His to Command #5: The Submission (3 page)

Her gaze settled on the drawer. Had he kept the ring? Was he still pining over the woman?

She walked toward the bedside table as if drawn by a gigantic magnet. She licked her lips, hesitating. Wanting to know, but…not wanting to know.

She sucked in a deep breath, then grabbed the handle of the drawer and pulled it open, like ripping off a bandage. Inside was a brown leather journal, a pen, a small flashlight, and other sundry things. She glanced farther back in the drawer, and her breath caught. A black velvet box.

She picked it up with shaking fingers and snapped it open.

The soft light of the setting sun glittered on the large, solitaire diamond. It was beautiful. Simple. Elegant. Exactly what Kate would have wanted.

Her heart sank. She pushed herself up on the bed and sat cross-legged, staring at the gem. She ran her fingertip over the hard, smooth surface. She had begun to hope she might win Matt’s heart again, even though he said it was impossible. She feared her own submissive nature, but even more, she feared a future without Matt in her life. She was in love with him. She realized she always had been.

If only this ring had been for her. Kate’s heart ached and tears welled in her eyes.

Matt’s cock still ached as he pulled the beef bourguignonne dinner from the fridge and put it into the oven to warm. He’d had it sent over from his favorite chef, along with a few other dishes, so he could spend time with Kate rather than cooking.

She was starting to trust him more, and it filled him with a deep satisfaction. She’d even let him take her to the dungeon and chain her to the punishment bench. He knew this time was helping her heal and he was glad for that.

He wondered how deep that trust had become. If he revealed what he’d done, would she be willing to forgive him? Would she believe he would never hurt her again, and allow them to move forward?

He set the timer on the oven, then headed for the stairs. Kate was probably in her room, waiting for his next command. He’d get dressed, then invite her downstairs for a drink by the fire before dinner. He padded down the hall, his bare feet making no sound on the hardwood floors. As he stepped toward the doorway, he noticed Kate sitting cross-legged on his bed, now dressed in jeans and a sweater.

He smiled, rather wishing she still wore the harness, so he could enjoy the view of her sumptuous body. His cock stirred at the memory of her in the crouched position she’d adopted earlier when he’d come home from the office, her naked folds open to him.

Her gaze jerked toward him and his heart wrenched at the sight of tears glittering in her eyes.

“Oh, Matt, I didn’t hear you.”

Her voice sounded anxious. Almost panicky. It was then he noticed she held something in her hand. Despite her quick movement to try and hide it, the sparkle of the diamond had been unmistakable before she’d closed the box and tucked it beside her knee.

She’d found the ring. His gut clenched.

“What are you doing with that, Kate?” He grabbed his robe from the back of the chair and pulled it on.

Her cheeks were flushed as she stared at him, guilt suffusing her eyes. “I’m sorry, Matt. I shouldn’t have gone through your drawer, but…when Ileana told me—”

“Ileana? What the fuck were you doing talking to Ileana?”

Her gaze dropped. “She came by when you were gone this afternoon. I answered the door and she just pushed her way in.”

“And you two just started chatting calmly and she told you about the ring?”

He walked toward her and held out his hand. There was no point ignoring what it was. Kate hesitated, then placed the velvet ring box in his hand. He walked to the bedside table and placed it in the drawer, near the back, then closed it.

Whatever Ileana had told Kate, it wasn’t going to be good. He did not want Kate to know the story behind the ring, but Ileana’s plans rarely matched his. He just couldn’t figure out what Ileana would have to gain by telling Kate about it.

Kate hadn’t answered his question yet. “So, what did she say?”

Kate shifted under Matt’s intense scrutiny. She pushed herself from the bed and walked toward the window, gathering her wits. Drawing in a breath, she pushed aside the guilt of being caught with the evidence that she’d invaded his private space, drew back her shoulders, and turned to face him.

“You told me that you only dated Ileana for a short time and that it meant nothing.”

His expression didn’t change. “That’s right.”

She’d expected some hint of guilt.

“But…that’s a lie.”

“Kate, what did she tell you?”

Kate wrapped her arms around herself and started to pace. “She knew where everything was. She knew her way around the kitchen and how to work the sound system. She knew about the dungeon.” She stared up at Matt. “She knew this house.”

Ileana had managed to make Kate feel like the outsider.

“We were friends before we dated,” Matt said, “and even after we broke up, she was the head of my legal team. She was often over here to discuss contracts, or for social gatherings. She also helped me furnish the place.”

A tremor crawled along Kate’s spine. Suddenly, Ileana’s presence seemed to surround her. No wonder the furniture felt a little more formal than she would have expected for Matt. Had Ileana picked out all the furniture? Had she picked out this bed? Had she chosen the linens?

How often had she and Matt made love in that bed? Had Matt spoken soft words of love in her ear?

“She said you dated a lot longer than a few months.”

His eyebrows arched. “Really? How long did she say?”

“She said you were still together when you saw me in the mall a few weeks ago.”

“And you believed her?”

She shrugged. “No, not exactly. I mean, I didn’t know what to believe, and she didn’t seem to care if I believed her or not.”

“Of course. She knows that would work better. Drop a few comments. Lead you where she wants you to go.” He scowled. “Just enough to sow the seeds of doubt.” His lips compressed. “Kate, I thought you’d finally come to trust me again.”

“I did.” She sucked in a breath. “I do.”

It was true. She’d even gotten past her hesitation at the dungeon door because deep inside, she knew Matt would never purposely hurt her.

“And I understand that if you had a more serious relationship with Ileana,” she said, “you might feel there was no reason to tell me. You and I aren’t in a romantic relationship, so it’s really none of my business, and it would make things awkward between us. You might feel it would hurt me to know about it.”

“Kate, I’m not hiding anything from you. I was never in a serious relationship with Ileana.”

Kate’s throat clenched and she forced her gaze to meet his. “Then why did you propose to her?”

“What? That’s crazy. You can’t actually believe that.”

Her eyebrows arched. “What about the ring?”

“The fact I have a ring doesn’t prove—”

“She showed me pictures of you sliding the ring on her finger.” The look of joy in Matt’s eyes in that picture still haunted her.

He paused, his brows drawn together in bewilderment. “A picture?” He frowned, then sighed. “Right. I asked her to come with me to pick out a ring because I wanted a woman’s perspective. While we were shopping, she asked the salesman to take some pictures of her trying the ring on. It wasn’t a picture of me proposing.”

“Oh. So, there’s someone else?” Her heart clenched at the thought. But of course he would have been dating other women over the past two years, so it made sense that he would become serious about one of them.

His expression closed up. “That’s not important. The point is, I’m not involved with Ileana, and I definitely never proposed to her. Nor do I intend to.” He locked his gaze on hers. “I didn’t lie to you.”

She stared at him, not sure what to think. Who was this other woman and why didn’t he want to talk about her? And if he had another woman in his life, why was he spending this time with Kate? Having sex with her.

Unless the woman had turned him down.

“I believe you,” she said.

“Good.”

“Matt, this other woman—”

“Look, Kate, as you already pointed out, you and I are not in a romantic relationship. What goes on in my personal life has nothing to do with you.”

A shiver ran through her at his cool, businesslike tone.

“I would still like to help you come to terms with your submissive side,” he continued, “because I think it will help you in future relationships, but if you don’t want to stay, I’ll understand.” He turned and walked toward the door. “I’ll leave you to think about it. You can find me in my study.”

Matt swirled the drink in his glass, watching the liquid absently. Damn it, he never should have brought Kate here. He’d thought it was helping her, and with respect to her healing over the past events, it probably was, but it wasn’t helping either of them get past what was between them. He didn’t know if she would leave now or not, but it would probably be for the best.

A tap sounded at the door. Time for the verdict.

“Come in.”

He set his glass on the desk as the door opened. Kate stepped inside.

“Hi.” She glanced around nervously, taking in the hunter green walls and the dark wood furniture of his masculine den. Her gaze settled on his and she shifted a little, clearly nervous.

“So what have you decided?” he asked.

“I want to stay.”

The knot in his stomach loosened. Maybe it would be better if she left, but he was glad she was staying.

But he knew he had to keep control of things.

“Fine. Then I think it’s time we ramp things up.”

She pushed her fingers in her jeans pockets. “Okay.”

“This will only work if you trust me totally.”

She gazed at him solemnly and nodded. “I do.”

He didn’t believe that was completely true, but they would proceed from here.

“Good. For the rest of the week, we will stay in role. You will do exactly what I say. When I say. Without question. Without thought. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. Now take off your clothes.”

She blinked, but then she began stripping away her garments. Her sweater and jeans landed in a heap on the floor, then she reached behind herself and unfastened her bra. His heartbeat increased as she drew the garment away, revealing her perfect breasts. So pert and round. The nipples hardened as his gaze caressed them. She tucked her thumbs under the waistband of her panties and pushed them down, then kicked them away. Now she stood before him totally naked. His cock swelled at the erotic sight.

“Come over here and kneel in front of me.”

As she walked toward the desk, he opened the drawer and retrieved the black leather collar with silver spikes he had picked out for her for this week. It was a symbol of the bond between a Dom and his sub. Of trust and obedience on her part. It hadn’t been appropriate to give it to her at the beginning of the week, because she hadn’t been ready. In fact, it probably wasn’t appropriate to give it to her at all, because they would never be true Dom and sub. Eventually, she would bond with someone else in that way. That’s why they were doing this whole thing. So she could eventually find her happiness with someone else.