The Nightingale Agency Pt. 11

"Oh heavens yes," Linda chimes in before Eve can speak, "for almost ten years now she has been my daughter's piano teacher. And we are so lucky to such a talented woman in our small town—in fact, Kerry got an audition at Julliard."

"Right, piano lessons," Octavian says, giving Eve a look, "How I could forget? Well, if you don't mind excusing us for a moment, I have a quick call to make before we join you." Smiling, he slides his hand into Eve's, fingers intertwining hers. Turning, he continues to lead her down the hall and into the office at the corner, shutting the door behind her.

"Well, that was awkward as fuck," Eve says, looking around his office.

"I am so sorry, I knew Luke was dating some new housewife but he never mentioned her name," Octavian stands before her, his hands on his hips. Pausing, his brow crinkles, "Piano lessons?"

Eve opens her mouth to speak, hesitating a moment. Her anxiety hasn't gone away and in fact has only gotten worse, "Do you have any alcohol stashed in here?"

He laughs, walking to a filing cabinet. Pulling out a bottle of gin and two glasses, he hands her one, pouring it half full. She knocks the entire thing back, exhaling as it burns down her throat, "Okay. So, I know that I don't open up very much..."

Octavian raises his glass to her, "Understatement of the year."

She gives him a look, "I deserved that. I'll give you the cliff notes version of my life right now and then later when we have time, I promise that I will tell you whatever you want to know."

He sips his gin, pouring her a little more, "Fair enough."

Sipping the refill, she condenses it down for him, "I met Paul when I was twenty. We went to the same University and he was the TA for one of the gen ed classes I was taking. I got a degree in music performance and nutrition. I'm not quite sure where I was going with those, but," she shrugs, "Whatever. Paul was going for his master's in education. After we graduated, he was offered a teaching job in Odgen, which is about forty minutes from here. He was way overqualified for it and they weren't able to pay him what he was worth but he always wanted to live in the country and teach in a small town so that's why we moved there. I used to substitute teach at the school quite a bit and help out with their musicals and what not; when I first started teaching piano I had nearly twenty students. Paul taught horticulture, automotive and coached track. This," she says, motioning towards herself before polishing off her drink, "the whole vintage, pin up lifestyle was all him. He was very much an old soul and I was more than happy to comply. I guess I've just gotten used to it. Maybe I still keep it up because it reminds me of him," she gazes to the side, looking out the window. "I mean, if I were to stop now I'd have to completely gut the house. Buy new furniture, new clothes..." as the gin hits her and she feels her anxiety giving way towards intoxication, she realizes she is rambling, "Right, so about four years ago Paul got sick. The cancer took him down so hard, he had to stop teaching. I cut almost all of my students so that I could take care of him but in the end...he died. Things were never really the same after that. I stopped getting as involved with the high school, one by one my students graduated and moved away. I only have five left and they are all seniors so after this year I will probably be done teaching."

She turns back to Octavian, seeing that he is watching her intently, "The Charger was Paul's car. Oh, and do you want to know something really ironic? I had a meeting with Principal Kirkpatrick about some inappropriate things a few of seniors were saying about me—and she introduced me to the man that they hired to replace Paul. William."

His mouth falls open, "Wait, from the House? Are you fucking serious?"

"Yeah, so, that's great."

"So he knows who you are?"

"Yes. And he tried to blackmail me, I think," she stares down at the remaining gin before tossing it back, "but whatever. So to pull the rug out from under him, I think I've decided to try to open up to people and not be so...mysterious." She can feel the gin hit her harder than it should have; then she recalls that she didn't eat last night and only a light breakfast with Kelly this morning. She sets the glass on a table before he has the chance to fill it up again.

Octavian sips the last of his gin, "Okay, that is a lot to process." He sets the bottle and his glass down next to hers, "but I suppose we are even, because I kind of feel like I'm throwing you to the wolves. The guys I work with are a bunch of assholes and since I've never brought you, or anyone for that matter, to this, they're going to give you a lot of shit."

Eve shrugs, "Did I tell you that I minored in bullshitting?"

He laughs, "Fair enough." He steps towards her, sliding his hands around her hips to pull her close, "So you're my girlfriend? Or were you just being polite?"

She reaches up for his tie, straightening it. Pondering for a moment, she says, "Sure, why not? I mean, I can tolerate you more than most."

Chuckling, he closes the distance between them, lightly pressing his lips to hers. Before they can get too caught up in it, there is a knock at the door. Octavian pulls back, a frustrated look on his face. He lets Eve go before answering the knock, "Yes?"

A tall, thin man walks in, "Hey, Adrian—holy shit, I thought Luke was joking." He stops talking when Eve turns towards him; the man shifts awkwardly, "I mean, sorry that was rude. I'm Joe," he walks into the office, extending his hand towards Eve.

Adrian sweeps his hand in front of him, "By all means, Joe, come on in." Joe laughs nervously, grasping Eve's small hand in his. Adrian continues the introduction, "Joe Keller, Gwen Harrison."

"Wow, it's, ah, nice to meet you ma'am," Joe stutters.

"Please, call me Gwen. And it is nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you," she says with a smirk.

"You—you have?" Joe says, nervously glancing at Adrian.

"Ah, no, in fact, not a fucking thing. Adrian doesn't talk shop with me much. Nope, instead he decided to bring me here like a lamb to the slaughter."

Joe laughs earnestly, "Well Gwen, just give them all hell. And drink a lot of liquor, that will help."

She nods towards the empty gin glasses, "Check, and check."

Octavian takes Eve's clutch, "I'll lock this in my desk and then we can make an appearance."

Joe walks with them; they round a few more hallways before the floor opens up into a vast common space, which appears to be more for pleasurable events than negotiations. There are three clusters of chairs, a larger seating area with two couches facing each other, a fireplace, several tables put together and catered with an absurd amount of food and tucked back in the corner a wet bar next to a grand piano, where a man in a tuxedo softly plays background classical music.

There are at least a dozen, if not more, men in suits and several well dressed women. Though they maintain their conversations, most of the eyes track Eve and Octavian as he brings her over to the bar. "Two gin and tonics," Octavian orders for them.

"Actually, could I please get a Maker's, neat?" She catches the bartender.

"I've never known you to drink whiskey," Octavian says, leaning against the bar to look at her.

"Like I said, it's been a weird week," she smiles.

"Jesus, Adrian, I know we gave you shit last year about coming alone but you didn't have to go out and hire an escort," a grumbly voice catches Eve's ear from behind.

Adrian closes his eyes in embarrassment, turning away from the bar as the man approaches. Eve follows suit, turning to see a large, wide older man in a dark blue suit. His bald head slightly reflects the natural lighting, his beady eyes looking over Eve. When he realizes how elegant she looks, he seems to regret his words; instead of backing down, he sips his drink, which is clearly not his first.

Raising an eyebrow, slightly aghast, Eve responds, "That was rather insulting," she looks to Adrian, who appears to have lost some color in his face, turning back to the man, she continues, "because if I were an escort, Adrian most definitely wouldn't be able to afford me."

The old man chokes on his drink, laughing, "Oh, she's a quick one, Adrian."

"Gwen, this is my boss, Eric Berkway. Eric, my girlfriend, Gwen Harrison."

"Girlfriend, huh? How come I've never met her before?" Eric says, surprised.

"Because then I'd have to introduce her to this sorry lot of assholes," Adrian says, throwing it right back at Eric.

"You are...not wrong," Eric replies. He looks like he is going to make more conversation but someone calls his name from across the room. "It was lovely to meet you, Ms. Harrison. I apologize if I was a bit crass," he says to her.

She smiles, "Not at all, Mr. Berkway. I can give it as good as I can take it."

He laughs, raising his glass before walking away.

"So, I'm mortified," Octavian says, handing her the glass of whiskey, "why don't we go eat our feelings?"

Eve laughs slightly, following him to the buffet.

The afternoon proceeds on; Eve is introduced to everyone in the room and more than once she has to reaffirm that she has not been paid to attend with Octavian. When Linda makes a point to tell several people that she knows Eve, the escort comments start to dissipate. It has been a long time since Eve has had to mingle with such a large group but she lays the charm on thick. It reminds her a bit of her past, when she would attend events with Paul and would have to make small talk with the other teachers and their spouses. Luckily, she is good at bluffing and hiding her anxiety of the situation. After several hours of drinking, the lawyers seem to run out of entertaining conversation and someone makes a request for Eve to play the piano for them. Though she declines politely, Octavian doesn't let it go.

"Oh come on, my dear, I would really love to hear you play," his voice is sincere, but there is a cheeky grin on his face. Eve feels that somehow, this is fallout from her keeping her life a secret from him for so long.

She sighs, finishing off her third whiskey before standing up. Making her way to the piano, she politely asks the pianist if he would like a break. He thankfully accepts. Eve smoothes her skirt against the back of her legs and sits down, kicking off her heels so that she can mind the pedals below. She makes a motion towards the keys but drops her hands back in her lap, "I don't know what to play. Any requests?"

The remaining people gather around the piano. Someone says, "Beethoven's 11th symphony."

Eve's brow crinkles as she makes a face, "I don't think I have the words to tell you how dumb of a request a symphony is. That, and Beethoven only wrote nine symphonies."

A few people from the crowd laugh. Someone, intentionally trying to be an asshole, requests a Nine Inch Nails song.

Eve shakes her head, "We've got a room of fucking scholars here," she jokes. Raising her hands to the keys, she surprises them all by playing an acoustical version of the song. For good measure, she even sings the words. When she finishes, there is a brief, surprised applause before someone requests another contemporary song. Eve plays and sings, request after request, shocking all of them that she knows and can play each one.

After about half an hour, she clears her throat, starting to feel it get scratchy. She nods to the pianist in the tuxedo and he walks back over from the bar. "I'm afraid that's it for me," Eve says, "If I sing much more, I won't be able to scream for Adrian later." She puts on a cheeky smile and winks at Octavian.

Everyone laughs, the crowd slowly disperses from the piano. Eve gets praise from several people before she is finally left alone with Octavian.

"You continue to surprise me, Gwen," he says, placing his hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the bar.

She takes a glass of water from the bartender, sipping it before responding, "Like I said, I minored in bullshitting. I made up the words to some of those songs but everyone is too drunk to realize it."

He laughs, glancing at his watch, "It's already five. Did you want to go to the House tonight?"

"Only if you drive," she says, "the Charger isn't exactly a discrete car."

"I would love to drive, but," he says, trying to smile innocently, "I caught a ride to work with someone today, so my car is at home. Of course, we could go get it."

Eve looks at him; his smile breaks out into a grin. She shakes her head, "That was...sly and underhanded. Hey, maybe you should be a lawyer!"

"Come on," he says, "let's get your purse. We can head back to my place."

They make their way out of the larger room and down the hallway to Octavian's corner office. He opens the door for her, motioning her in. Eve enters; she walks towards his desk, the entire wall behind it is a window, overlooking the city and the surrounding shorter buildings. Once she gets her bearings, she looks down several streets and can just make out the top of the House.

Octavian unlocks her lower right desk drawer, pulling her clutch out. Eve steps back from the window and rests against the edge of his desk, watching the rush hour traffic pick up below. Shutting the drawer, he sets her purse on the desk and stands in front of her, cutting off her view of the city. He smiles slightly, his eyes wandering over her, "Thank you again for coming. You definitely made an impression."

She laughs slightly, feeling drained; she knows she easily drank twice as much as she should have but it took a large amount in order for her to loosen up the anxiety in her veins. She can still feel the intoxicated haze pulsing through her, "Hopefully it was a good one."

He steps closer; putting his hands on her waist, he lifts her up onto the edge of the desk, before pressing his legs in between hers, "Most definitely. You've been a very good girl." His hand slides up the hem of her dress, teasingly caressing her inner thigh before stopping at the outside of her lace panties. Slowly, he strokes her pussy lips through the fabric, the lace doing little to stop the moist heat coming off of her skin.

A shiver runs down her spine; she grabs a hold of his tie, pulling him towards her for a kiss, "We can do this back at your place. Besides, your office door is still open."

He grabs her hips and yanks her forward to his body; she can feel the firmness of his growing cock through his trousers. "Oh, we'll do it there too," he says. His fingers latch onto the top of her panties and he peels them from her skin, his hot mouth on hers while he pulls them down her thighs and over her knees. When he breaks the kiss, there is a devilish look in his eye; he kneels in front of her, sliding the panties down her calves and over her heeled feet. He brings them to his nose and takes a deep whiff. With a wink, he opens his desk drawer and places them inside, "These are mine now."

Eve raises an eyebrow at him, "You realize I don't have very many pairs. Because I don't wear them often."

"Oh, limited edition," he replies, clicking his tongue on his teeth. His hands wander up her calves to her ass, where he pulls her forward to the edge of the desk. Eve watches him as he pushes the hem up, leaning his face in to her; he teasingly licks her lower lips, working his tongue deeper into the folds until he finds her clit.

She bites down on her lip, glancing over her shoulder at the open office door. She has had many sexual encounters before and plenty in front of others but has never experienced the thrill of possible discovery by an unsuspecting person; her strained voice, deep with want, chokes out, "What if someone walks in and catches us? Aren't you worried about your job?"

He sucks harshly on her clit, his words mumbled by her flesh, "Then they will get a good show, darling, and I seriously doubt my boss would fire me for fucking my drop dead gorgeous girlfriend in my office."

Eve feels the tightness of desire in her chest; she leans back slightly on the desk, placing her palms against it behind herself. She cannot see Octavian's head, only the poofy fabric of her dress. Her heart races faster when he slips two fingers deep into her cunt, curling them upwards. Her legs shake as he strokes her g-spot while flicking her clit with his tongue. Her muscles begin to tighten, her legs trying to clamp shut on him but he forces them open, moving even faster. The rush explodes over Eve and she barely manages to stifle a moan as her cunt clamps down on his fingers. Octavian leans backwards, out from under her dress, a grin plastered on his damp lips, though he keeps pumping his fingers in and out of her. Eve's body involuntarily twitches inward, her pussy throbbing with sensitivity.

He stands up, still stroking in and out of her but grasps behind her neck with one hand, pulling her close. She tastes herself on his lips, groaning into his mouth when he doesn't relent his attack. Only when he finally pulls his hand free and steps back, is she able to draw a breath—but it is a short one. He pulls on her hand, forcing her to stand, only to spin her around and bend her over his desk. His feet kick hers to the side, pushing her legs wide open, his hands tracing up the backs of her thighs before flipping her skirt over her, exposing her bare ass and dripping pussy to view.

She glances over her shoulder at him, seeing him lick his lips, "This memory will haunt my work days for a long time." He smiles, unzipping his trousers to pull out his cock. He doesn't pause, but immediately steps forward and buries it to the hilt in her moist, tight cunt.

Eve reaches out, grabbing the far edge of the desk with her hands as Octavian starts to pound into her. A shudder cascades through her body, her pussy pulsing with her previous orgasm but another one not far behind. She closes her eyes, focusing on the sensation of his cock pulling out and thrusting back into her, so deep that he bottoms out when he presses hard against her ass. His pace is quick, overly excited about taking her in his office.

Eve makes a futile attempt at keeping her orgasm at bay but fails miserably as it comes crashing down upon her, threatening to drown her in waves of bliss. She twitches and squirms under Octavian, who doesn't slow, though he only has a dozen more thrusts before he presses hard against her, his hands slamming down on the desk as he cums deep in her cunt. He stays bent over her, panting, trying to catch his breath.

Slowly, he eases out of her. Eve remains on the desk, trying to regain her resolve while Octavian tucks his dick back into his pants before flopping down in his office chair. He leans back and admires the view of his cum dripping out of her pussy and down her leg.

Eve finally opens her eyes, releasing her death grip on the desk. She pushes herself up onto her elbows, feeling the warm fluid trailing down her leg. Before she can stand, she feels Octavian's hands grasp her just above the knee, then his long wet tongue drags upwards against her skin as he licks his cum off of her flesh. She shudders at the slow, warm licks over her pussy, a moan escaping her mouth when he pushes his tongue into her still gaping hole. Only when he has most of her clean does he release his grip on her thighs. Eve finally stands, letting her dress fall back down as she turns to face him, seeing that he still rides the haze of his own orgasm. A cheeky smile crosses his lips, "Have you ever fucked someone while being watched, Eve? Like, actual penetration, not toying and dominating them."

"Sure," her mind flashes briefly to last night.

"I'm talking about true public sex, in front of a stranger to our world."

She closes her eyes, slowly drawing in a breath to slow her still racing heart, "No, I suppose not."