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Sheldon strokes my cheek and places a finger under my chin, raising my eyes to his. “That would have been one way to get there, but it’s clearly not her way. We all have to find our paths, Lex. Some people follow one straight and predictable course through life, and other times, we’re given challenges and bumps in the road that we need to understand and decide how to navigate, especially when we have emotional scars.”
I swallow hard. He’s no longer talking about my mom, and the stakes of this conversation just went up exponentially. “You’re talking about me and how I’ve handled things lately. I owe you an apology.”
Sheldon contemplates this for a moment and pushes back a tendril of hair from my face. “No, Lex, you don’t owe me an apology. I’m talking about us. We’ve both been on a path that came to a crossroad when we met. I’ve spent years without getting into a long-term relationship, unwilling to open myself up to the possibility of rejection to my lifestyle and what I need from a woman in my life. I wanted to try again after I met you”—pausing, he caresses my cheek. “There was something about you that was screaming submissive, even though on the outside you appeared exactly the opposite to anyone not looking too closely. I knew it was a risk, but your shining personality drew me out of the shell I had built around myself. I tried to keep my distance at first, but the more I thought about you, the more I wanted you.”
“I wasn’t that brave; it terrified me. I didn’t have such a good experience with the last relationship, but that’s not really what scared me the most. I think it was that I’ve never really embraced my submissiveness. Deep down, it’s not something I’ve ever been proud of. I fought against it after I left Paul. Really hard, Sheldon. I buried it, and when I met you, everything just came bubbling to the surface again, but it wasn’t all at once. It was in little pieces, and I was trying to put this whole elusive feeling that I have for you together.”
Sheldon strokes my cheek with a finger. “Lex, I know how good a relationship with our dynamic can be, but it takes complete trust, and that’s something I must earn over time. Your relationship with a person who didn’t have your best interests at heart caused you a great deal of pain. I can’t change that, but I can promise you it won’t ever happen again.”
“And punishments and rules?”
“Oh, there will most definitely be punishments each and every time you defy me, young lady. You’ll find your ass turned over my knee getting punished my way, and then when I think you’ve had enough, I’ll tie you to our bed and torture you unmercifully with your little boyfriend with benefits and other devices you’ll find just as harsh torture, if not more.”
I smile up at him, trying to hold back my blush because now he’s just making me incredibly wet, and he knows it, but there is so much more at stake here. “Sheldon, what if I’m not a good submissive? What if I don’t please you except in the bedroom?”
His hand snakes underneath my hair and wraps around my nape, pulling me to him. “You are the perfect submissive, Lex, and I’m going to keep breaking through that protective shell you’ve placed around yourself, layer by layer, chipping through all the heartache and pain that you’ve had to endure until you can see it for yourself.”
He grasps my ass cheeks and lifts me, pulling me to him. My legs naturally wrap around his waist, and I cling to his neck. “I will love, protect, and pleasure you, Lex,” he growls, capturing my lips and devouring me with the heat of his need.
I moan softly as he ends our kiss, stroking my lips tenderly with his tongue.
“Now, tell me what I want to hear. Tell me what you’ve been holding back, Lex. Tell me what’s been so elusive,” Sheldon coaxes.
“I love you, sir.”
Epilogue
Alexis
One month later
The rideacross New York City from the airport is invigorating, just the way it always is at night. It may take us time to get through the traffic of Manhattan, but that only adds to the anticipation of the evening. I wouldn’t have traded one minute of the last month with Sheldon, exploring the treasures of Italy and our relationship for anything in the world, but I’m bubbling with eagerness to see my family and friends after being away.
Sheldon pulls me closer into the protection of his arms. “Excited, Lex?”
I look into his eyes, and the depth of his feeling for me never ceases to take my breath away. “I can’t wait to see my mom, Jan, and Allie.”
“I have it on good authority the ladies are excited too.”
“Stalker guards, right?” I remark, because as much as Allie and Mom fought Sheldon on keeping a security team with them after Darwin was no longer a threat, he wouldn’t hear of it because his team is still looking for the trafficking network, and because of that, there are bodyguards protecting the people I love twenty-four hours a day.
Sheldon smirks, not even trying to deny it because we both know it’s true.
“Would you like to tell them the good news yourself?”
I finger the rope of silver around my neck, twirling the delicate key that dangles from its heart-shaped lock. “All the news,” I murmur, smiling at his look of amusement.
“Well, it would certainly make for interesting conversation if you told them about the collar,” he says laughing.
“I’m not ashamed of my feelings and our dynamic. It’s taken me a long time and finding the right person to realize how special a love like ours is. I know we picked out something that wouldn’t really draw attention to our lifestyle, but do you think the others will know what my collar symbolizes? Does it bother you if people know?”
The look of amusement in his eyes changes to one of thought. “Not at all, Lex. And the business? You want to tell them about that too?”
I nod enthusiastically. “I do, but I’m so damn nervous about it. Seriously, on one hand, being offered the chance at running an elite and prestigious salon service to clients around the globe is more than anything I could have ever dreamed of, but you know, the salon will always hold a special place in my heart. I was thinking about it on the flight over, and instead of buying it from Jan and selling it, perhaps I could use it as a place to train stylists.”
Sheldon smiles widely. “I like it. The security team is always in need of stylists in the larger cities too. Perhaps you could have a training division, with a school and instructional salon in NY, Chicago, Seattle, Vegas, and one near Bel Air? In the States, that would cover our largest areas, at least until Prestian Medical Corp expands again, and then there’s all of Europe.”
“I absolutely love the idea. And that way, I could work from anywhere. I would have the more experienced stylists focused on the elite clientele and still have a steady stream of trainees.”
