Authors: Tessa Kealey
Work did make it easier to forget what had happened. Reece called once on the first day but the second day there was no word from him. Chloe was beginning to think she might never have to face him. A break up usually required some kind of final argument or explanation and she wanted neither to happen. Chloe was aware that she was hiding her head in the sand but she liked it there just fine.
“Tom, we need to get on the art department about the Snider account. That should have been finished by now. Walker and Sons was finished days ago and the Snider account is much smaller. Tell them they don't get a vacation after each job is complete.”
Tom stood in the doorway taking notes while she dictated instructions. She was digging through files of open accounts trying to make sense of where these campaigns were now. Without guidance, each department had fallen behind.
Tom cleared his throat, “Mr. Walker to see you.”
Her head jerked up as her gaze flew to the doorway. Tom inched to the side as Reece stood behind him. Tom's apologetic look was ignored by Chloe. She had steeled herself for this moment. She knew it was going to happen no matter how she avoided it. She nodded in Tom's direction without seeing him. She was rocked by the sight of Reece in the doorway. How could he have gotten more handsome since she'd seen him last? Anger radiated off him in waves. She could feel it from where she sat.
She stood. “Mr. Walker. What can I do for you?”
His eyes widened. Chloe could see him struggling to contain his emotions. After a few moments, he rearranged his features to hide the anger visible only moments before.
“I've been trying to reach you, Chloe.”
“I sent over the finals on the marketing campaign for Walker and Sons. Did you not receive it? Tom assured me that it was handled by courier.”
He stalked towards her, rounding her desk.
She circled around the other side. Letting him get too close to her was a bad idea.
When he saw her retreat, he paused and nodded. He seemed to take that as an instruction to stay clear of her, which it was. “Where have you been, Chloe?”
“I don't think that's any concern of yours. I went to the country for a few days to clear my head.”
“You didn't think you should inform me that you would be gone?”
She shrugged lightly, her face a mask hiding her emotions. “Why should I do that? We made no commitments to each other. We don't owe each other explanations.”
He tilted his head. For a moment, he looked confused then he nodded. “If that's how you want it.” His anger and wounded pride made her flinch. Before she could stop him, he was out the door. That was for the best. There was nothing she could say to soothe when she was as hurt and angry as he looked.
She felt humiliated for her false assumptions. It made her feel stupid to think that she considered them a couple when he did not. He couldn't feel the same way about Chloe if he was still seeing elevator-girl. She knew that they hadn't made promises and commitments to each other, but she'd felt this tugging desire to get closer to him. To let him into her carefully walled-up heart, and she'd started to let him in. It hurt to know he didn't feel the same.
Better to break it off now. Let him have elevator-girl. She didn't care.
Any hope of working was gone now. She cleared her desk. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
Slipping into her coat, she stopped by Tom's desk. “I'm leaving early, Tom. Anything seriously urgent can be sent to my email, otherwise, it can all wait until tomorrow.”
His face leaked sympathy all over her, “Stop looking at me like that. I'm fine. I just need to get out of here.”
He wasn't convinced by her assertions that she was fine. Everyone knew that fine was the universal word for anything but fine.
She said, “I'm going to enjoy the day. I need some fresh air. I'm going to walk home, maybe stroll through the park on the way. People always seem happy when they stroll through the park. Maybe some of it will rub off on me.”
Tom humored her and nodded, “It's something to do with the sun and vitamins or something.”
She gave him a wan smile that she wasn't feeling, but he was trying so hard to cheer her up. She felt bad that it wasn't working. She appreciated his effort.
All the way from the elevators to the street, she worked hard to keep Reece out of her head. That only worked until she turned the corner. She really was going to try walking in the sun. Letting it beat down on her face while she tried to wash herself of the lingering sadness.
She could move on from this. She just wasn't sure how yet. He'd altered her perceptions of relationships. The kind she'd had previous to him certainly wouldn't work going forward. She wasn't sure what would work at all now. And really, she wasn't interested in anything except how to get over him.
Chloe darted across the busy street, dodging cars and one lumbering bus, and entered the park. It was a tiny, neighborhood park set between some of the pricier buildings in the city. After 5 pm., the gates were locked and only those in the immediate area, in the pricy buildings, had access to the grounds. This was the first time she'd stepped foot in a public park hidden within the city.
She tried strolling. The sun on her face made her squint. When she squinted, she almost fell on a root that was twisting out of the concrete path. She stopped strolling. Discouraged, she turned and left the park. She wasn't a strolling kind of girl. Clearly.
She window shopped instead. This was her kind of strolling. Retail therapy was a proven way to get over any man. Even one as handsome and sexy as Reece Walker.
A skirt caught her eye in the front window of one of the shops, but when she got to the rack, she was thinking about the skirt she wore at work when Reece showed up to put lotion on her ass. She blew out a sigh. She was a mess. Not even retail therapy could help her.
She shook her head at the approaching saleswoman and quickly exited the shop.
After wandering a few blocks, she headed home. She pushed into her lobby, skirted the elevator again. She was contributing to her cardio exercise, not avoiding the elevator out of concern that she'd run into Reece. When she peeked into the hallway, she almost convinced herself that she was just being a careful single woman living in the city. Never know what could be waiting for you.
In this case, what was waiting for her was a pair of handcuffs hanging from her door knob. She snagged them from the doorknob, frowning as she unlocked her door and slipped into her apartment. What was he trying to say with these? He wasn't returning her possessions like couples do after a breakup. She didn't own cuffs.
As she set down her things, she carried the cuffs into the kitchen trying to figure them out as she grabbed a drink from the fridge. She leaned her hip against the counter sipping her bottle of water while turning the cuffs over in her hand.
The next instant, she was gasping in surprise. A hand slithered into her hair at the back of her head. Her heart jumped into her throat, and she let out a startled cry dropping the bottle of water. An arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close. She felt a strong presence against her back.
An intense voice whispered in her ear while fingering the cuffs still in her hand. “I see you found my gift.”
Reece.
Her relief had her slumping against him. It wasn't a burglar or an ax murderer come to kill her. Then she stiffened again. It was still Reece. What did he want?
“I don't want any gifts. You should leave.”
“No, Chloe. I already let you drive me away once. That won't happen again.”
He pulled her arms behind her back, snapped the cuffs on her wrists with a click and a ratcheting sound of them tightening. His hand slipped back into her hair again. He dragged her through the kitchen doorway and down the hallway to her bedroom.
She dragged her feet, hooked an ankle on the kitchen door frame and was rewarded with a slight tug that pitched her off balance. The rest of the walk down her hallway was made with her stumbling to catch her balance and not go tumbling to the floor.
“Reece! Stop this. I said you should leave.”
At the sight of her bedroom, all thought left her, and she stopped struggling. She had a wrought iron sleigh bed with headboard and foot board made of light oak with small newel posts at each corner. The rest of the furniture was made of light oak. It went nicely with her natural wood floors. The walls were painted a light green with white accent molding.
Atop her green and white bedding lay hundreds of red petals. They were strewn everywhere like every romantic movie she'd ever seen. A cliche that always had her rolling her eyes in the movie theater was now leaving her speechless. Her eyes were filling.
Unlike those movies, in the middle of the bed surrounded by the petals, was a steel, silver circle. It was beautiful. A slim line of silver with intricate scroll work outlining it. Dangling from the back was a tiny silver lock. On the front was a small circle of steel.
A collar.
She looked from the collar to Reece then back to the collar.
“I had this made especially for you two weeks ago. I had a plan for presenting you with this collar then you disappeared without a word.”
He turned her, released her hair and framed her face with his hands gently. “I went back to your office today. Tom told me everything.”
Reece laughed at her frown, “Tom yelled at me actually. When he finally understood that I had no idea what was going on, he explained what happened.”
“Chloe, my little one, you're the only one I need. What you saw in the restaurant was a meeting for me to tell her that I couldn't be her casual Dom anymore. She'd called, wondering why she hadn't heard from me in so long.”
He'd been breaking up with elevator-girl? Chloe searched his face. She saw caring and emotion radiating from his crooked smile.
She whispered, “I saw you kiss her.”
He brushed his lips against hers. “You saw me kiss her cheek. A goodbye kiss only. I've found the woman I want, Chloe. It's you. It's been you since that first night.”
He walked her over to the bed, removed the collar and gently pushed her to her knees. He pulled a key from his pocket unlocking the small silver lock. He lifted her chin.
His gaze was intense. It was confident but patient, waiting for her to come to the realization that he had. Hadn't she known it was different from that first night, too? She'd done things she wouldn't have with anyone else. He'd broadened her mind, excited her body, and lifted her to places she hadn't known were possible. The orgasms had been the most intense she'd ever had. Wasn't that because of the feelings she had for him?
The thought of wearing his collar stole her breath. That was answer enough. She nodded.
Slipping the collar around her throat, he turned it around to the back and snicked the padlock shut. As he twisted it to the back, he whispered, “You belong to me now, Chloe. Don't think you can run away again. Understand?”
She laughed and shook her head, “I'm not going anywhere... Master.”
He growled, grabbed the back of her head and crushed her lips in a bruising kiss. “That's my girl. Now, face down on the bed. I've missed you, but you have a punishment coming for running away from me.”
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