10. Adrian
The start of the work week approached quicker than I had liked, but after staying up late talking to Karma that first night, I was confident that she would not only show up in two days, but that she would also not disappoint me. If she was as interested in the lifestyle, she would have to have learned about following a Dominant’s instruction.
I was still unsure of whether I would ultimately take her on as a submissive. There were a few reasons to do so, but probably twice as many to not do so. The level of training she would require would mess with my well-laid routine. I normally kept no more than five submissives at one time simply because I had little time to visit Lotus as frequently as others.
Reclusive in nature, I spent most of my time either between my office or my penthouse. I usually tried to make it to the club once a week, but it had now been almost three since I had darkened its doorstep. With my lack of social schedule, those nights when I did summon a submissive were the only times I actually had sex.
It was crazy to acknowledge that because I had just recently turned thirty-two, and I was a self-made billionaire. I was CEO of an international technologies company, so the women usually flocked to me, despite my lack of interest in them.
My scenes with a submissive were very controlled in nature, especially because they bordered on hardcore. I liked things rough, and I suppose deep in my subconscious, it was the reason I forced myself to adhere to the schedule I did. Not only was my sexual life planned out, everything else in it was as well. I not only had certain nights when I did certain activities, but my workouts and diet were also scheduled. For example, tonight was Monday which meant that I would pick up my usual order from Spondi at exactly six thirty in the evening. The only times I did not were those days when I was out of town on business, and on those occasions, I would let them know ahead of time.
“You’re our most regular customer,” Rhea had remarked more than once, and I would just smile at her.
She was the daughter of the owner who once ran a restaurant in Athens where I had grown up. It was a frequent favorite of my family, and Chef Georgios had even moved to America when this place first opened. He had been here ever since, and I had continued to be a loyal customer for them over the last decade. Business had been very good to them, and last year, the older man had been awarded his first Michelin star.
My order was the same every time, and while it hadn’t been my favorite dish as a boy, my taste buds had improved, and I looked forward to it every Monday night. A flicker of thought crossed my mind, and I quickly pushed it aside. The dish had been Aria’s favorite, and in some weird way, I almost felt like I was doing this for her, too.
There were not many women who occupied my thoughts, but in the last forty-eight hours, a particular brunette with wide eyes had seemingly dominated my thoughts despite my attempts to thwart her. In an equal amount of time, I would see her once more, and I would then have a better idea if she was suitable for me after all.
I decided to focus more on the present than the near future, so after parking my Maserati in the nearby parking garage, I headed to the brick and mortar restaurant that was located beside an expensive lingerie boutique. I grinned knowing I would see Karma in something lacy and coral soon. I had gotten closer to Spondi when a woman hurrying across the street caught my attention.
I nearly did a double take. The brunette in the blue polka-dotted dress looked very familiar, and when I realized why, I sprang into action. It was Karma. I had to have conjured up her very presence. Springing into action, I hurried past the door to Spondi, and I made it to the boutique just before her. I might be an asshole, but chivalry wasn’t completely dead. I quickly held the door open for her, and she turned to look at me.
I had frozen that face in a screenshot the other night to appraise her on my own time, so I recognized her small dimples and pouty lips. Even more than that, I had saved those wide, expressive eyes to memory, and now I could see them in real time, up close and personal. She had no idea who I was, and it was why her smile was polite at best.
“Thank you so much.”
I gave a nod as that soft voice of hers awakened something inside of me. The other night, I hadn’t been able to get myself off enough with just thoughts of her. The visions had been so vivid, but as her perfume enveloped me, I realized what I had been missing. She was very flustered, and the slight sheen of her perspiration now gave me something else to imagine when thinking about her.
A slow grin crept across my face as I let her pass by before I followed her inside. Karma never looked back at me, instead rushing over to the store attendant. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, so I quickly sidestepped and pretended to be studying the pieces hanging on a nearby rack. The two women were still well within earshot as I continued to eavesdrop.
“Is there something I can help you find?” the woman asked Karma.
“Yes, or at least I hope so,” she answered.
“What do you need?”
“I’m looking for a coral nightgown in lace, and one that has thin straps.”
My smirk grew wider. She was already following my instructions so beautifully. I was actually proud of her, and making note of that, she would get a reward on Wednesday night for sure, especially if she came through with what I requested.
“Please say that you have one. I’ve been to five stores already,” Karma added.
“Certainly. Our summer line is over here. We should have what you’re looking for.”
As Karma followed the woman over to the corner, I decided to leave. I didn’t want to know if she followed through or not on purchasing something because I wanted to trust that she would. I was already pleased that she had gone through such trouble to accommodate me, and that was enough for now.
Letting myself out, I stepped back into the California heat. The skies were slightly darkening which meant night would be upon us soon. I glanced down at my watch and realized that my food would have been ready about ten minutes ago. Reversing course, I headed back to the restaurant.
Rhea looked up the moment I stepped inside of Spondi, and she smiled at me. Hers was of actual joy versus politeness, and I grinned at her when she pointed to the clock. “You’re off schedule tonight, Mr. Benedict.”
“It does look like I’m running late. Is my order ready?”
I already knew it was, especially once I saw the paper bag behind her. Even if I had not seen it, I would’ve been able to smell it. In fact, everything about this place reminded me of my youth. Aria and I spent so much time at places like this, and as I usually did whenever my thoughts turned to her, I pushed them away.
Thankfully, Rhea had provided the perfect distraction. “I think the chicken should be fine, but Georgios can redo your order.”
“That won’t be necessary-” I started to tell her, but she interrupted me.
“Really, it won’t be any trouble. We’re happy to–”
“It’s fine,” I told her once more, and when she realized I was being honest, she turned and retrieved my food.
“If there’s nothing else...”
“Have a good night, Rhea,” I said, then turned to leave with my food.
Since dining here was a normal occurrence, they had my card on file. The price and tip were always the same, so for the last year, they just went ahead and ran it on their end once I picked up my order. They’d also go ahead and make it ahead of time so I wouldn’t have to wait at all. I was always so punctual, and had it not been for Karma this evening, nothing would have been different tonight.
It had, and while I was tempted to see if she was still inside the boutique, I didn’t do anything to satisfy my curiosity. I went ahead and returned to my car, and a short while later, I reached home.
My entire penthouse ran on smart technology my company had designed, so I knew the temperature would be exactly sixty-eight degrees inside, and that the lights would be on in the kitchen and my bedroom. Some nights, I came right in and showered before doing anything else, but since I already felt behind on things tonight, I went right into the kitchen, instead.
I removed the food from the bag, and now I understood why they had offered to remake my order. The lemon-oregano roasted chicken wasn’t steaming as it usually did, and the potatoes were limp at best. Normally, they were crispy, and seasoned with the same spice rub as the chicken. Even the asparagus was wilted. Not wanting it all to go to waste, I grabbed a fork and sat on one of the barstools, then forced myself to finish at least half of the meal before I finally threw the rest of it away.
Next, I showered, and when out and dressed, I sat down on my couch and looked out over the view. San Francisco was a huge city, and if I was someone who believed in fate, I would’ve considered running into Karma as some sort of destiny. I wasn’t though, so I just grinned at the coincidental meeting. I then focused my thoughts on her flustered appearance. She had mentioned having visited other boutiques in search of what I had requested, but I chose to imagine her in that state for a completely different reason.