When he stills, I'm still trembling. He unlatches the cuffs, rolls on his back, and tugs me against him. He reaches for the vibrator and tosses it across the room.
Exhausted, I wait for my heart to slow, processing everything that's happened, realizing I said his name a few times, breaking rule two. I force myself to deal with a new fear that the cruel Riggs might be back.
But he's not.
He slides his hand on my cheek and kisses me. It's tender and sweet. I return his affection until he breaks our kiss and holds my face a few inches from his. He murmurs, "Who do you want to go home with, pet?"
"You, Sir."
His expression remains hard. I worry I said something wrong when he questions, "When?"
I don't hesitate. "Now."
He nods and kisses me again. He rises, goes over to a closet, and removes a robe. He brings it to the bed and helps me get it on. He ties the belt and then puts on his pants and shirt. He drapes his sport coat over his arm, then guides me down a dark hall and into an alley.
His driver sits in the SUV. He sees us and opens his door, but Riggs makes a hand motion. He shuts the door and turns on the engine.
Riggs opens the back door. I slide into the backseat, and he follows. We don't speak on the way home. Riggs keeps his arm around me and murmurs, "Go to sleep if you're tired."
I cling to him, but too many thoughts are going through my head. I stay awake until we get home. Riggs leads me to the shower, and we take one together, but it's not a long one. He dries me off and puts ointment on my ass cheeks, stating, "It'll help prevent bruising."
I had forgotten about the flogging. I stay quiet as he rubs the cream on my tender skin.
He leads me out of the bathroom and, for the first time in ten days, motions for me to get into his bed.
I slide under the covers, then curl into his back. I kiss his shoulder, wrap my arm around him, and he covers it with his forearm, stroking my hand with his index finger.
I yawn, then ask in a whisper, "Did I pass?"
He picks up my hand and kisses it, replying, "Yeah, pet. You passed."
"So no more rule fourteen?"
He confirms, "No more rule fourteen. You're stuck with me now."
I tighten my arm around him and fall asleep, smiling. Even through my admission, I'm still here. And Riggs is mine, even if I'm on borrowed time.
When I wake up the next morning, it's almost ten. Riggs has already surfed, showered, and eaten. He's at the table, working on his laptop.
I sneak behind him and put my arms around his chest. "Morning," I chirp and go to kiss him.
He turns his head, moves my arms off him, and slides his chair out. He shuts his laptop and gives me a hardened stare, stating, "Make sure you eat breakfast. I'll be back later."
My chest tightens. I blurt out, "So we're back to normal, I see."
He clenches his jaw, leers down at me, and declares, "That's right. I'm in charge. Don't forget it, pet." He grabs his laptop, puts it in his bag, and leaves, never looking back.
I don't know why I expected anything different from him. I know he's like Jekyll and Hyde.
I finally conclude that he's always going to be like this. No matter what I do, he'll always revert to his need for control.
He's got some sort of deep-seated issues. There's nothing I can do to change him.
So why does it still hurt so much?
20
Riggs