I would always struggle with my dominance, and that was a fate I accepted as long as I got to keep her. “She’s never going to lose me. I get what I need from Isabella. It’ll be fine.”
“And when Rome finds out, you think she’s just going to be okay with that?”
I shrugged. “She’s gonna have to be. It’s either that or…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I couldn’t picture my life without Rome. But I couldn’t picture my life without being a Dom. If only Rome would reconsider, my life would be much simpler.
Jackson gave me a look full of pity, something that didn’t happen very often. “What are you going to do?”
I didn’t have a clue. “No idea.” I rose out of the chair and walked to the door. “Let me know if she calls you again.”
“Alright.”
I walked over the bridge then looked down at the bar. Sure enough, I spotted Isabella there. She sat alone with a drink in front of her, her jet-black hair hanging down her back. She wore a black, backless dress with a matching choker. Her eyes were tilted to the counter, uninterested in anyone else around her.
Even if what I was doing was wrong, I couldn’t stop myself. Every time Rome defied me, it just made me angrier. I couldn’t control her, and that made me lose my mind. It made me doubt who I was as a man. If only she would just do as I asked, I could have everything I’d ever wanted.
But she wouldn’t listen to me.
I walked downstairs and approached Isabella from the side. I pushed her drink away because I didn’t like a drunk sub.
She met my look then quickly turned away, becoming submissive instantly.
“Upstairs,” I commanded. “Now.”
“Yes, Sir.” She abandoned her drink and slid off the stool, her heels tall and her dress short. She walked up the stairs and across the landing as I walked behind her, exerting my presence without her being able to see me.
We entered a playroom and immediately got down to business. I intended to take Isabella even further tonight, to push her into a new realm of pleasure and pain. I needed to exert all my frustration, all my longing for the woman I couldn’t have. “Take off your dress.” I needed to see that bare skin before I slashed it. “Now.”
I sat on the couch as Isabella got dressed. My eyes were averted because I wasn’t interested in her physique. Her curves used to drive me wild, her pale skin used to make me excited. But now I didn’t feel anything. All I cared about was her obedience, having the power to make her strike herself with force.
That satisfied my craving.
I drank my brandy and stared at the opposite wall, feeling so relaxed I could do this all night. The itch I’d felt had been relieved. The pain in my gut had been removed. Now I could return to Rome without wanting to grab her by the neck and force her to her knees. I could be the boyfriend I promised myself I would be.
Isabella slipped on her heels then approached the couch. She was about to sit right beside me and have a drink herself.
“No.” I didn’t want her anywhere near me. She wanted me to fuck her, and that was never going to happen. I didn’t want her skin to come into contact with mine. We had a strict no-touching policy.
She stilled at my command.
“Sit on the floor.”
She didn’t hesitate before she got comfortable on the dark hardwood floor.
I poured her a glass and handed it over, careful not to touch even her fingers.
She stared at me like she wanted to speak.
Since playtime was over, I gave her some freedom. “You can speak freely.”
“Good,” she said quietly. “Because there’s something I’d like to say.”
I flicked my hand, telling her to spit it out.
“I want Rome out of the picture. I want you and me to be what we were before.” Confidence shone in her eyes like she might actually get what she wanted. What was more concerning, she spoke like she thought she deserved it.
“No.” I didn’t bother with an explanation. I didn’t need to tell her that Rome was the only woman I wanted in my bed. Isabella was just a toy, something I used to satisfy my sinister urges. She didn’t mean a damn thing to me. I wasn’t going to be so cold as to remind her of that reality.
“Yes.” Her words came out with a bite, a sharp ring. “Calloway, leave her or else.”
My eyes narrowed on her face, my body tensing at the threat. “Or what, Isabella?” What could this woman possibly do to me?
“I’ll tell her.”
I didn’t react to her words because I needed a few extra seconds for them to sink in. “And what will that accomplish?”