Page 66 of Slave

Five.

He came closer.

Six.

The man was only a few feet away. His eyes were now filled with an expression I didn’t understand.

Seven.

I felt pain in my chest as the man slid between Master and me. His chest brushed against me as he turned to the side to get through the narrowed space. I could feel his breath against my neck he was so close!

Eight. Eight!

“Yellow,” I choked. Oh please, please.

I felt someone pulling at my fingers that were now holding onto the cart in a death grip. No. Please no. No.

“Brianna.”

The fingers that had been pulling at my hands were gone now.

Soft hands touched my face. “Brianna, open your eyes,” said a firm voice.

When I forced my eyes open, it was Master’s face that I found. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I needed to be close to him. I released the cart and fell against him. The worst he could do was push me away here in the store. I didn’t care what he did to me later.

But he didn’t push me away. Instead he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me tighter. All the panic I’d felt faded away. I was safe. Master would protect me.

I had no idea how long we stayed like that. Someone asked Master if I was okay, and he answered that I was fine. We were causing a scene. I was causing a scene. But he didn’t seem to care.

Tilting my head up just a little so that he and he alone could hear me, I whispered, “Thank-you, Master.”

He kissed my hair and squeezed me tighter. “Are you all right?” I nodded.

Now that I’d calmed down I realized how silly my reaction had been. Master was right there only a few feet away. I was his. He wouldn’t have let anything happen to me.

Then he surprised me by asking, “Do you wish to go home or do you want to continue?”

I glanced over at our groceries, but his hand pulled my chin back so that I was looking at him. “Brianna, I don’t care about the food. It can rot here in the middle of the store for all I care. Do you want to finish shopping or do you wish to go home?”

The thought of leaving all this food to rot, as he’d said, didn’t feel right, but I knew he meant every word. Master would leave, just as he said he would, if that was what I wanted. He was leaving the option up to me.

“I’d like to finish, please.” He nodded and released me.

We finished our shopping, but he never left my side again. His hand touched some part of me at all times.

Stephan

I continued to think about what happened at the store the entire way home. In a way I was glad. At least I’d been there, and she had used her safe word. The downside was that she had panicked and had to use that safe word.

She walked behind me as we entered my condo, both of our arms full of groceries. Taking them to the kitchen, I set the bags down and left her to put them away.

In my room, I removed the jacket and tie from work I was still wearing since I’d not taken the time to change before we left. Unbuttoning the top two buttons of my shirt, I looked at myself in the mirror.

I could hear her moving around in the other room. The pull I felt toward her continued to get stronger as did the conviction I’d felt tonight at dinner. Somehow in all this mess I had fallen in love with the woman now gracing my kitchen.

Running a hand through my hair, I took a deep breath. I had no idea what I was going to do, no idea how to deal with these emotions I felt.

Why did the first time I fell in love have to be with a woman who may never be capable of loving me back?

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