“Are you close with the extended family?”
“No. My stepmother’s not all that fond of me and her kids are rather spoiled.” She took a sip of her water. “What about you? Do your parents live in Dallas?”
“They do. My father is the owner and CEO of Kryptic Technologies.”
Her eyes widened briefly. “And you chose not to work for him?”
“Not my thing. He wanted me to. Or rather, shall I say he wants me to. Still. But I have no intentions of being one of the cogs in that ridiculously large machine.”
Speaking of parents, I needed to call my mother. She must’ve gotten wind of the news reports because she’d called me three times since last night. I made a mental note to call her once we were back in Dallas.
“I find that very brave,” she said, her eyes sincere. “You didn’t take the easy road.” Clarissa glanced around. “So I assume you’re probably accustomed to this lifestyle?” Her hand swiveled as she motioned toward our surroundings.
“Not to this extent, no. But I’m not a stranger to some of the other things that come with having money and fame.”
“Such as?”
“Invasion of privacy,” I stated.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
I laughed. “No, not you. I meant I’m quite familiar with having others attempt to invade my privacy. Not quite to the extent Trent deals with, but it has gotten a little harder to evade the paparazzi since I started working for him.” I grinned. “Then again, I’m not sure there are many people who deal with what he does.”
“A lot of people want a piece of him, huh?”
“Thousands,” I agreed. “And everyone wants him for a different reason. He’s strict in his dealings with people because he knows they’ll take advantage of him at the first opportunity.”
“That’s gotta suck,” she said, her gaze dropping to the table. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Well, stick around for a little while and you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
Clarissa sighed. “I’m not sure that’s going to happen.”
“What? You sticking around?”
Her expression was hesitant when she peered back at me. “I’m pretty sure Trent admitted something rather significant this morning. About you.”
“What? That he wants to dominate me?”
She nodded.
I smiled shyly. “Well, it was rather significant for me, sure.”
“You didn’t know?”
“Not a clue.”
Her head tilted to the side. “I find it hard to believe that you’ve worked for him for three years and neither of you have acknowledged the obvious chemistry you have.”
“Chemistry?” I laughed. “Trust me, there hasn’t been any chemistry. I’m Master’s personal assistant and I take my job very seriously. We have a working relationship.”
“Yet when he told you to kneel, you did so without question. Plus, you’re referring to him as Master. Even in passing conversation. And while it might seem an innocuous term, it’s clear you’ve deemed him your Dom.”
She was right. While I wasn’t sure how it had happened, that was how I was thinking of him. Mainly because I liked the way he looked at me when I called him that. And in order to continue, I had to make it a habit.
I glanced back at the door to Master’s office. “It’s a natural response to that man.”
There was silence for a few minutes, but finally Clarissa spoke again.
“Well, I think it’s safe to assume that Trent intends to pursue you from a D/s perspective, if nothing else.”
“But he said he wanted to dominate you as well as me,” I noted, frowning. “Are you saying you have no interest in him?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. But a man like Trent…” She glanced out the window again. “I don’t think he has time to devote to more than one submissive at a time.”
“I don’t think that’s for you to decide, sunshine.”
My eyes widened when I looked up to see Master walking toward us. I hadn’t heard the door open.
Clarissa’s head jerked, her attention riveted on Master as he came to a stop directly beside her seat. I watched as she lowered her gaze. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Clarissa harbored quite a bit of insecurity. I noticed it when it came to Trent. While it was clear she wanted him, she couldn’t seem to wrap her head around the fact he wanted her, too.
If I had to guess, Clarissa was highly adept at getting in the way of her own happiness.
TWELVE
Clarissa
WHEN THE PLANE EVENTUALLY TOUCHED down in Dallas, I knew I was going to have to make a break for it. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. I didn’t have a car, which meant I had to rely on Trent or Zeke to take me home. I doubted I was going to be so lucky as for him to stick me in a limo and send me on my way.
Too bad we still had at least another hour and a half before I even had to worry about that.
