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Then Paul gave me everything I’d wanted since I came back.
He touched every part of my naked flesh, lathering me with the luxurious body wash.
When he finished cleaning me, I leaned back against his chest and closed my eyes.
“Don’t disappear again, Nadia. You fear being left alone. I live in terror that someone will notify me of death again.”Oh, God. I’d been right.
“I promise I won’t. I’m so sorry.”
He took me out of the tub and dried me off before carrying me back to the bed to lie on top of him. I buried myself farther when a tear hit my cheek.
I woke up to sunlight in the room and sat up, finding a printed itinerary for me on the nightstand.
Paul had switched Laurence and Andre for the remainder of the trip. Next, he scheduled shopping and museums for me to visit. There was more room to vary, but the last item on the list left me cold.
He’d deposited twenty-five thousand dollars in my account labeled “bonus.”
Paul paid me like his whore.
“What are you going to do?”
“Whatever I want with you.”
Deep down, I knew Paul could hurt me. Or I could be hurt by his actions.
Seeing the money after we’d been so close was too much. I felt worse knowing I couldn’t return it since my dad would need more to pay for his new surgery, and I had college loans to worry about.
I curled into a ball and wept.
There was a crowd of tourists taking photos in front of Rodin’sThinkersculpture. Still, I posed with my head back and arms stretched to the laughs of Laurence, who took the photo with a digital camera. Another present from Paul so that I wouldn’t run down the battery on my cell phone. Not that Laurence would let me out of his sight.
Paul had been busy with work the last couple of days, but he always returned before I went to bed. He’d take me in his arms and make love to me. But having sex wasn’t love, was it?
Sex didn’t describe how Paul was with me when we were alone. I’d never felt so close to anyone before, especially after he dominated and used bondage on me. It had been so intimate. There was nothing I could keep from him. He laid me bare, body and soul, and commanded me with passion, warmth, and care. Even though he told me he could never develop feelings for me. But how could he not when his actions said differently?
Money.Paul never knew the real reason I had stayed in bed the day after he first used the thigh and wrist cuffs. Whenever there was an emotional connection, Paul shut me out. But during that time, I had finally understood the true nature of being kept. It meant being kept away from your lover’s heart.
My heart constricted, and Laurence came closer. “Are you feeling ill again?”
I shook my head no. “I think it’s nerves about the party.”
He patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry. L’Arc is a great nightclub. The party will have music and performances. You’ll be able to sing well and dance badly all night.”
I poked his shoulder, and he laughed.
Laurence treated me great, but he was Team Paul all the time. He also told Paul everything, which meant Paul knew of everything I did well before we met up after his workday.
My phone rang with a call from Tomas. He’d taken to asking me for a café every afternoon. Still, I went through our dance.
“Hello?”
“Café?”
“Same place?”
“Where else?”
“À bientôt.See you soon.”
