Page 31 of Objection
“But work —”
“You were specifically told to read the book and report back to me when finished. Am I to understand that you have finished reading the book?” His eyes never left mine, and I felt simultaneously excited and nervous.
“Um, no, I haven’t,” I answered lamely.
“Then Back. To. Your. Room.” The words were spoken slowly, disjointedly. My mouth opened, but no sound came out. I simply stood there, gaping like a fish on land.
“Did I stutter?” The tiny lift at the corner of his lips had my breath quickening.
“Um, no. I’ll just…” I trailed off, pointing towards my room.
“Good girl.” I tried not to let those words affect me, but butterflies exploded into my stomach, and I felt this new need erupt low in my belly. I turned to make my way back to my room. “Oh, and I do hope you enjoy your reading, Posey.”
I didn’t dare turn back to face him at that moment. Him speaking my first name had an effect on me I couldn’t describe. I could feel the blush in my cheeks spreading down my neck. He didn’t need to see just how much his words affected me. No, I would keep that to myself for the time being.
Instead, I focused on reading the book he had given me. It took the majority of the day, scouring through the book and taking far more notes than I had anticipated. I couldn’t help myself. Once I had started, I felt voracious for the information. Sure, I knew about BDSM, just as many women did after a few books had made it big in mainstream media. But this was something else. The way this book spoke of submission as a way to let go of the tightly held control in one’s life; the way it detailed the power exchange — well, it was like this book was taking a piece of my soul that I hadn’t known existed and spelled it out here in black and white.
I had a million questions, and yet, almost none at all. The book had done an incredible job of explaining just how it worked. It also made it so much clearer to me why Mr. Wellington was how he was. Or at least, in my opinion. That thought alone gave me far more questions.
As the sky began to turn dark in the early evening hours, I perused my notes one last time. I took a long shower, getting ready for dinner and making myself presentable. I wanted to look clean and ready for whatever this next step was with Mr. Wellington.
With one last look in the mirror, I made my way downstairs and into the dining room where he sat, still dressed in that navy blue suit that looked like a million bucks on him. It made my mouth water.
“Good evening, Posey.” His smirk as he saw me in the doorway set off those butterflies once again.
“Good evening, Mr. Wellington,” I said as confidently as I could muster, sitting down at the table across from him.
“I have thought about it, and I believe your idea had merit,” he said after a brief pause.
“While I know I tend to be right about most things, would you care to elaborate on just which thing I was right about?” I teased.
“That mouth of yours will get you into trouble, if you’re not careful,” he pinned me with a look.
“I don’t mind a bit of trouble,” I shot right back. I noted the way his hands clenched in fists, as though he were holding back from reaching out for me. God, how I wished he would. He could just grab me and pull me across the table and —
“You were right regarding our names. Perhaps it’s time we did away with formalities when not in an office setting. Is that agreeable to you?” His words interrupted my small fantasy.
“Very agreeable, Mr. Wellington.”
“Soren,” he corrected, his eyes not leaving mine. I could feel the blush on my cheeks.
“Very well, Soren.” Saying his name, after knowing him for the past five years, felt intimate. Far more intimate than I had realized.
“Now, did you finish the book?”
I nodded, pulling the book up onto the table along with my notes.
“I see you took notes as well. Perfect.” Why was his praise warming me so much? “Let’s eat dinner and then we shall discuss.”
The dinner he had prepared, a delicious grilled chicken with vegetables, was the perfect meal for this occasion. I was so nervous I could barely eat, but one pointed look from him had me digging in and grateful for it. It calmed my nerves some, to be sure.
Once our dishes were taken care of, it was time to begin.
“Posey, you have expressed interest in this part of my life, and now have read the book I’ve given you for research. I would like you to sign this form, a standard non-disclosure agreement, before we progress any further. Is this acceptable to you?” His question didn’t take more than a second for me to think about.
“Of course. I can understand why you would want to keep this as private as possible,” I readily agreed. I signed the paper after scanning it.
“Good, now we can continue. I would like to know what you thought of the book. I can see that you have quite a few notes, but for now, just tell me what you thought of it, overall.”
