Page 82 of First Touch

As much as I liked rules, it didn’t mean I wasn’t also headstrong. I crossed my legs and batted my lashes at him. “What else, sir?”

“Oh, no.” Reeve scowled. “No sir’s. I do not expect or want that.”

“Master?”

He shook his head, trying not to smile. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Daddy?” God, I hope not.

“Fuck, no. Use my name and stop dicking around. I still have more to tell you.”

“Of course you do. Mr. Sallis.”

He narrowed his eyes, but went on with his list. “You’ll have your own room at the main house. Use it however you like. It’s your private space. But that doesn’t mean you’re free to do whatever you want. I’m your first priority. That’s why you’re here. I expect you to be available when I want you and I expect you to sleep in my bed whenever I’m there.”

This last section of his speech made my stomach flutter and my thighs buzz. This was the basic principle that all his demands extended from – I’m your first priority. It was what turned me on most about Reeve. That he required me to service him. To think of him above everything else. To allow myself to be willingly used by him in any way he desired.

It was why I was a sick person. Because he could tell me he expected me to jump off the plane without a parachute, and if I believed it was what he really wanted, I’d not only probably do it, but I’d get off on it.

I was so busy being aroused and chastising myself for it that I almost didn’t notice what he’d said at the end. “Sleep with you when you’re there? Are there times you won’t be?”

“Yes. I have business with some of the other resorts in the state.” He peered out the front window as he spoke, only half paying attention to what he was saying. “Sometimes that will require me to be gone for several days at a time.”

You could always take me with you. But the reason I wanted to be in Wyoming was for finding out what happened to Amber, not Reeve. This was better, really.

So I don’t know why I kept pushing. “Like, how many days?”

Now he was checking his watch. “Uh, I don’t know.”

“Will I know when you’re leaving? And when you’re coming back?”

Reeve leaned forward to tell Filip something in Greek. He mentioned the 405 so I guessed it was about traffic and arrival times. Whatever Filip said in response seemed to satisfy Reeve. He sat back in his seat and turned to me.

My mouth was open, ready to repeat my questions since I was sure he hadn’t heard me, but he reached out and cupped my neck. “Yes, Emily. I’ll let you know when I’m leaving and I’ll make sure you know when I’ll be back. Don’t worry about it, okay? Just try to have a nice time.”

“But —”

The pressure on my neck tightened. “Also, there will be no arguing in front of other people. What I say goes, no questions, no back talk.”

My eyes flicked to Filip and back again. I guess he counted as other people. I sighed. “Does that mean I can argue when we aren’t in front of other people?”

Reeve’s eyes lit up as he sneered. “How about try it and find out.”

“Yeah, I’ll have to see about that.” Though, it sounded like it might be kind of fun. Except what did it matter if he wasn’t around?

Admittedly, I was slightly pouty when I asked, “Is that all your rules and regulations, Mr. Sallis, or are there more?”

He put his arm on the back of the seat and angled his body toward me. He studied me with an expression that said he was trying to figure something out. Finally, he said, “I don’t think you’re as bothered by my rules and regulations as you pretend to be.”

I clamped my mouth shut. That wasn’t what was bothering me. But the things bothering me were inappropriate considering our relationship, or lack thereof, and ridiculous considering my personal reasons for being on this trip.

So I ignored his comment and concentrated on what I needed to know for my self-appointed mission. “Are there places that are off limits to me?”

He grinned, as if my lack of answer was an answer in itself. And of course it was. “No. You can go anywhere you want. My office is kept locked unless I’m there, but if you want computer access, there’s one in the library in the main house. The ranch is very beautiful and I’m sure you’ll want to explore, but it’s twenty thousand acres of wilderness and prairie, and phone reception isn’t always great. So if you do go out make sure you take a radio. You can get one from Brent. If you’d rather not go out alone, Brent can set you up with someone to show you around the property or take you into Jackson.”

He hesitated, his expression suddenly hard to read. Returning his focus back to the front window, he added, “If you’d like to borrow a car to go anywhere on your own, Brent can arrange that for you as well.”

“Okay,” I said quietly, wishing Reeve was offering to show me around himself. Then I was wishing that I wasn’t wishing that. It was petty and unreasonable and, like the concern over his time away, a sign that I’d developed some romantic notion about us at some point. That had never been a problem with me and other men.