Page 248 of Daddy, Take Me Away
I gather a breath. “I suppose it’s only fair.” The last thing I want to talk about is Gwen, but Zoë’s earned some personal information from me.
“Your ex-wife doesn’t seem the submissive type, and the way she asked if I called you Sir or Master… She obviously knows what you like, so how did you end up together?”
“We went to Oxford. Émile too, that’s Gwen’s current husband. We became best friends. Looking back now, I realize Émile wanted more from Gwen from the beginning. She wasn’t interested in dating anyone though, nor was I.”
“She wasn’t interested in dating anyone or she was only interested in dating one person?”
I’m suddenly glad we’re hiking and I can look forward rather than at her, because her words hit me like a fucking truck. Why hadn’t I considered that? Gwen knew I didn’t believe in anything more than casual dating. She knew the situation with my parents and how jaded I was about relationships. She fucking knew.
I swallow hard. Had Gwen manipulated her way into my bed? Was this her plan all along? To change my mind about relationships? And then once she realized I was incapable of loving her, she hurt me by sleeping with Émile?
“I don’t know, now that you mention it.” Hoping to change the subject, I stop walking and turn to her. “You hear that?” I smile. “That’s the waterfall. It’s still about a kilometer away but it’s so formidable, you can already hear it.”
She listens. “Whoa, it must be huge.” Wiping her brow, she pulls off her backpack. “Water break?”
I nod. “Might want to have a granola bar too.”
We’re quiet for a moment while we eat our snacks, and I think I might be out of the hot seat, but then Zoë speaks.
“So did she pretend to be into it and then take it back once you fell in love with her?”
I grit my teeth not wanting to answer this question. The reason why I don’t, though, hits me hard.
I don’t want to tell Zoë I never loved Gwen… because then I’ll have to tell her I’m incapable of love. And if I tell her that, maybe all this will stop. And I don’t want it to stop.
The way her beautiful hazel eyes watch me, waiting for an answer, hurts my gut, so I decide to omit that information. Promising myself I’ll tell her that part another day.
“So one night, in university, I’m getting ready to go out and Gwen asks me if she can come. Émile still had a few exams left and she was bored.” I take a swig of my water, finishing it off and tossing the empty bottle into my bag.
“We should keep walking.”
She nods and packs her own stuff back in her bag.
“I told her she wouldn’t want to come if she knew where I was going. I guess it was the wrong thing to say, because Gwen loved a challenge.”
Was I the same kind of challenge, I wonder? Helping Zoe into her backpack, I continue.
“I explained I was a Dom and into kinky shit and that I actually went to BDSM clubs to burn off steam. What I thought would shut her up, made her even more persistent.” I swat at a swarm of bugs and Zoë squeals, running several meters to escape them.
“So what happened?” she asks as soon as we’re away from the territorial swarm.
“I took her.”
“She wasn’t into it, but went out of curiosity? That’s brave.”
“It’s far braver to go when you are into it. There’s something to lose when you reveal your deepest desires. If you’re just curious, you’re impervious to judgment.”
“I never thought of it that way, but you’re right. I’m definitely not brave enough to go to one. I’ve been more than curious for as long as I can remember, but if you hadn’t confessed you were a Dom, I probably would never have explored my desire.”
My brow rises. “Oh? That can’t be true. You told me you’re adventurous in all things, remember?”
She swallows hard.
“Another lie? Oh, babygirl.” I shake my head, giving her my most disappointed look. “I’m going to have to spank you for that one.”
Her cheeks go a brighter shade of pink than they already are from the effort of the hike. “I was trying to get into your pants, Amadeo.”
I laugh, grabbing her and pulling her against me even though we’re both hot and sweaty. I palm her ass, giving it a dirty squeeze. “So naughty.”
