Page 120 of Heart of Stone

Her naked body pressed up against me, warm and slick with water from the shower that was still running. My dick twitched, preparing for round two.

“We really have get out of this shower or I’ll never get any work done today,” I told her. After allowing us another moment amidst the steam, I reluctantly pulled away and shut off the shower valve. Reaching outside the stall, I retrieved a towel from a nearby bar and began to dry her from head to toe. She didn’t argue over my lavishing, for once accepting my painstaking efforts to take care of her.

“I just remembered my clothes. Do you think Vivian has returned with them yet?” she asked.

“It’s been well past an hour, so I’m sure you will find them in my room.”

“Oh no!” she exclaimed, eyes suddenly filled with terror. “You don’t think she heard us, do you?”

I chuckled at that.

“You worry too much, Krystina.”

The truth was, there was a very good chance that Vivian had heard us, but I wasn’t going to let Krystina stress about it. Vivian knew not to ask questions, so there was no real harm. But then again, I used to say that about the rest of my staff too, but they’ve all been full of second-guessing and scrutinizing stares as of late.

Once we were both dressed, I grabbed my phone off the dresser and saw that I had a response from Laura regarding Boston.

“It looks like I have to take an unexpected trip to Boston for a few days.”

“Oh? What for?” Krystina asked offhandedly. I looked up from reading the email and saw her standing in front of the full-length mirror that was in the corner of the room. She had removed a brush from her purse and was combing out her long mane of curls.

“A friend of mine needs a favor. I’ll be speaking at a conference, which I’m sure will be dreadfully boring,” I paused as an idea came to mind. “Why don’t you come with me?”

“Alex, I can’t go to Boston,” she said. “I have to work.”

“I’m sure I could make a call to Walter and work something out.”

She stopped brushing her hair and stared pointedly at me through the mirror.

“No. Don’t you dare do any such thing!”

“Okay,” I begrudgingly conceded, hands held up in surrender. “Have it your way. But if you aren’t willing to come with me, I do want you to stay the night with me again tonight.”

“Again?”

“Unconditional obedience,” I reminded her.

She scowled.

“We need to come to some sort of an agreement about that. I’m all for following orders in the bedroom, as I’ve recently discovered. However, it’s never going to work when it comes to the rest of my life. You can’t keep throwing the assumed unconditional obedience in my face.”

I shook my head, frustrated that I was still failing miserably at managing a regular dominant and submissive relationship. If only Krystina understood what her obedience would get her. I was a man of means, and the world was at her fingertips.

Why can’t she just accept what I have to offer?

Knowing that I would get nowhere by snapping orders at her, I changed tactics. Walking over to where she was standing, I removed the brush from her hands and took over where she left off. I combed through her hair, smoothing out the tangles, appreciating the soft feel of the damp curls against my fingertips. I found that the simple act of brushing out Krystina’s hair to be surprisingly calming. I could only hope it was having the same effect on her.

“I don’t want to fight. Just stay with me,” I eventually said after a few minutes. “I’m going to be away for a few days and I want to see you again before I go. It’s that simple.”

She seemed to soften at that.

“We’ll see. I’m not making any promises. I need to get home and touch base with real life for a minute before I can commit to staying here again.”

“Alright. I’ll just sit here and twiddle my thumbs in anticipation of your answer,” I joked.

“Oh stop that!” she laughed. The sound was thrilling to my ears. “Fine, I’ll stay. And, if it makes you happy, I’ll even pack an overnight bag.”

I smiled wickedly, satisfied that I had gotten my way so easily.

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