“I want to work in publishing.”
“You do know publishing is a dying industry?”
“I’m not talking about journalism,” I said. “I’m talking about book publishing.”
“And I’m asking if you know it’s a dying industry.”
“It’s not.”
“With Amazon? And iBooks? The publishing industry works on unsustainable business models with antiquated accounting systems that are about to go the way of the dinosaur. And you want to get into it why?”
“Because I love books.”
“And you think love is enough to build a career?”
“I think passion is.”
“Are you a passionate person, Adrianna?”
“Define passionate.”
He picked up his water, took a long sip, then leaned back in his chair, like he wanted to make sure he answered my question correctly, even though it was a question that had no real right answer. “Someone who makes decisions based on their emotions rather than logic.”
“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly.
“You came to New York. And you’re here with me now. That would indicate a certain level of passion. And you signed that contract without even asking me for any changes. That defies logic.”
“I didn’t know the contract was open to interpretation.”
“You didn’t ask.” He cut another piece of steak and we ate in silence for a few moments. The sun was beginning to dip down behind the ocean, casting a dusky glow over the lanai. The sky was turning from a beautiful crisp blue to a shade of pinkish orange mixed with streaks of purple.
“What are you thinking?” Callum asked.
I hesitated, not sure if I should tell him what I was really thinking. But then I thought, screw it. I had nothing to lose.
“I’m thinking about how you took those Ativan from me and crushed them,” I said honestly. “And I’m wondering why someone would do that.” The Submissive agrees not to have any drugs, alcohol, or other illegal substances on her person or in her possession during the duration of this agreement.
“Do what?” Callum asked, seemingly amused. “Save you from something potentially dangerous?”
“No, think it was okay to approach a random stranger and destroy their property.”
He shrugged casually. “Sometimes the end justifies the means.”
“Is that what you really think?”
“Yes.”
“For life in general?”
“Yes.” He replied without hesitation. “Do you really think those pills are helping you?”
“Yes,” I said. “I do. You don’t know anything about my personal history, or why those pills were prescribed to me.” And if you ask me, I won’t tell you.
“I know you seem like the kind of person who is strong enough to get through periods of uncomfortableness without resorting to mind-numbing drugs.”
“If that’s what you think I’m doing, then you don’t know the situation.”
“Fair enough.”
“Anyway,” I said, suddenly uncomfortable. I could feel things subtly shifting, the mood moving from light to dark, and I didn’t want to encourage it in that direction.
But he was looking at me seriously, his eyes not leaving mine, his stare letting me know he wasn’t going to back down.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, tossing his own question back to him.
“How it’s going to feel to fuck you tonight.”
I almost choked on my steak. “Wow,” I said. “You don’t mince words, do you?”
“I’m a direct to the point kind of man, Lemon,” he said. He licked his bottom lip, like he was preparing to devour me, and a shiver ran up my spine. Now I was thinking about what it would be like for him to be fucking me too, how his cock would feel pushing into me, spreading me apart. I remembered how big his dick was, and an uneasiness pulsed through me.
“Do you have any hard limits, Adriana?” he asked. His deep blue eyes were still on mine, watching me carefully, his tone earnest.
“What are hard limits?”
“Things you don’t want to do, no matter what.”
“I haven’t thought about it.”
“Think now.”
“Okay.” I twisted my hands in my lap. I wasn’t sure what to say about my hard limits, because I wasn’t sure I could even start to think about the things I wanted him to do to me, much less the things he might want that I wasn’t ready for. “I’m not...I’m not sure exactly what my limits are,” I said. “I don’t know what you’re expecting of me.”
He nodded, like he understood. “Do you know what a safe word is?”