Page 32 of Take Me, Sir

Despite my lack of concentration, I managed to get a decent amount of information from Aramina, and then promised her I'd be in touch. When I got back to my car, it was well past lunchtime, but I wasn't hungry. I was frustrated, distracted, and also feeling guilty for how I'd handled things earlier.

Instead of going home or somewhere to eat, I gave the driver Kyndall's address. I'd never shied away from anything that I wanted, and she was what I wanted. She said that guys either only wanted sex or they wanted to control. While I did want both of those things with her, I also wanted more. I wanted to see what other ways we were compatible, see if there could be a relationship between us.

And that had to start with something we hadn't done yet.

A date.

As we pulled up in front of the building, I tried to remember how long it'd been since I'd actually asked a woman out on a date without the end goal of sex. Not that I'd say no to sex, but that wasn't the point. The point was getting to know her, seeing if we meshed as well outside of the bedroom as we did in it.

Fortunately, the doorman knew me, so I didn't have to buzz anyone to let me in. I was surprised at how nervous I was as I approached the door to her apartment. Kyndall wasn't like any other woman I'd ever met, and that meant I couldn't predict what she would say or do. It was...unsettling.

I knocked on the door and wondered if she'd simply look through the peephole, then ignore me. When I knocked a second time, though, the door opened.

“Did you come over to give me a lecture about all the things you've thought of since this morning that I need to do?”

“I came to apologize.”

She blinked, as if that was the last thing she'd thought I'd say. After a moment, she stepped aside and gestured for me to come in. I waited until we were both standing in the living room and her attention was on me before I said anything else.

“I'm sorry, Kyndall. You were right that none of that was my business. We've had sex, but that's it. I had no right to assume anything about what you wanted.” Some Doms – and some people in general – might've thought that admitting I was wrong made me look weak. I didn't see it that way. Honesty took strength. “And even if we were dating, it still wouldn't have been appropriate for me to put myself into your relationship with your brother.”

A moment of silence hung in the air before she responded, “Thank you.” Her voice was soft. “It means a lot that you'd say that.”

I crossed over to her, reaching for her hand. She looked surprised but didn't pull away. “That's not the only reason I came here. It was the first and most important, but not the only one.”

She threaded her fingers between mine. “What else was there?”

“I wanted to know if you would go out with me tomorrow night.”

“Out?”

I had to admit that I was enjoying seeing her off-balance. “On a date.”

She gave me a suspicious look. “Why?”

I laughed, squeezing her hand. “Because I realized, aside from my ill-advised comments this morning, I've enjoyed spending time with you more than I have with anyone else lately. And I want to see if that's the case when we're not having sex.”

She pulled her hand from mine, but not angrily, more like she couldn't think clearly when we were touching. “I need you to be a little more specific here, Dean. Are you talking about us hanging out like friends...with benefits?”

“No.” I chose my words carefully, wanting to make sure I was clear. “I want to see if we have what it takes to be in a relationship.” I gave her a crooked smile. “A real one, where I can call you love and dearie and sweetheart. Where I can offer my support for anything you need.”

She hesitated before responding, “I'm not sure that's a good idea.”

“One date, lo–Kyndall.” I corrected myself before using an unwelcome endearment. “If you think we can't work, then I'll back off like your brother wants me to.”

She gave me the sort of searching look that made me think she was looking for something specific. What, I didn't know, but I hoped I had it. I wanted to see if this worked between us.

“All right,” she agreed. “But only if I get to choose where we go on our date.”

I would've preferred to handle things, to set up the perfect date, but if letting her choose meant we could go out, I would do it. “Okay.”

“Good.” She crossed her arms and smiled. “I want to go to the club.”

She had to mean something other than what I was thinking. “The club?”

She nodded. “I want you to take me to the S&M club. If we're going to date, I need to see that part of your life for real. More than just a little bondage in bed. I want more than a taste.”

Shit.

Even if I took her on a night when I knew Dalton and Juliette wouldn't be there, even if we never went back after that, word would get back to them. Which meant I was going to have to decide between getting the chance at an opportunity for a relationship with Kyndall, and the possibility of losing my friendship with Dalton.

My eyes met hers, and I knew that there wasn't a choice. Not really. Something about this woman had grabbed me from the first time I met her, and I couldn't give that up without at least trying to see where things could go, and if I declined her request, it'd be over before it began.

“All right,” I said. “Tomorrow night, I'll take you to the club.”

And hope that her brother didn't beat the shit out of me for it.