Page 12 of Becoming His

I’m so sorry, Aiden. Roommate trouble! I wasn’t ignoring you.

Mr. Blackwell

8 p.m.

His reply is immediate, and I lick my drying lips at the curt text. I glance at the time, I have a little over three hours to prepare. It would cut it close, but I know how to style myself to be the biggest of temptations. Enough to get myself out of any punishment that he has planned.

Brina

Istareatthethin black box, nerves drying my mouth. “What is it?”

“Open it and find out.” His indifferent tone makes my heart sink before I square my shoulders. Even if it is a frivolous gift with no meaning, I should still be thankful. In our short amount of time together, Aiden has shown more post-care than any of my other clients. I’m not naïve enough to think he has feelings for me, but there’s a unique type of connection you build with someone when you allow them complete control of your body.

Picking it up, I shake it gently while Aiden’s eyebrows rise in amusement. A smile teases my lips, and I pull the top off. Nestled inside is a thin necklace of diamonds, the bold square setting making it seem more like a solid rope. I pull it out of the satin cushions and my lungs tighten when I can tell that this is a very short length…A collar length.

Aiden pulls another small box from his pocket, placing it on the table. “The piece to make it unremovable is in there.”

I stare at it warily and then back to the diamonds in my hand. “But this one I can remove?”

“Yes,” he grabs his whiskey, taking a sip. “For now.”

He’s still giving me the choice until we reach that commitment level. I honestly hadn’t expected something like this from him, at least not so soon. But some men pride themselves in the sense of ownership. I appreciate that he’ll allow me to remove it when I see fit. I’ve broken contracts with others who wanted more without trust. The thing a lot of men forget is that being a Dom gives them a sense of control, but not absolute control. The power rests with me, and I can retract it at any time.

“Thank you,” I say softly, handing him the box and giving him my back to put it on. I touch the diamonds where they line the bottom of my throat, and his fingers linger on the back of my neck after he clasps them together.

We move apart when a server approaches the table, offering me a glass of wine, and I eagerly accept. I need something to drown whatever foreign feeling is burning into my skin with every second I wear the jewelry.

Sipping the wine, I face Aiden again, and he’s watching me with an arrogant grin. I roll my eyes as a flush works through my cheeks. I hate it. A client has never affected me like this. Most of my clients were not kind men. They were men who used me for their needs and rarely offered the amount of care I wanted. I didn’t mind since they usually only reached out when they’d reached a pinnacle in their life and needed a quick thrill. It’s why I met them on the weekends and took the entire week to rest.

“How long have you worked for Emery?” he asks, stretching his arms across the booth.

I scowl, wondering why he’s trying to chit-chat instead of leading with the real reason we’re here tonight. “Emery just bought into the company recently. I had worked with Giselle for a while before that.”

His lips twitch. “Not a fan of Emery?”

Shrugging, I take a sip of my wine. “She’s just a bit much. Not my style.”

“Hmm.” Aiden’s face breaks the casual indifference, clearly understanding I don’t want to talk about her. His heated eyes drag the length of my body, finally taking in my carefully laid outfit. “You dress up for me, little one?”

A sweat breaks out down my neck, and I bite the inside of my lip before slowly nodding. Excitement hums through my veins as I clutch the glass closer.

“Did you hope it would get you out of punishment?”

My breath catches, and he laughs softly, his hand reaching out to curl some of my hair around his finger. “You are beautiful. There is no doubt about that, but it is your mind that I crave. That defiant mind that I want to bend and mold to bemine.” His onyx eyes darken.

“Is that why you put on thisdevour medress and thosefuck meheels?” His finger traces under my jaw to my red-painted lips.

“I–yes.” I swallow down my nerves, opting to not lie to him.

“And you said you weren’t ignoring me earlier? That you had a roommate emergency?” he asks.

Nerves ping in my chest. I don’t want to lie, but I feel like telling him the truth would be the worst.

Aiden sighs. “The hesitation tells me enough. You had humiliation listed as no for the contract. I won’t humiliate you, but I think we’ll toe the line tonight. Something that will bring me pleasure but make you uncomfortable.”

“What?” I say softly, fear lacing my tone.

His hand tilts my face towards him, and he’s smirking. “Climb onto me, little one. I need to watch you come.”

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