Page 59 of Dominance

I take a step toward him, scared. Desperate.

“Is this…?” His facade breaks, his shoulders slumping. “Is this real, Gloria?”

In a second I’m there, holding his face between my hands, looking into his eyes.

“Is this?” And I kiss him, hard, passionately, recklessly.

His body locks up, only for a split second. Right before his arms enclose me, crushing me to his chest, our lips, our hands, our entire beings pressed against each other.

It escalates, my fingers tearing at the buttons on his shirt, his palms gripping my hips, then lower, scooping one leg up his side.

“Adri—”

“I-I?—”

“Yes, yes?—”

I’m ready. I need him. Now. Like I’ve never needed anyone.

And he’s halfway to the table with me in his arms when the door slams open loudly. We freeze.

“Uh. Sorry.” The pool boy blushes.

And dodges out of the way as Adriano runs out the door.

Leaving me standing there, a hot fucking mess.

11

GLORIA

Some days are just unreal.

Some days are just unbearable.

Some days I feel like I can maybe handle what’s going on in my life. But then there’s days like today.

Devastatingly, unbelievably … defeating.

Or maybe it’s the entire week I’ve been through since the insanity at the club in the Hamptons.

I file another account away, altering the heading, swapping the invoice. Routine. It’s just doing my job.

Not criminal money laundering or anything.

Nope.

Just another item on the list of two hundred things I have left to do on my desk at the end of another day. Holding the phone against my cheek, I almost forget it’s there until the voice on the other end chirps again.

“Gloria?” Sonya’s accent is light, adorable really. Despite the fact that I grew up in France too, my mother’s English taught me to speak without the lilt.

“Sorry, I got distracted. What were you saying?”

“Just chattering on about nothing. Jean bought me roses,again.”

“Are you ever going to give him another chance?”

“Non! Well, maybe. He must fight for eet!Vous savez!”

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