Page 60 of On His Terms

“That’s too kind,” Chelsea protested.

Master Alexander reached for his wallet, but Daniela waved him off. “Seeing you finally happy is worth it.” With a wave, she left them.

“You are well liked here.” Another new side to him. She saw him as a badass while he showed other people different parts of his personality, intriguing her more.

“Shall we?”

Outside, the air was mild, a picture-perfect Colorado summer evening. “As we were getting out of the SUV, I noticed a park. Would you mind if we took a short walk?”

He cocked an eyebrow.

“I could use the exercise.”

“Not a bad idea.”

They placed the leftovers in the car, then followed the sidewalk to a path leading into the green space.

Side by side, they walked in companionable silence, and she was so relaxed she was almost able to forget about the plug, barely noticing it shifting around inside her.

Without discussion, they stopped on a bridge that crossed a gently flowing creek.

Motion caught her eye, and she looked up to see a shooting star. “Make a wish!” At that moment, she closed her eyes to make one of her own… To experience true love.

The thought startled her. She hadn’t been expecting that. Success, happiness, money? Those were the things she wanted.

When she opened her eyes, Master Alexander was studying her.

“Looks serious,” he observed. “Care to share?”

“It’s secret. If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

“Fanciful.”

“Probably. But harmless, right?” She shrugged. “Did you make one?”

“If I told you, it won’t come true.”

“Touché, Sir. Well done.”

They continued on for a few more minutes, before walking back to his SUV.

“You know,” she said when they were on the road, “I would still like to earn Monahan Capital’s business.”

“We shouldn’t complicate this any further.”

Complicate? She turned to look at him, but his gaze was focused out the windshield.

When he’d first talked about Liz, he mentioned how much the ending of the relationship bothered him—partly because their lives had been so entwined.

Before she could ask for clarification, he pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine.

Once inside, he locked the door. “Take off your clothes and return to the living room while I put away the leftovers.”

The easy camaraderie they’d shared earlier was instantly a thing of the past.

As she lowered herself to her knees to wait, she realized she shouldn’t allow herself to forget that she was always in training.

He returned to stand over her. “Before we go any further, shall we discuss your training schedule? We have only a short time together and several things to cover. Of course, we will spend some time on anal.”