TRUTH (30 page)

He glanced in my direction. “Are you not ready for a break?”

“No. I mean, yes. I would like a break.”

He smirked as if he were well aware of what I’d been thinking. I forced myself to move.
 

When I came back, he already had two sandwiches ready. I sat down beside him at the island, and once he’d started eating, I did the same.
 

“Have you had any more trouble with the voices?” he asked.

“No.” I didn’t know why they were leaving me alone, but I wasn’t going to dwell on it. They were gone, and I was hoping they stayed away.

He smiled but didn’t comment. We finished the rest of our lunch in silence.

All too soon, it was time to return to my assignment. Even though I finally understood the why of it, it didn’t help me get it done any faster.

I managed to add another four things to my list by the time he came back downstairs again.
 

5.
Like to write.

6.
I have made two friends, Lily and Jade.

7.
I’m a good listener.

8.
I like that I can make Stephan smile.

The last two had come back to back. They were sort of related. I loved listening to people but especially Stephan. He was always trying to get me to talk, but hearing him tell me about his day, his life, when he was growing up . . . I loved being able to just sit and listen.

“Have you taken a break recently, Brianna?”

I noticed it was almost five. “No.”

He frowned. “You need to get up and walk around every once in a while, or you’re going to put undue strain on your muscles.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll do better.”

When I didn’t get up, he crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side. I jumped up out of my seat and walked quickly to my bedroom.
 

As I stood in front of the mirror washing my face, I took a moment to look at myself.
Really
look at myself. I was happy. That was something I liked about myself. I wasn’t frightened all the time. I had long periods where I wasn’t focused on what had happened to me and was just . . . happy. I smiled, pleased that I’d come up with yet another item for my list.
 

Turning off the water, I dried my hands and went back out into the main room. Stephan was still there. He stood at the island, reading what I’d written so far.
 

“I’m proud of you,” he commented without raising his head. “You only have two more to go.”

“I thought of another one in the bathroom.”

He smiled at me and opened his arms. I went to him.

“What is it?”

“I like that I’m happy now. That I’m not always afraid.”

“Mmm. Yes. That is a good one. I like that about you, too.”

Stephan buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. He did that sometimes, and when he exhaled, it always sent a chill through me.
 

“Only one more to go.”

It took me another hour to come up with the last one. I’d reread over my list several times hoping it would help me come up with something, but it didn’t. What did help was a memory of Stephan and me working out earlier that morning. He’d commented on how toned the muscles in my arms had become since I’d been working with Brad.
 

I tilted my arm back and forth. He was right. My skin was no longer pale and sickly. The muscles underneath were strong and healthy. I was strong and healthy.
 

10.
I like that I’m strong and healthy.

Chapter 21

Stephan

After Brianna finished her list, I sent her to soak in the bathtub while I ordered us dinner. She was given instructions to relax. It also hadn’t escaped my attention that she’d taken one of her library books in with her.
 

Our food arrived a little before seven, and I went to tell her it was time to get out. The sight that greeted me made my heart thud solidly in my chest. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, exposing her neck and shoulders. She was almost completely surrounded by bubbles. To top everything off, she was leaning to the side, her right hand poking out from beneath the bubbles, to hold the book she was reading. She was completely engrossed. After five minutes of me standing there watching her, she was still unaware of my scrutiny.

“Enjoying your book?”

She jumped, nearly dropping her book in the water.

I laughed and walked toward her.
 

“I wasn’t paying attention, Sir.”

“Don’t worry about it. I told you to relax. You should be able to do that without having to worry about your surroundings, but you didn’t answer my question.” She looked confused. “Are you enjoying your book?”

Brianna glanced at the now-closed novel. This was one of the ones with a racy cover. The man on the front was shirtless, and the woman in his arms was only half wearing her dress.
 

“Yes. I like it.”

I took the book from her and pretended to skim some of the pages. “What’s it about?”

Her face turned a brilliant shade of red.
 

Pretending not to notice, I waited for her to talk.
 

“Um. He’s . . . a pirate.”

“A pirate. Hmm.” I turned a few more pages in the book, pretending to read. “What about the woman? Is she a pirate, too?”

She shook her head. The movement had her sinking a little farther down beneath the water. “She’s running away from her family. They . . . they want her to marry this mean man.”

“Ah. So this pirate saves her from having to marry.” I laid the book on the edge of the bathtub. “Is he a nice pirate?” I asked, brushing the back of my fingers down the side of her face.

“Not at first, but . . .” Dipping my index finger down below the waterline, I traced the outline of her breast. “But now he’s starting to like her . . . even though he says she’s a spoiled brat.”

“Ah. One of those.”
 

She closed her eyes as I moved my attentions to her other breast. Brianna was extremely responsive to my hands.
 

“Dinner is here. Get out and dry off. Don’t bother to get dressed. I’ll meet you in the living room.” Standing up, I reached for the towel, then dried my hand and left the room. I could only imagine what was going through her head at my instructions.

I cleared off the coffee table and laid out the food on top of it. There was a large variety of options, but it was mostly finger foods. I’d ordered everything from mini-pizzas to tapas and sushi. We were going to experiment a little with food and with Brianna’s comfort level in regards to herself and nudity.

She hesitated in the doorway, glancing at the large windows showcasing downtown Minneapolis, before tentatively moving into the living room where I was waiting. I patted the floor beside me, letting her know I wanted her to sit. Her actions were rushed. She was clearly uncomfortable. I supposed I could tell her the windows had a mirrored shine on the outside preventing anyone from seeing in, but I wanted her a little on edge.

“I hope you’re hungry.” I pointed to the variety of food on the table.

Aside from a slight widening of her eyes, she didn’t react to the spread.

Brianna bowed her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “Put your arms down, Brianna. You are not to hide yourself in any way from me tonight, understood?”

She nodded and lowered her arms.
 

I watched as she placed her hands in her lap, then placed them on her knees, and then dropped them to her side. She was unsure what do to with them. It was just as well. She wasn’t quite in the exposed position I wanted her.

“Spread your legs apart and sit with your ass on the floor.” I watched as she followed my instructions. “Spread your legs wider.”
 

Reaching down, I cupped my hand possessively over her pussy. Brianna sucked in a breath and held it. I gently rocked my hand back and forth over her folds, bumping her clit, but not applying enough pressure to truly stimulate.
 

Her pubic hair tickled my hand in a reminder that she still needed to get waxed. Her shopping trip with Lily would be a perfect time to get that taken care of. Her birthday was in nine days, and I had plans for the two of us, especially if things went well with Logan and Lily next Saturday.
 

I’d talked to him earlier, and everything was set up as best as it could be for next weekend. We’d go over to their house at two on Saturday afternoon. It was agreed that Brianna would most likely react better if she could see things from beginning to end. Therefore, Lily would be clothed when we arrived, and she and Brianna were going to have some time to talk beforehand. Brianna needed to know with absolute certainty that Lily was doing this of her own free will, that it was what she wanted.
 

“Have Lily arrange a waxing appointment for you this week while you’re shopping. I want you bare by the weekend.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond, and she apparently realized I didn’t require an answer.

“Place your hands behind your back and keep them there.”

Once her hands were out of the way, I picked up one of the tapas. I had the restaurant send over a sampling. This first one had tomato, basil, mushroom, and some rosemary. I placed it up against her lips. “Take a bite and tell me what you think.”

She opened her mouth and bit down just shy of the middle. As she chewed and swallowed, I popped the remaining half into my mouth.

“It’s good. I like it.”

I smiled and reached for a deviled egg. Again, we shared it.

As our dinner of finger foods continued, I played with her a little, making her reach for the food or intentionally missing her mouth so bits of food would fall onto her chest and need to be removed. I started by using my fingers to retrieve the dropped food, then progressed to more creative means. When a bit of hummus dropped onto the top of her breast, I dipped my head and used my tongue to lick it off.
 

By the time we reached the dessert portion of the meal, I was more deliberate with strategically putting food on her body and removing it with my mouth. Gradually, I began to smell the scent of her arousal wafting up from between her legs. Her sex glistened, and the memory of feasting on her first thing that morning had my cock straining to get free.
 

I took a deep breath to steady myself. She was such a picture of beauty sitting like this, completely trusting . . . submitting. I debated my original plan, which was to finish dinner and then go over her journal with her. Sex was on the menu, yes, but not until later. I wanted to get her worked up, exposed, and go over her diary with her. She needed to see herself as a whole person, not just what those voices she kept hearing in her head told her she was.
 

After feeding her a chocolate-covered strawberry and watching the juice dribble down the corner of her mouth, my resolve went out the window. I lifted myself up off the floor and took a seat on the couch directly behind her. Completely forgetting about the food, I undid my jeans and pulled my cock out, holding it at the base. “Turn around, Brianna.”

Like the obedient submissive she was, Brianna turned around, kneeling before me with her hands behind her back. Her only reaction to seeing my erection was to scoot herself closer to the edge of the couch and look up at me for permission. I placed my hand on the back of her head and gently guided her down. Leaning my head back on the couch, I allowed her to go at her own pace and enjoyed the feel of her mouth sucking on my cock.

Brianna

Stephan’s fingers tightened on the back of my head, and it sent a thrill through me. I wasn’t sure what it was about giving him a blowjob that I liked, but feeling him in my mouth, knowing I was giving him pleasure, only increased the heat between my legs.
 

I knew I was wet. With every lick and suck and slide of his fingers during dinner, I’d felt the moisture increasing. At first, I’d thought he had put a blanket on the floor to provide padding since we were both sitting. I wondered, however, if it had more to do with not wanting me to ruin his carpet. The area where I’d been sitting was now soaked. I had no doubt the new spot I was on soon would be, too.