Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“So, what’s on your mind?” Mitch asked as he and Cordell sat at the patio bar while the ladies had a pow-wow at a nearby table about the grand opening decorations and the festivities.
Dante was standing on the path leading to the docks talking to a friend he’d run into, with Cooper lying next to him.
Lunch had been delicious as usual, but now it felt like a rock in Cordell’s stomach.
“I fucked up.”
When he didn’t add anything else right away because he was searching for the right words, Mitch said, “Okay, that’s a broad statement. Can you narrow it down a little and tell me what you fucked up? Is it going to cost me a lot of money to fix it?”
Cordell’s gaze shot to his boss’s face, and relief coursed through him when he saw a smile partnered with amusement in the man’s eyes.
“No, nothing like that. It’s got nothing to do with the resort.
Other than the hidden cameras, things are going smoothly on that front.
Knock on wood.” He did just that on the bar top next to his beer.
“No, what I meant was I fucked something up with Tiffany, and I honestly don’t know how to get things back on track.
I’m not sure if she told you or Tori, but we renegotiated our contract to include .
. . uh, things that weren’t in the first contract.
” He would’ve come right out and said sex had the female bartender not picked that moment to check on their drinks.
The woman gave both of them flirtatious looks before moving on after they declined refills.
“Okay. So, is that the problem? The new amendments to the contract aren’t benefiting both parties?”
“Nope, that part’s fine—fantastic even, at least as far as I can tell.”
He proceeded to fill Mitch in on what had happened the day of the taste-test and how things had seemed off between him and Tiffany ever since.
Apparently, he wasn’t doing a good job of it, because Mitch interrupted, “Hang on—you’re losing me.
She’s having deeper feelings for you, and that’s not something you want? Or vice versa?”
“Vice versa. I’m falling for her, man—she’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met—but she doesn’t feel the same way.”
“She said that?”
Cordell ran a hand down his face and sighed.
“More or less, yeah. She made a big deal out of making sure I knew she was only excited about the assistant manager position when she blurted out I love you, and not that she actually loved me. And ever since, things have been weird between us. In some ways she’s fallen back on old slave habits, although we were able to correct a few things pretty quickly.
“Dante’s boyfriend and Dom, Reed Montgomery, invited Tiffany and I to join them in Miami next weekend and go as their guests to the lifestyle club they belong to.
I just don’t know if it’s going to make matters worse.
Before we left Vegas, she’d been doing really well in public D/s settings, knowing I was there to protect her, but the other night at Dante and Reed’s place, away from her management position, I could tell she was close to freaking out a few times whenever Reed, Jared, or Troy spoke to her.
It was like she was waiting for them to start ordering her to do things she had no desire to do.
I doubt I’m the Dom she wants to be with permanently, but she’s still not ready for me to find one for her. At this rate, she might never be.”
“Are you really sure it’s because she’s not ready to be partnered with a new Dom or is it you’re not ready to let her go?”
And that was the question he’d been trying to avoid answering. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready, but I can’t be selfish about it. She deserves a Dom who will treat her right and love her as much as she loves him.”
Fuck, just the thought of her with someone else had his stomach wanting to revolt against the burger he’d eaten.
Mitch swallowed a mouthful of beer before nodding.
“Okay, you wanted my advice—here it is. Stop treating her like a recovering sub and start treating her like she’s your sub—the one you’re falling in love with.
Take her to the club but stake your claim there.
Take her out on a date—like a real fucking date, with flowers, wine, and a long walk on the beach while you’re holding her hand.
Hell, you’re in a fucking paradise down here, man.
Use it to your advantage. And if she doesn’t fall head over heels in love with you, after all that, then it’s not meant to be.
I think the problem you’re facing is that, despite the change in your contract, it’s possible she’s stuck on the fact you’re her temporary Dom.
Why should she risk her heart when she knows you have plans to eventually hand her off to someone else? ”
Staring at the other man, Cordell cocked his head to the side. Mitch was a fucking genius! Why hadn’t Cordell thought of dating Tiffany instead of just being her Dom? “I’m such an idiot.”
Mitch laughed boisterously, causing a few heads at the bar to turn their way.
“I know how that feels, dude—I went through it with Ty. Sometimes a guy can have the best thing in the world staring him in the face and he’s still oblivious.
Welcome to the club. Now get your head out of your ass and fix this shit between you and her before the grand opening.
I don’t want anyone looking miserable that weekend—especially my staff. ”
After Dante and Cooper joined them at the bar, Cordell couldn’t concentrate on the conversation the other two men got into because he was too busy planning his future, hopefully, with Tiffany in it forever.
Oh my God, this is insane!
The closer Tiffany and Cordell got to the waiting helicopter, the more her legs shook.
It was just after 1 p.m. on Saturday, and they were heading to Master Reed and Dante’s place in the city for the night.
Although she was looking forward to going to Miami for the first time, she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be flying there in what she felt was the equivalent of an airborne death trap.
She was fine traveling in planes—at least in those she could lower the window shades, use her noise-canceling headphones, play a game on her iPad, watch a movie, and go to the restroom.
During the forty-minute flight today, however, there wouldn’t be much to distract her from the fact she was going to be in a metal and glass bubble a gazillion miles above the earth.
Okay, that was a huge exaggeration, but there was a reason she preferred the aisle seats in airplanes.
She hated takeoffs and landings, when her stomach dropped and the ground was so close yet so far, and she refused to look out the windows during those times.
When they’d first arrived at the small heliport in Marathon, and he’d realized how nervous she was, Sir had promised to hold her hand for the entire trip if she wanted him to.
And, oh, how she wanted him to—and not just because she was scared.
She loved the intimacy she felt when his fingers entwined with hers, and it didn’t happen often—at least, not until recently.
She couldn’t quite figure it out, but something had changed between them during the past week.
She didn’t know why, but Sir seemed to be happier lately—lighter and more affectionate.
He’d touched her more often, for no apparent reason other than he wanted to, like when they’d prepared their meals together.
If he needed something from a cabinet or drawer she was standing in front of, he’d grasped her hips and playfully shuffled her out of his way.
But then after he’d retrieved what he’d been looking for, he’d moved her back to where she’d been before giving her a kiss on the top of her head and a swat on her behind.
When she’d looked at him the first time he’d done it, she’d found herself giggling at his amused expression and the wink he’d given her.
Then there’d been the dancing last night.
He’d set a timer for the pasta that’d been boiling on the stove top, then told Alexa to play some disco music.
As the voices of the Bee Gees filled the air, he’d grabbed Tiffany’s hand and twirled her around the kitchen and dipped her until she’d been laughing so hard her stomach had hurt.
There’d been a lot of other things he’d done during the week that’d surprised her too—like inviting her for walks along the beach after dinner.
He’d held her hand as they strolled and talked about things they never had before.
She’d found out more about his family, his childhood, his career in law enforcement, and his likes and dislikes in the last week than in the entire year she’d known him.
It’d been surreal, but she’d loved it until she’d remembered her time with him would eventually come to an end.
Knowing more about him had her falling deeper in love with him and would make it a hundred times harder to leave him when he said it was time.
For now, though, she’d treasure those moments with him and store them in her heart for when he moved onto another “project.”
It was going to suck so bad when that happened.
Even though she’d be with a new Dom before Sir took on a new submissive, Tiffany knew it would break her every time she saw them together.
The only way to avoid them would be to leave the Master Key Resort altogether, and she didn’t want to do that any more than she wanted to leave Sir.