Page 65 of Slave

“Excellent choice, ma’am. And for you sir?” he asked.

“I’ll have the special this evening.”

“Very well, sir,” he replied, picking up our menus. “Your appetizer will be out shortly.”

I barely waited for his back to turn before pulling Brianna into my arms, kissing her solidly, and burying my nose in her hair. It took her a moment to respond to my sudden action, but when she did it was like something deflated inside her. All at once all the tension she’d been holding left her, and I heard her sob.

Placing a kiss on her temple, I pulled back to look into her glistening eyes. I knew right then that without a doubt, Lily had been right. I loved Brianna Reeves.

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Brianna

I did it. I really did it.

Master was staring at me with a huge smile on his face, but I could barely see him through the tears pooling in my eyes. His right hand came up and brushed lightly across my cheek. I hadn’t realized the tears had started falling until that moment.

His touch was so gentle, and I knew without him saying it that he was proud of me. For some reason he wanted me not to be afraid. And I wanted that, too. For him. Master was so wonderful to me that I wanted to give him something back, and it was the only thing I had to give.

The waiter came to our table and lay down a plate. I knew he was there, and my body stiffened slightly even though I tried to will it not to. It helped that Master didn’t release me or move at all. He acted like nothing existed outside of us.

Slowly Master removed his hand from my face. It was almost like he didn’t want to but was forcing himself. He turned back to the table, releasing his hold on me altogether, and I immediately wanted it back.

No. I was never his slave. And neither are you.

I watched as Master moved the small pieces of bread, cheese, and basil from the large plate the waiter brought onto the small ones in front of us. His movements were so fluid, so graceful.

What had Lily meant?

He took a small bite of his food and chewed. When he realized I wasn’t following his example he glanced over at me and ordered, “Eat.”

With a deep breath to steady myself, I reached for the bread and took a bite. It was delicious. The bread must have been made fresh today, and the mozzarella was fresh, too. A leaf of basil created a nice contrast to the other two flavors. It was perfect.

I was so lost in my food and also keeping a covert watch on Master’s movements that I didn’t see our waiter approaching with our dinners. His voice caused me to jump, and Master’s hand fell onto my arm. Nothing could calm me like Master touch, but my heart was still pounding in my chest until the waiter went away.

We ate our meal in silence. It was just as good as the appetizer had been. Master let me taste a piece of his. I’d never had duck before.

After dinner we went to the grocery store just as he’d said. There were more people here tonight than when I’d come with Lily, and I moved closer to Master. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I felt his breath against my hair.

“You’re doing fine, Brianna. Just remember your numbers.”

Numbers. Yes. Remember the numbers.

He took a small step away from me and placed his hand in mine. Master didn’t move; he just stood there waiting. I realized he was waiting for me. With a deep breath, I took a step forward.

Master walked beside me as I pushed the cart through the store. Occasionally he’d pick up something and put it inside but mostly he just watched me.

At one point, Master walked several feet away to select something he wanted from the shelf. He’d done the same thing a couple of times before, but in that same moment a man holding a basket walked into the aisle about ten feet ahead of us. I felt my body tense and my breathing pick up. He looked directly at me.

I’d never seen this man before, but for some reason the way he was staring at me sent chills up my spine.

Remember your numbers.

Numbers, numbers.

The man walked toward me at a steady pace, and my eyes flashed to Master. His back was to me. I don’t think he’d seen the man. What did I do?

Numbers.

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