“No, I’m not, I’m serious. I want to know. This is going to be about exploring your desires. I need to know where they lie.”
She shook her head. “It’s just a silly thing I said.”
“But does it turn you on?” he asked, giving her a look like this was the most important question in the universe. “Does the idea of playing my captive or slave appeal to you?”
Did it turn her on? When the image had crossed her mind, her body had gone hot and liquid even though she’d felt ridiculous thinking about it. “Yes. I guess the taboo factor of it all. It’s so . . . everything we’re not supposed to want. Like the opposite of politically correct. I’m sure most women would find it kind of enticing on some level.”
He gave her a pointed look. “No, not all women, Tess.”
She blinked, the words stinging. “So you’re saying there’s something wro
ng with me?”
His lips curled upward. “Not saying that at all. Quite the opposite in fact.”
“Oh?” she said softly.
“Yes. I think this is all going to work out just fine. All it’s going to require from you is a little trust and an open mind. I’ll take care of everything else.” He grabbed her hand and lifted it to his mouth. “Say good-bye to the proper Southern belle, Tess. There’s no place for her in my world.”
Tessa swallowed hard. She was in so much damn trouble.
FIFTEEN
Tessa sat on the floor of her living room with colored file folders spread around her in piles and her new company-issued MacBook perched on her lap. She picked up a green folder and flipped it open to pull the information she needed to enter into her spreadsheet.
“Didn’t you work all day?” Sam asked from her spot on the couch. “I think it’s time you take a break and tell me about Hot Stalker Guy.”
Tess sent Sam a quelling look. “I’m still getting trained on a bunch of things at the office during the day and then have those night classes twice a week. It hasn’t left me a lot of time to work on stuff for the actual event. I need to organize the list of potential restaurants and donors together so I can start making calls next week. And can you please stop calling Kade stalker guy?”
“Hey, the man tracked you down,” she said with a shrug. “He comes by the nickname honestly. Plus, I’m in desperate need of juicy stories. My Perfect Match dude crashed and burned last night. Distract me from my shattered heart.”
Tessa smirked at Sam, who was happily embroidering hot pink skulls on a pair of knee socks for her friend’s roller derby team. “You look truly heartbroken. What happened?”
“I found out he hates dogs. Hates. Can you believe that? We saw a stray on the road, and I wanted to catch him so I could bring him to the shelter. Cory freaked out. Like God forbid he get dog hair in his new Dodge Durango. When I realized he was serious, I got out of the car and told him he could leave. I can’t be with someone who would leave a stray on the highway. I used to be a stray on the highway.”
Tessa shook her head. “So he just left you there on the road?”
“Yeah, he did. Bastard. But I wouldn’t have gotten back in the car anyway.” She glanced up with a smile. “In other news, I have a dog.”
Tessa laughed. “Oh, no.”
“It’s fine. I could use the company now that you moved out, anyway. But stop trying to distract me. I need to know what’s up with this Kade dude? So you’re like dating?”
“No,” Tessa said, typing a name into her spreadsheet and trying to stay focused. “I told him that’s off limits. We’re just . . .”
“Screwing like mad?” Sam offered, voice hopeful. “Fucking like rock stars?”
Tessa snorted but smiled despite herself. “You’re awful.”
She lifted a brow, indicating the question stood.
“Fine. Yes. He’s on a mission to show me the kinky side of life, and I’m letting him. Let’s call it tackling a subcategory of the list.”
Sam’s eyes went big, and she pulled her knees under her. “Seriously? Like giving you some course in deviant sex?”
“I guess you could say that. He used to be my tutor in high school, so I guess we’re kind of in those roles again.”
“That is so hot,” Sam declared. “I love it. Does he tell you what’s going to happen? Like hey, tonight we’re going to tackle public sex or tomorrow we’re going to have a threesome?”