AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We shook hands and feeling lighter than I had in forever, I headed to meet River. It was hard to believe it had only been two hours since I’d been confronted in the lobby. It’s amazing how much could change in so little time. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I’d been stuck in a car frustrated at my best friend and nowI was striding through the halls doing my best to hide my nerves as if I were a teenager about to have his first date.
Chapter 7
River
He was exactly on time. Of course he was. And he looked amazing, perfectly put together in that way that made my pulse race. He probably hadn’t tossed and turned all night with worries and self-doubt. Unlike me, he’d probably had a relaxing morning with no more worries than what to have for breakfast.
I’d opened the door to his knock, but the sight of him had frozen my brain. He smiled at me and my legs went weak, but I rallied and managed to stay upright. So we were standing there staring at each other and the silence was starting to grate on my nerves.
“You look lovely, precious one.”
He was lying but the words still made me feel special. I knew I looked tired and stressed because I was. I’d combed through my wardrobe five times when trying to decide what to wear today. When the stress of deciding had me near breakdown, I’d settled on my uniform which was flattering but nothing special.
“Thank you… Sir.”
“You look like you’ve lost weight. Have you been eating properly?”
Fire raced across my cheeks. There was no way I wanted to delve into my eating habits. Stress made it hard for me to eat and sometimes it felt like everything caused stress. It was time to change the subject.
“What do you want me to call you in public, Sir?”
He tilted his head. “What would you like to call me in public?”
I shrugged, unwilling to let him know how much I longed to call him Master again. To give him the power to make all the decisions and bring my world back into balance. The agreement to be his service sub for a week was an excuse Master Derek had given us to be together again. Problem was, I had no idea where to start and Cade seemed determined to not fully take control.
“River, are you sure you don’t have a preference?”
I shook my head and he sighed. I knew I had disappointed him and that tore at me.
“What would you call a guest you were serving if it wasn’t me?”
“Sir.”
“Good, then call me Sir.”
Why was it so hard to tell him what I wanted? The point of us being forced together was so that we could reconnect and see if anything could be salvaged from our relationship. But if neither of us spoke up, a week would pass and he’d be gone.
I don’t know if it was habit or him realizing I needed him to take control, but when we sat down at the restaurant he ordered my meal without asking first. The grilled cheese, creamy tomato soup, and crispy fries were perfect. It had always been my favorite when I was feeling off, and the fact that he remembered made me smile.
We ate in a silence that was comfortable. My thoughts wandered back to how we used to have moments just like this. No words needed, just the pleasure of existing in the samespace as someone you cared for. I wanted this back more than anything.
“I think we need to start over.” The words burst out of me with such speed that I couldn’t have stopped them if I tried.
Cade leaned back, his expression thoughtful. “Start over as in from a day ago? Or do you mean from the very beginning? Because there is a lot of history between us, much of it good.”
How could I put into words what was circling in my brain? “A clean slate. I’m not saying we forget our history, just that we let go of the baggage.” I wanted the man who had been my Master, not this hesitant, polite version of him. If we tried to restart things with anything but our honest selves, it wouldn’t work.
“Okay.”
The way he stretched out the word told me he wasn’t understanding what I was asking.
“Stop treating me like someone you have to make things up to. You said last night you wanted me to be myself. I want the same thing.”
“So, you’ll do the same?”
I snorted. “I’m not sure why you want the mess that is the real me—”
“River! I may not be your Master at the moment, but I know for a fact that Master Derek would not allow a sub under his care to talk down about themself.”
