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“I’ll survive. I always manage somehow.”
“Survival is necessary, but Bain will help you thrive.”
She said it like it was fact, but I still wasn’t sure how renting a temporary Dom was going to make a major difference in my life. Still, it had worked for Nyla, so…
“I sure hope so. It would be amazing to not feel like I’m drowning and failing in every aspect of life.”
“Did he tell you about the money back guarantee?”
“What? No.”
The look of surprise on my face must have been hilarious because Nyla broke into a hysterical fit of laughter. When she caught her breath, she shook her head. “That’s because it’s not a thing, but I will make it one if I have to.”
“No, don’t do me any special favors. That’s not fair. And besides, whether it works or not isn’t all on him. I’m sure he will do the best he can to help me.” I felt oddly defensive of Bain, and rather protective. It was funny what a difference twenty-four hours could make.
“He better,” Nyla mumbled.
Her protectiveness was comforting. “Thanks.”
“I should have thought of it as an option, but I guess I didn’t think you’d really be interested. I’m glad you decided to take a chance and joined. It was surprising, but I’m glad nonetheless.”
“It was one of those impulsive now or never kind of things, and I was afraid if I thought about it too much I would chicken out. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you.”
“Girrrllll,” Nyla drew the word out. “I totally get that and you have no reason to apologize. I mean, shit, I’m getting a free spa day out of the deal.” We both laughed at that and she continued. “But in all seriousness, as long as you know I’m here if you need to talk, then I’m cool. Let’s just have a chill day together.”
“I do know. Thank you.”
With the emotional garbage and apologies behind us, I already felt a thousand times less stressed. Leaning back against the seat, I closed my eyes and smiled. I had to admit, I was looking forward to being spoiled, even if it wasn’t how I’d expected my day to go.
Bain
My phone pinged with a message from Nyla that they were on their way home. I hadn’t heard from the cleaning crew, so I jumped in the car and headed back over to Jasmine’s, hoping against hope that they were finished. They were part of the same crew that cleaned our buildings, so I had no doubt the quality of work would be stellar. I just didn’t know if it would be done in time. I had no idea how long these things took. But when I walked into the house, I was stunned by how clean and organized it was. They had scrubbed everything from ceiling to floor, and I swore it shined so much that it sparkled.
“Mr. Bainbridge, I hope this is up to your standards,” the head of the cleaning crew said as he approached.
“It looks great. You all did amazing. Thank you so much.” I got out my wallet and peeled off several hundred-dollar bills, pressing them into his hand. “Invoice me later, but this is a tip for you and your crew for a job well done.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bainbridge. We have a few bins that the owner will need to go through and put away as she sees fit, otherwise we used what you told us and what we could see to get the rest taken care of.”
“Perfect. This is exactly what I wanted.”
“Holy shit!” A high-pitched shriek from behind me let me know that Jasmine was home, and had discovered my secret.
“Surprise,” I said with a hopeful smile as I turned to face her.
“What did you do?” Eyes wide, she scanned the space. “Is this even my house? I don’t think it's been this clean since the day we moved in. Maybe not even then. I can’t believe this!”
Her tone and face were completely unreadable, and I had no idea if she was going to lose her shit and kick us all out for good, or if she was going to burst into thankful tears.
“You okay?” Nyla asked her cautiously, obviously not sure, either.
“I-I’m not really sure how to feel? On one hand, I’m humiliated that you all have seen the mess I’ve been living in, and I kind of want to lose my shit that you have spent all this money on me.”
She turned and glared at me, and I rushed to defend my actions. “I’ve already addressed that. I’ll spend my money how I want to spend my money.” I sounded like a pompous ass, but it was true and it was the only defense I had that her pride would accept.
“You have made that completely clear,” she grumbled, trying to hide a smile and failing.
“Why don’t we let the crew get packed up and say goodbye to Nyla, and then you and I can chat?”
