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She nodded and got up to take her bowl to the sink. “Again, I’m sorry I woke you.”
He shrugged. “My alarm would have woken me up in another half hour anyway.”
An awkward silence filled the room and she shifted on her feet. “Um. I’m gonna take a shower and get ready.”
“If I’m not in the kitchen when you’ve finished getting ready, I’ll be in my study.” He tipped his head toward the other side of the living room to the hall she’d been down twice before—once the night he’d brought her home with him, and the next morning when he’d driven her back to her apartment to get her car. She had to admit she hadn’t paid much attention either time. “Come find me when you’re done.”
Ali took her time in the shower, trying not to remember what Daniel had looked like standing so close to her, his hard cock tempting her. She was tempted to get herself off but hesitated for some reason. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t masturbated before. She had. Lots of times. But it felt wrong somehow. Like he’d know and be upset with her.
It was stupid. He wasn’t her Dom. They had no agreement. Her body was her own and she could do with it whatever she wished.
Unfortunately, that rationalization didn’t change anything. She hadn’t had sex in almost two years. She’d played with some of the Doms at the club and some of them had even brought her to orgasm, but it had always been with toys or their fingers.
Turning the shower off, she yanked the towel off its holder so hard the end of it snapped against her leg. “Ouch.”
She bent to rub the spot on her leg where the towel hit. “That’s what I get for letting my stupid emotions get the better of me.”
As she wiped the water from her body and began drying her hair, she relived the way he’d touched her cheek. It was a simple touch. Nothing special. But she’d felt cherished. Something she didn’t experience often. In fact, the only other person who’d made her feel that way was her grandmother and she’d been gone for almost ten years.
Ali reached for her makeup bag and began applying a thin layer of concealer. She missed her grandmother. Gretchen Foster was everything her daughter was not. It wasn’t that Ali’s mother, Zelda, didn’t love her. She did. In her own way. But Ali would never describe her mom as nurturing.
She finished putting on everything but her lipstick and tucked the rest of her makeup in her bag. As she selected her clothes from those she’d brought with her, she tried to pick something comfortable. She had a feeling today would be a repeat of the day before, which meant heels were out. Even thinking about yesterday caused her feet to ache.
It also made her remember Daniel’s reaction to finding out she hadn’t eaten lunch. Ali knew she had to do better. Even if he wasn’t her Dom, he was still her friend and he cared about her. Even her best friend, Kim, got on her case when she skipped lunch.
It was so much easier for Kim, though. Her best friend had no problem saying no or sticking up for herself. It wasn’t that Ali couldn’t. It was more she hated confrontation. Most of the time, it was easier to agree than to argue. A copout, maybe, but she’d learned it was easier not to rock the proverbial boat.
Satisfied with her clothing selection, Ali headed into the kitchen looking for coffee. What she found was Daniel, fully showered and dressed in a suit and tie. He was holding two plates of food.
“There you are.” He smiled and her belly did a little flip.
“What’s this?” she asked, eyeing the plates.
“Breakfast.”
She hiked her purse higher onto her shoulder. “I already ate breakfast.”
He carried the plates to the table. Pulling a chair out, he sat down and picked up his fork. His gaze met hers. “A bowl of cereal is not breakfast.”
“Millions of kids across the country would disagree with you.” It was a lame response. She knew that, but it was the best she could come up with.
Daniel took a bite, chewed, then swallowed. “What other people do is not my concern.” But you are, was implied by the look he gave her as he scooped more food into his mouth.
Ali glanced at the clock, then back at the plate of food he’d prepared for her. It would be rude if she left it, right?
Setting her purse down on the counter, she walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself some caffeine. After doctoring it up with the cream and sugar he already had on the counter for her, she took a sip, then carried it over to the table.
The food wasn’t much to look at, but it tasted like heaven. She rarely ate more than a bagel or cereal for breakfast, especially on a workday.
Before she knew it, she’d eaten the entire plate. She must have been hungrier than she’d thought.
She was about to take her plate to the sink when a scraping sound beside her drew her attention. Looking down, she saw a key. Ali looked up to meet Daniel’s gaze.
“If you’re going to be staying here for a while, then you’ll need a key. If there’s a power outage or something, the code won’t work.”
Ali swallowed as she tried to take in everything he’d said. “You’re giving me a key to your house?”
One side of his mouth quirked up. “Yes. I’m trusting you not to throw any wild parties while I’m away.”
