Page 23 of Submit

“Yes.”

“Good.”

She laughed. “You really are a sadist.”

A small chuckle from him. “I’ve never claimed otherwise.”

She could hear the humor in his voice, and she liked it. Liked that he could be so serious with her when they were sceneing, and that he was beginning to relax with her now, too.

“A long, hot shower is good for the soreness,” he told her. “You can use an ice pack if you need it.”

“Do you expect I’ll ever need an ice pack?” she asked, flirting as much as she dared with him.

His tone lowered. “I have specific plans that I hope will require an ice pack.”

He was still joking—to some extent. But the words made her go soft and warm and needy all over.

“I hope so, too.”

Another chuckle from him. Then he asked, “Tell me, Skye, have you had any symptoms of sub drop? Any unreasonable fears? Fleeting depression, melancholy? Anything out of the ordinary that we should talk about?”

“No, just that spaciness. No mood instability. I really do feel good.”

“Excellent. If you do, you’re to call me right away. And this is not an arguable point. Now, tell me what your week will be like.”

“I have two classes to teach, on Tuesday and Thursday.”

“Ah, what’s your subject?”

“The female artists of the Impressionist era.”

“Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot?”

“Yes, among others. You really do know your art. I saw… well, I sort of saw the works in your house. You have some incredible pieces.”

“I’ve been collecting since I could afford to, a few years now. Once I’d made enough money to buy my first house the art came next. Even before my first new car.”

“I just realized I don’t even know what you do.”

“I’m a stock trader. I’ve worked from home for almost ten years, built a good portfolio. Now I mostly have a manager look after my business, which leaves me free to travel when I want to. But I still have to get my hands in things once in a while, just for the challenge of it. I also got into real estate a few years ago, and I’ve done pretty well. I have a few apartment buildings here in the city and one house across the bridge in Marin. I’ve always figured I’d retire there eventually.”

“That’s saying something in this economy. What else do you do, aside from working? And… the kind of things you do with me?”

“I race my car—take it up to a track in Sonoma. It started as a defensive driving course a long time ago…”

He trailed off and she waited for him to finish.

“Adam?”

“Yeah… I also play some hockey. And I like to snowboard or ski when I can get away.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn how,” she told him. “I love the snow. I’ve rented a cabin up at Lake Tahoe with friends a few times and we’ve taken snowmobiles out, which I loved, but I’ve never gotten around to taking snowboard lessons. Maybe this winter.”

“You should do it. You should try whatever it is you want to.”

“Including kink?” she asked.

“It seems to be working out well for you so far.”

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