***
To my slight surprise, my suitcase hadn’t been opened. I bent and unzipped the cover, surveying the cheap clothes that were its contents. Next to Alexander’s expensive suit, I had nothing suitable to wear.
I shrugged. This was what I owned and it had never been a problem until now. I rummaged through my clothing, feeling his eyes on me.
“I don’t own anything fancy,” I said defensively.
He shook his head. “Nothing fancy required,” he reassured me.
I was so jumpy around him. Two years back, all I had felt was hot anticipation and fierce lust. But even putting aside Alexander’s connections with Dylan, there was so much I didn’t know. I had no idea what he wanted from me, how he expected me to behave.
“You look stressed,” he commented.
“I don’t know how to behave around you. My previous master was much more rigid.”
He eyed me. “I’m not a big believer in protocol outside of a session.” He stalked closer and I fought my urge to flee. “Tell me, Jenny. Are you attracted to me?”
My nipples were like two firm, tight pencil erasers. My * was swollen with need. “Yes.”
He smiled. He looked like a predator and I was his prey. “And,” he said, taking my right hand and resting it on his erection, “I am attracted to you. Is there much that needs said beyond that?”
“Please tell me the rules Alexander, so I may please you.”
His lips thinned and I was suddenly afraid I’d revealed too much. But whatever he thought of my statement, he didn’t tell me. He simply shook his head. “Get dressed.”
I pulled out a simple pink t-shirt, one that Lucien had bought me four years ago in Lagos. I’d been too afraid to go to a mall with him and I’d stayed huddled in my room while he’d muttered a curse and gone shopping for me. Along with the t-shirt, I pulled out a grey soft cotton pleated skirt that I’d bought on Khao San Road, the same time as I had bought the cheap satchel that was my purse.
The t-shirt was too transparent to be worn without a bra. I groped for underwear, keeping a careful eye on Alexander’s expression. Dylan would have beaten me raw for denying him access to my body, but Alexander didn’t say anything.
“Delaying, Jenny? Get naked.”
The words had definitely been an order. I reached for the ties of the robe and undid them, letting the fabric drop to the ground. “Come forward,” Alexander said, his voice slightly hoarse.
I inched near him. Part of me wanted to run away. The other part of me wanted to give in to the desire I felt for him.
His eyes didn’t survey my body. They rested on my face. I had no idea what my eyes revealed and his own expression was unreadable. “Beautiful.”
Then he gestured to my clothes with a grin. “Best put them on, Jenny. You’ll cause a riot in Thailand if you walk around naked.”
I laughed. “I hadn’t really planned on it,” I quipped before I realized I was joking with Alexander. I shut up immediately, afraid of his displeasure.
He watched both my laugh and my frightened aftermath. He didn’t comment. Instead he took my hand in his and led me down the stairs to a waiting black car.
***
“Tell me something about yourself.”
“What would you like to know, Sir?”
His lips tightened with displeasure and too late, I remembered his rules. Alexander outside of a scene. Sir in a scene. We were in the car, seated side by side with our thighs pressed together, and though there was sexual tension in the air, we weren’t in a scene.
“If you know the rules and you disobey, you earn punishments, Jenny. And since I told you once, and reminded you again, you have one punishment coming your way.” His voice was level, but I shivered. Two years ago, there was a hint of something dark in him but he’d held it in check. For the next three months with a slave that he believed wanted to explore every bit of her submissive desires? Nothing would be held back.
“I’m sorry, Alexander.”
His fingers tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and I trembled again. I couldn’t help myself. I tried telling myself I was afraid but the reality was far more disturbing. Though he was someone I should hate, all my body cared about was his touch. “You apologize very prettily, Jenny.” His hand wrapped around my waist and he pulled me towards him. “Sit on my lap,” he demanded.
Jenny Fullerton’s sister had leukemia and this man had paid a million dollars, money that would be vital in her search for more aggressive treatments of the disease. Jenny Fullerton would be very grateful and very eager to please.