Page 60 of Dominant

She blinked, her expression softening. “And just what is ‘this’ anyway?” she asked.

“‘This’ is me telling you that I’m not up to anything. There’s no secret agenda here. I just need you, Jordan. I told you I needed you to be mine. And that means I need you to uphold your promises to me. To be loyal to me.”

“I am yours,” she whispered. “I am. It’s just hard for me to trust…” she trailed off.

“It’s hard for me to trust too. That’s why we have to do it together.”

“Alexander?” she looked up at me with her beautiful, wide, vulnerable eyes.

“Yes?”

“I’m drunk.”

On Monday morning, Mark and I had a meeting with our financial advisor to review Abbott Holdings’ investments. We met every month.

“Well, things are looking good,” he started with his report. “Overall, there have been gains, no losses. I brought you the detailed report for this morning, but the big news is that you’ve taken over the controlling interest of Chateau Andilet winery as of this morning.”

I almost did a double take. Instead I just raised an eyebrow. “Come again?”

“Yes. One shareholder has accepted your offer and sold you six shares, giving you a fifty-five percent stake. I have the notification here,” he pulled out a form and slid it across the desk to me. “According to the shareholder agreement, this gives you control of the company. You’re also able to elect an additional board member.”

I stared at it while he updated us on our other investments. Six shares.

That was Jordan’s portion.

I had taken Jordan home from the party on Saturday night and tucked her into bed, wrapping myself around her, and looking around her bedroom with interest.

“Don’t you want to fuck me?” she had murmured, half asleep.

“No. Go to sleep.”

She was everywhere in that room. From the stack of books on her nightstand (who had three books on the go at once?) to a display of Polaroid photos on her wall depicting her and countless other friends. It was all part of who Jordan was - a twenty-three year old woman just stepping into adulthood.

“Alexander,” I could hear the restrained laugh in her voice; a childish voice. “Remember you fucked me in the ass in the office?”

“I remember it well,” I kissed the back of her head. “Time for bed now, though.”

“First you let your friend fuck me, and then you fuck me. Right there in the same office as Marianne and everyone! I never thought my life would be like this. My family, you know, they can barely remember I exist. They have no idea that my life is so… interesting.”

Not too interesting, I hope, I thought, still looking at the Polaroid photos on the wall. I had forgotten how young Jordan was.

“Okay,” she answered sleepily. “Love you.”

My heart stopped and I froze. But only seconds later I heard her breath soften as she fell into a deep sleep. I had wrapped my arms around her tighter, deeply inhaling the scent of her hair, before slowly disentangling myself and leaving her apartment.

That morning, she had shown up for work as usual.

“So glad to see you’re feeling better,” Mark had said when she’d passed us in the hall. I’d merely nodded. Marianne, always insightful, had looked at all three of us skeptically, but Jordan had only smiled enigmatically, saying, “Yes, thanks. I’m feeling better.”

I approached her desk after the meeting.

“You sold your Chateau Andilet shares,” I said. More a statement than a question.

She nodded.

“Why?” I was impassioned. I wanted the Andilets to sell me their shares, not Jordan.

“Because I want you to have them.”

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