Page 18 of Safe and Sound

“What do you want to do today, princess?”

It still takes me a moment to realize what exactly he’s asking me and when I do I’m still confused.

“You…you want to do something with me?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you have…work or um, something?”

“I can work from anywhere. In fact, my home office is above the bedroom, and I spend a lot of work time here actually.”

“Above the bedroom?”

“Yeah, I’ll show you after breakfast.”

He puts two plates down in front of the chair at the head of the table. I can’t help but frown. Does he expect me to stand?

He takes me by the hand and leads me over to the chair. Before I can even ask about it, he is taking me by the waist and pulling me down in his lap.

“What…what are you doing?”

“Feeding you.” He says it like it’s not something odd or out of place. Like I sit in his lap all the time.

“I was thinking we could hang out here today, get you settled in, and tomorrow we can go to the bookstore.”

“Really. Why?”

“Why? Because you’d like to and it will make you happy. And you liking it will make me happy.”

I don’t ask another question even if there are so many of them floating around in my head it feels like it’s buzzing. I haveto concentrate fully on chewing since being in Ren’s lap is…new and a little bit nerve-wracking. If I can make it through breakfast maybe everything will be alright. After all, I just have two months to get through. Surely Ren can’t keep doing this every morning, eventually, he’ll stop trying to make me jump or stop trying to make my heart leap and then things will settle back down and go back to normal. Right? I just have to wait him out. I just have to wait.

Chapter Fourteen

Estella

Mom calls after breakfast and Ren takes the opportunity to show me his office and answer the call in there. We turn the call into a video chat so all three of us can see one another. Mom looks great in a black bathing suit that shows off her toned arms and legs. She’s practically glowing the entire time we speak to one another.

I wait for her to say something about me sitting on Ren’s lap, but she never says a word. Maybe she thinks it is the only way we can share the screen or maybe she thinks I just popped down because there aren’t any other seats in the room. I have no idea if she’s ever been here or even in Ren’s penthouse at all. Clearly, she doesn’t find anything wrong with it so maybe it’s just me. Maybe I need to chill out and stop being such a ninny about it.

I try to think of an explanation for everything that has happened. Why would Ren act like he did to me? Why would he do the things he’s done? I try to find some answers without asking any questions for most of the day and get nowhere. Ren does some work while I sit out on the little balcony off his office and read. It has a hot tub and a small table that can be used to eat on – I know because I feel like all I have done today is snack and been there for most of it -and lounge chairs. It’s not cluttered and at night you have an excellent view of the city below. It’s also an excellent place to pop open one of theumbrellas by the lounge chairs and get lost in a book, something I did for most of the day.

We have dinner inside and after that, we watch a movie. The entire day went by with Ren not making one pass, one suggestion of there being anything between us other than what should be. He doesn’t threaten to spank me or mention anything about what happened in the shower or when I woke up this morning. It makes me tense as hell that he doesn’t. Did he think he wanted me and then found out he didn’t? Did he think I was the woman I pretended to be online only to find out I was just me; the person he’s always known me as? Was he disappointed? Was this him trying me out and me not being good enough? Was it the fact I wasn't on anything that scared him? It would be...a mess if he...if we made a mistake and ended up pregnant. Maybe it was all too much and he doesn't want the hassle after all. Or maybe I'm just not what he wanted once he got me.

The thought echoes through my head all during the movie making it impossible to focus. I'm not even sure what we were watching. Ren shocks me when he gets up and for the first time, I realize the television is off. Was he trying to talk to me? Did I spend two hours ignoring him? Shit!

He takes me by the hand and leads me to the stairs. Will he want me to spend the night in one of the guest rooms now?

“I’m sorry I was a little distracted during the movie.”

He doesn’t say anything and just gives me a half grin that makes me think he’s up to no good, but that can’t be right. He’s had the whole day to do something naughty, and he didn’t do anything. I wait for him to stop outside one of the closed doors that must be other rooms. But instead of stopping he keepsgoing until he’s not just pulling me into his room but into the bathroom as well. His hands drop to the bottom of my shirt, and he has it over my head in one swift pull.

“Ren?”

“Shh, don’t go all stiff on me, princess. I know you overthink and get in your own head, baby. Let me help you.”

“Help me?” He nods and reaches around me to unfasten my bra. My arms come up to cover my bare breasts but I’m too late. They spill into his waiting hands. My eyes lower and I watch as he cups them like he’s trying to weigh them. His hands cover them and when he kneads them, I catch my breath. I didn’t realize I was holding it until I was gasping for air. I move closer before I can catch myself and try to back away, but he follows me until my back is against the wall.

“Such a beautiful body.” He stares at the place where his hands are. “Such beautiful breasts. Large for your size.”

---