Pet
Chapter Three

-o-

Raven stood on a step stool in the middle of the guest bedroom, running her rag over the blades of the ceiling fan, dust falling down with each stroke. Honestly, she couldn't imagine what their last maid had been doing if they weren't able to do something as simple as clean a ceiling fan. Grumbling softly, she dipped her rag back in the warm water and reached up to wipe down the next blade. Somewhere, a few doors down, she could hear the echo of the classic rock curl around the mahogany paneled walls of the hallway, the lyrics reverberating against her senses.

All the good times I've been misusing.

Raven sighed and let her hand fall next to her side, something strangely soft and warm bubbling up into her chest. Jason must have finished up his work early if he was blaring The Stones at top volume this early in the afternoon. Well, at least it meant that he had a moment of rest, after he'd worked himself down to the bone after the last two weeks he had. The Russian subsidiaries weren't exactly being easy with him.

Shaking her head, Raven craned her neck just a little to see him standing in the middle of an open door, his tie loose around his neck as a glass of whiskey dangled from his fingertips. He leaned against the doorframe of his room and met her stare with a smile. "Care to join me for a drink, Raven?"

She turned back to the fan blade in front of her and continued to clean it, saying nothing as her cheeks burned a bright red. She knew better than to egg him on, especially after what had happened in the privacy of his own office a few days ago. Raven bit back the urge to curse, thinking about the salacious scene in the privacy of her own mind. She had been so shameless with him, letting him peruse her as if she were a pin-up for him alone, placed in the privacy of his own room. He had said nothing inappropriate or uncomfortable or even rude, but simply kept up pleasant, polite conversation while he watched her on her hands and knees in front of him.

And the worst part of it all was that she actually liked it. She liked knowing that he found her more interesting than just a maid, or another worker. He found attractive and sensual, and so much more than who she had ever thought she was.

Shifting a little on the step stool, she heard him come closer, his steps silent on the carpet. With a low grunt, he stood in the doorway and looked up at her, cocking his head to the side. He watched her for a long silent moment before speaking again.

"I can't believe you're cleaning the ceiling fan." He took a sip of the whiskey and hummed. "I don't think Alex ever did that."

"Yes, I noticed." Raven scraped off a smear of dirt and shook her head. "I don't think they've been cleaned since they were installed two thousand years ago."

Jason chuckled but said nothing, and chose to simply stand there and watch her instead. Raven rinsed the rag off again, her lips twitching as she felt him take a few more steps towards her, his emotions perfectly clear in the darkness of his eyes. She could smell the scent of his cologne mingling with the high-end whiskey in his hand and it was intoxicating to the point where she felt like her head was spinning and the world was falling apart around her. Shivering under the sudden weight of his emotions, she let her rag drop back into the bucket and looked down at him from her perch.

"Is there something I can do for you, M-"

He lifted an eyebrow, lips curling up at the edge.

"-Jason." Raven caught herself and felt that familiar blush stain her cheeks again.

"No, not really." He shrugged. "I finished early and I thought I might have a normal, civil conversation with my maid. Is that such a crime?"

"No, I suppose not." Raven couldn't help but feel the sudden thundering of her heart against her ribs, rattling her breath with each passing second. His eyes were smoldering, like something out of a bad romance novel, and there was something about the look that made Raven forget her name. Swallowing a few desperate gasps, she looked back up into the blades of the ceiling fan, if only to avoid his heated stare for just a little bit longer. She picked up her rag again and began cleaning the blades with care, listening to the erratic, grumbling bass of The Stones still playing along from his own room.

"You missed a spot."

Raven blinked, and turned to look back down into his face, expecting some kind of explanation from him. But, Jason just smiled and pointed up to the base of the fan, pointing to a little black smudge hiding under one of the blades.

"Right there."

Raven's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. "You can't possibly be serious."

"Yep. Better clean it up." He took another long drink of the whiskey in his glass, his stare blazing a trail over the curves of her body, lingering on her hips before finding her eyes again. Lips curling back into another smile, he took another step forward. "After all, we don't want any shoddy, half-assed work, now do we?"

Sighing, Raven raised herself up onto her tiptoes and cleaned underneath the blade for a long moment, still feeling his stare follow her hips before landing on her ankles. She knew exactly what he was doing, but she couldn't find it in her willpower to stop him. As archaic as it seemed, sometimes she enjoyed the way he looked at her. There was something primal and raw about him, and feeling the intensity of his desire pointed at her made her feel as though she were the only woman in the world.

He took another sip before looking back into her face again. "Mind if I ask you as question?"

"I highly doubly saying 'yes' will deter you from asking anyway." Raven let her hands fall to her side and she looked back down at him. "Ask if you must."

"Do you always wear stockings and garters?" His smile was practically sinful, and he downed the rest of his whiskey, setting the empty glass on the end table. He licked his lips and looked up at her from his position. "Inquiring minds have to know."

"What is your fascination with my undergarments, Mr. Todd?"

He smirked at her teasing tone. "What is your fascination with letting me see them?"

She didn't have an answer to that, and Raven was half-tempted to upend the bucket of dirty cleaning water of his head. He was absolutely infuriating sometimes! Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him. "That is beside the point."

"I beg to differ. It's exactly the point." He leaned forward again, his fingertips tracing over the hem of her skirt. He fingered the white piping along the edge of black and lifted his eyes to her own, his expression burning even hotter as he moved closer to her. "You seem so excited to let me see you so vulnerable, Raven… as if you enjoy it as much as I do." His fingers tangled in the hem of her skirt and he tugged just a little on it. "Do you?"

Raven stared down at him, trying to desperately keep her composure in the middle of the storm of emotions that were practically drowning her with each passing second. Far off in the distance she could hear footsteps approaching them, their sound heavy and excited under the guitar of the rock music still playing. Shivering and holding onto her last dregs of sanity, she stared down into his burning stare and pressed a hand against her heart, still slamming against her ribs. "Do I what?"

"Do you enjoy being exposed for me?" He licked his lips, his smile turning sinful. "For us."

"Us?"

"Both of us." He pulled the hem of her skirt just a little higher, exposing the lacy tops of her stockings and the silk edge of her garters. "Never just one of us, but both of us."

"Both?" She felt light headed, and Raven's cheeks burned as he lifted her skirt even higher. She wasn't sure what she wanted him to do, expose her for his own benefit, or ravish her senselessly. Letting go of a soft, desperate gasp, she felt him drag his fingers up the length of her thigh, tracing aimless patterns over her pale flesh.

"Yes, Raven… always both."

As if to drive his point home, a low, excited chuckle reverberated through the room. "Well, well… what am I missing here?"

-o-

Thanks for being awesome, friends. I hope it's enjoyed!