Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Asher

It takes all my self-control to leave Brynn alone with Stacia in my master bathroom for two hours. Luckily, part of that time is filled when a delivery of clothes arrives from Prism. She’s fast and truly a gem. I spend some time hanging everything up in Brynn’s closet. I also tuck her suitcases into the closet without opening them. I doubt she has anything in them she truly needs. She’ll wear the clothes I’ve chosen for her from now on.

The moment two hours are up, I head back to my suite.

I can hear them talking as I approach, which makes me chuckle.

“You’re going to knock his socks off,” Stacia says.

Little does Stacia know, but Brynn knocked my socks off the first time I saw her. She was wearing the conservative uniform at The Grind, with her hair in a loose braid down her back and no makeup. There is nothing Brynn needs to do to knock my socks off.

However, when I step into the bathroom—without bothering to give them a warning or announce myself—I freeze on my spot and nearly swallow my tongue.

Brynn turns toward me. She’s smiling broadly from whatever Stacia must have said next. She looks—there are no words—divine. Her hair is gorgeous and styled to perfection. I don’t care much about nails, but I can see she has a French manicure and pedicure. Tasteful. Stacia has shaped Brynn’s brows and done her makeup.

Brynn is wearing the pale-pink silk robe I handed her two hours ago. It’s tied loosely around her waist. It barely covers her bottom. The top is parted enough for me to see her cleavage.

She is the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.

Stacia silently gathers her things and puts them back in her bag while I stare at Brynn.

Brynn’s smile eases back until, finally, she bites her lip nervously.

“Let go of your lip, Brynn,” I order.

She shudders as she obeys me.

“Good girl. You need to break that habit. It makes you look less confident.”

She drags her tongue along her upper lip. “I am less confident, Sir.”

I smile. “Good point. We’ll work on that.” I shift my attention to Stacia, who is folding up her table.

“Let me help you.” I step closer, lock the two sides together, and lift it before looking back at Brynn. “Don’t move an inch.”

She gives me a slight nod .

“Nice meeting you, Brynn,” Stacia says as she follows me out of the room.

“You, too. Thank you for everything.”

I assume Brynn isn’t referring to what I paid for. Hopefully, Stacia gave her some information, too.

When we reach the elevator, I turn to Stacia. “Bill me.”

“I will, Mr. Bennett. Thank you for thinking of me.”

“I assume you gave Ms. Flores an education about BDSM?”

She flushes and shifts her bag to the other shoulder. “I did.”

I nod. “Thank you for that, too. I’m sure she has a thousand questions.”

“Yes. She’s very sweet.”

The elevator arrives, and I help Stacia inside just as Sebastian emerges and steps in with her. He’ll escort her to her car. “Thanks again. I know I can trust you to be discreet.”

“Yes, Mr. Bennett.”

When she’s gone, I turn and head back to the bathroom, where I find Brynn exactly where I left her. She has adjusted her robe so that it’s pulled across her body more, but she takes my breath away.

I step closer this time and search her face. “You look gorgeous without makeup, but Stacia did an amazing job. You’re stunning, and we shouldn’t waste all her hard work. We should go out.”

She bites her lip as her breath hitches. “Tonight?”

I reach up and gently tug her lip free, tsking at her. “Do you know what happens to naughty girls who don’t follow instructions?”

Her eyes go wide. Her cheeks turn a darker pink, and a delightful flush runs down her chest in the V of her robe.

“Has anyone ever spanked you, Brynn?”

She gasps and shakes her head, but she also squeezes her thighs together. She’s so submissive.

“Words, baby,” I warn.

She licks those full lips. “No, Sir,” she whispers.

“But you’re intrigued.”

Her breath hitches. “How do you know?”

I set a few fingers on her neck. “I can feel your pulse racing. You clenched your thighs together. There’s a pretty flush on your cheeks and chest. And you’re breathing heavily.”

She looks away.

I grip her chin and guide her gaze back to mine. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed. You’re deeply submissive, Brynn. It’s in your blood. The more you learn about submission, the more you’re going to crave it.”

She shivers as my fingers trail between her breasts. I want her. She’s been here six hours, and I want her.

I take a step back and lower my hand. Any illusion I have of not taking her into my bed vanishes. I will have her, but it’s too soon. She’s like a deer in the headlights. She needs time to process what’s happening to her, accept it, and follow her heart.

“I’m going to take you out to dinner,” I announce.

She gives a slight nod. “Okay. Uhhh, Stacia mentioned that people will watch us and take pictures. They will be curious about me.”

“This is true.” I probably should have mentioned this to her before I pushed this arrangement on her yesterday. I’m well-known. People will definitely be curious. That’s part of my plan. I’d love to take myself off the market so I don’t have to fight off women wherever I go.

I know Brynn doesn’t have anything in her recent past that would cause the tabloids to create a frenzy, but what about her childhood?

She lifts a hand and fingers the edge of her robe at her neck absently. “I should probably warn my dad.”

“Will he be upset?”

She surprises me with a wry chuckle. “Everything upsets my dad. That’s why I moved to the other side of the country to go to school. I’m sure he thinks I’m a slut. Everyone who lives on the West Coast has loose morals, you know,” she says sarcastically.

I wince. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugs. “I don’t honestly care, but I should probably warn him if you think my face might show up on the front of a tabloid. Someone in my hometown will show it to him, and then he’ll call to remind me what a disappointment I am.”

What a prick . I don’t say this. “I don’t know how anyone could see you as a disappointment. You seem like every parent’s dream child.”

She rolls her eyes. “Well, I disappointed my dad. He didn’t think it was necessary for girls to go to college. He thought I should have stayed in that small town, married some ‘nice’ boy, had children, and stayed home barefoot.”

I cringe. Brynn has a brilliant mind. She’s going to be extremely successful in life. It would have been a waste for her to have stifled her talents and followed her father’s plans. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you followed your dreams.”

She smiles. “Me, too.”

“Would you like to call him? I can give you some time alone. ”

She draws in a breath. “No. I think I’ll put it off. We’re just going to dinner. What are the chances we’ll end up in the gossip rags?”

I shrug. Honestly, pretty high, but I don’t want her to panic. We’ll make it to the restaurant without an issue because no one knows I have a girlfriend yet. But once we get there, people will see us, take pictures, and start posting. By the time we leave, Brynn’s face will be all over the tabloids.

I won’t point that out. No reason to make her panic. Besides, this is what I need her for. Precisely this. The sooner people find out I’m off the market, the easier my life will get.

She’s staring at me, and I realize I haven’t responded for a few seconds. I’m mesmerized. Everything about her is more than I anticipated. I’ve been watching her for weeks. Falling for her. But my imagination could have been way off. She could have been nothing like I expected. Instead, she’s even better.

Brynn is going to challenge me. I’m salivating for her and need to keep my hands off her. Or rather, I need to keep my dick in my pants. I can’t promise I won’t touch her at all. In fact, I reach up and stroke her cheek. “You’ll end up in every magazine, Brynn. It’s unavoidable. Can you handle it?”

She licks those sexy lips. “Yes, Sir.”

“I’m going to pick out something for you to wear to dinner. Wait here.” I turn and stride from the bathroom. I looked through the items Prism left hanging in the closet earlier, so I know exactly what I want my girl to wear tonight. It takes me two seconds to grab the hanger, and I return to the bathroom .

Brynn’s eyes widen as I remove the dress from the hanger. “That has less material than this robe, Sir.”

I chuckle. “Take off the robe, Brynn.”

She trembles.

I step closer and tip her chin back with one finger. “Take off the robe, baby,” I repeat gently.

She slowly unties the belt and lets it slip off her shoulders before setting it on the vanity.

I can’t help staring down at her body. It’s perfection. She truly could be a model. My voice is deep when I say, “Lift your arms, baby.”

She obeys me, even though she’s nervous. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen her naked. It’s the third. But she’s still unnerved by the idea of being completely bared to me.

I carefully lower the loose material of the shimmering silver dress over her head, helping her arms into the sleeves without messing up her hair or makeup.

When it falls into place, I step back and nearly groan. She looks like she belongs on the cover of a magazine or perhaps the centerfold. The material is delicate and thin. It has long sleeves, a plunging neckline that shows off her cleavage, and a hem that reaches only a few inches past her butt.

I close the bathroom door so she can see herself in the full-length mirror on the back of it.

She gasps. “I can’t wear this, Mr. Bennett. I don’t even recognize that woman.”

I step behind her and set my hands on her shoulders. “You look divine. Every woman at the restaurant will be jealous.”

She bites her lip again .

I lean my head down so my mouth is close to her ear. “What did I say about that lip?”

She releases it immediately. “Sorry, Sir.”

“I warned you earlier that I would spank you for biting that lip. I also warned you about hesitating when I give an order.”

Her cheeks turn pink. She’s not wearing enough makeup to keep me from seeing her embarrassment and arousal. I’ll have to thank Stacia for not overdoing Brynn’s makeup. It’s subtle and well done.

The shiver that rolls through her body pleases me.

“I won’t spank you now because Stacia worked hard on your hair and makeup. But when we get back from dinner, you will go over my knee, understood?”

“Yes, Sir,” she whispers.

“It will give you something to think about during dinner.”

“I’m not wearing anything under this dress, Sir.”

I smile at her reflection in the mirror. “I know that, baby. There’s no way you could wear any sort of bra with this, and if you wore a thong, people would see the elastic. Trust me; women don’t wear lingerie under most sexy dresses.”

I leave her again and return with a pair of strappy silver heels.

She stares at me. “I’ve never worn heels that high. I’ll probably fall on my face and embarrass you.”

“You won’t, baby. I’ll keep your arm wrapped around my elbow.” I hold them out. “Why don’t you practice while I change?”

She sits on the vanity chair and bends over to put them on.

It’s hard to leave her. I’d rather stay and watch. I like how the dress lands on her thighs when she sits. It’s just long enough that no one will get a peek at her pussy, but short enough to make her nervous, worrying they might.

As I step into the closet, I make a quick call to one of my favorite restaurants, Vino. The ma?tre d’ assures me it will be no problem to get me in. After I hang up, I change into a suit and tie.

I’m back at the entrance to the bathroom within minutes, and I lean against the door frame to watch my girl as she practices walking across the room.

When she catches me staring, she stops and smooths her hands down her front. “When I agreed to be your arm candy, I didn’t think it through properly. This is going to be hard to pull off, Mr. Bennett. I’m way out of my element. No one is going to believe I’m some important rich debutante.”

“We don’t need anyone to believe that, Brynn. The truth is fine.”

“And what’s our story?”

I smile. “We don’t need to lie. I met you at The Grind. I stalked you there for weeks, and then I asked you out. I’m sure everyone who works at The Grind can attest to the validity of that statement. Probably some of the customers, too. By this time tomorrow, people you hardly know will be telling the entire world they knew you and knew I was interested in you. They will make up stories and blow them out of proportion.”

“Who’s going to believe you met a girl who’s barely scraping by, and you asked her out?”

I chuckle and come closer to her. I bring my hands to her shoulders. “Brynn, that’s exactly what happened.”

“Except, it’s not real,” she points out. “You’re paying me to pretend it’s real. ”

I hold her gaze. The craziest part is that I’ve never had a more real relationship than this one. I’m standing in my master bathroom with the sexiest woman I’ve ever dated in my life. I’ve never brought a woman to my penthouse. This one, I’ve moved in with me.

Real? Define real. I’m really going to lust after Brynn all night. I’m really going to dominate her the entire time. I’m really going to spank her until she’s moaning and begging me to let her come when we get home. She’s really going to sleep in my penthouse.

She knows this is real. It may be unexpected, but it’s still real. She’s mine. Maybe it’s not practical to believe I can keep her, but for now, Brynn Flores is mine.

Surely, it won’t last. Surely, I will work her out of my system in a few days or weeks or maybe months. She’s so young. I won’t be able to hold her interest forever. She will tire of me.

What if she doesn’t?

And even more frightening, what if I don’t tire of her ?