“Well, hello, Ella,” he said warmly. “It’s good to see you.”
Ella’s heart was pounding so hard that she wasn’t sure she could speak. “Hello Sir,” she said, before she caught herself.
She had called him Sir in public, by mistake. It doesn’t matter, she thought to herself. Their contract was no longer in effect.
Josh had noticed her error and looked amused. “How is your new job going?” he asked.
Ella’s heart rate was slowly returning to normal. “It’s really working out well,” she said. “I appreciate your helping me get it.”
“My pleasure.”
Ella took a deep breath. Now that the shock of running into him was wearing off, she found she was happy to see him. “And how is business?”
“It’s been okay,” Josh said. “Though it was better when you were helping me.”
He smiled and looked directly at her. His dark eyes burned with the look Ella knew so well from their months spent traveling together.
“Would you like to have dinner with me this Friday night?” he asked.
Ella mentally went over her calendar and remembered that one of the salesmen at work had asked her out for drinks that night, but she hadn’t said yes or no.
“Of course I would,” she told Josh.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven.” He planted a quick kiss on her lips, turned, and got in line at the teller’s window, leaving Ella to find her way out through the revolving door again.
Instead of sending his driver for their dinner date, Josh picked her up himself in a sassy little BMW two-seater coupe and took her to a small, intimate bistro in the Near North district. The place was lit by flickering candles, and the food was excellent.
After the waiter had taken their plates, Josh poured a final glass of wine for her and one for himself.
“The time has come to lay my cards on the table, Ella,” he said. “Probably I should have done so earlier, but I wanted to be sure.”
“I’ve kept a low profile since you left my house the morning I released you from your contract with me,” he continued, “but I haven’t abandoned you, even though it must have seemed that way to you. I know you take the Metra train to your new job three days a week and stay home to work on the other two.”
Ella nodded.
“I know you’ve been dating,” he said. “Is there anyone serious?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Josh asked, meeting her eyes.
Ella blushed and looked away. “I guess the chemistry wasn’t right,” she stammered.
Josh laughed. “I understand perfectly. I haven’t dated anyone since our agreement ended. I learned long ago that the right chemistry is almost impossible to find.”
“That’s why I arranged to bump into you in the lobby of your bank earlier this week,” he continued. “I knew from the beginning that there was a powerful attraction between us. When I caught you embezzling funds, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to put that attraction to the test.”
He smiled. “As I told you before, I like doing things my own way. The first time I spanked you, you were so damned sexy, the way you wiggled your ass around and begged me for more. It was a dream come true for me. After that I could barely sleep at night thinking about you.
“I’ve had submissive women in the past. The problem was, they were too submissive. As soon as our roles were established, they always did everything I told them and never disobeyed me. What’s the point of punishing a sub who never disobeys? But you’re different. You defied me openly right up to the end of our contract and invited me to punish you.”
Ella nodded. Josh was right. She had defied him because she loved the risk and wanted the consequences.
“What we have is something special,” Josh said. “I have a new proposal for you, but this time it’s not business. It’s romantic. I still want you to be my sub, but I also want you…for you. Exclusively.”
Ella didn’t have to think twice. After more than a month of awkward dates and lackluster sex, she knew what she wanted.
“Yes, Sir,” she said.
Josh took her hand and leaned across the table to kiss her. The kiss stirred Ella’s memories of other kisses and other pleasures with him.
He leaned back in his chair. “Of course you know I’ll have to punish you for having sex with other men.”
Ella lowered her eyes. “I know I’ve been a bad girl,” she admitted. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get it over with as soon as possible.”
“Then I will discipline you as soon as possible,” he said. “Tonight, in fact.”