Chapter Five
Tessa waved goodbye to her friend Nicole before she closed and locked the door. Although new locks had been installed, she had a locksmith do another one. She needed all she could get to feel safe enough in her own home. It would have been better if they caught the guy, but until then, she’d do what she could. She walked around to all the windows and made sure the short pieces of pole she’d jammed in were still there and hadn’t fallen out.
Her headache was slowly getting worse, so she took a couple of aspirins before she started the water in the bathtub. She dropped some lavender bath salts in, which always relaxed her, and pulled her hair into a messy bun. When the water level was high enough, she undressed and slid in.
Tessa rested her head against the bath pillow and closed her eyes. The instant relief she felt made her sigh. She felt her headache diminish and her body relax.
She thought about the previous hours and felt tears fill her eyes. She sniffed and then shook her head.
She had to get it into her mind and come to grips with the fact that she’d never have Dominik. He might be attracted to her but not enough to want to be with her. Tessa thought about the woman, Monica, who wrapped herself around him. She had to admit the woman probably fitted him better than she could. That woman had shoulder-length red hair, was about four inches taller than her, and had a great body. To top it off, she was beautiful.
Tessa was blonde, and her eyes were light blue. Her body was tiny compared to the other woman, and she didn’t have nearly the size boobs she did. Tessa knew she paled in comparison to Monica.
Tessa turned her mind to the things she wanted to do around the house and in the backyard. Anything to keep her mind off him. She’d had all sorts of ideas but hadn’t taken the time to start another project. Now was the perfect time. It would give her something to think about besides Dominik. She also planned on not going to the bar again. Maybe ever. She’d have her girlfriends come to her house and eat dinner, maybe play games, or sit around and drink wine and talk.
Tessa’s eyes popped open when she heard someone at her front door, and she sat up so quickly the water went over the side of the tub. Who the hell would be at her door?
The knock came again, only harder. Her fear started to rise. She logically knew if it was the bad guy he probably wouldn’t knock, but it didn’t matter. She’d been scared for so long it was hard to stop.
The knock came a third time, making her get out of the bathtub and pull on her robe. She also grabbed the wasp spray on her way to the door. She peeked out the side window and almost dropped the can.
What in the world was Dominik doing there? God, how was she going to get over him when he kept doing this stuff?
“Baby, open the door,” he said.
She shook her head but knew he couldn’t see it.
“Sweetheart, I’ll stand out here until you open the door. The neighbors will start to stare.”
She gritted her teeth. “What do you want, Dominik?”
“I want to talk to you.”
“You should go back to your date. We’ve got nothing more to say to each other.”
She heard him sigh.
“She wasn’t my date. I used her to push you away.”
“It worked. Now, why are you tormenting me?”
“Let me in so we can talk,” he pleaded.
Tears started to slide down her face. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Me either. That’s why we have to talk,” he said. “Open the door.”
“What else is there to say?”
“Sweetheart, open the door, or people are going to start calling the police.”
Tessa set the spray off to the side and wiped her eyes before unlocking the door and cracking it open. She clutched her robe in one hand to keep it from opening.
“Tell me here,” she said.
“No. I want to see your face.”
“I’m not dressed. Let me get some clothes on, and then I’ll come outside,” she told him.
He flattened his hand against the door and started to inch it in until there was enough room for him to get through.
“Dominik. No. Please leave.” She hated the tears that kept coming. “Please,” she begged. “Or at least let me get dressed.”
She could tell how upset he was seeing her crying.
“Baby, you’re fine the way you are. I’ve seen you mostly naked. Remember?”
She nodded and bit down on her lip. “That was under unusual circumstances.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
Tessa moved to the other side of the sofa, putting space between them. “What do you need to say?”
His scowl darkened, but at no time was she afraid of him. “You’ve been crying,” he stated.
She almost laughed. “Yes. I do that when I’m upset.”
“I’m sorry.”
She frowned in confusion. “For what?”
“For being an ass and not giving us a chance.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Where is this coming from?”
“It physically hurt when you walked away. It always did, but it’s getting worse. I was on my way to follow you to make sure you got home when Michelle stopped me. She helped me get my head out of my ass.”
Her hands tightened on her robe. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not going to fight my attraction anymore.”
“Why have you kept me away?” she asked.
“Because I was afraid you’d eventually leave me when you found out about my personality and where I came from.”
“You had a mother, right?”
He nodded. “Yes. I also found out you didn’t have anyone.”
She felt a spear of pain piercing her heart before she nodded. “Michelle told you?”
“Yes.”
“How much did she tell you?” she asked.
He dropped his arms and took a step toward her. “Not a lot. She said it was your story to tell. She just wanted to enlighten me about your childhood, so I’d get that thought of you having the perfect family out of my head, and I’d understand you better.”
She nodded. “Tell me about the other thing.”
“If you haven’t guessed yet, I’m kind of a dominant man. There are things I’d need from you that you might not be willing to do.”
“Like what?”
“I’d want you to obey me about certain things.”
“Like what?” she asked again.
“There are several things. Like I’d want to know where you’re at, I’d want to make sure you’re safe and healthy, so I’d make sure you eat and get enough rest. I’d want to open doors for you.”
“Why would you think I’d hate that?” she asked.
“Because my girlfriends before always did. They’d call me a Neanderthal and bitch that I was being too controlling.”
She shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with that. It just shows you care.”
“There’s also the bedroom.”
A shiver skated up her spine. “What about it?”
“I’d want total submission from you.”
That kind of freaked her out. “You wouldn’t hurt me, right?”
His face darkened. “Fuck, no. I’d rather have my right arm cut off than hurt you.”
“Then give me an example,” she said.
“If I told you to strip and lay on the bed, you would do that instantly. I’d want to own you.” He cursed under his breath. “That sounded bad. I’d want to be able to touch any part of your body at any time.”
“I think I can handle that, but can we talk about the things that make me nervous?”
“Hell, yes. Our relationship would have total honesty. If you don’t like something, tell me. I’m not opposed to compromise. We will talk about everything. We’ll get to know each other better than the average couple.”
“What happens if I do something wrong?”
He smiled. “I’ll spank your ass. Not enough to hurt, but you’ll feel the sting.”
Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. “But … I’m not a child.”
“No. You’ll be my submissive.”
She thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Then I’m okay.”
“If we take this step, you’re mine for the rest of our lives.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “That sounds serious, like a marriage.”
“What we’ll have is deeper than a regular marriage, although eventually, we’ll get married.”
She sucked in a breath. “All right.”
“I won’t let you go, but I promise to make you happier than you ever thought possible.”
The tense feeling in her gut relaxed, allowing her to take a deep, cleansing breath. “Okay. I’ll also try to make you happy.”
“I already know that.”
She smiled. She was already happier than she’d ever been.