34. Olivia

Chapter thirty-four

Olivia

A s we’re walking upstairs, I remind myself he’s nothing like Donovan. I was never allowed to have any friends growing up, so other than the bondage aspect of BDSM, that was my other biggest fear. That I would have to give up that part of myself. I go to the chair he had me sit in the other day, but when I notice he doesn’t follow me, I pause and turn around. He’s still standing next to the door.

“After we go through the contract, you will no longer assume where I want you. You will enter and you will wait by the door until I give you instructions. Do you understand?”

I tilt my head down and frown as my heart shrinks. “Yes, Sir,” I reply. He walks toward me, but I don’t look up until he puts his index finger under my chin and lifts my face.

“I’m not upset, treasure. You didn’t know. It’s my responsibility to teach you. We will go over this in more detail in a moment.” He rubs his thumb along my cheek and leans down, kissing me softly on my nose. I bite my lip, trying to hide my smile at the sweet gesture and his reassurance. “Don’t hide that pretty smile from me, gorgeous.” I let my smile break through. “Good girl. Now, go sit down.”

I turn and do as he instructed. He sits behind his desk, pulls the contract out, and hands me a copy. I read through it again, noticing the changes he made. Once I’m done reading through everything, I look at Victor and wait for him to begin.

“You read everything?” I nod. “Do you have any questions?”

“Yes, about the exercise. I’m a member at Bass’ gym. Should I cancel my membership? Did you want me to exercise with you?”

It makes me sad, thinking about not going there anymore. It was my first attempt at forcing myself to get out of my comfort zone. Rose suggested I exercise for my mental health, but also as a way to prove to myself that I was safer than I thought.

“No, you don’t have to cancel your membership. There might be nights when I have to work late at one of my restaurants. If that’s the case, I’d like for you to go there instead. And since that is a request, I’ll begin paying for your membership.”

I open my mouth to protest, but catch myself. “Okay. So, on the nights you don’t have to work late, we’ll exercise here?”

“Yes, that’s right. I have a personal gym we can use here. I haven’t shown that area to you yet.”

Swallowing and glancing back down at the contract. “Regarding the clothing…” I lick my lips. “What does it mean in the presence of the Dominant the submissive will wear what the Dominant deems fit?”

Victor leans back in his chair, places his elbow on the arm, and rests his chin in his hand. He stares at me for so long I have to force myself not to squirm.

Why is he waiting so long to answer my question? Is it because I’m not going to like the answer?

“This is where we will begin getting you comfortable in your own skin,” he says. I tilt my head at him, trying to decipher what he means. “I’m going to purchase you some modest lingerie and you will wear it when we’re in this office and only when we’re in this office. You will come up here first. I will have it laid out for you and you will put it on. Then you will come over here.”

He motions for me to stand and walk around the desk, then points to the pillow that is on the other side of his chair. “You will kneel here, your hands clasped together and laid in your lap like this.” He demonstrates how he wants my hands. “Your head and eyes will remain down. You will stay in that position even if I enter. You will not move until I tell you to or give you different instructions. Do you understand?”

I hesitate at the thought of wearing lingerie. “I don’t know if I can wear lingerie.” My voice is small. He wraps an arm around my waist, pulls me into his lap, then wraps his hand around my hair and pulls on it slightly, forcing me to look at him.

“You can,” he says, his voice dropping into that sexy tone I love so much. “And you will.” My heart is beating a mile a minute at the thought of being in lingerie around him. “I told you I was going to push you out of your comfort zone. This is what we’re starting with. I promise it will be very modest, but you have to trust me. Do you trust me?”

My eyes are burning, and a lump has formed in my throat. This is the part that is going to stretch me. I finally nod, unable to speak at the moment.

“Use your words, treasure.”

I have to swallow twice to get rid of the lump in my throat. “Yes, Sir. I understand.”

“Very good.” He releases my hair and runs his fingers through it, pressing my head so I lay it on his shoulder. “I’m going to let you calm down for a minute before we sign the contracts while I look at a couple of emails I didn’t get to today. Okay?”

“Yes, Sir.”

I wrap my arms around his waist and hold him tightly, needing to feel him to calm down. My emotions are heightened right now and I just might cry. He’s the only person that brings me this close to losing control of my emotions. I love it and hate it at the same time. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens the email app on his phone, giving him the ability to continue running his fingers through my hair with his other hand.

Closing my eyes, I relax against him, and run through everything that’s happened since we left my office. Yes, he’s taking me out of my comfort zone, but he’s doing it in a safe and controlled environment. By the time he’s done going through the emails, I’m so relaxed I could fall asleep.

“Olivia, are you asleep?” he whispers.

“No, but I could absolutely fall asleep like this,” I reply.

He chuckles and kisses me on top of my head. “Come on, let’s sign the contract.”

I sit up. Victor situates me in his lap, grabs a pen, signs and dates the two sections that require a signature, then hands me the pen to do the same. I sign it and even though I’m nervous about what’s to come, relief washes over me.

“It’s time to get you home.” He helps me get off his lap, grabs my hand, and leads me out of his office and back downstairs. He calls for Lane, who will drive me home. “I’ll be riding with you,” he says, making me feel better that I still have a little while longer with him. “Lane will drop you off, and by that time Arden will be waiting for us.”

“Okay.” We both get into the car when Lane brings it around. “You washed the car.”

Lane smiles at me in the rearview mirror. “I did. It’s one of my nightly rituals.” He pulls out of the gate and waits for it to close. “I looked at the information you sent me for your app. I have some suggestions I’ll send you in a few days.”

Victor wraps his arm around my shoulders, a smile on his face. “Thank you for helping her, Lane.”

“Anytime, Mr. Valentine. You have a great foundation, Liv. Now you just need to build it,” he says.

“Thank you.” Smiling to myself, I close my eyes and lean my head against Victor’s bicep. I’ve never felt peace like this, and by the time we pull into my driveway, I’m so relaxed I’ll be able to fall asleep right away.

Victor comes inside with me and picks out my outfit for the next day. This time choosing tan slacks and a dark green blouse. “That’s one of my favorite shirts,” I tell him. If it falls just right, it could show my scar, but I can fix it so it doesn’t. I walk him to the door and he cups my face to give me a soft kiss.

“Have sweet dreams, dolce ragazza .” Climbing into bed after I’ve taken Arden some tea, I remember, right before falling asleep, I forgot to ask him how long the term of our contract would be for.