Page 55 of Wallflower No More

I do laugh because he's an idiot. "Axel, some things are just for me to know alone."

He shakes his head. "Scarlett, I will find out."

I groan and pull the covers over my head. He laughs and yanks them down. "It's only me, Scarlett."

"Okay, Axel, I don't only love reading books, but I write and publish them on a website, too."

He looks intrigued. Scarlett, do you write porn?"

I giggle. "Shut up! Yes, there is sex in them, but there's also a good plot."

"Can I read some?" He begs. I hand him my laptop, and he opens it up. It's no surprise that he already knows my code. Axel probably knows every password I've ever had, too. Stalker. "Scarlett Renée Quinn, you write on a kink website." His smirk turns into a devilish smile. "I knew you were a natural-born submissive the day I met you."

"Are you referring to the stalking after freshman orientation or when you finally started talking to me a few weeks ago?" My smile is sweet and sassy.

Axel rolls his eyes. "Hardy Har Har. The first time my eyes landed on that delectable body."

Now my eyes roll. "You can't tell somebody's a natural born submissive by just watching them."

He shrugs. "Yes, you can. Case in point, you look down whenever you say something to somebody. When you meet someone new, you cast your head down. When you don't want to tell your boyfriend something, you hide your head under the covers. Do I need to keep going?"

"No, not really. You think you're so smart, don't you?"

"Yes, my GPA and my IQ test proves that.” He smirks. As we continue bickering back and forth, he's getting invested in my story. "Scarlett. This is good, baby. Why don't you have a website set up to sell your books? You have over two million followers on here!"

Deflecting, I joke, "You're so hot when you're being nerdy and talking numbers."

He doesn't fall for it. "We'll get you a website set up, babe."

Now I’m getting nervous. "No, nobody will want to buy my books, Axel."

He huffs. "Scarlett, what does it hurt to try?"

"It doesn't, but maybe I'm scared." I lightly punch him on the arm.

He rolls his eyes again and gets back to work. "Stick with me, Wallflower, and I'll teach you some things."

Since Axel set up my website with the link to my Amazon storefront, I've sold ten books I can’t believe I’m really doing this. Since coming to Texas, I've thought more and more about becoming a writer instead of a journalist, but then I'd have to admit defeat to my dad, and what's the fun in that?

*

The weekend comes before we know it. This is the first time we've been separated. Axel has called me a million times while he's gone. Looking down at my phone, I roll my eyes. He truly is an obsessive freaking stalker.

“Hello. Scarlett's answering service. How may I help you?”

He grunts. “Hey Wallflower. You already at work?”

Rolling my eyes, I response, “You already know that I am Stalker.”

His tone turns gravely serious. “Scarlett, what are the rules?”

I sigh heavily. Not this again, but like the good girl I am, giving him a play-by-play of our earlier conversation sounds like a win. Maybe my reward will be a spanking.

“1. Never go off alone. 2. Yes, Scarlett, not even to the bathroom. 3. Jared is to sleep in the bed with me. 4. If anything feels off, tell someone.”

I can tell he’s smiling. “You're such a good fucking girl.”

My submissive inner bitch beams with his praise. “What's my reward?”