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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SASHA

“Be your submissive?” I timidly repeat his question before rebutting, “I barely know you.”

It’s not like not knowing a man’s name has ever stopped them from taking your submission—or your body—before, Sasha.

There’s something about Liam that isn’t like all of them, though. He has shown me more compassion in the incredibly short time I’ve known him than any man I’ve ever met has. I can’t believe how fast I dismissed him.

“I’m not asking as some ploy to take you home and fuck you.” He pauses when I gasp at his bluntness. “I want to teach you, Sasha.”

“Teach me?”

“You deserve to know how you should to be treated. I want to show you how amazingly powerful this lifestyle can really be. More than anything, I want to watch you grow.”

I stare into the empty cup in my hands, trying to come up with a response.

“I’m not trying to push this on you.” Liam reaches across the table and brushes the hair from my face. Glancing up, I’m met with the soft blue of his sincere eyes. “Tell me what you’re thinking, or ask me a thousand questions if you have them. This is your decision.”

My decision?

I haven’t decided anything for myself my entire life. Father made them all when I was a little girl to ensure I was the perfect little princess for him. When he passed away, my brother took over for a while. Viktor, his best friend, quickly absolved him of my care when we started dating. I was seventeen. Then Alex… Trevor… Shawn… Isaac.

“I need to be clear that this would be temporary,” Liam continues. “It would be an arrangement, not the beginning of a long-term relationship. I would be your teacher, and you would be my student. During our time together, I would be fully committed to you and your training.”

“How temporary?”

Liam mulls over my question, taking a moment to answer, “Six months.”

“Would you have another sub, too?” I ask, assuming he would want to have someone else to take care of his needs.

“Just you,” he tries to calm the inquisitive look taking over my face. “During our six months, I would be fully committed to you. Only you. Completely monogamous.”

“Monogamous?” My brows furrow with confusion, leaving me inadvertently mocking the look on his face. “I thought you said you didn’t want to have sex with me?”

“I didn’t say I don’t want to have sex with you, sweetheart,” he quickly refutes, a gentle chuckle rattling in his chest. “I said this wasn’t a ploy to take you home to fuck you. You are fucking gorgeous. I would eagerly fuck you. But I’ll earn your desire as I earn your submission. And when I do, I will enjoy every inch of your beautiful body.”

I swallow hard, and I swear the sound of my gulp echoes through the empty club as a heated flush rises up my neck and over my cheeks. His overtness makes it hard to maintain his searing gaze, and I drop my eyes to the table again. I shift in my seat, trying to relief some of my emotional discomfort with the physical sensation. The movement leaves me suddenly acutely aware of the wound below my butt. “Will you punish me?” I blurt.

“No.” Liam shakes his head. “When you don’t adhere to our rules, I will correct you.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Yes. Sometimes,” he answers honestly. “I will hurt you, but I will never harm you.”

It feels like each question I ask leads to another, but Liam answers every last one. Running his hand over mine, he insists, “This is your decision. One you don’t need to make today. I will have Layla book a hotel for you until we can find you a suitable place to stay for a while.”

I’m either quickly growing comfortable with this idea, or Liam is working some magical reverse psychology on me. Every time he offers me time and space, I lean closer to blindly accepting his offer.

“I’m not saying that I am, but if I were to say yes, what would I call you?”

“Liam.”

“Not Sir? King? Lord? Or Master?”

“Liam,” he repeats. “I will earn the privilege of an honorific.”

As promised, Liam gave me a place to stay for the night. A small suite at the luxurious Dominick Hotel.

After enjoying the largest whirlpool tub I’ve ever had the privilege of soaking in. I am eating a cheeseburger and french fries from room service in the fluffy terry hotel robe when I am surprised by a knock at the door. Opening it, I find the bellhop with several shopping bags. He hands me the bags and a black envelope with gold foiling.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any money for a tip.”

“It’s already been taken care of, ma’am,” the bellhop informs me.

After closing the door, I place the bags at the foot of the bed and open the envelope.

Layla helped me guess your size, but I thought you would appreciate having more to wear than those scrubs or a hotel robe.

–Liam

He apparently has no idea how amazing this bathrobe is.

When I open the first bag, I find out a pair of leggings, a fitted T-shirt, and a long, thin sweater. The next bag contains three identical pairs of booties in different sizes. Definitely covering all his bases. Reaching into the third bag, a tiny gasp falls from my lips. Pulling my hand out of it, I have a fistful of lacy panties and an equally sheer bra dangling from the strap.

God, I hope Layla picked these out.

Hastily, I shove the panties back into the bag, and I move everything to the settee under the window. Removing the robe and tossing it on the end of the bed, I climb between soft linen sheets and flip on the TV. I stare mindlessly at the screen for an hour before realizing that I’m so consumed by my thoughts that I have no idea what is happening between the characters.

Maybe a good night’s sleep will clear my mind so that I can make this decision.

Eventually turning off the TV, I get comfortable in the bed. Only sleep isn’t forthcoming. Instead of the inside of my eyelids, I find myself flitting between staring at the ceiling and the bedside alarm clock until 3:00 a.m. The glow of the alarm clock glimmers on the foil of Liam’s business card resting on the nightstand. Grabbing the card, I turn it over in my hand for a few minutes.

Fuck it.

Without allowing myself to overthink it, I flip on the sconce beside the bed. I lift the receiver from the base of the phone and dial the number on the card. It rings once before Liam answers, “Are you okay, Sasha?”

“Yes,” I reply. “How did you know it was me?”

“Good guess… and caller ID,” he teases.

“It’s very late. Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I can’t.” I sigh heavily. “I’ve been up all night thinking about your offer.”

“Like I said in the club, you don’t have to make a decision right now.”

Taking a deep breath, I blow it out slowly before giving him the answer that has been weighing on me all night. “Okay.”

“We can talk about it more tomorrow.”

“No… I mean… I’m saying yes,” I clarify. “I want to accept your offer of training.”

“Good.” His tone carries a glimmer of delight, and I can’t help but smile. “Now, be a good girl and get some sleep. I’ll be at the hotel to pick you up at 10:00 a.m. Good night, sweetheart.”

“Night, Liam.”