Page 53 of The Billionaire Submissive
She looked up at him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “These are still rough at this point. Nothing’s final and far from perfect. It’s just a preliminary idea.”
“I’m not expecting laminated proposals, spreadsheets and a PowerPoint presentation, at least not until tomorrow.”
Her mouth quirked and she laid the first page down in front of him. “I can’t draw a lick, so these are Marie’s first sketches after I described the idea to her. First, this is the entire wall, drawn to scale with each window pane marked off. I know you said you want the whole thing done in stained glass, but I’m thinking about doing some of the panes all clear so that the colored ones really stand out. Plus if I tackle each individual window separately, it’ll allow us to install in stages as each team finishes their work, instead of trying to coordinate one massive design.”
“Makes sense.” This picture didn’t really tell him what the windows would actually contain—it just showed which ones she planned to leave clear with some kind of pattern. “Did you decide on a theme?”
She took a deep breath and flipped the top paper. “Boats. Specifically, your boats. I wanted to highlight your family’s roots.”
He stared down at the sketch of a yacht withBeverlypenciled on its side.It was rough and loose, but Marie had managed to capture the general shape of the boat. Off to each side, she’d also sketched out larger fishing boats and even an ocean liner. Chains and anchors ran through the whole design to tie them all together. The center window pane was an eagle—the Morgan Industries logo—with chain wrapped around its leg and a massive salmon in its beak.
For him, it was a subtle reminder of his secret desire although very tastefully done. Even the mighty eagle was bound.
“We can’t really do the other boats justice until I can provide her pictures to go off of. I thought for sure we could do your dad’s and grandfather’s boats, and then any other family boats you might want to add. I wasn’t sure about the ocean liners. I know the chains might be too much. Would you say something, please? Do you hate it?”
Not lifting his gaze from the chained eagle, he laid his hands flat on the table. They were trembling.
“Oh, God, you hate it.” She reached down to drag the sketch away but he slammed his hand down on it so hard she jumped. “I have a few other ideas. Let me meet with Marie again tomorrow—”
“No.” The raw edge to his voice made his shoulders tighten, bracing for her reaction to a refusal.
“But—”
“I said no!”
Slowly, she sat down across from him. She didn’t touch him or say anything, but just waited for him to explain. Lilly waited, patient and calm. Because the Mistress would have dragged him out of his chair by his hair and bent him over the table for a healthy dose of punishment.
How could he explain what this meant to him? That she’d walked into his life and in a single weekend moved him more than he ever expected? The high and mighty Mistress had taken the time to get to know him, the real him, where he’d come from, his family. Quietly, gently, she’d taken his very heart and captured it in a few simple sketches.
“I’ll get you the pictures. Whatever you need. I can’t…” He had to swallow, his throat shredded like he’d swallowed a handful of razor blades, but he made himself lift his head and meet her gaze. He knew it was too intense, his heart in his eyes.But she has to know how much this means to me.“It’s perfect. I couldn’t have asked for this if you hadn’t shown me it was possible.”
“Are you sure? I know the chains are…suggestive.”
He traced the chain wrapped around the eagle’s leg with a shaking finger. “Yes. It’s as necessary asBeverly.”As necessary as you are to me.“You’re giving me my chain tonight. I want the chain in the picture as well.”
“Well, yes, about that…”
He jerked his gaze back up to hers. “You promised.”
“I have the collar we discussed, yes. But I also purchased a training collar. It’s—”
“No.”
“You sure are saying no a lot tonight.” Her patience was running thin by the narrowed glare she leveled on him. “My tolerance for such impertinence goes only so far.”
“No training collar. No play. This is real to me.”
“I know.” She laid her hand on top of his, stilling the aimless strokes he was still drawing on the picture without even realizing it. “But we can’t rush it. In some circles, a dominant’s collar is as significant as an engagement ring. You hardly want to be engaged to me after a single weekend.”
Oh really?
The waiter brought their food, giving him time to sit back and study her. She’d already made herself completely necessary, vital and crucial. He was having a hard time imagining what it would be like to not have her waiting for him each day, and she’d only come to his office at five this evening. What if she wasn’t there tomorrow? If she wasn’t going to come home with him? Could he face another day without her warmth? Her foul mouth that never hesitated to tell him exactly what she thought? Her absolute passion? Her unfailing strength and determination?
She chatted easily with the young waiter, laughing about how good the burgers smelled she might just eat on top of her artwork. Of course she wouldn’t dare, and she was hungry enough she scooted down to the middle of the table to keep the sketches clean. Donovan didn’t follow right away, but instead flipped through the rest of the pages. They were all sea- and boat-themed, salmon, crab and cod. In the margins, she’d made notes about colors, staying true to the blues and greens of the sea, the stormy gray of the sky, the ice and cold of snow. Even her overall design for the entire wall left room for him to add panels later.
Say when he bought a new boat and named itLilly. He had to hide the smirk.I wonder how many swats that will earn me.
Chapter Sixteen
