Page 26 of Give

I forget about the punk-ass bitch known as Garrett Greene as we exit the rink, return our skates, and hurry home for the special blow job she’s promised.

CHAPTERELEVEN

“This is a record. One whole month with the same girl.” I’m ignoring my best friend with his slight dig as I push back on my rolling chair from my desk. I’m unsure what Finnegan Murphy is doing at my office, however, when he showed up with his finest bottle of scotch, I didn’t send him packing. Anyway, as much time as I’ve spent with Anisten, I’ve missed him.

“You talk as if I’m a man whore, asshole,” I quip but I know the answer to my unasked question. And as much as I enjoy Anisten, she’s fun and sexy, and my heart has fallen for her, something is missing.

“Well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I’d say it’s a fucking duck, don’t you?”

Only Finnegan Murphy, my best friend, gets a pass.

“And you act as if you don’t have the same desires I do? Right, Murph?”

He ignores me because there’s truth to my words, and the Irishman with red hair and a temper to match, knows I’m right.

“What’s wrong, Luc? I’ve seen her. You two have a connection. She’s gorgeous, stunning, and….” He stops. He gets it right away. “She doesn’t know, does she?Fuck,she doesn’t know you’re a Dom?”

“It’s not that she doesn’t know.” Murph can talk to me like no one else can, and there’s no doubt the man will be opinionated. “Our sex life isn’t vanilla. I’ve been in control from day one, but….”

It’s a problem I’ve never allowed myself to consider. She hasn’t displayed that she has a submissive bone in her body. Sure we play the whole song and dance during sex, that I’m a Dom, and she’s following me blindly. But it’s a game to her and not the real thing. And for that reason, I’m missing something vital, a part of me. Her complete submission.

“How is it that she doesn’t know?” he asks. “Um, excuse me, do you like being tied up in bed? Spanked, flogged, degraded, talked down to?” Murph mimics my voice almost perfectly. I sit back in my chair and watch him, swallowing laughter, almost amused, that is if he hadn’t been spot on. “Luciano De Santos. This is you. You’re in control of every aspect of your life. And because I know you, you’re not truly happy until you have absolutecomplete control. It’s about knowing what you can and cannot give in a relationship.”

He knows from experience. It’s how he lost what he still holds most dear.

“I took control from the beginning, but I’ve never had feelings for a woman who has played my submissive, and it was simply a sub and Dom interaction….”

“I can’t imagine you’ll give up who you are,” he interrupts; my eyes narrow in on him because he may speak to me a certain way, but even I have limitations when it comes to Murph.

The phone begins to ring when I have a rebuttal on the tip of my tongue.

“Saved by the bell, my friend,” he refutes, standing to take his leave because he realizes he’s spoken as openly as he can with me for one day.

“Heaven?” I answer, and the line is silent. “Baby, you there?” It’s still quiet on the other end, and I move my phone toward my face to see if it’s still connected.

“Baby girl, what’s going on?”

It’s then I hear it, cries on her end. Anisten is the last person I’d ever think would cry, let alone sob.

“You’re a fucking liar and a coward, you asshole.” It’s as if her crying completely stops; she clears her voice. “Meet me at your condo now or we’re through.” The line ends, and I stare at the phone I’ve removed from my ear as if it will give me the necessary answers. After a minute of pure shock, staring into space without the ability to move, I pull for my jacket because it’s October in Chicago. I leave the office without concern for anyone else but Anisten.

For the first time in my life, I’m scared I may lose someone I’m falling in love with.

* * *

Her face is buried in her hands, and she hasn’t acknowledged me. “Heaven. Let me help you.”

I’ve yet to see her face, but she shakes her head back and forth. “Do you think we’d be more comfortable in my apartment?” In the past, I hadn’t dealt with the theatrics or cared about another woman’s comfort level. I do with Anisten.

“You lied to me, Luc. I’m a partner, and my job is everything. I don’t have time to be fucked around with.”

“I’ve never lied to you. Never.” It looks as if we’re having this conversation out in the hall. I lean against the wall closest to her, sliding down and reaching for her hands.

She yanks them from my grasp. “Don’t. I can’t….”

I deploy a different tactic. “Heaven, we can’t figure this out unless you tell me what I’ve done. I want to fix this.”

“What about a lie of omission?” She begins to speak, not looking at me. “I’ll ask you once, and only once. Are you a member of Dungeon Elite?” She pops her head up, turning it slightly, and I witness her tear-stained eyes.

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