Page 37 of Down the Aisle
Life was not going to make this easy for me, was it?
Sighing softly, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers in a slow and sensual kiss. "Eliza, I know it may be hard for you, and I completely understand if you don't want to give me a chance, but I will never wrong you as your Dom. I've lived the lifestyle for nearly half my life now, and one of the very first things I ever learned and had drilled into me by everyone decent in the community is that the Dominant is never in charge." A bit of an oxymoron if you asked me, but it wasn't anything complicated. "Nothing happens without a submissive's permission. The Dom can hold and pull the leash all they want,but the moment their submissive says stop, that leash is dropped faster than a burning pan."
The whole D/s dynamic and relationship could be rather precarious, but if done right, and with the right match, everything would turn out perfect.
Stroking the side of Eliza's neck with my thumb, I let her take her time digesting the information. All I could do was offer an understanding silence and comfort.
"Do you have anyone who can vouch for you?" Her small voice almost got lost in the background music. "Like a past sub or someone like that who I can talk to?" Once again, she looked away in shame until I jerked her attention back to me.
Chuckling, I nodded and kissed her softly before replying, "Yes, and if you want to talk to them, then I can get into contact with them." Her eyes grew hard and sharp with rage at my words. "I don't keep them as booty calls or anything if that's what you're thinking." It was hard not to discern the boiling jealousy in her eyes. "A lot of them work at my various business establishments, too, so I have their contact because I'm their boss."
Pursing her lips out in a pout, Eliza huffed and rolled her eyes before jerking her body away from me. Fully turning her body straight in her seat, she crossed her arms and grumbled under her breath.
Snickering, I placed my finger under her jaw and turned her to face me. "Don't worry, little rose, they have nothing on you. So, don't let that little green-eyed monster hang around you for too long." My teasing words earned me a smack to my laughing chest.
"Oh, shut up and drive." She sneered, slumping down in her seat.
"You are it for me, Eliza, just know that."
Chapter 13
Eliza
"You are it forme…"
Even after several hours, his sure words wouldn't leave my mind, along with his certain eyes. The moment he uttered those words, the soft gray of his eyes hardened to stone. He was an unmoving statue on the matter. Nothing shy of a wrecking ball would shake his decision up.
As much as it scared me, there was a part of me that relished in the bubbly feeling. No one had ever been so firm and decisive about me before. He didn't declare his undying love for me, but I could see it in his eyes. The way they sparkled as his passion burned brightly was all I needed to feel secure with him.
"How about this one?" His question jarred me from my foggy mind, making me whip my head around to see what article of clothing he held up this time. "It's only a few months until summer, so the weather's gonna start warming up a bit."
Of course, Adam had to be even more perfect. Damn man actually had a good fashion sense. Thank you, God—not. If I planned to reject him, then the big man in the sky would not have made it easy for me. I might not reject him, but that didn't mean I wanted our soon-to-be official relationship to speed down the tracks like a train with no brakes.
I admired the cute dress he held up for a second before faking a smile to hide my disappointment. Unconsciously, I gripped my arms and rubbed at them. "I don't like the color," I lied, slowly letting out a strained breath, my heart clenching in my chest.
I loved the color. Call me cliché and girly, but pink, especially a pastel or any kind of softer pink, was my kryptonite. I wanted to say yes to the dress, but I couldn't. I didn't do short sleeves or sleeveless.
Sighing softly, I turned around to continue browsing the store. There was so much I wanted, and I know Adam told me to buy whatever I liked, but I didn't want to spend his money like that. Also, where the hell would I even put half the shit? If I bought everything I wanted, then I would need a whole-ass closet the size of my apartment. So, I was mindful to keep my shopping spree to the bare minimum.
Buying nothing wasn't a choice, especially because of Adam's pressure, but I also needed new clothes due to my recent weight gain. I hadn’t blown up like a beached whale, but my current wardrobe felt a little too tight. Hell, the worn seams on some of them gave recently, with a few snaps and rips, when I forced them onto my body.
My head craned back when Adam spoke up. "Alright, well, once we finish up with this store, we'll hit the dim sum spotbefore more shopping," Adam informed me with a warm smile as he pushed Asher along in his stroller behind me.
"Mhmm, okay," I replied with a small hum before going back to the seemingly endless racks of clothes. "I won't take long. I'm just about done." To satisfy Adam's desire to spend his funds on me, I picked out two additional items of clothing before checking out.
A short car trip later, we arrived at our destination, a bustling dumpling house. Shockingly, when we arrived, we were seated right away, despite the place being packed to the brim. Seriously, I don't think I saw an empty inch of the floor, let alone an empty seat. Yet, we were ushered back to a nice little booth the moment Adam gave the hostess his name.
Once we settled and had our tablet handed to us, I couldn't help myself from commenting, "That was… fast."
Smiling at me, Adam waved a small hand. "I called ahead to reserve a spot for us." If it weren't for the flatness of his eyes and expression, I would have been inclined to believe him.
He didn't give me a chance to voice my doubts with how fast he shoved the tablet into my hands, urging me to figure out what I wanted. "Whelp, go ahead and order whatever and however much you want. As long as you are full and happy, then that's all that matters." Turning his attention from me, he focused on Asher, who was occupied with some straws. "Just order me whatever you're getting or anything," he told me with a quick glance and smile.
Not wanting to waste my breath prying at a metal wall, I dropped it and busied myself with looking through the menu and ordering our food. "What do you want to drink?" I asked, peering up from the tablet.
"If you can get me one of the spiked tea lemonades, then I'll love you more than I already do," he teased with a cheesy grin, making me roll my eyes at him. "And you get yourself somethingother than water," he quickly added, with a raised brow and pointed look. "If I see only water, then you're going to be in trouble later."
His words made me suck in a sharp breath and shiver from a burst of excitement. He'd probably meant nothing by it but given our conversation on the car ride earlier, I couldn't help the direction my thoughts went—dirty. "What are you going to do? Spank me?" I snarked with a bratty little smirk.
