Page 40 of On His Terms
Outside, they walked down the path—past the pansies and petunias—and to her car. She used a key fob to unlock it, and he opened the door for her.
Before getting inside, she hesitated. “Thank you again for dinner. And for the learning experience. I’m not sure I’ll ever be the same again.”
He reached to smooth back escaped strands of her short blonde hair, but he dropped his hand to his side before he touched her. With the distance between them, he didn’t have the right. “It’s been an honor. A pleasure.”
Her expression appeared fragile enough to shatter the moment she was out of sight.
She climbed behind the steering wheel, and he closed her inside the vehicle.
Less than a minute later, after starting the engine and pulling away from the curb, she drove off without looking back.
Alex watched her go, not knowing if he’d ever see her again…something that suddenly wasn’t okay with him.
A plan formed. But it had risks. Lots of them. And he wasn’t sure she’d thank him if he pursued it.
Chapter Five
With breaths threatening to strangle her, Chelsea pulled into the parking lot of the shopping mall at Denver West, found an empty spot, then shut off the engine before sinking against the seatback and exhaling.
As she’d driven, she’d struggled to understand what had happened at Master Alex’s home, and emotion and memories had pummeled her, making concentration impossible.
Now she sought solace in the evening sky.
How had he gotten to her so completely? So deeply?
She squeezed her eyes shut.
After the night she’d scened with Master Alexander at the Den, she had wanted him to call her. Almost a week later, when he hadn’t, she’d begged Sara to put her in touch with some other Dominants, gambling that Master Alexander would hear about her inquiries, and more, that he wouldn’t like that.
Unless she was mistaken, he’d been as intrigued by her as she’d been fascinated by him.
Chelsea has done a small jig around her office when Sara had finally provided Chelsea with his contact information following her call to Master Niles. Mission accomplished.
But seeing him this evening had upended her entire world.
His invitation to join him for dinner had shocked her—no doubt as he’d intended. But she should have known it wouldn’t be an ordinary dinner.
From the beginning, when he’d instructed her to skip her undergarments, to ordering her food, to choosing difficult topics of conversation where he’d sifted through her carefully stored childhood memories, the evening had been a challenge.
And then…
At his home, the scene had been intense for her. Having her motions restricted was difficult, but she hadn’t expressed that, instead, she’d tested him with her defiance. His retribution had been swift and sure. And because he’d been so impersonal, he’d chipped away at her emotional armor, leaving her drowning in her tears.
Even then, he’d been tender, seeking to understand, and maybe even more importantly, helping her understand her own reactions.
She’d never met anyone like him, and that unnerved her.
Her cell phone chimed with an incoming text message, and she checked it.
Master Alexander.
Please let me know when you’re safe. If you wish to call, I’m available.
Had she ever known a man who was more considerate than he was? His thoughtfulness steadied her, restoring her self-confidence enough to start the car and finish the drive home. Once she arrived, she dutifully texted that she’d arrived but said nothing more.
Even though she was feeling more stable, she had too much energy to sleep, so she changed into a swimsuit.
Her apartment complex had some niceties, including indoor and outdoor pool facilities. She found water to be relaxing as well as restorative, and she did a lot of her best thinking in the bath as well as the outdoor hot tub. But as she was leaving her unit, she caught sight of a couple of pink stripes on her upper thighs.