Page 35 of Trusting Laurence
“Hi yourself, gorgeous. Sorry I’m so late.”
“It’s okay. I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back, but I’m glad you did.”
Larry followed her into the living room.
“Please, sit. Can I get you something to drink? If you aren’t in the mood for coffee or tea, I’ve got some bourbon for when Darryl accompanies Maddie to visit.”
“A bourbon sounds good, thanks.”
While Tahlia went off to get the drink, he ran through different scenarios in his head. He was on shaky ground as to how to start the conversation with her. Earlier when they’d made love, he’d thought it would be a onetime deal. On his drive back, he’d acknowledged that he wanted more.
“Here you go,” Tahlia said as she handed him his glass. She took a seat beside him on the sofa. She studied him for a long, uncomfortable moment before she spoke again. “You look worried, Laurence. Is everything okay? Your agent all right?”
He picked up her hand, turning it over in his, and laid the lightest of kisses on her wrist. “Let’s just say, it’s not been the greatest of evenings. I can’t go into any details about it other than to say we’re making progress. But I don’t want to talk about work.” Taking a deep breath, he decided to rip the Band-Aid off. “There is, however, something else I need to talk to you about.”
“You sound very serious, Laurence. Should I be worried? You’re not going to try and convince me to go into witness protection again, are you?”
He laughed – he couldn’t help it. “No, that’s not what I want to talk to you about right now. That conversation, however, is only tabled for the moment.” He squeezed the hand in his. “No, I need to share something with you, and it could potentially be a game changer for where things are currently heading.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, but I’m listening.” She gave him an encouraging smile.
Larry scratched his chin while considering how best to start the conversation. Eventually, he simply settled for asking her, “Do you know what a Dominant is?”
Tahlia frowned. “A Dominant?”
“Yeah. Do you know what it is?”
He saw the moment her brain switched gears and she cottoned to the direction of the conversation.
“Yes. Why?”
He had just opened his mouth to reply when her eyes widened, and her perfect mouth formed an “O” of surprise. He had to bite back a laugh. The last thing he wanted to do was offend her.
“Are you ... Do you ... Is that what you ...?” Her words stumbled to a stop.
The moment of reckoning had arrived. He rubbed a hand down his leg, blowing out a breath. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I am.” He said no more, simply waiting to see what her reaction would be.
Laurence watched a myriad of emotions run across Tahlia’s face while she processed his statement. He waited patiently while she seemed to work through his words. Finally, after long minutes, he eventually broke the silence.
“Is that going to be a problem for you, Lia?” he asked gently.
His words had her refocusing on his face, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Tell me,” she murmured.
“Tell you what, sweetheart? What would you like to know?”
“Tell me about what turns you on, what your kink is.”
For a brief moment, Larry almost regretted that he’d started this conversation. Was she ready to hear what he was into, given her history? He wanted a relationship with her, wanted to share this side of him – all sides of him — with her. But if she couldn’t accept his Dominant, he didn’t see how there could possibly be a future for them. It was an integral part of who he was.
“I dabble in various forms of kink, the main one though is spanking. And that’s one of the reasons I felt we need to have this conversation sooner rather than later. Given your history, I wasn’t sure how big of an issue it’s going to be.”
She pulled the hand he still held out of his grasp, got to her feet, and went into the kitchen. She fiddled with the few items that lay on the countertop, then she filled the kettle and set it to boil. All the while, she never uttered a word. Larry’s heart sank. The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach continued to grow the longer the silence stretched out.
The whistle of the kettle as it began to boil caused Tahlia to jump, making him think she’d forgotten about it. He rose and went to where she was standing. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I seem to have upset you, and that was never my intention. Perhaps it would be better if I leave.”
Once again, Tahlia startled, as if she’d forgotten about him too. She clapped her hand over her mouth in fright. “Oh, my goodness, Laurence. I’m sorry. I got so caught up in my own head. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” She fiddled with the tea bag she’d taken down, not quite meeting his eyes. “It’s just a lot for me to take in.”
