Page 31 of Submissive Lies

“I know a very good restaurant here. I think you would enjoy it. And I’d really like your company.”

It was his voice that sealed the deal. A good Dom can wield their voice like a weapon, and Steve had that voice. He was taking a risk, but he kept it neutral enough he could still back out with some degree of grace if needed. Not that he had much to be concerned in that regard. He’d pegged how I was responding to perfection.

And I wasn’t hiding it, no matter how appalled I was with myself for what I was doing.

“I’d like that.” With careful deliberation, I slipped into my demure voice, the one that came from a place inside me that felt as natural as if I was pulling on a comfortable pair of jeans I’d just rediscovered. I knew how to do this and falling into the pattern was instinctive. Pulling my eyes away from his gaze, I let them drift down. “Sir.”

There was a thunder of silence between us. The sound of his steady, measured breathing louder in my ears than it should have been despite how close we stood to each other.

I should step closer to him.

-What? Oh no. No, Jen, goddammit, stop.-

Why?

-Enough is enough.-

He knows. There’s no pretense now.

-You move that foot one step closer to him, and there sure as hell won’t be!-

Fine. I won’t. For now.

His eyes kept me pinned the entire time. The intensity of his gaze might as well have been fingers gripping my chin, holding me in place. Neither of us had any misconception of what was going on here.

“You’re staying nearby?”

“Yes. The Hyatt.” I kept the tenor of my voice the same as I’d switched to a moment ago. Steve wasn’t the only one who could use tone to their advantage.

“Perfect. I’ll pick you up at 7:30. Does that give you enough time?”

“Yes, sir.” I wanted the assurance his voice promised, the gentle press of his gaze urging me to give in as he waited for my reaction.

“All right. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” He released a soft exhalation. “Thank you, Jen.”

His aura was a physical thing. A circle of heat that grazed against me as he passed by. If my legs had felt unsteady before, they quivered as he moved past. There was a gentle brush of fingers at my shoulder that ended with a quick, sharp squeeze, and the jolt it sent through me sent already jittery nerves exploding in a hundred directions.

I stood motionless as he left the booth, my eyes glued to the carpet at my feet. As the sound of his boots faded, I absorbed what had just happened. I felt both tension and excitement, my pulse still racing at what we’d both done. A bead of sweat made its presence known as it slid down the back of my neck to come to rest under my collar, hanging there.

-Wow. So, you’re seriously going to do this, aren’t you?-

Yes. It’s just dinner.

-Yeah, it’s just dinner. With a fucking Dom, you idiot! Not only that, but a goddamn Dom you just met.-

It is just dinner!

-Oh, really? So, remind me. The way you were acting with him just now, is that typical of how you act anytime someone asks you to dinner?-

That has no bearing—

-Yeah. I thought so. Oh, and here’s one other thing. I know you had this great big epiphany this afternoon, but you have still not talked to Thomas. Did you forget about that? Because it looks like you might have. And all your big insights and revelations aside, let me remind you that he’s still your current fucking boyfriend, you hypocritical bitch!

There I went. Right back down the self-loathing rabbit hole. I raised my head and glanced around. I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth. Closing my eyes, I reminded myself everything I had agonized over during my lunchtime epiphany.

I would no longer be anything other than who I was.

I would no longer try to convince myself I could be something that I wasn’t for Thomas.

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