Page 52 of Heart of Stone

“It wasn’t a date. It was ameeting,” I told her, deliberately emphasizing the last word.

“Sure. Whatever. Tell me about your meeting,” she corrected to appease me.

“It was nice,” I alluded.

“Come on, Krys. You have to give me more than that. What did he say about the job?”

“Oh, he –,” I started, but came up short. “Actually, we never talked about job details.”

“Because it was a date,” she concluded.

“It wasn’t a date, Ally. Alexander isn’t the dating kind. He told me as much himself. But you were right about one thing,” I admitted, plopping down in the overstuffed chair across from her. “He does want me. And not just as an employee.”

“Told you so!” Allyson exclaimed with a smug look of satisfaction. However, her face turned serious almost immediately before she asked, “What are you going to do about it, Krys? Doyouwanthim?”

“No…well yes, sort of. It’s really complicated. I can’t get a read on him. The guy talks in riddles. I let him kiss me, though.”

“Well, that’s progress at least,” she said with a laugh. “But back it up. Tell me how everything happened from the beginning. Maybe I can help you solve some of the mysterious Stone’s riddles.”

I told her everything from the cell phone delivery, his surprise visit at the coffee shop, to our dinner conversations. Even after repeating it all, I was still confused.

“I don’t know what to do with this, Ally.”

“There’s nothing to do. Just go with it. It’s time, Krys. Accept the job. Go out with Stone. Let yourself be wined and dined for heavens sake. Don’t over think it and just enjoy it.”

“Maybe you’re right, but I’m scared you know? Sometimes I feel like Trevor was only yesterday. Other times, it feels like it was a lifetime ago. I don’t know if I can put myself out there again. Every time I think I’m ready, I go into a panic.”

“Come here, doll,” she said patting the couch cushion next to her. When I moved over to sit down beside her, she pulled my head down to her shoulder and rubbed her hand over my head. “I know that you went through hell, but not everything has to have a nightmarish ending. So what if your picket fence went up in flames? You’ll build a new one someday. But until that day comes, let yourself have a little fun. You’re never going to get over what happened with Trevor until you take the next step. At the very least, Stone is loaded. He’s sure to show you a good time. Take advantage of the V.I.P. treatment. I mean, come on! The guy sent acarfor you!”

“Hmm…Alexander would definitely be able to keep things interesting,” I said contemplatively. I looked up at her and debated whether or not I should tell her exactlyhowinteresting Alexander could keep things. “I need to get over how much he intimidates me.”

“Why? He didn’t do anything to hurt you, did he?” she asked pulling away from me, sounding alarmed.

“Oh, no. It’s nothing like that. In fact, it might not be him at all, and more of my own fear of the unknown. At the end of dinner, he said he was a Dominant – whatever that means. All I know is that I got all panicky and made for a quick exit. That’s when he kissed me and now I don’t know what to think,” I finished.

“Whoa! He said that he’s a what?”

“A Dominant.”

“Oh, no. This isn’t good, Krys,” she warned, her eyes as wide as a deer in headlights. She shook her head rapidly back and forth. “I mean, I’m all for you getting out there and dating again. Hell, I wouldn’t care if you made the rounds with the entire Yankees team. But you can’t go jumping in head first with someone like –.”

A knock at the door interrupted her.

“Hold that thought,” I told her as I got up from the couch to answer the door.

I found a very distraught Jeremy on our doorstep.

“Is Allyson here? I really need to talk to her,” he said pleadingly.

I looked at the man and immediately felt sympathy for him. He seemed genuinely upset. But Allyson had been really riled up when I had come home. Letting Jeremy in the house now would be disastrous.

“I’m not so sure that’s a good –,” I started.

“I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” I heard Allyson bark from behind me. When I turned to look at her, her face was awash with fury. “Besides, Krys and I were in the middle of something. You’re interrupting.”

“Allyson, I’m really sorry. Please talk to me.”

“I think we did enough talking earlier, Jeremy.”

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