Clarissa’s eyes remained on my face and I could tell she was waiting to see what I would do next.
“Is there a problem with your salad?” I asked.
“No. No problem.” A small smile tugged at her mouth.
“You may eat,” I said, nodding toward her plate. “However, I want you to lift your skirt up to your hips. If I choose to touch you, I do not want it in my way.”
Her breath caught, but she nodded. Her hands disappeared once more. I was surprised by how quickly she followed that instruction. I had expected her to give some push back.
I picked up my fork and waited until she did the same. Once she turned her attention to her salad, I took a few bites of mine, still watching her closely.
“Do you have a safe word, pet?”
She seemed slightly dazed when she looked up at me. “Yes. Red.”
“Good girl.” I noticed she had refrained from calling me Sir the way she had during our previous encounter. Since I didn’t much care for the term, I let it go. We would discuss the proper way for her to address me soon enough. For now, I merely wanted her to get comfortable being in my presence.
“If at any time you feel you need to, I expect you to use it. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, I will always respect it. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about your latest client,” I probed, hoping to settle her nerves. I could sense she was waiting for me to do something and I wanted her to relax a little.
She grinned as she swallowed. “Very interesting man. He had asked me to review a contract for him. He’d seemed so worried, I thought for sure it was a legal matter.”
“It wasn’t?”
“Well, technically, it was. But it was only a contract for a storage unit. Month to month. Very basic. I reviewed it and assured him it was standard and there was nothing for him to worry about.”
“Is that different from the clients you’ve had previously?”
“Quite a bit,” she said before continuing to eat. She spoke between bites. “I’ve handled my fair share of wills over the years, but I mostly enjoy contracts between agents and their clients.”
So she was well versed in what I went through. She would definitely make a nice addition to Chatter PR Global.
The waiter appeared with our food. He hurried to place it, then filled our glasses before slipping away silently.
Clarissa shifted her salad plate out of the way and pulled her main course closer. We shared a few tidbits of conversation here and there, but I tried not to dig too deep. She was relaxing nicely.
It wasn’t until she’d polished off at least half of her meal that I slipped my right hand beneath the table while I continued to eat with my left. Since Clarissa was in the far corner closest to the wall, my body shielded her from others in the restaurant. For the most part, anyway. I doubted anyone would detect what I was doing to her beneath the table. They would, however, have a clear view of her face, which was rather expressive.
I allowed my palm to slide over her thigh a few times. I was taking my time, warming her up, but mostly gauging her reaction. I wasn’t the sort of man to make advances when they weren’t wanted.
“Do you mind me touching you, Clarissa?”
She shook her head. “No. I … like it.”
“I needed to hear you say that,” I admitted.
I figured the only way to get her to completely trust me was to open up and be honest about my intentions.
“Why is that?” Her voice was soft, her head slightly tilted.
“While I understand you on a level most others never will, I’m not one to make assumptions, pet.”
“I know that,” she said on a rough exhale as my hand shifted higher, my fingertips grazing the inside of her thigh.
“I hope I didn’t imagine your interest the other day. Or the many times we’ve seen each other at Devotion over the years.”
Clarissa shook her head. “You didn’t.” Her cheeks turned that pretty rosy pink once again and she found the food on her plate interesting.
“It seems there’s a definite chemistry between us and I have every intention of pursuing it. Provided you’re willing, of course.”
She took a moment to chew and I waited patiently for a response. From the outside looking in, we were just two people enjoying lunch, engaged in conversation.
“I’m willing.” Her eyes held mine and I could see the honesty there.
“Although I could’ve gone the traditional route, wining and dining and spending ten dates getting to know you before I ever so much as kissed you, it’s only fair that you know I’m not a traditional guy.”
Clarissa smiled, her eyes lighting up for the first time. “No, you’re definitely not traditional.”
