Page 55 of The Owner's Temptation

Instead, she clenches her jaw and keeps her eyes on her lap.

She fidgets.

Almost says something another two times while I keep writing notes on my tablet, adding follow ups to my calendar for progress checks with Jaxon.

I set down the pen in my hand and lean back in my chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin. She avoids looking at me as I give her a long inspection up and down. Cataloging her nervous movement and squirming.

“A good Companion knows how to be present,” I say, voice even, “without demanding attention.”

Her eyes finally dart toward me, but she doesn't respond. Not verbally. The twitch in her posture is enough. She’s still expecting more.

She doesn’t understand this yet—what I’m doing.

Sienna came in expecting seduction lessons. Teasing. Flirty smiles in a mirror. That’s what most of them expect.

But that’s not what she needs.

She needs silence. Stillness. Discipline.

She needs to unlearn the things she thinks give her power… so she can learn the things that actually do.

Stillness is strength. Presence is a weapon. And patience? Patience is the most lethal blade in her arsenal.

But she isn’t there yet.

She exhales—just a little too loudly. Her foot taps a few times, before she stops it. Her hands tighten in her lap.

Then, finally she can’t handle the stillness.

“Are we going to begin training soon?”

I don’t look up from my paperwork. “You’ve been in training since the moment you walked in here.”

“I mean… do… something.”

“You’re doing something now.”

I can nearly feel the weight of her eyeroll.

“I’m sitting here like a glorified chair decoration. That’s such a great use of my time.”

Finally I look at her, holding her stare and letting the weight of my attention sink into her.

“It is if that’s what your contract is asking you to do.”

I watch the flicker of frustration in her eyes. The way she squares her shoulders like she’s gearing up for battle. But she says nothing more. Not yet.

“Sit. Be quiet. That’s it.”

She looks away this time staring out the window at nothing.

Another lesson: Not everything requires a response.

The room falls into silence again. I take a few calls. Skim a few reports. Send a few messages. She doesn’t interrupt. But I can feel her presence like a pressure point behind my left eye.

A low growl breaks the stillness of the room as her stomach rumbles.

She freezes like she’s afraid I heard it.

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