Grayson
Shit. Shit shit shit. He could feel her retreating from him. Was she already seeing someone? She couldn’t be. Wouldn’t she have said so? If she hadn’t understood what he meant by posing as his sub… this was all getting fucked up, and quite spectacularly.
Was he even asking her to pose as his sub anymore? If he was, and it wasn’t real, then he shouldn’t have kissed her. He shouldn’t have crossed that line. If she said she was seeing someone else, and she couldn’t do this, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.
Lexi’s face had gone pale, and she’d curled up on the barstool, with one leg tucked up in front of her. He doubted she knew what a defensive position that was. Her mouth made a slight pucker as she chewed the inside of her lip.
“I’m not…” she started, then trailed off.
“Not what?” he asked.
Grayson felt it was possible that if he didn’t ask, she would never have finished the thought. She hadn’t struck him as timid, and that was reinforced as she sat up straighter and almost glared at him.
“You don’t think you’re paying me to have sex with you, right?”
Her words were sharp.
Shock froze him for a moment. He thought about it and hated himself for seeing how she could think that.
“Alessandra. Absolutely not. Anything, anything at all between us, is completely separate from the fights. The contract has nothing to do with… us. I never meant for you to think that.”
She nodded and seemed to retreat back into herself.
Grayson waited in silence as he watched her eyes roam the liquor bottles backlit by strips of the blue-purple neon the Club favored by default. Was she counting? Minutes ticked by and her eyes started at the top of the wall again, bottle by bottle, until he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Alessandra,” he said, using his Dominant voice.
It reverberated off the empty room and seemed to startle her. With wide eyes, she looked up at him. Why the hell did she seem so lost?
“I apologize for not explaining this better.”
He had to know.
“Are you seeing someone outside of the Club?”
Still silent, she shook her head without hesitation. The relief he felt was quick and disorienting. Finally, she cleared her throat a little and spoke quietly.
“I wouldn’t have even considered this if I was.”
Grayson nodded his head. Good. Lexi continued.
“What if… what if I don’t exactly know what to do?”
Gray’s brows lowered. “What do you mean?”
“Like…” she gestured between them aimlessly, “like with this. Us.”
Still relieved, he smiled. Was that all that was worrying her?
“There’s nothing you really need to ‘do’. Just act like you have with your-” he choked out the words, “other Doms, and that’s all.”
His phone went off again in his pocket, alerting him to multiple messages in the group chat between the owners.
It had been going off for several minutes, but he’d wanted to set things straight with Lexi first. Gray let go of her hand to answer and missed her eyes going straight back to the wall of bottles that she started counting again.
Rio
Gray, what’s up with
the arena? ETC?
Matty
More importantly, you
have a new sub and
weren’t going to say
anything?! What the hell
man. I had to find out
from a bartender.
Pat
Holy shit, the Saint’s
finally got himself a live one!
I forget, does he share? Lol
Estimated time of
completion for the
Reverse Gladiator:
two-three weeks.
Unfortunately, I dislocated
my shoulder yesterday
and I won’t be able to
pitch in. Sorry guys.
Yes I have my new
submissive. Her name is
Lexi.
..And I never share.
Pat
What the fuck man?
Matty
How did you dislocate
your shoulder?
Rio
Same shoulder from hockey?
With an eye roll, Grayson remembered there were pros and cons to running a business with your best friends. But he was proud of his fighter and wanted to see their reactions. No doubt she eventually would have told someone anyway.
Yea, same shoulder.
My sub dislocated it.
Sparring.
Pat
Holy shit. Can I
meet her? I need to
shake her hand.
Or maybe ask her
to marry me lol.
Rio
You legit sparred
with a submissive???
Wtf man.
She insisted.
A glance back up to Lexi made him pause, then slide the phone back in his pocket. She was back to counting the bottles. Clearly, he hadn’t eased her mind like she’d eased his.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Lexi didn’t startle this time, but took a deep breath. Was she actually about to confide in him? He couldn’t remember the last time that getting to know a woman was so difficult.
“What if…” Lexi trailed off, literally leaving him hanging on the edge of his seat.
Being coy didn’t seem to be in her personality, so he doubted she was making him frustrated intentionally. Whatever it was, it was obviously important to her, so he’d wait.
In one breath, she turned back to him and said in a quiet voice, “What if I’ve never actually had a Dom before?”
His jaw went slack and his mind blanked.
“Excuse me?”
Now that she’d said it, Lexi seemed more at ease, which was more than he could say for himself. Her posture had relaxed, and her brown eyes were steady on his, no longer roaming the walls.
“I’ve never had a Dom before.”
Grayson rubbed his jaw, then the back of his neck, and just stared at her. With a long, quiet sigh, he sat back from her. Her eyes followed him. Of course. It all made fucking sense.
Her hesitancy, her fighting herself, and especially not understanding her role as his sub. Whether it was turning into something real or just for the fights, how could he make her understand?
Grayson found his own eyes straying behind the bar, and tapped on the hardwood top as he thought. And decided. There was nothing else to be done. He checked his watch.
“When do you have to be at work?” he asked.
If she was surprised by his question, she didn’t show it, but just looked at her phone.
“Two and a half hours. Why?”
“That’s enough time to start,” he said, standing up and taking her hand again to pull her gently off the stool.
“Start what?” she asked.
Levering the stools back up on top of the bar, he placed his hand at the small of her back to direct them out of the lounge and back towards the new arena.
“Training.”