longer, and I opened my eyes. He was asleep behind me, and I smiled,
secretly pleased that he’d stayed with me through the night. I reached for my phone, pushed the mask away, and slid from the bed. I headed to the bathroom and looked at the messages that had kept my phone buzzing for so long.
Trent wanted me to watch the kids; their sitter was sick. Mason wanted me to come watch his too, because they hadn’t found a sitter yet. Kevin wanted me to know that Ember was going on tour again, and would take her daughter with her.
Well, two out of three wasn’t bad.
I found the nightgown from the night before and slipped from the room after I wrote a note on the pad on the bedside table.
Thank you for a wonderful night. Let Roxie know when you want nightnumber two. I look forward to it. -S
I didn’t know what else to say, so I left it at that and went to the room where my clothes had been left for me. I was in a rush to get home to my huge bathtub and memories of the night before. I didn’t think he’d be the kind for morning-afters, so I’d left him to it.
My virginity was intact, but barely, I thought with a smile. He hadn’t even taken my clothes off, yet he’d managed to get me off in so many ways. For a minute, I almost turned the car around and went back. We hadn’t agreed to three days straight, or three off and on; either way, I didn’t have a toothbrush there, but if he wanted me to come back, I would. After I’d had a bath and cleaned up first.
I noticed light bruises on my neck when I glanced in the mirror after I took my clothes off. I smiled, happy because I knew how they got there. They weren’t from violence, far from it.
That made me hum as I slid into the bath filled with hot water and bubbles.
Violence wasn’t something I was normally attracted to. But when I thought about how he’d softly slapped me down there with care to hit just the right spot, with sweet care, I felt desire burn through me. I imagined how it would feel to have that same swift slap on my bottom and squirmed in the tub.
“God, it’s just too much,” I said out loud to nobody. That made me laugh, and I submerged myself.
“But what if he wants some of that other kind? Well, no, he said he didn’t like blood, and those videos I’ve seen of women with dark purple bruises were surely something he steers clear of?” I remembered how he’d touched me with gentle pressure, always gentle.
No, Mr. Dark was a dominant, I couldn’t doubt that, but he wasn’t violent.
Some light slaps, a growl or two, maybe more if we really got into it, but I didn’t think he’d do anything that would really hurt me. And it was only for three days, so we didn’t have very long to delve down the rabbit hole, did we?
I got a text from Roxie a few hours later, so I called her. “Hey, girl, how are you?”
“I’m good. More importantly, how are you?” She sounded cautious, like she
was walking on eggshells.
“I’m really good. Fabulous, in fact.” I laughed and went to the window by the kitchen sink to look out at the world coming to life. “It’s a beautiful Saturday morning, and all is well.”
“Did you … I mean, did he stay within the terms?” I couldn’t believe she was being so bashful, but I appreciated the fact that she was being considerate of my sensibilities.
“You mean did he fuck me? No, it’s part of the contract. But I did ask him
to.” I sighed then, a little sad but also pleased. He was a man of his word, and it also made it a little hot. I had wanted it, but he wouldn’t give it to me.
“Well, what the hell? Did you, you know? At all?” Still cautious, respectful.
“Get off?” I asked bluntly, and I wanted to laugh when she giggled. We were grown women who could barely talk about sex. It was almost funny.
“Yes! Did you?” Excitement entered her voice now, and I wanted to jump up
and down like a schoolgirl.
“So many times!” I said with a lot of feeling. “It was so good, Roxie. I can’t believe I’ve missed out on that for so long now!”
“Well, you don’t have to do without it anymore. He has an appointment tonight, but he’s asked when you’ll be free again.” Roxie sounded like she was pleased with herself, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Thank you for this. I was hoping to see him tonight, but if he’s busy, I can wait. Um, will he call you when he’s ready?” I didn’t know how this worked. We hadn’t exchanged contact details, and I didn’t want to look desperate.
“Yeah, he’ll call me. Look, go relax, if you aren’t already, and have an easy day. Sex can take a lot out of you, so get some peace for a little while.” Roxie sounded like she wanted to say more, but someone called out that she was needed, and we hung up after a short goodbye.
I almost wished I’d stayed now. I didn’t know he had an appointment tonight or I would have. Another chance to get him to try to break the rules. I was quickly learning that this wasn’t a situation where I had no control. I had all of it, to a degree.
I felt empowered, far more than I’d ever been before, and as if I was the one who held all the reins. Mr. Dark might lead us both, he might have the final say, but it was what I did, how I acted, and what I said that really mattered.
It had been a night of discovery and wonder. Maybe that was cliché, but it was true. I’d learned so much from him, and I wanted to have it all over again.
I did wish I’d picked something closer to my real name, though. It had been odd to hear him call me Stephanie. Maybe I should have picked Emma, or something like that, something that wouldn’t sound so … different. I’d decided on Stephanie so he wouldn’t know my real name. I wasn’t ashamed of what I’d done, but I didn’t want to bring shame to my family.
If people found out that Emily Thompson was working at a gentlemen's club
and had sold her evenings to a stranger, then life as we knew it would be over.
We’d be shunned from the circles that had always looked to us for leadership. I’d be laughed at, mocked, and probably kicked out of every charity I took part in.
Roxie hadn’t been, but she came into the one we worked together on with her background in the open. I was supposed to marry someone nice and quiet, deferential to my brothers and father, who would give me babies to carry on the Thompson traditions, even if they weren’t Thompsons by name.
Anger surged through me for a moment. I hated my family sometimes. Not
necessarily the people, but what we stood for, the constraints placed upon us by our name. I’d heard, “you’re a Thompson, act like it” so many times while I’d been growing up that I didn’t know what it was like to not act like a Thompson.
