I took a seat across from him in his spotlessly clean study. His desk didn’t have a single thing on it. Everything was tucked away out of sight.
Alexander was different this morning. Or was it just my nerves? The guy who’d fingered me to two bone-shattering orgasms before taking me with raw power was missing. Today he was acting like a cold stranger. I didn’t know if I’d done something wrong but I felt too uncertain around him to ask.
He handed me three sheets of paper. “It’s the basic contract,” he said. “I’ve used this before with my previous submissives. Things are negotiable, of course, but this should give you an idea of what I’m looking for.”
He’d already paid a million dollars for me. I didn’t think there would be a further contract. “What are you like with your submissives?” I asked him. “You were the topic of some gossip at the auction.”
He blushed a little. “Was I?” He shook his head. “Awkward.”
I grinned at his discomfiture before bending my head to pour over the pages. They were surprisingly free of legalese and resembled an employment contract more than anything else.
I read that I was supposed to keep the arrangement between us confidential. I’d have four sessions a week in Alexander’s playroom. If I consented, I could be shared by him with other men and women. My safe words would always be respected in a session. If I was interested in trying a particular activity, I was to inform my Dominant. If I wasn’t interested, same thing.
I tried not to think about Sylvia. I kept reading.
I’d be asked to accompany him from time to time to social events, where I would be introduced as his friend. I would not be expected to sleep in the same bed as Alexander, but it wasn’t forbidden either. Beyond that, I was free to explore Paris and a car would be placed at my disposal.
Once I was done reading, I looked up at him. “I thought this would be different,” I said honestly.
“In what way?”
“I thought it would be more prescriptive,” I replied. “I thought I’d have more rules.”
He shrugged. “I’m a very busy man, Jenny. I don’t have the time or the inclination to do anything resembling twenty-four seven.”
“What’s your style?” I asked him. From everything I’d seen and heard, Alexander appreciated an open discussion about my fears. “Do you get angry if I don’t obey you?”
He raised an eyebrow. “In the playroom?” he asked. I nodded, and he looked puzzled. “You’ll get punished,” he replied. “But you have safe words. You have all the control; you decide how intense the play should be. My goal will be to discover your limits. Take you to the edge, if you’d like. Beyond, if you are interested. But you’ll always have the power to stop the play, if you aren’t enjoying it.” His eyes softened. “I’m not that formal,” he added. “No high protocol or anything. The only thing I insist on is communication.”
“How should I act around Elodie?” I asked him.
He frowned. “I restrict the games to the playroom, Jenny,” he said. “I don’t parade my submissives around on a leash in front of Elodie, if that’s what you are wondering. She’s not a child, but I do like keeping my sex life private.”
“Why go to the auction? Your requirements aren’t onerous. There’s got to be many women that will be willing to meet them.”
He nodded. “No doubt. But I’m wealthy and I’m not looking for entanglement. I like the simplicity of Lori’s arrangement. Three months is about all the commitment I want. Now, with the contract, is there anything you’d like to change up?”
I ignored the stab of pain I felt and focused on Dylan. This was my chance to set the seeds for Hanoi. “I’d like to explore France,” I said, striving for the perfect tone of tentative need. “I’ve never got a chance to travel much, but I’ve always wanted to. All the money you paid will go towards Alicia’s illness. I’d like to see as much of the world as I can in these three months. Would that be possible while I’m in Paris?”
He grinned. “Of course, cherie,” he replied. Those dimples danced in his cheeks. “I travel for work all the time. You are welcome to accompany me if you’d like. Anywhere in particular you’d like to go?”
Hanoi. But that would have been too obvious. “I haven’t seen anything,” I replied. “So I place myself in your hands.”
Heat filled his gaze. “Do you? That remains to be seen.” He patted the desk. “Hop on.”
I obeyed, arousal seeping from every inch of my body. He positioned me at the end of the desk, facing him. My panties were swiftly removed and tossed to a corner of the room. “Lie back, Jenny,” he instructed. “Spread your legs for me.”