Page 169 of Their Famous Dominant (Office Intrigue Duet 4)
“I love you,” he said softly, his hand reaching up and twining in my hair. “That’s what this has been about. Not Domination or submission. Not about being in control. That was what my life was about before you came into it. Before I realized I didn’t have to do it alone. Whether you know it or not, you’ve taught me some valuable lessons these past few years.”
My heart was in my throat.
“I wouldn’t know what to do without you, Troy. And not just because you handle my schedule and make my phone calls and do the shit work I don’t want to do.”
I laughed because it was true.
“It’s because I love you.” He smiled. “Now, it’s your turn to say something.”
Another rough laugh came out. I couldn’t find any words. They were stuck under the heart lodged in my throat.
Master’s hand tightened in my hair and a soft groan escaped.
“I love you, too,” I whispered harshly. “And I really fucking love when you do that.”
His smile was everything.
THIRTY-ONE
Clarissa
LATER THAT EVENING, I LEARNED that walking on a cloud from the events of the day didn’t allow for the nerves to do quite as much damage as they probably would have had I not been so caught up in everything else going on.
After calling Landon directly and accepting the position, the first person I had called was my mother. Just like before, she was thrilled for me. Said she was eager to come up to check out Chi-town. And yes, that sounded extremely weird coming out of her mouth.
From there, I called my dad. He wasn’t quite as excited as my mother, but I could tell he was happy for me. I texted my stepdads just to keep them in the loop. And last but not least, I had called Mercedes. Although she’d squealed in delight—not normal for her—I got the feeling she was preoccupied with something else.
Once all the calls were done, I’d pulled a pillow over my face and let out a squeal of my own. This was really happening. Hence the cloud I’d been bouncing along on all day.
However, as we walked into Dichotomy, those irritating suckers known by most as nerves were taking over, attacking my insides, making me feel queasy. I hadn’t been to the club since the night everything fell apart and it freaked me out.
“Relax, sunshine,” Trent warned. “We’re here to play. Not to put on a show. No need to be nervous.”
So much for hoping Trent didn’t notice.
I shook out my hands and took a deep breath.
Relax. Breathe.
Much easier said than done.
Rather than bring us here decked out in fetish wear, Trent had allowed Troy and me to keep on our regular clothes. There three of us had gone to dinner—with a slew of bodyguards—then come directly to the club. Thankfully I hadn’t gone overboard on the bread, because there was definitely a churn going on in the pit of my stomach.
Once we were inside, I paused beside Trent and Troy, taking a good look around. The Chicago version of Dichotomy looked a lot like the Dallas version. Although, it had a homier feel. Maybe because I was seeing it from a different perspective, I wasn’t sure.
I was surprised to see we weren’t the first ones here, either. In fact, the place was packed. Dozens of people were milling about, all congregating on the main floor.
It kind of made sense because tonight was different from other nights. Being that the club was doing its first official lock-in, the doors were closing at nine and wouldn’t open until six tomorrow morning. No one would be able to come in or leave unless it was a medical emergency. It appeared everyone wanted to ensure they were inside before they risked being left out of the festivities.
I couldn’t blame them. Tonight was going to be interesting.
Personally, I was in a different mindset. Unlike any other time I’d been in a club, tonight wasn’t about proving myself or my ability to be a perfect submissive. Tonight was about taking care of my Dom and my Dom taking care of me. Admittedly, it helped that Trent was consistently reminding me of that. I needed to hear it. While I wanted to please him in every way possible, I didn’t trust myself not to fall back on old habits. Not because they were a security for me. Simply because it was easy.
I was no longer looking for easy.
After Trent introduced us to a few people, he turned to me and Troy. “When you’re ready, you can go into the changing rooms. You’ll find your outfits for tonight in your lockers.”
Trent passed over a key, first to me, then one to Troy.
He turned back to me and cupped my face. “The only thing I ask is that once you’ve changed and come out of the dressing room, I want you to remember I’m in charge at that point. I know your limits, sunshine. You can expect me to take care of you in every way possible, even if I do push your boundaries. Is that understood?”
