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“River, you will only be required to act in the capacity of housekeeping and room service as you would for any guest. Anything else would be up to you and should be clearly negotiated and agreed on before it happens.” He gave us both a firm stare. “If at any time you feel pressured or uncomfortable, you can come to me and this verbal agreement with Cade will be immediately terminated, and if he persists, he will be asked to leave.”
“Do you agree?” The yearning in Cade’s eyes was impossible to say no to.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“I need a verbal response, River. If you agree, your normal daily duties for this next week will be reassigned so you can focus on yourself and Cade.”
The only thing at risk was my heart, but I wanted this, another chance no matter how slim with the only man I’d ever wanted and loved.
“Yes, Master Derek. I consent to this agreement.”
“Excellent!” Derek stood. “Cade, I will let the booking staff know to extend your stay by four more nights.”
They shook hands, both men looking pleased as if I hadn’t jumped off a cliff into some of the scariest waters on the planet. It took a few seconds, but I managed to get my legs to work and followed the two men to the door.
“Thank you, Derek.” Cade’s voice held layers of meaning beyond just a pleasant goodbye.
Master Derek placed his hands on my shoulders and waited till I looked up into his eyes before speaking. “I’ll be checking in with you daily, River, but if you need me anytime for anything, you know where to find me.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Sir.”
Cade and I stepped out into the hall and the door closed behind us with a gentle thud. For the first time since literally bumping into him in the stairwell, we were alone. Nerves made it feel like something was skittering along my skin. Was I supposed to do something? What was next?
Cade’s smile was warm as he looked me over and probably noticed my fidgeting. “How about we begin with dinner and conversation?”
Could I eat with my insides roiling? My stomach chose that minute to growl loudly. Heat blossomed over my face, and I knew I was blushing.
“Let’s go to my room and order some food so we can talk in private.”
Our walk through the halls was silent. I knew I, at least, still needed time to adjust to the new state of things. It was obvious once we were there that he had just arrived and hadn’t taken any time to settle in. His suitcase was propped against the wall near the door and I recognized the leather duffle that contained his fetish gear. If I hadn’t been here, would he have found someone new? Someone less needy who wouldn’t have run off when things got hard?
Those thoughts were my own mind’s poison but it was hard to break free of them. To give myself something to do, I knelt down and began to unpack his bag. Cade paused for a moment then moved to the phone and picked up the guest menu.
“What do you want me to order for you? Is there anything you’d recommend?”
His words were casual, normal even, but they shocked me, nonetheless. It had been years since he’d asked for my input. He’d even set the menu for what I cooked at home. I had some leeway, of course, but not having to make those kinds of decisions was one of the things I’d missed after I left him.
“Um, steak, medium rare, with a salad?”
That was a good choice right? I’d need protein and iron for energy and everyone always said vegetables were good to stay healthy. Plus Cade always preferred simple meals.
“Excellent choice. I’ll have the same.”
My nerves settled knowing I had chosen well as he phoned in the order to the kitchen. He sat in the chair watching me organize his items in the way I knew he preferred without comment. The silence between us was tense but not awkward. When I had everything properly put away, his bed turned down and the items for his shower laid out, I paused and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror.
I’d missed this sense of knowing what to do exactly how a person prefers. The joy I got out of serving the general guests wasn’t the same because I didn’t know exactly what they wanted. I’d worry that I’d arranged things wrong or they would prefer the comforter folded down to the foot of the bed rather than just turned down. With Cade, I knew how many pillows he needed to sleep comfortably and exactly how he organized his clothes in the drawer. I could do that for him.
Though I knew another service sub would be assigned to deliver our dinner, I wanted to go pick it up myself. I stepped outinto the bedroom to see Cade staring out the window, his deep thoughts written across his tight features.
“I’ll go get our food Master… Cade.” It was almost hard to add his name after the honorific. It felt right to call him only Master but, no. I needed to stay strong and not fall into old habits without being sure.
The kitchen was as always a hive of activity, and I hoped to be in and out quickly. My worries and doubts about my day must have been obvious because when I entered, Chef Connor and Mike paused to look me up and down with identical expressions of concern.
“Are you okay?”
Chef Connor’s words held a warm empathy that both soothed and embarrassed me.
I took a few deep breaths and attempted to sound calm and collected. “I guess everyone knows what happened today?”
