Misty said, “Partially true, sir.”

  I frowned, “Elucidate.”

  Misty winked, “You really do prefer firm and supple breasts in the B to C cup ranges, not that you don’t love big softer ones too, we’re talking slight margins. Petite or lithe as well is your preference, you like your women to look deceptively soft and harmless while being powerful and scrappy. Again, slight margins, you do enjoy looking at a lush woman a great deal as well.

  “Plus everything you said, I obviously can’t take the initiative ever, so the most playful settings were chosen to get as close as possible to your needs in an assistant.”

  Huh, well it sounded like my preferences were so marginal in difference that for all practical purposes what I said before and had always believed was true enough. I had no specific type, and I enjoyed beauty in all its forms. So I wasn’t sure that whole analysis wasn’t wasted, but clearly Lianne didn’t think so.

  Lianne said in smug joy, “Thank you, Misty.”

  “What’d I miss?”

  Lianne giggled, “Oh, nothing, sir.”

  Misty winked saucily, then put her arms up and stretched like a cat against the wall.

  The only thing I could think of was Lianne’s doubts and body image issues despite my compliments about her appearance. That she found it hard to believe and accept in her gut that I found her body as sexy and devastating to my libido as Cerise’s slightly lush and even Faith’s exquisite sumptuousness. More than that, that I actually like her body more, if only subconsciously, because honestly, I thought all three of them were equally hot in wildly different ways.

  That might explain her smug joy, to have it confirmed by my A.I. in a way that made it undeniable, and maybe she’d stop worrying about it. Maybe. I mean, forty years of dating shallow assholes that told her that her tits were too small, or that she should get breast implants, was bound to leave a lasting mark on the psyche.

  I put my phone back in my pocket as we felt Bruce and Darrell arrive. They didn’t get coffee either, choosing to come straight to the table, and only warily sat down.

  Bruce said coolly, “What is it?”

  “I just have a suggestion, if you’ll listen.”

  Bruce snorted, “Fine, let’s hear it then.”

  “Well, there’s indications in the database of quite a few messes that could’ve been avoided during a takedown, including collateral damage, if there’d been a clearer chain of command. Right now it’s you, Darrell, then everyone else. That works just fine for the takedowns you lead for the most powerful law breakers, but not so much for the rest. Without a clear chain of command, a surprise situation has your teams going in different directions with no one looking for orders.

  “In a typical takedown, it does work, because they all know what to expect from their partners. But when a unique situation presents itself, they all turn to their own quicky formed independent solutions, and according the database reports that’s led to collateral damage and friendly fire so to speak, a number of times. Though thankfully, no deaths so far.”

  Bruce frowned, “So you’re telling me I need a regimented system of some kind.”

  “Yes, rank followed by time in service is the typical way that works, but how or if you do it is entirely up to you. Your record is actually fantastic, but it could be improved. Your leadership style is rather casual, but you have the respect of your people, and it works for you. I think even just telling them who’s in charge of each team informally will probably fix it, if you’d prefer not to make it all official.”

  He said, “But you would make it official.”

  I shrugged, “I grew up in a pack, shifter. Packs are extremely regimented in nature, so yes, that would be my preference. But that doesn’t mean I don’t see the validity of other approaches, and I’m not the one in charge. A more casual understanding might even work better since it’s more in line with your own style, because if you regiment them, they’ll pick up your discomfort with the idea.”

  He sighed, “You are entirely too reasonable.”

  I grinned, “I know, it’s driving you all crazy.”

  He snorted a laugh, “Any suggestions on who in each team?”

  I shook my head, “War gods. They’re all competent and quick on their feet when things go wrong in the field, which is half the problem. Almost any of them would do well in the position as team leader or second. You could even rotate it, for morale purposes and so they all know you have their confidence, if you wanted.”

  He sighed, “Which is exactly where you were leading me this whole time, while pretending to be deferential. A throwaway line and suggestion you’d know I’d love and hoped I’d adopt as my own. What I can’t figure out is what’s in it for you.”

  That last worried him, a lot actually, though he was trying to hide it. Petty revenge was sweet, but being constantly demonized was getting old.

  I said, “Actually I was leading you to the non-official appointment thing, because I know regimenting would turn your stomach. That last thought was generated by your question. I wasn’t planning to address it at all. And I’m being deferential because I have no authority here, and you know it, so not sure how being respectfully persuasive while trying to be helpful makes me evil. This is about being useful and saving lives and reducing incidents, no more, no less.”

  It was a mistake to put all my cards on the table like that, he’d never believe it, but I was truly getting to the point I was ready to write them all off save my watchdog responsibility. They were treating me like negotiating with the devil, even Natasha who knew better, had given me short thrift for the sake of her mate’s weakness, when she should be setting his ass straight.

  But it wasn’t about them, or me, it was about the ones on the front line, and even the criminals, two of which had been accidentally killed because of the lack of leadership in the field. On the good side, after this, I had no more suggestions. At least, not in the moment, they were all doing a decent job.

  I smirked, as if to dare him to figure out my dastardly plans, might as well give them what they wanted. If they decided to become my enemy, best that they underestimated me and my intentions. If they treated me like they had Nate, well I would utterly destroy them. Nate was an entitled moron who should’ve seen love and darkness coming for him a mile away, but he was too entitled, stupidly arrogant, and in love with his own power to even look for the danger.

  Chances are I would fail after taking down two, maybe three, but with my advantage it wouldn’t be at all hard to pick them off when they were alone and lowered their vigilance. Pride was a danger after all, and not one I was immune to. I was a lot more confident and surer than my past selves, but a man had limits in what he could endure.

  The trick there was I really didn’t want to. Oh, I wanted my authority back, but I also wanted them to keep doing all the work so I could focus on other things like business and family. The best way to rule was delegation anyway, since it encouraged loyalty and made it easier to keep an eye on the big picture in a truly supervisory role. Trying to do it all had been Zeus’s and Nate’s largest and deadliest mistake.

  I was just starting in a deep hole dug by an earlier version of me. I mean, it’d worked for shifter packs for thousands of years, with exceptions, but all life was full of exceptions. Delegating power while retaining authority through the eyes of responsibility, was in my blood, literally.

  I also had to suppress a lip twitch, as both Lianne and Misty looked furious in that moment on my behalf. My goddess, vampire, and A.I. were loyal, without games or manipulation of any kind, which was priceless to me and made this… banishment from authority palatable.

  Darrell who had been silent reacted to that, giving Lianne a look that dared her to give him an excuse. Which I ignored as did Lianne.

  Bruce had nothing else to say, and just snorted, stood up, and left. He’d also decided to think about the idea for twenty-four hours before he accepted a good idea despite the source or rejected it out of paranoia that I was up to something. Either way, I was satisfied I’d done all I could to improve things, and just had to let it go. I wasn’t giving up, but I had to face the reality they weren’t going to even extend a reasonable doubt in my favor until I’d proved myself for decades.

  Screw them all.

  I took a sip of coffee, “Well, we won’t be doing this again, at least not unless something radically changes.”

  Lianne said, “Good, the way they treat you drives me crazy.”

  “The way they treat you both annoys and amuses me, for the same reason, they’re clearly underestimating how awesome you are.”

  She giggled, “So we’re done for the day?”

  I nodded, “What did you have in mind?”

  She said, “Relax by the pool in scanty clothing, why don’t you get Cerise from her office, give her the rest of the day off, and take your time with it.”

  My lips twitched, “Take my time?”

  She giggled, “Well, we get private time all the time, and I got some private intimacy with Cerise while you were working in the warding room, seems only right I’m not always around when you two are together? I mean, when we’re at home, close enough to support each other but not needing to be connected at the hip. She deserves and needs your full attention at times too. So take good care of her, then meet me by the pool. I could use a few minutes too, to take care of a few things I’ve been meaning to do on the financial side.”

  “That’s a really good idea, I’ll be guided by your wisdom.”

  She gave me a naughty look, “I just thought you might.”

  I winked, and we left the coffee house and teleported home.

  Chapter Twelve

  Misty gave me a cheeky and mischievously sensual look, with a faint hint of regret in her warm expression as she faded out of view. As if telling me she regretted my desire for her not to appear to be watching while I was intimate with my lovers. Which was a little surprising, and even a little provocative in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. Not that she did anything wrong, she was just following her programming. It was the surprising lust in me that she’d just provoked by pretending to want to watch me wreck one of my ladies, that made me uncomfortable.

  I wondered if the danger of anthropomorphizing an A.I. was too high at that level of body language interaction. I mean, she appeared totally natural, but without self-awareness there was no true emotion, only loyalty to her owner and simulated emotion and desires. It’d also been a little on the risqué side, so I’d have to look into that. I couldn’t have one of my computers flirting with an underage teen, for instance, just because he was a horndog. Which sums up almost all male teens, after all. It would have parents everywhere suing me.

  But that’s partially what the testing phase was for. To find the shortfalls in her behavioral protocols that limited sensuality and sexuality, so it wasn’t entirely alarming or completely unexpected either, and I had other things on my mind in that moment as I stole into the office, so dismissed it for the moment.

  My lips twitched, even as my eyes feasted, when I found Cerise still dressed in a thin silk pink robe that was rather short and barely maintained her modesty below. It wasn’t an entirely lazy work at home thing either, obviously, since the rest of her appearance was well tended to. She looked exquisitely beautiful, with her reddish-brown hair pinned up elegantly and alluringly, revealing the deliciously long curve of her neck, her severely and sophisticatedly beautiful oval face, and her petite ears. It told me the pink robe, and nothing but the pink robe since I could see her nipple bumps clearly on her mouthwateringly generous and proud C cups, was all about seducing me.

  She’d been hoping I’d drop by, the sexy minx and wild nymph, or perhaps she’d even arranged it with Lianne to seduce me, and that was the real reason my goddess sent me here alone. She was a very seductive woman, her looks, pouty lips, her alluringly sexy voice, and even her gracefully seductive movements. And she was that, worked it all to her advantage, as I’d found out the last few days she really enjoyed seducing me into taking her demandingly, or into me giving her rather naughty orders.

  She gave me a warm smile as I silently moved behind the desk, and stood behind her chair, my hands immediately caressing her hair, cheeks, and neck, then sliding the robe far enough off her shoulders to massage her there and on her upper chest, down to right above her breasts.

  Her soft moans and quickened breath told me my counter-seduction was working quite well, but of course just having my hands on her lushly athletic body with the intention of it leading to sex, had me hard as a rock.

  “How was your day, nymph.”

  She tilted her head up, and looked up into my eyes, “It just got a whole lot better, Sir.”

  I smiled, “I think we should take the rest of the day off.”

  Her eyes twinkled, “As you wish, sir,” her eyes smoldering and begging me to either use her manfully or give her a wicked order, the more debauched the better. She must’ve been really worked up, waiting for me with anticipation of what might happen, all afternoon. She looked like a hot mess, and so divinely beautiful and elegantly sexy.

  My hands moved lower as I dipped my head for an upside-down kiss, my hands rubbing against the outside of her proud C cups, mashing and squeezing them together, and exactly when our lips touched, is when I pinched both nipples between forefinger and thumb, then pulled and twisted.

  The sweet kiss turned incredibly passionate, as she let out a harsh and excited gasp, followed by a wanton moan into my mouth. Her arms raising above her and behind, to cup my neck and run her fingers through my hair while deepening it with tongue.

  She panted lightly, as I continued to maul her breasts and abuse her nipples, just the way she liked it. With the robe pushed apart slightly, I could also see her petitely glistening labia on her deliciously large mound peeking between her amazing tits.

  I’d learned my lesson, she was virginally tight, and taking her pussy in the first round just wasn’t an option, I hated being premature, and she loved naughty orders, so it worked out. I pulled her up out of the chair, then took her place as I put her on her knees.

  “Please me with those tits until I defile your face with my cum, wild nymph.”

  It wasn’t something we’d done. I’d been in her sex a whole lot the last few days, and in her mouth almost as often, but I’d yet to fuck her tits and cover her elegant beauty and lovely breasts with my cum, I was really looking forward to it

  Her eyes widened with lust, and she said breathily, “Yes, sir.”

  Gods, her seductive and shameless submission and surrender to me was so heady, but I knew she only did it because of the way I treated her outside of bed. This was her trusting me with her wickedest and most shameful desires, and that in itself was a huge turn on.

  She said softly, while shrugging the robe off and fishing me out, pulling my pants down to my ankles, and then stroking me.

  “Men have fantasies about this, but I really am your assistant, your sexy and wild secretary,” she reached below, and moaned sensually as she collected her liquid anticipation, and then slathered it in her generous cleavage. Then she got some more, and started to stroke me lightly, spreading it over my cock, “It’s so naughty, sir. Using me this way, in my own office.”

  I twitched in her hand at that, but I also grinned, “You’re wicked,” I accused, “And mine.”

  She leaned forward and kissed the tip, then nuzzled it, rubbing my cockhead all over her face and even in her hair, with a wanton and wicked moan escaping her lips, before she straightened her back while crawling forward on her knees. Her hands pushed her breasts together tightly around my cock, as she looked up into my eyes with wicked and depraved devotion.

  Her tits were so soft, firm, and hot, wrapped so tightly around me. She started to raise and lower herself straight up and down, using a combination of rolling toes and ankles, along with lifting from the knees, to maintain it, all while looking up into my eyes with dreamy and naughty delight. The sensation of her silken skin gripping me, along with the added slick sensation of her liquid arousal, was pure blissful sensation on my cock.

  “Your cock is so hot between my tits. Is this what you wanted, sir? I love the way it feels sliding through my soft silky tits, as I make it tight for you,” she said breathily, panting slightly in enjoyment at the feeling of my cock sliding through her tits.

  “Yes, Cerise. You’re a wonderful assistant.”

  Her eyes widened with a potent surge of arousal and lust. The comment had hit her harder than I even thought it would, the slutty administrative assistant roleplay and truth obviously being her kink even more than it was mine. Her light gray eyes lit with lust as she breathily worked my cock with her tits. Even in her shameless sluttiness there was a sense of elegance and grace to her, as if she really thought and loved the fact that it was her job as a woman to keep me sated and seduced.

  Sexist by any measure in this century, but truly a part of a woman’s duties to her lover in the time she’d grown up. Duties that she took great pleasure and sensual excitement in delivering.

  She needed to be cherished, admired, respected, and taken care of, but she also needed this. Needed to be a naughty nymph that took pleasure in serving me and pleasing me sexually when it came to our bedroom lives. I’d hesitate to say used, I don’t think she saw it as needing to be used, but she needed to be irresistibly naughty for me, and to engender a sexual dominance and need in a man that made him lose control or be demanding.

  At the moment it was too complicated to even think straight given the cultural differences, as I got lost in her sexy gray eyes and the silken soft sensations of her lush breasts milking me, sliding around me, and pleasing and teasing my senses.

  “That’s so good, Cerise. I’m going to cum all over that beautiful face of yours.”

  She whimpered in desire, and I think it was the confident demanding tone I’d used that had hit her so hard, more than the words themselves. She started to bounce her body faster, work harder for that wild and defiling end, stroking me faster and faster with her luxurious tits, as her breath growing shallower and more labored as her eyes glazed over with warm pleasure and depraved need.