AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Would it be juvenile for me to say it was all my pleasure?”
“I don’t think it wasallyours.”
His shoulders lost some of their tension. “If the only thing I succeed in as a Dom is helping you discover who you truly are, that will be good enough for me. Also, I’m going to say something but only because you said you felt unwanted. I’ve wanted you since I first saw you in that club five years ago, and I never stopped. I’ve recently realized I never will. But I’m acutely aware I need to earn your trust and respect before you could even think about submitting to me.” He paused for a breathbefore continuing. “I have a plan if you’d like to hear it. If not, you can tell me to shove it up my ass and I’ll understand.”
Chapter 26
VERONICA
Veronica had never experienced speechlessness before. She’d always assumed people were exaggerating when they spoke of it, but now she understood it was a real thing. There was a lot of what Terrence had said that she agreed with, and the part about what he accomplished as a Dom had made her swoon. But what made her lose her vocal ability was when he spoke about his desire to gain her trust and respect.
Because she wanted the same thing, and while she had no idea how to get to that point, he’d thought up a plan. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” she said once she’d convinced her vocal cords to work.
Surprisingly enough, he looked uncertain for the first time during the conversation.
“I didn’t write anything down,” he said. “In case you’re wondering why I don’t have any notes with me.”
She actually hadn’t, but didn’t tell him.
“I’m not sure where the best place to start would be.” He dipped his head and ran the fingers of one hand through his hair. “I guess it goes back to that night we had dinner with Lennox and Mariela.”
“The academy?” That had to be what he was talking about. There were only two things discussed that night, and surely his plan wouldn’t be centered around Andie and Fulton’s unborn child. “Wait… are you thinking about buying it?”
Terrence nodded. “But I was thinking. What if we changed it up? Maybe use it part of the year for classes, like it’s already being used for, but the rest of the year have it set as a retreat for kinky people.” He sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s too hard to break it up like that. It’s just it does so much for me to be able to decompress here over the summer.”
“I don’t see why you couldn’t run both at the same time. That way kinky people could decompressandtake a class.”
His eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes! That’s perfect. I don’t know why I was making it more complex than it had to be.”
“Side effect of having a Y chromosome, I think,” she said, and he laughed. “But how do you plan on running this place and continue your work as an actor?”
He didn’t hesitate before answering, “I’m thinking about cutting back on the acting.”
“How much thought have you given this? Is that a good idea?” she asked, with an eyebrow raised. “Should you cut back at your age?”
“You’d be surprised at how much thought and for how long I’ve been thinking about cutting back. If acting was something I was truly passionate about, why would I have to take summers off?”
“You think owning this island and running whatever you decide to make it into will be your passion?” It would be a tragedy to go through all the time and expense needed to make his ideas come alive only to find it wasn’t his burning desire either. He had thought of that, hadn’t he?
“I think it could be,” he said, but in a softer voice than before, all the while his eyes seemed to look straight into her soul.
She cleared her throat and turned her head to get away from his piercing stare, trying to understand what the conversation about the island had to do with the previous one about the two of them.
“I think it could be my passion,” he repeated, “if you agree to run it with me.”
“Me?” Surely, she’d heard wrong.
“Yes, you,” he said. “You’re perfect. The way you’ve handled this place? Your understanding of politics? I think you’d quickly become a valuable asset to the island no matter the type of business here.”
“What if I never agree to play with you again?”
“Then I’ll forever kick myself for being stupid and letting you slip away, but I’ll be grateful for the two times you honored me with the gift of your submission.” He grinned. “And we’d still run the best resort/school/academy/retreat center/whatever the kink world has ever known.”
“And what if one day I say yes?”
His eyes locked on to hers, and he held her gaze with an expression containing no room for deceit. “Then I’ll spend my life, down to my last breath, making sure you have no reason to regret doing so.”
His words were exactly what she needed, and though they made her heart swoon and seemed to have replaced her knees with rubber, it was much too soon to give in to him. Besides, she wanted him to have to work for her yes. Not only because she deserved it, but because he’d value it more that way.
