Page 21 of Dominate Me

As I took my first small bite of salad, my stomach growled in appreciation. Ignoring it, I answered him. “I have a fantastic staff that knows how to run everything. When I took over, I kept all the employees my parents hired and most of them have been there for years. But I’ll most likely be on-call at all hours during the heavy tourist months. Right now is our slow season, and while we’re not at capacity on weekends, we still have a decent amount of business.”

I tucked into my salad while Jensen continued peppering me with questions about the resort and my life there. I told him about the house that I was living in on the property and my favorite things about growing up in that sort of environment. My childhood had been normal, but I always thought better than others.

I had friends all summer long, even if the friends always left when their vacations were over. But I had the opportunity to meet people from all over our country and a handful of others.

While we spoke, Jensen never once took his eyes or attention off me, and the flutter in my stomach became more frequent. He was so different than any man I’d ever met—intense and focused on whatever was in front of him.

I hoped it was more.

I hoped it was me.

When I placed the last bite of my salad into my mouth, Jensen surprised the hell out of me by saying, “Now, let’s discuss those limits of yours.”

I choked on my lettuce.

Jensen

Damn. She was adorable, which was a word I never thought I’d use to describe anyone over the age of ten. Haley had an air about her, though, that attracted me to her from the first moment we spoke. Before that, it had undeniably been about her beauty. Even now, sitting across from her, watching her speak, I could hardly pull my eyes off her. Her lush pink lips, a perfect, thin nose that tipped up a bit at the end, and those eyes.

They were so large and open. She didn’t hide anything behind them. I figured most women her age would be embarrassed or run down at telling someone their marriage failed. Not Haley.

As with everything else I had gathered about her, she knew who she was and what she wanted and she wasn’t the type of woman to settle...at least not for long.

I gave her a moment to take a drink of her water after I flustered her.

I enjoyed it. I enjoyed seeing the crimson stain her high cheekbones and the way her lips crinkled.

“My limits?” she asked.

I leaned forward and clasped my hands together, resting my forearms on the table. Tilting my head, I reviewed what I remembered from the other night. As I spoke, the crimson on her cheeks crept down to her neck.

“This embarrasses you. Tell me why?”

Her eyes flickered around the restaurant and she lowered her voice. “I suppose I’m not used to talking about this in public, or at all yet, really.”

Made sense. I’d pushed her boundaries so far past what she’d ever imagined being a sub could be, that soon, she’d answer and ask questions regardless of where we were, or who we were around.

“I’m typically a busy man,” I said, getting to the heart of the matter. What she wanted. What she expected. “And you obviously can’t be at my beck and call, so we’ll need to determine what days work for you. And when.”

I’d already made the decision to train her. Fuck getting involved with a client. I didn’t have to worry about mixing business with pleasure anymore. Ron handled all property dispute cases, anyway, and was one of the first lawyers I brought on to the firm when I took over after my father died. I was young and naive and a bit green around the collar, but Ron already had twenty years’ experience of being a partner at another firm. He coached me more in business than anyone else and I trusted him.

He’d also become much like a pseudo-father to me, and had known my dad for years before he passed away. Which was why I was late in getting to Haley. He’d immediately been suspicious of why I was demanding he take a case.

Her nose scrunched a bit. “This sounds so technical.”

“I’m training you, not dating you, Haley.”

She flinched. “Oh. Right.”

I tried to soften my voice. “I will not be your boyfriend, Haley. Unless I demand it or need company for an event, we will not date. But even then, don’t think of those as dates. They’re training or play sessions. As my sub, you understand that you’re to be there for me, when I expect it, correct?” At her timid nod, I continued. “I will make allowances for your job, of course, but make no mistake, if you’re mine, you’re mine when I need you or want you. If you refuse at any time except for a previously agreed-upon reason, you’ll be punished.”

Her eyes flashed.

Hell, she liked the idea of being punished.

I was pushing this harder than I would with most new subs. Maybe it was because I’d been out of the life for so long. Maybe it was just her. Regardless, I needed the reminder of what our relationship was just as much as she needed to know it up front.

My heart was not available for the taking.

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