Page 19 of Master

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SASHA

“Be your submissive?” I timidly repeat his question before rebutting, “I barely know you.”

It’s not like not knowing a man’s name has ever stopped them from taking your submission—or your body—before, Sasha.

There’s something about Liam that isn’t like all of them, though. He has shown me more compassion in the incredibly short time I’ve known him than any man I’ve ever met has. I can’t believe how fast I dismissed him.

“I’m not asking as some ploy to take you home and fuck you.” He pauses when I gasp at his bluntness. “I want to teach you, Sasha.”

“Teach me?”

“You deserve to know how you should to be treated. I want to show you how amazingly powerful this lifestyle can really be. More than anything, I want to watch you grow.”

I stare into the empty cup in my hands, trying to come up with a response.

“I’m not trying to push this on you.” Liam reaches across the table and brushes the hair from my face. Glancing up, I’m met with the soft blue of his sincere eyes. “Tell me what you’re thinking, or ask me a thousand questions if you have them. This isyourdecision.”

My decision?

I haven’t decided anything for myself my entire life. Father made them all when I was a little girl to ensure I was the perfect little princess for him. When he passed away, my brother took over for a while. Viktor, his best friend, quickly absolved him of my care when we started dating. I was seventeen. Then Alex… Trevor… Shawn… Isaac.

“I need to be clear that this would be temporary,” Liam continues. “It would be an arrangement, not the beginning of a long-term relationship. I would be your teacher, and you would be my student. During our time together, I would be fully committed to you and your training.”

“How temporary?”

Liam mulls over my question, taking a moment to answer, “Six months.”

“Would you have another sub, too?” I ask, assuming he would want to have someone else to take care of his needs.

“Just you,” he tries to calm the inquisitive look taking over my face. “During our six months, I would be fully committed to you.Onlyyou. Completely monogamous.”

“Monogamous?” My brows furrow with confusion, leaving me inadvertently mocking the look on his face. “I thought you said you didn’t want to have sex with me?”

“I didn’t say I don’t want to have sex with you, sweetheart,” he quickly refutes, a gentle chuckle rattling in his chest. “I said this wasn’t a ploy to take you home to fuck you. You are fucking gorgeous. I would eagerly fuck you. But I’ll earn your desire as I earn your submission. And when I do, I will enjoy every inch of your beautiful body.”

I swallow hard, and I swear the sound of my gulp echoes through the empty club as a heated flush rises up my neck and over my cheeks. His overtness makes it hard to maintain his searing gaze, and I drop my eyes to the table again. I shift in my seat, trying to relief some of my emotional discomfort with the physical sensation. The movement leaves me suddenly acutely aware of the wound below my butt. “Will you punish me?” I blurt.

“No.” Liam shakes his head. “When you don’t adhere to our rules, I will correct you.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Yes. Sometimes,” he answers honestly. “I will hurt you, but I willneverharm you.”

It feels like each question I ask leads to another, but Liam answers every last one. Running his hand over mine, he insists, “This is your decision. One you don’t need to make today. I will have Layla book a hotel for you until we can find you a suitable place to stay for a while.”

I’m either quickly growing comfortable with this idea, or Liam is working some magical reverse psychology on me. Every time he offers me time and space, I lean closer to blindly accepting his offer.

“I’m not saying that I am, but if I were to say yes, what would I call you?”

“Liam.”

“Not Sir? King? Lord? Or Master?”

“Liam,” he repeats. “I will earn the privilege of an honorific.”

As promised, Liam gave me a place to stay for the night. A small suite at the luxurious Dominick Hotel.

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