Page 137 of Their Famous Dominant (Office Intrigue Duet 4)
I stepped back and motioned for her to come inside, closing and locking the door behind her.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” I told her, keeping my tone firm. Until I knew what she was here to say, I wasn’t going to give an inch. We were both in the wrong and I was more than willing to own up to my part, but only if she owned up to hers.
“I came to apologize,” she said softly, shifting her bag on her shoulder.
“Here, let me take that.” I set it on the chair nearby and turned back to look at her.
“I…” She inhaled deeply, squared her shoulders, and started over. “I want to apologize.”
“For?”
“For walking out on you. It was an immature thing to do. I should’ve stayed and hashed it out.”
There was a sheen of tears in her eyes instantly and seeing them weakened me. I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing her cry. It would break me. “Apology accepted.”
Her eyes turned wary. “Really? It’s that easy?”
“No, pet, it’s not. You apologized for walking out. I forgive you for that.”
“But you don’t forgive me for everything else?” She sounded doubtful.
“I don’t know. You didn’t ask for forgiveness for anything else.” I tilted her chin up so she was forced to hold my gaze. It felt so damn good just to touch her.
We stood there for quite some time. I held her gaze, willing her to see the hurt I’d felt without her here. I had missed her so fucking much I ached with it.
When she didn’t say anything, I knew I had to move things along. “What is it you want from me, Clarissa?”
She stared at me for long seconds and the next words that came out of her mouth nearly leveled me.
“Everything, Master,” she whispered hoarsely. “I want everything you’re willing to give me. I owe you an apology for the way I acted. For topping from the bottom. For running out. It was childish and you deserve better than that.”
I held myself in check. I wanted to tell her none of it mattered, that we could start over because I wanted her no matter what. However, that wasn’t entirely true.
For one, she needed something from me and I needed something from her. Not just love, either. That was there, whether we were willing to admit it or not.
However, Clarissa had a deep-seated need to submit and I had the same urge to dominate. There was no way that either of us could disregard those things and ever be whole. I knew it and she knew it.
“And if I told you I was willing to give you everything?” I questioned. “What are you willing to give in return?”
“My complete surrender,” she said around a sob.
For fuck’s sake. The woman slayed me. She had walked in here completely stripped of all the walls I’d previously seen and it was damn near impossible to resist her.
A tear dripped down her cheek and I quickly wiped it away with my thumb.
Keeping my voice soft, although still firm, I decided to tell her how I felt. “I want you, Clarissa. I want you with every fucking breath I take. These past nine days have been hell without you. Not hearing your voice, seeing your pretty face. I’ve known for years that you would be my undoing. But we have to get one thing straight.”
“What?”
“I don’t want a doll. And I damn sure don’t want a submissive who thinks she can top me. I want a submissive who wants me with the same unbridled passion I feel for her. I want a submissive who’s willing to give every part of herself to me, to truly trust me to know what she needs.”
Another tear fell but she didn’t move. “I fear I’m broken and I’m not sure what it’ll take to fix me.” Her eyes glittered with more tears. “But I’m willing to do whatever it takes. For you and for Troy.”
For whatever reason, hearing her include Troy eased something deep within me. There was no way to deny Troy and I had become closer than we had been before. He was there for me when I needed him.
I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn’t look away from Clarissa. Her gaze shifted briefly and her face softened. She’d obviously missed Troy as much as she’d missed me. I had needed to know that. Deep down, it had been critical for me.
I waited until she turned back to me before I continued. “Do you want to start over, Clarissa? Because I want that. You are my submissive. And you can trust me when I tell you I will do whatever it takes to make you happy. You and Troy both. That’s all I need. And there isn’t a right or wrong way. But there is my way. And in order for us to be happy, it has to be my way.
