Illustration Credit: Vollmondgrinsekatze on DeviantArt

Chapter 23: Platinum

Mokuba noticed a change overtaking his brother as the bodyguards filed out of the condo. It scared and intrigued him at the same time. He'd seen a hint of it before, shortly after Seto met Joan, but this time its strength overpowered the room.

Seto unbuckled the belts around his shins. "Are you going or not?"

Mokuba took Joan's hand and led her into his bedroom. A round bed hugged the far corner of the room, and enormous windows overlooked the bay to the north and San Francisco to the west. Joan sensed that Mokuba's condo surpassed at least double the altitude of Seto's top-floor Hyatt suite.

Captivated by the view, Joan stood spellbound as Mokuba hugged her from behind. Mokuba wished he could capture this moment in time and keep it in a bottle for lonely days when he needed it the most. It felt so natural that he let himself fantasize about a future with her, but nagging doubts brought him back to the moment. "So what's the big secret?"

"I fell in love with you today," Joan said.

Sparks shot from his heart and dispersed to his limbs, producing a tingle across every centimeter of his skin. "For real?"

Joan turned to face him so he could see the sincerity in her eyes. "For real."

Mokuba took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If it's for real, why is it a secret?"

"It doesn't have to stay a secret, but I wanted you to be the first to know."

"Whore," his voice was tight, strained, "you're only telling me what I want to hear."

"Not only what you want to hear."

"But I did more or less tell you that's what I want to hear a few moments ago. What if Seto is right about the gold digger stuff? What if you're just trying to trade your husband in for a richer model?"

"I'm not leaving Michael. I don't need to leave him to love you. What's more . . ." Joan slipped her phone out of her purse and rested her head on Mokuba's shoulder. She held it up so they could both see it, so Mokuba could watch every tap and stroke of her fingers as she unlocked the phone and pulled up the Clockify app. Federal minimum wage displayed on the hourly rate. It had been running that way for over four hours, since she and Seto had met up with him. "This is Seto's time, not yours. That's his discount for inviting you along. If you don't want me, we could just make some noise for him, but I'd rather do this for real, for both of you."

Joan stopped the clock. The silicon, lithium, cobalt, lead, platinum and numerous other elements worked in tandem to signal a halt to her workday. Joan turned off her phone and slipped it back into her purse, then dropped it to the floor. She took both of Mokuba's hands in hers.

Oxytocin, dopamine, and other love hormones flooded Mokuba's system. He found himself shaking uncontrollably as their effects rippled through his entire body. He hadn't planned for this. "Fuck." He took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. His mind went blank and he spoke the only words that came to him. "I love you too."

Mokuba tilted his head as he met Joan's incoming lips. His brain raced to remember at least one of the techniques she'd taught him earlier, but instead he wound up lost. Lost and found at the same time. He didn't have to be good at this; he only had to let his feelings do the work for him. Besides, she'd probably had much worse.

Mokuba bunched the fabric of Joan's dress in his hands, drawing the hem up her thighs. Joan stepped back and grinned at him, then pulled the dress over her head. Despite Marc's admonitions against it, she'd worn a bra. Teal leopard print encased her assets.

Mokuba's slacks became snug around his growing erection. Joan stepped forward and ran fingers down his neck as she graced him with another kiss. She undid his buttons at a leisurely pace, stroking his chiseled chest as she worked her way ever lower.

Joan pressed her cheek to the cool metal of Mokuba's KC belt buckle before clicking it open. She unzipped his slacks and let them fall, leaving him in only his boxers. She stood up and teased his bulge as a few soft moans escaped him.

"Don't hold back," Joan said against his ear.

Mokuba felt the edges of Joan's bra, trying to figure out how to get it off. Joan remained patient, giving him all the time he needed. He eventually found the clasp in the back and fumbled until he got it open. Joan delighted in Mokuba's look of triumph as he removed the obnoxious contraption to reveal rapidly hardening nipples. He took one in his mouth and ran his tongue over its ridges.

Joan tossed her hair back and moaned, louder than she would normally, hoping Seto could hear. When she felt Mokuba had explored enough, she knelt down and freed his cock from his boxers, taking the opportunity to grab a condom from her purse as well.