Flame - the Sandstone Affair Part 3

Read Flame - the Sandstone Affair Part 3 Storyline:

Erotic Romance Serial Novel | ~15,000 words | Part 3 of 5"There is more than one way to be strong, Julia. You know one of them, I can teach you the other."With Julia's company weeks away from falling into the hands of her rival, Valerie James, things can't possibly get worse.But Julia's father's condition is worsening and she finds herself at wit's end. Now that her father's life on the line, her relationship with Mark worsens.Can she find a way to let Mark in and work together to save not just her company, but herself as well?Excerpt:“Mark, I’m exhausted,” I gasp. “Mentally, physically, emotionally exhausted.”“Sit down,” He responds sternly. I obey in an instant, plopping down beside him.“You could have stopped our deal at any time. I’ve given you chance after chance to say you don’t want to submit to me. But every time you continue to give yourself to my instructions, my desires and directions. Every time you keep the deal. Do you know why I even offered you our deal?” He looks directly at me; his beautiful eyes trying to make contact with my soul. For a moment I feel myself opening to him and then before I can speak, the hard protective shell covers my heart and mouth.“Oh, I don’t know. Free sex for a change?”“I’ve paid for a lot of things in this world, but I’ve never had to pay for sex,” he counters, batting away my bitter retort like a horse swats a fly. Even when I don’t want him to be, he’s perfect.“Because I’m so hot?” I ask disagreeably.“Because you are so sad,” He says, all humor falling from the sky. “So lonely, so…lost.”“That’s not your business.”“I think it is. I’ve watched you bully employees, push your weight around, shut out honest offers of friendship and stoke the fires of rage and regret. Lynx isn’t a job; it’s a battle ground where you pit your passion and talent against anything you can find. You win. You always win because you give it everything you have, and you have so much. So when I saw you in my office that day, ready to tear the building apart with your bare hands, I knew you needed help.”“Of course I needed help, Mark, I was robbed.”“Not help with Lynx. Help with life. Help with love. I knew you needed at least one person in your life who was willing to tell you ‘no’. You need someone gentle enough to listen and strong enough to give you direction. You didn’t just need another man to push against. You needed a man who wouldn’t be pushed and who would give you the freedom to accept what’s given to you, not just the ability to get what you want. You need submission, Julia. It’s not just a game, it’s a gift. For both of us.”The hot stinging tears forming in the corner of my eye threaten to fall. I stare at the ceiling, willing them back but it’s too late. I drop my head and try to look away but he puts his hand under my chin and catches my tears in his palm.“Don’t hide these,” he says, showing me small wet dots on his hand. “Tears are honest. Real. And they are part of you too. Don’t fight them. Let them fall.”I try to push his hand away but he brings it back, holding my shoulders then brushing my hair off my forehead.“You don’t understand,” I gurgle. “You’ve never needed anything in your whole life.”“That’s not true. I have needs, just like everyone,” he says quietly.“Really?” I pull myself back, forcing him to lower his hands from my face and drop them to my shoulders. “Name one thing you have ever needed.”Mark reaches up and lets his finger run across my cheek following the path of my tears. He looks directly at me, no distraction, no diversion, just truth.“I need you.”