Page 56 of Truth

Her body jerked.

“Do you trust me?”

Brianna looked up at me. “Yes.”

I pulled her into my arms and held her.

“I do... trust you. I do.”

“Just remember that, sweetheart. I would never do anything you didn’t want me to do, but I can also show you things, make you feel things, you’ve never experienced before.” I tilted her head up so I could kiss her lips. “Remember how you like kneeling before me? How you like it when I pull your hair? Did you like those things before?”

“No.”

I kissed her again. “See? Everything is different now, which is why you have to trust me.”

The guilty expression returned.

“Hey. None of that now. I know this is hard for you, Brianna. I don’t expect it to be easy. Just remember you always have your numbers and your safewords. You can always stop anything we do together at any time.”

She nodded.

“Now. I do believe you mentioned something about lasagna?”

Brianna giggled. “Yes.”

“Wonderful,” I said, patting her leg. “I’m starved.”

Chapter Sixteen

Stephan

Dinner was delicious as always. By the time we finished eating, I was stuffed. I seemed to do that all too often with her cooking.

After helping her clean up, I took a seat in my chair and pulled her down with me to sit on my lap. Sometimes I think this little ritual of ours had become as important to me as it had for her. It was a time for me to decompress and to reconnect with her after being gone all day. Being the president of The Coleman Foundation was a lot of work and even more pressure.

That first year out of college, I’d had to prove myself, show that it wasn’t just my name on the letterhead but that I could contribute to the cause my parents had begun. I didn’t date anyone seriously for that entire year. Only for the sake of needing to forget about work for a while had I gone to a few local private lifestyle parties. It was there I’d met Lily, so I couldn’t regret the decision, although it made me realize the mountain I had ahead of me.

If recognition didn’t occur the moment I introduced myself, it came quickly thereafter. The Coleman heir stepping into his role as president of The Coleman Foundation had been front-page news. One of the reasons I’d been attracted to Lily was that she didn’t seem affected by who I was.

When women, and some men, at those parties had looked at me, I’d been able to tell they were seeing dollar signs. It had been more about what I could potentially give them financially if they were my submissive than what they were looking for in a relationship. That was why, after playing with Lily and deciding we were better off as friends, I’d decided to stay out of the dating scene for a while. I’d had enough on my plate at the time without having to worry about a woman looking to become a trophy wife.

In the end, I’d achieved my goal and earned the respect of my colleagues. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Glancing down at Brianna where she lay with her head on my shoulder, I was reminded again of how different she was from the other women I’d met. It had nothing to do with what she’d been through and everything to do with who she was. I’d thought Tami had been different. When I’d first met her, she hadn’t acted as if my wealth mattered to her. In the end, however, she began to show her true desires. She wanted to move in with me, have me put a ring on her finger, and a limitless credit card in her hand.

Brianna didn’t care about any of those things. She wasn’t fake. She didn’t pretend. I could be myself with her, even if sometimes I had to keep in mind how fragile she was.

When we talked about my day, she was genuinely interested. If I told her about a family struggling, there were tears in her eyes—her heart went out to them. She cared about people, even though being around them scared her.

Closing my eyes, I relaxed and enjoyed the feel of her in my arms. She accepted me for me, not because of who I was. To me, that was invaluable.

“Sir?”

“Yes, Brianna?”

“Is everything... okay?”

I kissed the top of her head and rested my cheek against her hair. “Yes, sweetheart. Everything’s fine. How about you? Tell me about your day.”

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