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“But I can’t really take Mason’s money, can I?” Fuck, she wanted to. But it felt so wrong. “I mean, he didmea favor, fulfilling my fantasy. And now he has to give me fifteen grand on top of it? Why would he agree to that?”
Rafe made a sound that was half consoling, half apologetic. “I didn’t tell the others how much to bid on you. They knew it was real, and they decided that’s what they were willing to pay for you to be their slave for an hour.”
“Really?” She couldn’t help the disbelief in her voice. Why would anyone pay so much for an hour with her? It was fucking absurd.
“I’m serious,” Rafe insisted. “So you have nothing to feel guilty or weird about, okay? Take that money and use it to help pay for your master’s degree. When I told them you were thinking of becoming a therapist to help abused women, they were impressed as fuck. No wonder they bid so high. The more people like you we have out there, the better the world will be.”
Tears were building in her eyes. “Thank you. This is too good to be true.”
Kissing the soft spot behind her ear, Rafe pulled the laptop across her thighs. “Now get to work. Time for you to figure out how to change the world.” He lowered his voice to a whisper when he added, “And don’t forget, I owe you a spanking.”
Nell’s lips curled into an excited smile. As if she possibly could.
CHAPTER14
Rafe
Well, fuck.
After she worked on some grad school applications, Rafe gave Nell his phone and sent her out into the garden to call her sister. Last time he checked, she’d been wandering around the stone pathways with a radiant smile on her face.
Now she was huddled on one of the benches, his phone on the seat beside her.
Rafe was through the French back doors and across the flagstone patio in a matter of seconds. She didn’t look up as he approached.
Placing a tentative hand on her shoulder, he waited until she leaned into him to slide his hand up into her hair. He ran gentle, soothing fingers along her scalp several times before asking, “What happened?”
“Holly and Pete had dinner with my parents last night.” She closed her eyes, sending a pair of tears down her cheeks. “As far as they’re concerned, I died ten years ago.”
Ah. So it went about as well as everyone expected. “She said it would probably take some time.”
With a slow, forlorn nod, Nell said, “Yeah, I know. I couldn’t really help getting my hopes up anyway.”
Settling on the bench, he pulled Nell into his lap, holding her tight against his chest. “Parents are supposed to love their children unconditionally.” He spoke the words softly into her hair. “I barely know your sister, but I know her well enough to be sure she’ll remind them of that every chance she gets until they wise up.”
She couldn’t manage more than a weak laugh. “That’s true.”
As he racked his brain for a way to console her, a butterfly fluttered over to a patch of asters, landing on one of the purple flowers. Its large black wings had rows of white and yellow-orange spots, with little smudges of a soft, iridescent blue.
“Look,” he said, pointing at the beautiful, delicate creature. “Remember what you told me? About wrapping yourself up in all your choices like a cocoon?”
She watched the butterfly gather its nectar, a soft, faraway look in her eyes. “I remember.”
“Then the whole thing falls away, and there you are, completely transformed.”
“New Dom, new safeword, new me,” she whispered.
“Yes!” His enthusiasm startled her, and he kissed the soft spot behind her ear before continuing in a calmer voice. “That’s exactly my point. How do you know you’re not transforming already?”
Nell half-turned her head, as if to make sure she’d be able to hear his next words.
“You’re not the same person you were ten years ago. The Nell I know would never let Micah treat you the way he did. You’d break his fucking nose.”
Her mouth twitched.
“You’re not even the Nell who came here five days ago. That woman was afraid of her scars. Ashamed of them.” He lifted the hem of her black, asymmetrical top, spreading his fingers across her taut belly. “Look how much color you got tanning with Olivia yesterday.MyNell knows there’s absolutely nothing to be fucking ashamed of.”
Nell turned back toward the butterfly, frowning as she considered his words. It wasn’t until the insect drifted away in search of new flowers that she balled her hands into tight fists. “If the parents of serial killers can still love them, my parents can definitely still love me. Especially since basically all I did was have sex in a way that embarrassed them.”
