The Nightingale Agency

A note from AfterDusk:

Yes, I'm still working on this story off an on, thank you to those of you who have been waiting patiently! I might have one more chapter left before it is over so stay tuned.

-AD

Eve feels a hand stroking her hair. She opens her eyes, blinking several times to focus on the cleanly shaven face of Kelly, crouching before her at the side of the bed. Her brows crinkle and before she can speak, he brings a finger to his lips to quiet her, pointing over her shoulder. Sluggish, her stiff body rolls over slightly so that she can gaze upon the sleeping, bare back of Farah. Turning back to Kelly, her voice comes out as a hoarse whisper, "What time is it?"

"Six am," he says softly, tilting his head to gaze upon her.

Eve closes her eyes, "Fuck," she says under her breath. She struggles to sit up, body stiffer than usual from the day before. Looking down, she realizes she is naked except for a pair of lace panties and her beige stockings, which cling unevenly to her legs. Before she can make an attempt to stand, Kelly scoops her up in his arms easily carrying her from the room. He brings her down the hallway, into the large bathroom attached to the master bedroom, where he perches her on the edge of the large soaking tub. She sees he has brought her bags and clothes into the bathroom, neatly placed on the floor below the vanity.

Eve rubs the outside of her eyes, smudging away errant make up from the day before, "Fuck, Kelly, I am so sorry. This is completely unprofessional of me, I should have packed up and left last night but—"

He cuts her off before she can finish, "I would have made you stay, Eve. You were in no shape to drive last night, in fact none of us were. Plus," he grins, "it was very nice sleeping in between two beautiful, naked women."

Eve shakes her head, rubbing her neck, "Still, it is something I should have discussed with you ahead of time."

"Fair enough," he says, "then let's discuss it over breakfast. Why don't you hop in the shower? I can find some comfy clothes of Farah's for you to change into."

"A shower sounds great. Actually, if you wouldn't mind, I have an emergency bag in the back of my SUV. The keys are in the main pocket of my purse."

He nods, grabbing the keys and leaving the bathroom.

Eve's body is stiff; she struggles to slide her stockings and underwear off, setting them on her folded dress. She pulls the dozen hairpins from her hair and hops into the foreign shower, turning it on to a mild temperature. She smells the shampoo and body wash, both scents she recalls from Farah's skin; without much choice, she washes herself clean. Shutting off the shower and ringing her hair out, she opens the door to find Kelly standing there with a towel.

She takes it, drying her skin off before squeezing her hair out in it. Kelly watches her the entire time, with a smirk on his face. When she gives him a questioning look, he replies, "You look very...different...without your get up."

She huffs, taking the lotion out of her bag and spreading it on her skin, "I think you mean normal."

He shakes his head, "Yes, but younger. And completely innocent. It is almost as if you are a different person." He pulls the clothes from her bag, packing the old ones into it for her.

Eve slips on the stretch pants and loose cotton shirt, grabbing a hair tie before tucking her feet into a pair of red loafers. Kelly takes her three bags and leads her out to the kitchen, motioning for her to sit at the table.

The entire situation is awkward for her but she does as commanded and watches him as he gets her a large bowl of yogurt, fresh berries and some granola. Setting the dishes in front of her, he asks, "Coffee?"

"Yes, please," she affirms, dumping some berries and granola into the yogurt before taking a bite. It occurs to her that she didn't eat dinner the night before and she is famished.

Placing a steaming cup in front of her, Kelly sits down beside her, blowing across the rim of his to cool it off. He smells fragrantly clean, his brushed back hair still seems wet. Dressed in a teal polo and khaki pants, he lets her eat a few more bites before starting a conversation, "I was thinking that maybe we could alter our times. If you're available, maybe we switch to four to seven on Thursday evenings?"

Eve swallows a bite, oddly looking up at him, "I guess I figured we wouldn't have very more sessions before my services are no longer needed. Farah has made great progress and I think that you are more than capable of handling her from here."

Kelly sips his coffee while staring at her. He hesitates before continuing, "I was thinking maybe we could update the contract. You are right, I could take over from here, but last night..." a smile slowly grows on her face, "I'll be blunt about it. I never thought that Farah would take a shine to being with a woman, but she craves your attention. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't thoroughly enjoy our time together as well. And better yet, still, that Farah wants to watch me fuck you...so perhaps we could form a contract around that. You and I co-dominating her, you solo dominating her while I watch, and you and I..." he trails off, a grin on his face.

Eve can feel her cheeks start to burn red, "I ah...well, honestly, this is entirely new territory for me, Kelly."

"Really?" He says, surprised, sipping his coffee again.

Eve chews another bite, looking over at him. His relaxed demeanor, his cheeky affect, the fact that she enjoyed fucking him and his wife, or maybe the strong marriage he has—she doesn't know what it is, but she feels like she is able to be honest with him, a little open, without fear of either of them taking it too far.

She sits back in her chair and shakes her head, "I know I'm a very secretive person and that the way I behave seems to lend myself an aura of complete knowledge and experience, but this dynamic—me training your wife to be a sub for you—was new territory for me. Until you, if my clients were married their spouse didn't know about me, save one, but most of my clients are single. None, are defiantly in a committed relationship with a dom."

He sits his mug down on the table, "Have you never co-dominated with a couple before?"

Eve ponders it a bit, "I have a pair of married clients but they are both submissive. At the request of a friend, I've dominated his wife with him but I have never been hired by someone to do it on a regular basis. In fact," she says, almost embarrassed, "within the past year, you are one of two men that has actually fucked me."

"Wow," he says, feeling somewhat honored, "I mean, I knew you didn't let my wife penetrate you by any means but you don't allow any of your clients? Why not?"

She shrugs, sipping her coffee, "When I started this business, it just seemed like the right thing to do. Maybe it is because I'm a woman but I feel like I would relinquish too much of my control by allowing someone to physically put something in me, especially a sub."

"That makes sense, I suppose, though I imagine it is very unsatisfying most of the time," Kelly says. When Eve nods in agreement, he continues, "I understand if you need to think about it but I would very much like the three of us to explore this new territory. You'll have to get me a new contract and let me know what your new rate will be, as I suppose that makes me a client of yours as well."

She thinks on it for a moment, "All right, Kelly. Let's try this out. My rate will be the same, since I won't be dominating you, but working with you. You won't need a new contract, the old one still applies...no guarantee of physical contact," she looks at him, a smiling growing on her face, "though I seriously doubt I will ever be able to refuse you."

"That's right, you won't. And, I know it might be odd but I would like you to spend the remainder of the evenings after the session here. With us. Spend the night too—because next time," he grins, "I'm not confident that you will be able to walk straight afterwards."

Eve gets a surprised look on her face, making Kelly laugh. She takes a moment to respond, "Let's play that by ear but it is good to know the offer is standing."

He refills their coffee cups, "Are you going to the House tonight?"

She frowns slightly, sipping the hot liquid, "Not tonight. I have a...date."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. The other one of two; he asked me to be his arm candy at some work thing," she shrugs.

Kelly watches her, "Are you two...a couple, then?"

"We are definitely something," she admits, "though I'm not confident that it will end up well."

"He isn't a submissive, is he? I imagine you more with a dominant man," he sips his coffee, thinking on it, "Or a submissive woman."

"He's a dom. It's weird for me seeing him fuck other women, so I can only imagine what he feels. I mean, I make my living off of sexual satisfaction, so almost every part of my day is saturated with sex. He's a lawyer, so when we do meet up at the House I imagine he wants more attention from me."

"A lawyer? So, you make a living fucking people and he makes a living fucking over people." Eve laughs with him before he continues, "I wouldn't get too wrapped up in thinking about it, Eve. He obviously knows what you do and well I am sure he'd rather you fuck his brains out every weekend, there must be a different connection that he wants with you beyond sex. Farah and I enjoy doing plenty of things together outside of sex. Is this the first serious relationship you had?"

She snorts, "Ah, no. I was married for years," she sees the surprised look on Kelly's face. "He was a dom and I was his sub. We held those roles for about ten years but he passed away several years ago from cancer. That's when I started up all of this," she waves her hand about. "Like I said, I'm secretive."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Eve," he says sincerely. "You were a true sub? Wow, that's another curve ball I wasn't expecting."

"Yeah," she finishes off her cup, "I've often wondered if that is why...the lawyer...wanted more—because I fully submit to him; I don't know if it is him unconsciously wanting more control over me or if he truly wants to be together."

"That, I am afraid, is something you'll have to find out on your own. But maybe after your date today you'll be able to discern his true feelings," Kelly checks his watch, before rising and putting his mug in the sink. Eve follows suit but when she turns to grab her bags she discovers that Kelly already has them.

"I'll walk you out," he says with a smile. On the way to her SUV, he strikes up more conversation, "Since Farah is starting to open up, I think that perhaps I will make an appearance at the House on Saturday."

Eve opens the back so that he can put her bags in, "Farah is not ready for that place," she says, almost warning him.

"Oh no, not with her. She is going to a get together at one of her friend's summer cabin or something, so she leaves tomorrow morning. I will be flying solo. But only, of course, if it is all right with her." He opens up the driver's side door for her.

Eve climbs in, "That would be a good idea, checking with her first."

When Kelly leans towards her, Eve pulls away slightly, "You know your neighbor is watching us?" She can see the man, two houses down, on his porch carrying a newspaper. He has been fiddling with the paper since they walked out of the house.

Kelly gets a big grin, "Oh yes, I do. It will definitely make the top of the neighborhood gossip this week," he reaches out and circles the back of her neck with his hand, pulling her close into a tender, warm kiss.

Eve lets it linger on, enjoying the affection. When Kelly finally pulls away, he continues, "Imagine how fun it would be if next time it is Farah kissing you in front of him."

She shakes her head and laughs. Kelly shuts her door, smiling as he walks away. Making it a point to look towards the neighbor, Kelly raises his hand in a greeting wave before walking back into the garage.

...

There is a knot in the pit of her stomach as she navigates the downtown city streets. Stopping at a red light, she tries to ignore the stares as everyone admires the classic car, the exact reason why she only ever drives her black SUV to town. She had rushed home from Kelly and Farah's this morning, driving the SUV all the way instead of swapping out for her Buick. While she was getting dressed, two random thoughts collided in her head: Jonathan and Octavian. Shuffling through her files while pulling the hot rollers out of her hair, she felt like she was going to throw up when she affirmed her vague suspicion; Jonathan just so happens to work in the same building as Octavian, five floors below the lawyers' offices in the penthouse.

She had spent way too long trying to figure out how to avoid running into him and before she knew it, she barely had enough time left to make it to the Keizer building. Then, as her luck would have it, her SUV had a flat tire; a jagged, rusty nail sticking out of it that she must have picked up on the gravel road. That left her two options—cancel, or take Paul's car. She earnestly thought about canceling but knew how disappointed Octavian would be, so instead she opened up the outbuilding and pulled the cover off of Paul's cherry red, 1969 Dodge Charger.

As a group of guys walk by her in the crosswalk, their heads crank around to look over the ridiculously pristine muscle car. Paul was a bit of a gear head and kept it in immaculate shape, even Eve would occasionally cop to it being a sexy car. She didn't have the heart to get rid of it or his Mustang after his death so she parked them both in the outbuilding and made sure to drive them on occasion so that they wouldn't go unloved. But even when Paul was alive, this car had never journeyed to the city.

Pulling up to the front of the Keizer building, Eve sees Octavian waiting, his face in slight awe as he admires the car. When Eve shuts off the rumbling engine, it is almost as if she can still feel the vibrations swirling her stomach around, anxiety and nervousness making her hands feel weak. Taking a deep breath, she grabs her clutch from the passenger's seat and steps out of the car, the door opened for her by the valet.

"Wow," is all the young valet says, as he trades a numbered chip for her keys. As if he knows what she will say, he adds, "I promise to be

extra

careful."

"Thank you," Eve replies, taking the chip and walking around the front of the car to Octavian.

When he realizes it is her, the shock appears on his face; he only stops staring at her when the valet fires the car up again, watching it slowly drive away to the garage. "I most definitely did not expect that from you. No SUV?" He asks, extending his hand to her.

"Flat tire," she says, "and I left my Buick in the storage garage, so I had to take whatever was parked at home."

"Whatever was parked at home," he repeats, looking her over.

Eve wears a sheer black, fifties style, short sleeve dress; it has a wide black waist band and a fluffy, billowing skirt that hits her mid shin. The deep V on the front is mirrored on her back, showing smooth white skin beneath it. Her long hair is down, the curls landing just past her biceps, half of it pulled back into a low key victory roll; with ruby red earrings and necklace to match her cherry red lipstick and high heels, she is rather elegantly dressed, even for her usual self.

She shifts nervously under his gaze, her stomach still summer salting, "Is it...too much?" Though Octavian is dressed in a grey suit with a light purple shirt and a darker purple tie, he is causal compared to her.

He smiles a big grin, "Oh no, not at all," he brings the back of her hand to his lips and kisses it, "Adrian Olsen, pleasure to meet you."

She smiles, taking a deep breath, "Gwenevieve Harrison."

"Gwenevieve?" he asks, "So 'Eve' isn't too far off, then?"

"I normally go by Gwen," she replies, "but perhaps Eve is just as common anymore."

He smiles at her, draping her hand in the crook of his arm before leading her to the elevator. Pushing the button, he makes conversation, "Thank you again my dear for suffering through this with me. How has your week been?"

"Very, very...weird," she says, watching the elevator open. Eve steps into the empty elevator first, followed by Octavian.

He presses the button for the top floor; just as the doors are starting to close, a hand slides in, causing them to open again. An older, executive type man in a white shirt and grey tie steps in first, only to be followed by another man; the second man, dressed in khakis and a green polo starts to enter the elevator but freezes dead in his tracks when he sees Eve.

"Well, come along, Jonathan," the older man says.

Jonathan jumps slightly, startled by the man's voice. He drops a few papers out of his hand, only to embarrassedly gather them up before standing in the elevator next to the older man.

"And it just keeps getting weirder," Eve mumbles under her breath to Octavian. She grasps her clutch with both hands, resting it against the front of her body.

"Oh, is it your yearly shindig already?" The older man says to Octavian while eyeing Eve.

Eve offers him a tight smile and a nod of acknowledgement before letting her eyes wander to the doors as they shut. She can see Jonathan's reflection in the polished brass, his entire stance is awkward at best.

"Sure is, Dave," Octavian replies, "no better way to celebrate a great year of work than by getting drunk half way through the day."

Dave laughs a little, "We were just headed up to see if Donnie was free, we have some things to go over with him."

"He was in his office a few moments ago, before I came down. I'm sure he still is."

The bell dings and the doors open up to the top floor.

"Good, well, enjoy your...party," Dave says; the pause before the end of his statement implies that he was thinking of Eve.

All of the men wait, wanting Eve to exit first. She begrudgingly obliges them, having to then wait for Octavian to exit and offer his arm. As he leads her to the right, Dave and Jonathan head left. Casually glancing over her shoulder, she sees Jonathan watching her over his. Eve smiles, winking at him.

"So what do I introduce you as?" Octavian asks midway down the hall.

"Eve would be just fine," she says.

He stops, turning towards her. He reaches out, his fingers gently caressing the side of her cheek, "That isn't what I meant..." his voice trails off.

"Oh," she replies, realizing his intent. "I suppose you could call me—" she is cut off short.

"Gwen Harrison?" A woman's voice queries.

Eve turns her head slightly to the sound, taking a moment to recognize the voice. She blinks slowly, clearly agitated, saying to Octavian, "I suppose I am Gwen today." Turning back towards the elevators, she plasters a learned smile on her face, "Mrs. Jones." She looks towards the direction of the sound knowing there is nothing particularly remarkable about the woman: late 40's, short dull brown hair, plump but not fat. Seeing that she stands next to a man in a suit, whom she guesses is a colleague of Octavian's, Eve corrects herself, "I mean, Ms. Jones," she sighs, feigning a mistaken face, before reaffirming, "Linda."

"Yes, please, Linda is fine," she says with a fake politeness.

The man next to her extends his hand to introduce himself, "Luke White."

Eve places her hand into the man's, smiling quaintly. He is shorter than her, with light brown hair, dull green eyes and a rather sharp looking nose. As he shakes her hand, she replies, "Gwen Harrison. I am Adrian's girlfriend." Forced to make the introduction, she concedes to labeling herself as such.

Luke looks surprised, "I didn't know you were dating such an exquisite creature, Adrian."

Octavian shrugs, not missing a beat, "You would, if you ever shut up long enough for me to get a word in edgewise. You two know each other?" He looks from Eve to Linda.