Page 114 of Ward Willing
When the elevator dings, and the gold doors slide open, he ushers for me to walk in before him with a darkened expression. I step inside before he does. The ride up to the ninth floor is slow and tense, but my veins are singing with something uncomfortable and slimy. I don’t enjoy feeling jealous, but all I can think about is how Liam has possibly been here with other women–especially after such a romantic night. No one has ever done anything that kind for me, and it hurt more to think that I was going to be another one of his conquests.
Surely, it was all a misunderstanding, right? They knew him from something else, something innocuous. But as the doors slide open and he walks out ahead of me, I can’t help but think of all the nights he came home late.
As we stop in front of the door labeledPresidential Suite, I roll my eyes when he indicates that I walk in first. As if his money could ever impress me. I didn’t grow up rich like him, but I knew he had a lot of money. I wasn’t a fan of corporate greed, so it never appealed to me. And this hotel? With this suite? It feels…different. His house—ourhouse—is large, but it’s not flashy like this.
I’m still stewing as Liam closes the door behind us, and after he locks it, he walks over to me and gently takes my chin in his hand.
“Don’t think I didn’t see that eye roll,” he mutters. “That’s five.”
I’m about to respond when he drops my chin and walks toward the bedroom. Well, I guess we’re getting straight down to business. It’s not unlike the other experiences I’ve had with Doms, but I suppose I thought it would be different with him. As I enter the bedroom, he gestures to the black box waiting for me.
“Please put that on. I’ll be waiting in the other room.”
He turns and walks out, leaving me feeling bereft and cold. Once the bedroom door clicks shut, I walk over to the box and peer down at the label.Bordelle.More lingerie, then. I run my finger along the box, wondering what could possibly be waiting for me.Bordellespecializes in bondage-style lingerie.Maybe he thinks he can recycle the same hotel room he’s used for other women while testing out this dynamic with me?
My thoughts rapidly fire back and forth between wanting to be mad and wanting to find an explanation. As a sub, I’m no stranger to communication, and I know I should very well go out there and ask him why he brought me here. But a small part of mewantsto do this with him, even if I’m not the first woman he’s brought back here. There’s a bigger part of me that wants to see what he has planned for tonight–as he’s obviously put a lot of thought into it.
I’m confused, and my mind isn’t in the right place. It’s like all of my insecurities about us are coming to a head now that we’reactuallydoing this.
Making my mind up, I step out of the velvet dress and lingerie from earlier, kicking my shoes off in the process. Maybe it’s the brat in me, or maybe I want to one up him a little. Either way, I’m practically smiling when I grab the white robe hanging on the back of the door.
A minute later, I enter the living room. Liam is standing by the window that overlooks downtown Crestwood, and as his gaze turns guarded and dark, I almost wish I hadn’t put the robe on.
“Interesting choice of apparel,” he says calmly. “Are you sure you want to defy me before you know what your punishment will be?”
I shrug. “I figured it would all be coming off me anyway,” I say slowly, swallowing as his eyes flash.
“I see. Care to tell me what’s bothering you?”
Fuck.How did he know?
“Nothing,” I lie, and the words taste like ash in my mouth. I don’t enjoy lying—especially to him. But my hang-up is not a rational one, and I don’t want him to think I’m the jealous type. “Why do you think something is bothering me?”
“Despite your tendency to be a brat, I noticed your change in demeanor as soon as we checked in. So, you can tell me what’s bothering you, or I can stop the scene.”
I visibly shiver at his words. He truly has no idea how good he is at this, but I suppose it makes sense. Oldest brother of five fucked up kids. Always the caretaker. Always making decisions. Always reading people and seeing more than he lets on. Discovering his Dominance is only another facet to the protective, commanding persona that Liam embodies every single day.
“I said nothing’s wrong.”
Liam’s jaw ticks as he rubs his mouth with his hand. As he takes a step closer, my heart begins to race, and I wipe my sweaty palms on the robe. When I look up at him, all of the anger and wrath is gone from his expression, replaced only by indifference. It sends icy goosebumps to erupt along my skin. Because while I could at least predict when I’d piss him off, I couldn’t predict that he’d choose to end the scene or call this whole thing off altogether.
“Take your robe off, please,” he says, his voice detached and unaffected.
He never sounds like that with me—like he’s talking to a stranger.
I bring my hands in front of me and waffle between telling him I’m sorry and doing what he says. When I don’t move, he sighs and walks over to the couch, leaning against it.
He visibly sags, looking almost defeated and very unsure of himself, “Yellow.”
“What? Yellow, as in…yellow?”
“Yes. I’m doing something wrong,” he says slowly, running his hands over his face before looking up at me. “I’m new at this, and you haven’t been yourself since we walked into the hotel. So, either I’m doing something wrong, or you’re not telling me something.”
My chest aches from his words, and when his soulful eyes find mine, it nearly cracks in half. I've never had a Dom safe word like he just did. I know it happens sometimes, and I know it’s because I’m not communicating. Even though he’s in charge here, he’s still new, and I’m doing us both a disservice by not telling him what’s wrong.
“No, you’re doing great,” I tell him, walking over to the couch and stepping between his legs. Taking his hands, I place them on my hips. “I’m sorry. Barbara said something about seeing you again, and I just thought…”
I bite my tongue.Am I really about to admit that I’m acting this way because apparently Liam turns me into a jealous fiend?
