Page 111 of Delicious Surrender
“Are their little elves hiding somewhere doing your bidding?”
He chuckled. “No. A local caterer delivers fresh cuisine every morning.” He pulled the stool out for her. They sat facing each other and his proximity made her jumpy.
“This looks delicious. I’m relieved you weren’t planning onmaking me cook. I’m not very skilled in the kitchen.”
“Your mother never taught you?”
Her eyes speared his, and she clenched her knife and fork. “My mother taught me nothing. Wait, that’s not true. She taught me that blood is not thicker than water, that all mothers aren’t nurturing, and being in love is for idiots.”
He looked taken aback at her bitterness and then his gaze turned sympathetic.
“Don’t do that. Don’t feel sorry for me. Truthfully, it was the best thing she could do for me. Her leaving made me stronger.”
“Understood. New subject. One of your first assignments will be to tell me about your book.”
Brynne’s eyes widened in shock. She covered her mouth, which was full of lettuce. He poured her a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and continued, “I want to understand the premise, the characters and what you are trying to accomplish. So, you’ll read it to me.”
She finished chewing and swallowed a big swig of the white wine. “I don’t know about that. It’s very personal.”
“I thought you wanted to publish it? If so, you’d better get used to feedback—good, bad, and indifferent. To build your following, people will want to get to know you.”
“I’ve decided to publish under a pseudonym.”
He laughed. “Regardless, you will receive feedback, which could be mean or judgmental. Are you ready for that?”
She fiddled with her fork. “I’m not sure.”
“A pen name is a good idea, but it doesn’t solve your issues of shame. Is that why you didn’t make it as hot as you could have?”
“Okay doc, I think that’s enough psychoanalysis for one day.”
She tried to make light of this, but her brain was spinning. How did he uncover all her deepest fears in one sitting?
“It’s time for you to take responsibility for your writing, your desires, your needs. You need to stop being bad to get spankings and bondage. And start being good because that’s what I expect from you this month.”
She made a harrumph noise, then swallowed the lump in her throat.
“What? Did you expect it to be all fun and games?”
“No. Not exactly. I thought it would be more of what we did the other night.”
“As I recall, you did very little submitting. I took what I wanted, and you seemed to enjoy it. What I expect for the next several weeks is for you to follow my instructions to the letter. And if you do, I will reward you. If you choose to be abrat, you won’t like the consequences.”
He pushed his plate away and stood. “Since you lack cooking skills, you will handle the clean-up. And before you lose your mind, that means scrape the plates and load the dishwasher. My housekeeper will do the rest on a weekly basis. Your first assignment is to look up the termbratin your BDSM dictionary. Tonight, you will read me the sexiest scene in your book. Dinner is at seven. I will provide your outfit later today.”
27
Dominance & Submission
Gage paced back and forth, wearing a path from one end of his bedroom to the other. What the fuck was he thinking, having her under his roof for four weeks? He should be keeping her at a distance, but that plan went out the window when she looked up at him from the car with a pout on those lush lips.
If he unleashed his demons, she might give up after two weeks and run home. She wanted to understand the power exchange, and he would deliver a crash course in submission. Teaching her wasn’t his goal. He planned on peeling away the layers to reveal the real woman beneath—not the fake one she presented to the world.
It was imperative that he not let his guard down during this little experiment. He would keep her talking about herself and her book, revealing no personal information about himself. Once he succeeded inmasteringher, she would be out of his system for good.
Brynne tidied the dishes from their lunch and poured herself another glass of wine before grabbing her computer. She went to her room to hide.
It took her several hours to choose the scenes to share with him. She spent another hour editing and then lay down on the luxurious bed and fell asleep.