Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
Someone said something else, but it didn’t matter. Ben walked toward the privacy rooms.
It was time to be the Dom she needed.
* * * *
Kenzie sank to her knees when Ben set her on the floor.
Head down, hands on her thighs, eyes on the floor as her hair flowed around her giving her a little space from the world. This was a position she knew well and felt comfortable in.
What had she been thinking? She took the moment to breathe. Had she really done that? Walked out naked? She knew everyone in the world thought she was some kind of confident boss babe, but she’d been running on pure adrenaline. She knew Ben could be a jealous ass. It was kind of hot. It wasn’t modern of her, but she accepted the fact that watching Ben sort of manhandle Oliver because he dared to flirt with her did something for her. But it also pointed out that Ben had some work to do being comfortable in his role, and walking out naked might have sparked something other than desire.
So why was she poking his soft spots so early on?
Because her ground suddenly felt shaky beneath her feet.
She didn’t fight with her sister. Never. Not about anything important. Oh, they squabbled over TV shows and toys when they were kids, but not since her sister came back from being kidnapped at the age of fifteen. She’d been delicate in a way only Kala could be, and they never normalized. Tonight was the first time she’d told her sister off in years.
It felt good and bad. She loved her sister but their relationship was in flux, and there seemed to be no way to talk about it without seeming like some pathetic hanger on.
But Ben made her feel something else.
“Kenzie, are you all right?” His boots came into view as she stared down at the floor.
The privacy rooms at The Garden were way nicer than the ones at The Hideout, though they were working on it. This particular one was large with a spanking bench and a St. Andrew’s Cross on the wall. There was a bed in the back and a wall full of floggers and whips and rope. He could use those on her and she would float for a while and not think about the storm waiting for her outside this room.
She took a breath. This man had given her something lovely, and he wouldn’t want a sulky sub. She would likely hold on to that moment when he picked her up and whisked her away forever. She lifted her head and gave him her serenest smile. “Yes, Sir. I’m good.”
He stared down at her, his eyes studying her carefully. “I doubt that, but I think we should work this out in another way. Although I should ask. Do you want to talk to your sister?”
Now that it was over, she wished she’d sucked it up and took it like always. It wasn’t anything abnormal. Kala wasn’t a silver-linings girl and never had been. She didn’t want some big rift between them. Life was already opening those chasms. “Not now. I’ll apologize tomorrow. Or later tonight.”
Kala wouldn’t want to fight with her either. A simple apology would reset them.
“What do you need to apologize for?”
Shouldn’t he want to get to the sex? The last thing she expected was that he would want to talk about what happened between her and her sister. He kind of hated her sister, and she didn’t want to deal with it tonight. She didn’t want to think right now. But he’d asked her a direct question, and she was supposed to obey him in this setting unless she chose to end the session.
She didn’t want to end the session.
“I was a little dramatic with my sister earlier,” she explained. “It’s fine. Nothing to worry about.”
His gaze hardened. “I don’t like that word when it comes to you. You don’t create drama. You simply don’t turn away from it. So that means Kala said something and started a fight. I have to wonder if your fight wasn’t about me.”
Was it? “My sister has never appreciated my taste in men. Even when they were boys. It’s nothing against you, but I think my sister would be happier if I fell for someone in our circle. She has trouble trusting people outside of it. It won’t affect us. We’ll just play separately.”
He seemed to consider that for a moment. “So the woman who spends all her time with her family thinks not being able to be around her sister won’t affect us? Or are you thinking we’ll keep it to the club? That wasn’t my plan, by the way.”
“You have a plan?” As far as she knew he was going with the flow.
“I have wants and needs, and neither of them are about limiting my time with you. You do not need to apologize. If I’m correct, she started saying shit and you finally couldn’t handle it anymore. But you weren’t properly dressed and she would have followed you because she’s relentless. Your choices were dealing with her, leaving, or throwing off your clothes and walking out because nudity is allowed on the dungeon floor but street clothes are not. You were magnificent. I like your drama, Kenzie. It makes me feel alive. You make me feel alive.”