The woman had me on edge.
I expected her to be angry with me. I even expected some pouting and a silent treatment. I had been an ass after sex, and I knew it. But her behavior was anything but expected, and I hated that I couldn’t read her. She’d be quite the opponent in a business negotiation. Her emotions were impossible to truly read.
“Okay, enough,” I finally said as I closed my laptop and directed all my attention on her. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, not turning to face me as she stared out the window.
“Your anxious energy today has nearly driven me mad. It’s not like you.”
“Well…” She took a deep breath and turned to look at me. “I am nervous.”
“About tonight?” I said, glancing at the box for tonight’s Trial. “The white and red collars?”
She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, and then looked at the box she said Mrs. H had delivered when I was in the bathroom earlier this morning.
“What do colors mean? White? Red?”
“It means you are going to be shared with the other Elders,” I stated matter-of-factly. “Red means you’re shared with people of my choice. White means shared by all.”
“Jesus Christ…”
“It’s not going to be a great Trial… but it’s what we came here for, right?”
“Yeah, right. It’s what we came here for,” she parroted, but I could tell by her tone that she wasn’t all right with what I said. “I just need to shake off the nerves I suppose.”
“You haven’t been this nervous—or bothered—before any of the Trials. So why now?” I wasn’t buying her story.
She shrugged and turned her attention back to the window.
“Abilene…”
Still not looking at me, she said, “You know… I’ve been spending these days here in the manor trying to figure you out. I’ve been trying to see what kind of man you truly are. Deep down.”
“And what’s the purpose of that?” I asked.
“To get to know you.”
“You don’t need to know me to complete these Trials. We just have to stay focused and stick to the plan.”
“Yes, the contract,” she mumbled, running her fingers along the fabric of the curtains. “How could I forget?”
“Yes, the contract,” I repeated. “I know I was an asshole last night, and though I meant what I said, I didn’t mean for it to come out as harsh and cold as it did. I sometimes speak my mind without realizing how it could come across to others. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” she snapped. “I know what I came here to do. I don’t need you to remind me of that.”
“Fine,” I said, picking up the box of collars and handing it to her. “We need to get ready. We don’t want to be late. You choose what color.”
“White it is,” she snapped as she snatched the collar. “What the hell, it’s not like it matters to you. It’s just another Trial to pass, right?”
I didn’t wait for another word, but instead grabbed my tux and made my way to the bathroom. Annoyance sizzled through my veins and I couldn’t exactly put my finger on why. Was it because she was mad at me? Did I care what she thought? Was it that I struggled with the rules of the contract myself, and the black and white world I liked to live by seemed to gray by the day?
One thing was for sure…
This sexy little redhead managed to work her way under my skin no matter how hard I tried to fight it.
It amazed me how Abilene could walk completely naked in nothing but a white collar and keep her head held high, her shoulders back, and a level of confidence I had never seen in a woman. She wasn’t ashamed, or embarrassed. She didn’t cower behind me or try to wear a robe for as long as she could. She embraced her situation with such grace and such… power.
When we walked into the ballroom, the sound of a string quartet playing was the first sound I heard. But the elegance was soon crushed when the first sight I saw was the beginning of an orgy. I didn’t even look for my dad. Seeing him in this environment would just be weird. It surprised me that these men I had grown up around and looked up to were dirty fuckers.
I didn’t consider myself a prude, actually quite the opposite, but I also had no desire to see other men’s cocks on full display either. Frankly, I just wanted to head back to the room, throw Abilene on the bed, and fuck her with as much wild passion as we did last night.
My cock twitched at the idea of being balls deep inside of her again. And maybe I would punish her tight little ass for her salty mood today as a bonus.