p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"-3-/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFlipping through the closet, I decide on a simple knee length navy colored dress and some black sandals. I brush through my hair and put on a bit of mascara. With a sigh, I sit down in the chair and wait for Sean to return. Right at 15 minutes after leaving, I hear the door open slowly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Are you decent?" he asks, waiting outside the door. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI roll my eyes at this. "Seriously? After what you just did to me, you care about whether I'm dressed or not?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"In all fairness," he responds, "I was hoping that you weren't dressed yet and I could catch a glimpse of that gorgeous ass. However, I was also attempting to be a gentleman, thank you very much." He throws his hands up in mock offense as a sly smile plays on his lips. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRolling my eyes and trying to stifle the small smile on my own face, I brush past him and out the door. He follows a few steps behind me, then matches my stride. He places his hand at the small of my back as we enter a large, dimly lit room. The smell makes my mouth water instantly. I hadn't even realized how hungry I was until now. There is a table with four chairs on one side of the room and a bar on the other. He ushers me past the table and out the doors at the back of the room. Outside there is a smaller table with two chairs on a balcony overlooking the mountains with city lights below. The view is breathtaking, especially with the sunset. I lean against the railing and take in the surroundings. The air is crisp and refreshing, exactly what I need right now. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSean leans against the railing beside me, though his eyes are not on the sunset. He gently places his hand on my arm, drawing my attention to him. "How about that dinner now?" he asks, moving me toward the small table. "Would you like to eat out here?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yes, please. I don't want to miss this view," I respond, glancing back to the mountains. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Neither do I," he states, still not looking away from me. "That dress looks fantastic on you. Blue is definitely your color."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI question him about the clothes as another person appears beside the table. "How did you get that whole wardrobe in there so quick?! Also, how did you know my sizes? Talk about a creeper," I joke, though the questions are legitimate. He brushes me off as our drinks are placed on the table. My eyes widen with a sudden realization hitting home. He knew my name. I never told him. "Wait. How do you even know my name?" I try to choke down some water while awaiting his response./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe pauses for a moment, studying my face and trying to read my feelings. I do my best to keep my face completely neutral, even if it feels like a creature is trying to claw its way up out of my chest. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I saw you in that restaurant. The little diner. When you choked on your milkshake and went barreling out the front door," he starts. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanemOh my fuck. He SAW THAT?! That's it. I am deceased. Dead from embarrassment. I didn't even know a face could be this shade of red./em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;""Yes, I saw the entire incident," he smiles. "Anyway, I saw you there and couldn't take my eyes off of you. You kept drawing my attention back to you. Just eating a burger and caught more attention than any woman has in years. Ever maybe. When you ran out the door, I immediately left the diner and rushed out behind you. I wanted to talk to you. Get your name. You were nowhere in sight. Gone in an instant."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe pauses for a moment to allow the first part of the story to sink in. "So. I just went home," he shrugs. "I came back here and tried to get some work done. Catch up on some emails. Maybe get a couple calls in. All I could think about was you though. Your entire aura was mesmerizing. After about 20 minutes, I got an alert on my phone from the camera at the back door. Imagine my surprise when it's your pretty little face on my screen. I watched you test the door knob when your curiosity was piqued. I watched and waited. But I also researched. I wanted to know who you are. I'm usually really good at this type of thing, but there wasn't a whole lot of information out there about you. I more or less just got your name and birthday. One or two job titles." He sips his drink, folding his hands in his lap, giving me the space to process and respond. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWhen I regain the ability, I put my jaw up from the floor. I don't even know how to feel about what he just told me. It all seems so innocent up to that point. You can't even blame him for checking out people who are trying to come into his house. "Okay," I say quietly, still processing. "You're definitely a creeper after all."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe smiles a bit at the insult. "Let's talk about this contract, shall we?" he starts, as if this is a normal every day conversation. "You will have rules to follow. More than the ones that have already been mentioned. However, you are free to ask for anything you wish to be included or changed in any way and we will discuss it tonight. Sound fair?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yeah, um, I'm not so sure about this contract thing. Seems kind of weird. Like, am I going to jail if I break a rule, or what's the deal?" I question, having thought this part through at least. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, Lily. You will not be going to jail for breaking any rules. The contract is a protection for both of us. It's a nondisclosure agreement, which means you can't tell anyone what we do here. What we do is strictly between us and anyone else who may be involved here. The rules are there just as reminders that you belong to me and will do as I request, otherwise punishments will be given out," he explains. That doesn't sound too bad so far. I can follow rules, I guess. Lord knows I'm not about to talk to anybody about what just happened in the shower so that part will be easy to go along with. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What kind of punishments?" I ask timidly. I'm not one for pain so I'm concerned about this part. I've never been the choke me, spank me type in bed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"The punishments will coincide with the offenses. Whatever rule you break, there will be a punishment. If it is a slight deviation from the rule, the punishment will be dealt out sparingly. The worse the offense, the worse the punishment," he explains./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI have nothing to say back to this, so I stand up and walk toward the railing again with my mind racing. emThis is insane/em, I think. emBut the shower thing was pretty hot, to be fair. /emI scold myself, shaking my head to clear the thoughts. I need to be able to think clearly if we are going to finish this conversation about the contract. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAfter a few minutes, our food is brought to the table. I laugh out loud as a hamburger, fries, and strawberry milkshake are placed on the table. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What's so funny?" he asks, feigning innocence. "I thought you liked this meal, and since you didn't get to finish yours at the café, I figured it would be the perfect dinner for tonight." He's smiling now. I roll my eyes lightly and start asking questions. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What are the rules?" I ask, picking up my burger. I don't remember ever feeling this hungry. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"For eating?" he asks, eyebrows raised. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Seriously?" I shake my head at his ridiculous question. "Obviously not about that. What are the rules while I'm here?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You don't want to just have a decent meal, good conversation, and maybe some cuddles after? You really want to discuss this right now?" he questions back. He doesn't seem to be in the mood for this talk, but I'm curious now. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That depends. Can we talk about this while cuddling?" I question, eyebrows raised. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFlipping through the closet, I decide on a simple knee length navy colored dress and some black sandals. I brush through my hair and put on a bit of mascara. With a sigh, I sit down in the chair and wait for Sean to return. Right at 15 minutes after leaving, I hear the door open slowly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Are you decent?" he asks, waiting outside the door. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI roll my eyes at this. "Seriously? After what you just did to me, you care about whether I'm dressed or not?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"In all fairness," he responds, "I was hoping that you weren't dressed yet and I could catch a glimpse of that gorgeous ass. However, I was also attempting to be a gentleman, thank you very much." He throws his hands up in mock offense as a sly smile plays on his lips. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRolling my eyes and trying to stifle the small smile on my own face, I brush past him and out the door. He follows a few steps behind me, then matches my stride. He places his hand at the small of my back as we enter a large, dimly lit room. The smell makes my mouth water instantly. I hadn't even realized how hungry I was until now. There is a table with four chairs on one side of the room and a bar on the other. He ushers me past the table and out the doors at the back of the room. Outside there is a smaller table with two chairs on a balcony overlooking the mountains with city lights below. The view is breathtaking, especially with the sunset. I lean against the railing and take in the surroundings. The air is crisp and refreshing, exactly what I need right now. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSean leans against the railing beside me, though his eyes are not on the sunset. He gently places his hand on my arm, drawing my attention to him. "How about that dinner now?" he asks, moving me toward the small table. "Would you like to eat out here?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yes, please. I don't want to miss this view," I respond, glancing back to the mountains. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Neither do I," he states, still not looking away from me. "That dress looks fantastic on you. Blue is definitely your color."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI question him about the clothes as another person appears beside the table. "How did you get that whole wardrobe in there so quick?! Also, how did you know my sizes? Talk about a creeper," I joke, though the questions are legitimate. He brushes me off as our drinks are placed on the table. My eyes widen with a sudden realization hitting home. He knew my name. I never told him. "Wait. How do you even know my name?" I try to choke down some water while awaiting his response./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe pauses for a moment, studying my face and trying to read my feelings. I do my best to keep my face completely neutral, even if it feels like a creature is trying to claw its way up out of my chest. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I saw you in that restaurant. The little diner. When you choked on your milkshake and went barreling out the front door," he starts. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanemOh my fuck. He SAW THAT?! That's it. I am deceased. Dead from embarrassment. I didn't even know a face could be this shade of red./em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;""Yes, I saw the entire incident," he smiles. "Anyway, I saw you there and couldn't take my eyes off of you. You kept drawing my attention back to you. Just eating a burger and caught more attention than any woman has in years. Ever maybe. When you ran out the door, I immediately left the diner and rushed out behind you. I wanted to talk to you. Get your name. You were nowhere in sight. Gone in an instant."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe pauses for a moment to allow the first part of the story to sink in. "So. I just went home," he shrugs. "I came back here and tried to get some work done. Catch up on some emails. Maybe get a couple calls in. All I could think about was you though. Your entire aura was mesmerizing. After about 20 minutes, I got an alert on my phone from the camera at the back door. Imagine my surprise when it's your pretty little face on my screen. I watched you test the door knob when your curiosity was piqued. I watched and waited. But I also researched. I wanted to know who you are. I'm usually really good at this type of thing, but there wasn't a whole lot of information out there about you. I more or less just got your name and birthday. One or two job titles." He sips his drink, folding his hands in his lap, giving me the space to process and respond. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWhen I regain the ability, I put my jaw up from the floor. I don't even know how to feel about what he just told me. It all seems so innocent up to that point. You can't even blame him for checking out people who are trying to come into his house. "Okay," I say quietly, still processing. "You're definitely a creeper after all."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe smiles a bit at the insult. "Let's talk about this contract, shall we?" he starts, as if this is a normal every day conversation. "You will have rules to follow. More than the ones that have already been mentioned. However, you are free to ask for anything you wish to be included or changed in any way and we will discuss it tonight. Sound fair?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yeah, um, I'm not so sure about this contract thing. Seems kind of weird. Like, am I going to jail if I break a rule, or what's the deal?" I question, having thought this part through at least. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, Lily. You will not be going to jail for breaking any rules. The contract is a protection for both of us. It's a nondisclosure agreement, which means you can't tell anyone what we do here. What we do is strictly between us and anyone else who may be involved here. The rules are there just as reminders that you belong to me and will do as I request, otherwise punishments will be given out," he explains. That doesn't sound too bad so far. I can follow rules, I guess. Lord knows I'm not about to talk to anybody about what just happened in the shower so that part will be easy to go along with. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What kind of punishments?" I ask timidly. I'm not one for pain so I'm concerned about this part. I've never been the choke me, spank me type in bed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"The punishments will coincide with the offenses. Whatever rule you break, there will be a punishment. If it is a slight deviation from the rule, the punishment will be dealt out sparingly. The worse the offense, the worse the punishment," he explains./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI have nothing to say back to this, so I stand up and walk toward the railing again with my mind racing. emThis is insane/em, I think. emBut the shower thing was pretty hot, to be fair. /emI scold myself, shaking my head to clear the thoughts. I need to be able to think clearly if we are going to finish this conversation about the contract. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAfter a few minutes, our food is brought to the table. I laugh out loud as a hamburger, fries, and strawberry milkshake are placed on the table. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What's so funny?" he asks, feigning innocence. "I thought you liked this meal, and since you didn't get to finish yours at the café, I figured it would be the perfect dinner for tonight." He's smiling now. I roll my eyes lightly and start asking questions. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What are the rules?" I ask, picking up my burger. I don't remember ever feeling this hungry. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"For eating?" he asks, eyebrows raised. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Seriously?" I shake my head at his ridiculous question. "Obviously not about that. What are the rules while I'm here?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You don't want to just have a decent meal, good conversation, and maybe some cuddles after? You really want to discuss this right now?" he questions back. He doesn't seem to be in the mood for this talk, but I'm curious now. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That depends. Can we talk about this while cuddling?" I question, eyebrows raised. /span/p