Heart of Stone

by Dakota Willink

  Damn, if he doesn’t look sexy like that…

  “No, Krystina. It means that I’m very busy and I don’t like disruptions,” he said, sounding exasperated. “She knows to either buzz my phone or knock first.”

  I immediately chastised myself for always being so suspicious.

  “Sorry – paranoia can get the best of me sometimes. I just got nervous that someone would catch us, that’s all,” I admitted, pushing aside the thought that I might not have been the first woman to be kissed on that couch.

  He stood up and began tucking his shirt back into his pants. After his tie was straightened, he reached for me and pulled me against him.

  “I’m the one that should apologize, but I can’t say that I’m all that sorry,” he murmured into my hair.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I shouldn’t have done that. At work. In the office. Believe it or not, I do hold myself accountable to a certain level of professionalism. I should have restrained myself, but I…” he hesitated. “It was all that talk. And you’re damn highlighters. I had to have just a little taste of you.”

  “It’s okay. I kind of liked it,” I said, resting my head against his shoulder. He pulled back and studied me.

  “Yeah, me too,” he thoughtfully agreed. He sounded somewhat surprised by that fact.

  “What’s the matter, Stone? Did you break another one of your rules?” I asked, playfully slapping him on the arm.

  “I did actually,” he admitted with a frown. “And if we keep this up, we’ll never get any work done. I still have a lot to go over with you today.”

  Reluctantly, I removed my arms from his waist and took a step back.

  “You’re right. So what’s the next order of business?” I asked, focusing on why I was here in the first place.

  “For starters, you still need to sign the salary and benefit information.”

  He went over to his desk and retrieved the folder that I had left there.

  Taking the paperwork from him, I took a seat in front of his desk and got to work on reading over the necessary information. When I flipped to the second page, I let out a gasp of astonishment.

  “Alex, this salary would feed a small country for a year. This is too much!”

  “Well, that’s a first. I don’t usually have people tell me that I pay them too much,” he said with a laugh, taking a seat behind his desk. “Don’t sweat it, Krystina. I can afford it.”

  “If you say so,” I mumbled, perusing the rest of the documents. Everything looked to be in order, including the health insurance and 401k benefits that were neatly outlined in detail. Only the salary was over the top. I picked up a pen from the desk and began scrawling my signature over the required documents.

  When I was finished, he handed me another folder.

  “Your first assignment,” he told me. I peeked at the contents, anxious to see where I would begin.

  “Wally’s?” I asked in surprise.

  “Yes. The grocer needs help boosting their sales. This campaign is pro-bono, at least for now. I took a big risk with them, which is something I don’t normally do, but I think it will be extremely profitable in the long run. Make sure you do it justice.”

  “Of course I will!” I exclaimed, eagerly looking through the information in front of me. The chance to help out Wally’s was exciting, but at the very least, it might help me move past the melancholy feelings that I had over leaving.

  “Wally’s is personal to you. That alone will be beneficial. I’m confident that you’ll do well with it.”

  I looked up, beaming at Alexander for the opportunity, and saw him holding yet another folder out for me to take.

  “What’s that?”

  “Last folder, I promise,” he said, placing it in front of me. “This is my clean bill of health, as you required on your list. I don’t suppose that you scheduled a doctor appointment for yourself yet?”

  Shit. I knew I was forgetting to do something.

  I was mentally going through my schedule for the week, trying to figure out when I might be able to squeeze in the appointment, when I heard my phone buzzing in my purse.

  “No, sorry. I didn’t schedule one. I meant to, but it slipped my mind,” I apologized absently while I dug through the contents of my purse in search of my cell.

  “That’s what I thought, considering how this thing with us happened rather suddenly. I pulled your doctor’s contact info from your phone and took the liberty of scheduling an appointment for you. You’ll go on Thursday, ten in the morning.”

  Too busy reading the incoming text, it took me a minute to process what he had said. Once it registered, I wasn’t sure if I had heard him correctly.

  “Wait. You scheduled a gynecologist appointment for me?” I asked, completely aghast. I wasn’t sure if I should be pissed off or embarrassed.

  “Don’t be mad, Krystina. You set the stipulations, and I couldn’t agree more. Besides, I’m anxious to ditch the condoms. I want you cleared and on some sort of birth control so that I can feel that silky pussy of yours without any barriers,” he said huskily, unabashed arousal in his eyes.

  Oh no, buddy.

  His sexy eyes and suggestive wiles weren’t going to work. He had just crossed more lines than I could count, impeding on my privacy.

  A woman’s gynecologist was supposed to be personal.

  “You overstepped your bounds, Stone. My doctors are private. You had no right to do that,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “Krystina, do you really want to go a round about this? Because I don’t. You would have made the appointment anyways. So what if I did it for you? Think of it this way, we’ll have no worries come the weekend.”

  “First of all, depending on the form of birth control that I choose, we may not be in the clear in time for the weekend. Second of all, you’re assuming that I’m going to spend the weekend with you.”

  “I’m not assuming anything. I know you are. Just you and me, angel. Flesh on flesh. And your unconditional obedience,” he finished shamelessly.

  Like I really needed another reminder of lesson number one.

  I scowled at him.

  Yes, we had an agreement, one that I was determined to meet. I had said that I would give him my submission, or at least try to, and I wasn’t the type of person to take failure lightly. I certainly wasn’t about to start now. Unfortunately, the pride I felt over maintaining my independence kept getting in the way. If this was going to work, I needed to loosen the reigns a little bit. However, I made note to make an entirely new list – one that outlined the definition of my supposed obedience.

  Just take a step back, and give him some measure of control. At least for now. That’s all he really wants.

  “Fine. You win this round. I’ll stay the weekend,” I said begrudgingly. “But in the future, I’d appreciate it if you allowed me to schedule my own appointments.”

  “Fair enough, as long as you remember that it is my job as your Dom to take care of you – in all matters. I can see that’s going to be a struggle for you.”

  “You think?” I sarcastically replied.

  He got up from his seat behind the desk and came to stand behind me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he began to massage, kneading small circles with his thumbs over my neck.

  “In time, you’ll learn to understand how this works, Krystina. In fact, once you learn your role, you’ll welcome it.”

  “I don’t know about welcoming it, but I’ll try,” I said, softening under his miraculous hands. I might be able to withstand his crafty way with words for a time, but I was a pile of mush under his touch.

  “I want an entire weekend with you tied up and naked,” he said, leaning down to nibble on my ear.

  “Mmm…actually, since we’re talking about the weekend, do you have any particular plans for Friday night?” I asked, tilting my head to the side so that he could sample his way down my neck.

  “I have several plans, many of which include you tied to my bed.�
�

  “Stop it,” I lightheartedly scolded. “You really are the devil! I’m being serious now.”

  “Me too. I want to start checking off all the things that you highlighted green on your little list,” he added suggestively, hands moving down to cup my breasts.

  “Alex!” I shrugged his hands off. “I’m not kidding around. Melanie, a girl I work with, just text me. A few people at work are planning a get together at Murphy’s Pub on Friday. It’s sort of a good-bye party for me.”

  I looked up at him, only to see that his eyes had darkened.

  “Murphy’s? I don’t think so, Krystina. But you should go to it. Hale can drive you there and then pick you up after if you’d like.”

  “Why don’t you want to come? It will be fun,” I tried to persuade him. I was curious about the strange expression on his face. “Don’t you like Murphy’s?”

  “I just don’t fit in well at parties.”

  “Please,” I pouted. He frowned at me.

  “We’ll see. As for now, I’m starving. Let’s go grab some dinner,” he said, moving around the desk to grab his suit coat.

  “Um…sure. Where do you want to go?” It was pretty clear that he was trying to change the subject, and I was interested as to why.

  “Do you like Thai?”

  As if on cue, my stomach growled at the mention of one of my favorite foods, reminding me that I had skipped lunch.

  All right, you get a pass this time. My hungry belly is calling to me.

  “That sounds so good right now and I haven’t had Thai in ages.”

  “Then Thai it is. We’ll get takeout and bring it to my place. Then we can start on your list,” he added, flashing me a sexy lopsided smile.

  “You want to start checking things off right away, do you?”

  “We could jump right to the yellow highlighted things,” he suggested.

  “You’re too much,” I said, shaking my head. My stomach rumbled again. “Food first, then we’ll see where the night takes us.”

  “Oh, don’t worry Miss Cole. I plan on taking you to many places tonight.”

  I could only hope that I was up for the challenge.

  CHAPTER 29

  Alexander dumped the bags of takeout on the dining room table.

  “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to round up some utensils and plates,” he told me, heading towards the kitchen.

  I kicked off my shoes and went to work on emptying the contents of the Thai takeout. When I opened the container of red chicken curry, steam wafted from the entrée, causing my mouth to water. I dipped my finger into the sauce to have a taste.

  “You’re still dressed,” Alexander said from behind me, causing me to jump out of my skin. I guiltily sucked the remaining sauce off my finger.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked confused at first, but then I understood his meaning. When he told me to make myself comfortable, it was really a guise for wanting me to strip. “You didn’t actually expect me to be naked while we eat, did you?”

  “I said always, Krystina.”

  “Sorry, Stone. A girl has to eat. I need substance before I can begin your shenanigans.”

  “You agreed to try,” he pointed out.

  He looked frustrated with me for not cooperating. I wasn’t confident that I could actually bring myself to eat dinner without any clothes, naked under his scrutinizing gaze.

  Oh, to hell with it.

  It wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen every part of me.

  “Fine,” I spat out, aggravated because I was famished. “Where should I go to prepare myself to your liking?”

  He frowned at me, his impatience abundantly clear.

  “It’s not supposed to work like this, Krystina.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Forget it. Just sit and eat.”

  He hastily sat in a chair and began ripping through the remaining contents of the takeout bag. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that this was Alexander’s version of a temper tantrum. I ignored him, too hungry to care, and dug into my food. The silence stretched on for a good ten minutes before he finally spoke.

  “You’re a pain in the ass. Do you know that?”

  “So I’ve been told from time to time. But in my defense, I did warn you that I’d be too much work for you. This is all new to me. I didn’t know that you literally meant always naked. That’s just not realistic. Either way, had I known, I would have mentally and physically prepared myself for it. I’d want a minute to freshen up before you jump on me.”

  “Jump on you? Is that what I do?” Alexander asked, amusement alight in his eyes.

  I merely smiled in return before taking another forkful of the curry.

  “So, I was thinking about a few things earlier today,” I started.

  “Uh, oh,” he feared mockingly.

  “Cut it out,” I said. I balled up my napkin and threw it at him. “I was thinking about how I know pretty much nothing about you. I mean, my original thought was to keep personal details out of this, but it makes it tough to have a meaningful conversation, at least one not based around sex.”

  He smirked at me.

  “I don’t have any issues with our topics of discussion. Do you?”

  “Not at all, but you know all sorts of stuff about me. I think it’s only fair that you give me a little something in return.”

  “What do you want to know?” he asked, albeit cautiously.

  “Well, I told you about where I grew up. What about you?”

  “I already told you that I lived in New York my whole life,” he told me, evading specifics and shifting his gaze back to his plate.

  “Details please, Alex. It’s like pulling teeth with you sometimes,” I muttered.

  He silently chewed his food, eyes weary. I could almost see the struggle inside of him. Seeming to come to a decision, he put down his fork and leaned back in his chair.

  “You know that I have a sister named Justine. Our childhood was spent in a run down house in the Bronx. Definitely not a good neighborhood for kids, that’s for sure. But we survived. We lived there until I was fifteen, and then we moved in with my grandparents.”

  My fork froze midway to my mouth, shocked that he had willingly divulged so much in just a few sentences, although he had barely said a thing. For me, it was like he had opened up Pandora’s box, causing a million and one thoughts to twist around in my mind. I had trouble deciding which question to ask next.

  “Why did you move in with your grandparents?”

  “Now that, my sweet angel, is the million dollar question. One that I’m not going to answer. My parents are off limits, remember?”

  “Okay,” I acceded. I didn’t want to risk pushing him too far. I wanted him to keep talking. “Are your grandparents a safe topic?”

  His face noticeably softened then, revealing a small smile.

  “I can tell you about them. They were good people. My grandmother was a very kind woman. Not a nasty bone in her body. My grandfather was a stubborn Englishman, but he had a tender heart, and he loved my grandmother fiercely. I’ve never witnessed such devotion between any other couple.”

  “That’s so sweet,” I awed, smiling at his brief synopsis. My bitter heart softened a bit. It was nice to know that it was possible, at least for some people, to live a life surrounded by the coveted white picket fence. But then again, his grandparents were from a different generation, from a time when commitment actually meant something. It was a shame knowing that the world had changed so much.

  “When my grandfather passed away, my grandmother was never quite the same after. She died in her sleep a few months after his passing. My sister says that she died of a broken heart.”

  “How long ago did they die?”

  “A little over ten years ago. I was in college. I wouldn’t have what I have now if it wasn’t for them.”

  “Were they well off?” I asked, assuming he was referring to his wealth at such a young age.

  “Not so much, but my
grandfather was a smart investor. That, combined with a substantial life insurance policy, my sister and I inherited a decent chunk of change. My sisters ex-husband gambled hers away,” he told me, his face momentarily turning into a scowl. “As for me, I bought my first apartment building when I was twenty-one. After six months, it paid for itself, and I found that I had a knack for scoping out profitable real estate. I bought a second building later that year. The rest, as they say, is history.”

  “You’re either extremely fortunate, or brilliant,” I remarked after he finished his tale. I was awestruck by how easily he was able to obtain his fortune.

  “I’d like to think both,” he surmised with clever eyes, his mouth tilting up in a sexy lopsided grin. “Real estate is like a game of chess. You need to be able to read your opponent and know how to achieve checkmate. I’m good at winning, Krystina. And I always get what I want.”

  “Apparently, you do,” I agreed, choosing to ignore his double meaning. I didn’t want to acknowledge how quickly I surrendered in this complex game of strategy.

  “You’ve finished your dinner.”

  “I have,” I agreed, eyeing him curiously.

  “At the risk of sounding cliché, I’m ready for dessert. You can use the bathroom off of my bedroom to freshen up before I jump on you, as you so aptly put it earlier. But, when you’re finished, I expect you to come out of the bathroom naked.”

  My stomach constricted nervously. I should have seen this coming. His body language had changed a few moments before, and his statement about winning had been a subtle clue as to where his mind was headed. So caught up in the story about his grandparents, I had forgotten about how he expected me to sport my birthday suit at the dinner table.

  A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes, before evolving into something deeper. Darker. I knew in an instant that Alexander would not hold back tonight.

  He was going to test my limits.

  “Okay…” I said, my voice coming out shaky. “Do you want me to come back out here? To the dining room?”

  Naked.

  “No, you can stay in the bedroom. Do you remember the submissive position that I told you about?”