“Your offer was a better one,” I mused, attempting to buy myself more time.
“Of course it was.”
“You can be so arrogant sometimes. Do you know that?”
“I've been told that from time to time. So what's it going to be, angel?”
I took a deep breath and frowned.
“Honestly, a lot happened today. I feel like I can't get my bearings, let alone talk about a job. Let me sleep on it. Maybe I'll have the answer tomorrow.”
“Fair enough,” he conceded. “Are you hungry?”
“Not really,” I admitted. I skipped dinner and should have felt famished, but self-imposed worry seemed to kill any sort of appetite that I may have had.
“You have to eat dinner. Let's go see what I can round up from the pantry.”
Alexander kissed my forehead and rolled off the side of the bed. Completely unabashed over his naked state, he began collecting our clothes that were strewn about in various points of the room. I could only lie there and admire the view. I would never tire of looking at his elegant and masculine physique, so incredibly powerful and strong.
His solid build was perfection from head to toe. From the broad span of his shoulders to his chiseled abdomen, not a scar marred his flesh. His hands, large and strong, had the ability to make miracles happen over my body. I flushed as I thought about the way they felt running up the insides of my thighs as he looked at me with penetrating sapphire blue eyes. Eyes that could see through to my very soul.
He was truly beautiful and he set my world on fire.
He slipped into his jeans and I inwardly sighed. I loved when Alexander wore jeans, although I couldn’t say why. Perhaps it was because I rarely saw him in anything other than dress slacks. What ever it was, there was something incredibly sexy about the way he wore denim.
I continued to watch him as he pulled a t-shirt over his head. His hair, already wild from sex, became further mussed. He ran a hand through the dark waves in an attempt to smooth them. That one simple action may have been the sexiest thing that I had ever seen. He made me feel like a giddy schoolgirl and I had to stifle a giggle. I forced myself to tear my gaze from him before I did something embarrassing.
I really am thinking like a lust-crazed teen.
It was then that I spotted my underwear hanging haphazardly off of a small lamp on the nightstand. It was like something you might see in a college dorm room. The giggle that was imminent escaped me.
“What's so funny?” Alexander asked curiously.
“I'm just appreciating the decorations,” I told him, pointing to the black lace panties.
The edges of his mouth curled up in the sexiest of smiles.
“I like it. I think I'll make those a permanent fixture in here.”
“Maybe you'll start a new trend,” I laughed as I untangled myself from the sheets. I made a move to retrieve the undergarment, but Alexander grabbed my hand.
“I was serious. Leave them there.”
“Don't be silly. I need my underwear.”
“No. You don't.”
There was no mistaking the command in his tone. I tilted my chin up in defiance and looked him in the eye. His gaze held a wicked gleam, like he was daring me to try and challenge him.
“Fine. I don't need them.”
“I see that you're finally learning,” he said with a small chuckle. I scowled at the roguish grin he flashed me, but inside I was melting.
I'm such a sucker.
“Don't push your luck, Stone.”
After I finished dressing, minus the underwear, I followed Alexander out of the master suite and into a handsomely decorated entertainment area with a large flat screen television and lounge seating. But what captured my attention the most was the dramatic glass staircase at the far end of the room. It climbed up to who knows where on this massive vessel.
Moving through and into the dining area, a large table with a beautiful onyx top greeted me. However, Alexander didn’t give me much time to admire the details of the breathtaking piece. He just strolled past it and motioned for me to continue following him into a small and narrow kitchen.
He began to peruse the contents of one of the mahogany cabinets. My stomach gave a slight rumble, letting me know that my appetite had returned. I peeked over his shoulder to see what the offerings were. The pickings were slim.
He opened the mini-fridge and pressed his lips together in annoyance. Just like the cabinet, there wasn't much to choose from – only a few condiments, a half empty container of cranberry juice, and a block of cheese.
Before I could comment, he pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Hale,” he barked into the receiver. “Go over to the marina restaurant and pick up dinner for me and Krystina. We'll both have the spinach and walnut salad. Raspberry vinaigrette on the side.”
“Alexander! Don't send him out. We can make do with –,”
He waved me off and continued talking.
“Yes. Grilled chicken with feta will be fine for the main dish.”
Oh, hell no.
I was aghast at the way he could issue such harsh commands. Having the luxury of a manservant or not, I had come to like Hale. I'd be damned before I allowed Alexander to order him about on my behalf. So, I did the first thing that came to mind. I marched over to where Alexander was standing and ripped the phone from his hand.
“Hale, you will do no such thing!”
Alexander stood there looking shocked and furious at the same time, but I had stunned him into silence. Hale, on the other hand, was sputtering on the other end of the line.
“My apologies, Miss Cole. But Mr. Stone –,”
“Yes. I am fully aware of what Mr. Stone said. And he said that you could have the night off, which is exactly what you are going to do. Isn't that right, Mr. Stone?” I finished, looking to Alexander for confirmation.
Hale stayed silent. Alexander and I faced one another. It was a battle of wills, two participants in a staring contest of the likes that I had never once partaken. The silence stretched on for what seemed like forever before Alexander held his hand out to take the phone.
“Apparently, Miss Cole isn’t hungry this evening,” he said to Hale, mimicking my tone. “Scratch the order and take the rest of the night off.”
Without saying goodbye, he ended the call.
“We can make do with what's here,” I began to say, but he held up his hand to silence me.
“Don't ever do that again, or else…”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Or else what?”
“Don’t test me, Krystina.”
His eyes flashed. He was fuming. The angry tick of his jaw made me realize that I may have pushed him to his limit. In retrospect, I probably should not have interfered with him and a member of his staff. But either way, we really could make do with what was already on the boat. There was no sense in bothering Hale with it.
“I won't interfere again,” I said, conceding to that one thing only. “However, I will not apologize. Just because you can summon people to do your bidding whenever you damn well please doesn’t mean that you should. Now, I am starting to get a bit hungry, and I’m sure that you are too. So please, step aside so that I can see about fixing us something to eat.”
Not saying another word, I went to work.
****
It was not her place to interfere with my staff. I was no stranger to a power struggle. People have tried, but failed miserably. I always come out on top. Yet, somehow, Krystina thwarted me.
Who the hell does she think she is?
But I knew who she was. She was an incorrigible woman, sassy and bold. A terrible submissive and a poor match for someone like me. The way she had stood there on the phone with Hale, her hand on her hip and a challenge in her eyes...
Fuck me, but I think I've fallen even more in love with her.
I stood there like a dimwitted fool, while she went back and forth between the pantry and refrigerator pulling out various
items. She procured a can of tuna from somewhere. And capers.
Where did she manage to find those?
I never eat capers.
A million thoughts raced through my mind while I watched her whip together a tuna salad. I was at a complete loss for words as I tried to assess the situation.
She takes my phone, orders an employee to disobey my wishes, and proceeds to tell me what I should and shouldn't do.
We had yet to achieve a proper Dom-sub relationship, so her bold actions should not have come as a surprise to me. She was incapable of following any sort of direction. She questioned my every move and fought me every step of the way.
And I let her do it.
A sense of unease began to grow in the pit of my stomach as I thought about the many other things that I allowed Krystina to get away with. The list was not a short one. I should have predicted a performance such as tonight. It didn't matter that it was just a telephone conversation. It was the principle of what she had done.
The gravity of what I allowed to transpire hit me square in the chest.
I lost control.
I suddenly felt as if I were choking. During the course of our relationship, I had lost sight of crucial discipline and all of the reasons why I needed to be surrounded by it. She made me forget why I had to keep order in my life.
Perhaps it's because of the idea that I love her.
However, I knew that this was highly unlikely. Love developed over a long span of time, not just a few weeks. Years of study taught me that this was a truth. I was most likely mistaking lust with love. My physical needs were just messing with my psyche and causing me to forget who I was.
Or perhaps it's the stress of having to tell her about my past.
The mere thought of having to release the buried demons was nauseating. Darkness began to settle over me and a momentous weight felt as if it were pressing against my chest, building and building until pure panic threatened to erupt.
What is she doing to me?
She made me feel unbalanced, slowly teetering back and forth on the edge of a precipice. I was the one that was supposed to call the shots and make the decisions, both in and out of the bedroom. Life was simpler that way. It allowed me to maintain order. My world, always sensible and controlled, suddenly felt like it was wavering.
This will never do.
I had to take it back.
In two strides, I closed the distance between us and pulled her back against my chest. She shrieked in surprise and struggled to get away.
“Alex! I'm trying to make a salad. Let go of me!”
“No,” I told her firmly. I felt like the walls were closing in around me, pressing tighter and tighter until I could barely breathe. I locked her in place by keeping a firm arm around her waist and wrapping a hand around her neck.
She has to be still. Just for a minute.
She drove me to the point of madness. I just needed a moment to find one rational thought within the hurricane of my mind. Perhaps then I could regain some measure of order. I had to teach her. To show her why she had to obey me. It was imperative that she understood. There was no other way.
“Alexander,” she said, her voice eerily calm. “Let me go.”
“What are you doing to me?” I whispered into her ear and gripped her tighter.
“Please let go of me,” she repeated, her voice strained and raspy.
“I feel like I don't know who I am anymore!”
“Alex, you're hurting me!”
I jumped, her choked out words stinging like an electric jolt. I staggered back a few steps. It was if I was floating, looking down at the scene below. Except I wasn’t looking at Krystina and myself – I was seeing my mother and father. I shook my head to clear it.
When I focused again, I looked to Krystina. She was staring at me with eyes full of hurt and accusation. She rubbed her neck and tried to catch her breath. There were faint red marks on her throat, fingerprints from where I had squeezed. Guilt overcame me and I thought I was going to be sick. I looked away, utterly appalled.
What have I done?
Childhood memories flashed before my eyes. The universe had suddenly come full circle. History did, in fact, repeat itself. For the first time in my adult life, I truly lost all sense of self-control. Everything that I swore I would never be had come to fruition in an instant. I crossed the line and became what I feared the most.
I have become my father.
I reached out to touch her shoulder, but she jerked away.
“Don’t touch me!” she shouted. Her eyes flashed angrily.
“Krystina…”
“Don’t you ‘Krystina’ me. What the fuck was that all about?”
“I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me,” I began, but the words tasted like ash in my mouth. They were the same words that I heard my father say to my mother, and he said them more times than I could count. “I'm bringing you home.”
Away from me. Where you can be safe.
“No,” she said stubbornly, taking me by surprise. “You promised me the truth. I'm not leaving until I get it. But let me make one thing extremely clear. You will never touch me like that again. Ever.”
I cringed at the harsh tone in which she spoke, despite that fact that it was deserved. I looked at her sadly.
Oh, angel. If only you knew.
“I'd like to tell you that I wouldn’t do it again, but...I can't.”
“What do you mean that you can’t?” she fumed.
It means that my father’s blood runs through my veins! I tried to warn you that day in my conference room! You should have listened to me when I said that I wasn't the right man for you!
I wanted to shout the words, but I couldn’t. I had to keep my emotional state in check. I already lost it once and I refused to do it again. I couldn't afford to do it again.
Continuing on this path would destroy me.
I rubbed my hands over my face and took a deep breath.
“There are things that you don’t understand,” I tried to explain.
Our eyes locked and her scrutiny was intense. It was as if she could see right through to the secret blackness of my soul. She walked toward me and placed a hand on my cheek. Her expression softened, forgiving almost, and she didn’t appear so angry anymore. It just made me feel that much worse.
I’m such an asshole.
“Alex, talk to me,” she said with a mystified look.
I leaned into her hand, so warm and inviting. I closed my eyes and focused on her fingertips as they brushed my cheek. Her simple touch chased all the darkness away.
Once upon a time, a devil fell in love with an angel...
I wanted to give her a fairytale. I wanted to pull her close and pretend that my past didn't exist. But I had to face reality. It was time to tell her about me, my mother, sister, and everything else in between.
Including my father.
“I've stalled long enough. It's time.”
CHAPTER 7
Stunned by Alexander's statement and his erratic behavior, I pulled my hand from his face and slowly backed away from him.
I told him that I wasn't going anywhere until I heard his story, but every bone in my body was telling me to run. I should have booked out of there the minute Alexander released his grip from my neck. But for some reason, I could not will myself to actually leave. Instead, I found myself softening, unable to bare the look of pain and guilt on his face.
This can’t be happening. He choked me! Why wouldn’t he concede to never doing it again? What did he mean when he said that he can’t?
A nervous pit began to grow in my stomach.
I should go.
I glanced around, looking for the closest escape route from the boat. I tried to remember how we had come to be in the kitchen, but I wasn't paying attention along the way.
“Go out to the dining room and make a left,” Alexander said quietly.
“What?”
“You want to run. I can tell that you do.
You have that fight or flight look. I certainly can't blame you.”
My middle name should be Captain Obvious.
“No. I'm fine,” I denied stubbornly. To prove my point, I turned back to preparing our food.
I’m not going to run again. I can do this. I can do this.
I repeated the line in my head over and over again as I vigorously mixed up a tuna salad.
He said that it’s time. Time for what? His story? Round two of Strangle-the-Girlfriend?
But I’m not his girlfriend, am I?
I looked down at the bowl in front of me. The salad would soon be a puree if I continued mixing it to death. I stopped the assault on our food, took a deep breath and tried to gather my thoughts. I couldn’t get lost in my head. Not now. It was better for me to remain focused on the task at hand, even if it was something as trivial as preparing a simple meal.
Plates. We need plates to eat. And forks.
I poked around in the cabinets of the galley style kitchen in search of plates and utensils. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexander coming towards me. Reflex caused me to flinch without meaning to.
I’m stronger than that! Acting like a scared wallflower is just plain asinine.
“I – I was just looking for plates,” I sputtered out, trying to cover up for the way I cringed upon his approach.
However, it was apparent that he saw my instinctive reaction. When I looked at him, the guilt in his eyes spoke volumes.
“I'll get them,” he muttered.
Slowly reaching above my head, he pulled down two plates from the overhead cabinet. His movements were cautious, almost as if he thought that moving too quickly would scare me.
Together, we walked out of the kitchen and into the dining area. Without uttering a word, Alexander set the table and retrieved us a couple of bottled waters. I opened a box of crackers. The crinkling of the packaging was almost deafening and it drew attention to how awkwardly quiet we were. The room was wrought with tension of the worst kind, making the difficult silence absolutely brutal to endure.
Stepping Stone Page 6