to fill this out so I can submit it. Then there's the interview, so no need to thank me just yet! You haven't even got the job," she teased, placing a pen on top of the contract.

"Fill that in, and I'll take care of the rest at work tomorrow," Chris added, standing to get herself a glass of water.

I took a deep breath and picked up the pen. After carefully filling in my details and signing it, I folded the contract and slipped it into the envelope resting on the table—the hotel's emblem stamped prominently on the front. It felt oddly official as if this could be the first step toward something better.

Chris returned with two glasses of wine and placed one on the table in front of me.

"So, wasn't that a lovely little surprise?" Chris asked as she took out her phone and flicked through it while she sipped on her wine.

I reached for mine, but before I could grab it, Chris thrust her phone in my face.

It was the app that was recording my strikes, and an angry red 400 notification flashed across the screen. I had 90 strikes currently recorded.

"Oh…I…" I started. How many days had it been since I logged into that app? I had completely forgotten that it was still tracking my contract with Chris.

"Do you ever plan to do anything about this? Who was it that begged, pleaded, to exchange room and board with the three 'C's? And yet still is failing to live up to her end of the bargain?" Chris asked as she took another sip of her wine.

"Well, you changed the rules, and then the new job…. soon I'll have enough to pay…and then there is –"I started to blabber, completely thrown a curveball there.

Chris set down her wine glass and, without warning, pulled me onto her lap. I gasped, my legs straddling her body, hands gripping her shoulders as I froze like a deer in headlights.

Chris coolly slipped her hands under my shirt, her fingertips grazing my bare skin as she started massaging the lower part of my back.

"You must be tired from sitting all day. When you work in a sedentary position, a massage at the end of a long day helps," Chris said, her voice smooth and dripping with intent. Her hands were strong yet teasing, kneading into the tension in my muscles with a deliberate slowness that left me breathless.

Her thumbs pressed into my spine, tracing deliberate paths upward, and then down again, inching dangerously close to the waistband of my shorts. I sucked in a sharp breath, but instead of pulling away, my body betrayed me and leaned closer.

I couldn't help but let out a soft moan as she hit so many sore spots I'd meant to work out with an electric massager later that night.

"Feels good?" she asked, her voice a purr against my ear.

I nodded, completely melting under her expert touch as her hands wandered with purpose, each stroke leaving me more aware of her closeness and the heat radiating off her body.

Chris chuckled softly, leaning in until her lips nearly brushed my neck. "You're so easy to unwind," she murmured. "But maybe you like being putty in my hands."

I shivered at her words, my fingers tightening on her shoulders as the tension between us crackled, electric and undeniable.

+++ 

"Then I should mention that I'll be redeeming three strikes while we're at it," Chris purred, her voice dripping with confidence. "At this rate, you might end up belonging to me for the rest of your life." She grinned, slipping her hands under my shirt and tugging it up, exposing my breasts beneath the thin, almost sheer bralette I'd worn.

"What are you going to do?" I gasped, instinctively wanting to pull my shirt back down but knowing full well I didn't have the right to protest—not in this situation.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Chris teased, her grin sharp and dangerous as she unhooked my bralette, pushing it up and letting my breasts spill free. She pulled me closer, her lips hovering just above my aching nipple.

"Chris, no… stop," I moaned, but my body betrayed me, leaning into her touch as her hands smoothed up my back, pulling me firmly against her.

"Don't move—for three minutes," she commanded, her voice low and sultry. Before I could process her words, her lips closed around my right nipple, her tongue circling and flicking it with deliberate precision.

I moaned louder this time, my legs trembling as heat coiled low in my belly. Her mouth was relentless, sucking and licking while her other hand cupped my left breast, fingers rolling and teasing the neglected nipple until it throbbed under her touch.

"Chris, I can't—" I gasped, clutching the back of the couch to steady myself, my breath coming in quick, shallow bursts.

"Oh, it seems I haven't started the timer," Chris murmured against my skin, her lips curving into a wicked smile as she continued to lick and suck on my breast.

I groaned and looked around. Chris' phone was next to her on the couch, so I reached down and tried to unlock the phone. Chris bent forward, causing me to lean back, my hand just out of reach of the phone beside her on the couch, her face buried into my cleavage, making it harder to reach her phone.

"Chris, please," I gasped, then realized that, in this position, my phone was now within reach.

I grabbed my phone as Chris made her way down from my breast to my diaphragm, licking and kissing a burning trail down my chest.

I quickly unlocked the phone and swiped for the timer, my fingers trembling as Chris's hand slipped further into my shorts. I managed to set the timer for three minutes just before the phone tumbled from my grasp, clattering onto the floor. Chris wasted no time, seizing my wrists in one hand and pinning them together while her other hand resumed its exploration, fingertips grazing my inner thigh.

"Didn't I tell you not to move?" Chris purred, her voice dripping with amusement and dominance as her nails lightly scratched along my skin.

"Y-you're the one moving me," I stammered, trying to keep my composure as my breath hitched. "I'm not exactly a willing participant here."

"Not willing?" Chris repeated, feigning surprise as she suddenly released me. The abrupt shift left me off-balance, and I toppled back onto the coffee table, my legs spread wide in a position so suggestive it sent a rush of heat straight to my cheeks. I scrambled to close them, but Chris's gaze pinned me in place, her lips curling into a wicked smile.

"So, are you saying you forfeit our arrangement? Or have you found a new place to stay?" she asked, her tone deceptively casual, though there was a sharpness beneath it that made me shiver.

Panic flared in my chest, and I quickly sat back on her lap, pressing my hands into her shoulders and bowing my head. "I'm sorry, Chris," I murmured, the words falling out before I could stop them. "I spoke out of line. I just—I wasn't expecting…"

Chris didn't let me finish. She pulled me in close again, her lips capturing my left nipple in a hot, wet kiss, tongue swirling and teasing until I gasped. "Three minutes," she murmured against my skin, though I doubted she cared about the time as her hands roamed freely, caressing, kneading, and claiming every inch of me. Her fingers danced lower, grazing my waistband as my thighs clenched involuntarily.

When the timer finally went off, its shrill beep shattered the spell. I jumped off her lap and grabbed my phone, retreating to the far side of the room like a startled deer. My breaths came fast and shallow as I tried to gather myself, my skin still tingling from her touch.

Chris leaned back, entirely unbothered, and picked up her wine glass. She took a slow sip, her eyes never leaving mine. "Sweet dreams, princess. Enjoy your own bed—you certainly earned it," she said with a smirk that sent heat rushing through me all over again.

I turned and fled to my room, closing the door behind me as if it could block out the memory of her hands and lips on my body. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat. How was I ever supposed to sleep after that?