Page 5 of Accepting Love

She shakes her head. “Don’t call me that.”

I flinch.Hannah?

“Don’t call me Ms. Fraser. It sounds absurd coming from you.”

I glance at Audrey, who has a protective hand on Hannah’s shoulder. I want her to disappear. I want that hand to be mine. It’s irrational. I know it. But I can’t shake the overwhelmingly protective instinct that’s kicking into high gear.

This is Hannah. The sassy, sometimes bratty Little I’ve known for two years. I’m trying to reconcile the fact that she’s also Carolina Fraser, the famous pianist.

Right now she’s Hannah, and she needs something I can’t give her in front of Audrey.

I turn toward Audrey as I approach. “Could you please give us a minute alone?”

Audrey flinches, shaking her head. “That seems like a bad idea.”

Hannah tips her head back to look at her manager. “It’s okay. He’s…” She draws in a breath. “Safe.”

Audrey hesitates while we all stand in silence. “Are you sure?”

Hannah nods. She still looks like she’s going to faint though. Like all the life has drained out of her. One moment she was the most alive person on earth playing her heart out. The next, life slid from her to pool on the floor.

I hate this. I hate that I’m the reason for her unease.

“I’ll be right outside,” Audrey whispers. She shoots me a warning look.

I nod in response and wait for her to shut the door to the room before closing the distance and squatting down in front of Hannah. I don’t touch her, but I want to be lower than her. I wish I could pick her up, settle her on my lap, and hold her tight. But that’s not in the cards right now.

“Look at me, Hannah.”

She’s trembling violently as she does so.

“First, let me say, I would never, ever reveal you to anyone. Never.”

She gives a slight nod. “I never should have joined the club,” she murmurs. “It was too risky.”

“I hate that you feel that way. Surrender and other fetish clubs exist for people to explore their preferences without judgment. There’s a code of honor that must be respected.”

She chews on her bottom lip. Her eyes are watering. “I do not mix my real life with my kinky side.”

I nod. “I understand. Most people don’t. Your secret will go to the grave with me, Hannah.”

She flinches.

“I should call you Carolina. I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head. “It sounds odd coming from you.” Her hands are shaking violently as she lifts them to cover her face.

I physically hurt for her. She’s scared out of her mind and freaking out. I’m not even sure what to say or not say to make this better, but I have to try. “You hold the power here, Hannah,” I inform her. “I hate seeing you so distraught. There’s no need. I swear on my life I will keep your secret. If you want me to leave right now, I’ll do it. We can pretend we never saw each other. If you want me to do what I came here for, I can do that too. I’m professional. I can assess your music room and make a recommendation and disappear. I know you’re scheduled to record in my studio. If you’d like to cancel and make arrangements with someone else, I’ll understand. If you’d like me to not be there when you’re recording, that’s also your prerogative.”

I feel like I’ve laid it all out there.

She ignores everything I’ve said and changes the subject. “I’m not the same person outside the club,” she murmurs.

“I get that. You’re not alone. That’s true for many people, especially submissives.”

She lowers her hands and looks at me hard for the first time. “It’s not true for you.”

I furrow my brow and draw in a breath. “You’re right. It’s different for me. I should have made that distinction. I’m a Dominant whether or not I’m at the club. However, I don’t run around telling people I’m a Daddy Dom in vanilla society. I keep that to myself.”

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