Riveted

Fairytales

Desi swore she'd gone through every reaction imaginable after her interview with Mason. In the end, only one emotion stood out stronger than the rest: excitement. When she got his text at seven o'clock sharp, she felt the thrill of it all over again.

Take a long bubble bath. Make sure your skin is smooth and hairless from the neck down. You're to wear a dress or skirt, no longer than the top of your thighs with matching lingerie—the sexier, the better—and six-inch heels minimum. I really liked the perfume you were wearing today.

She smiled. Leave it to a Dom to hide a command within a compliment.

By the time she was done with her bath, a different kind of excitement and nervousness had seeped in that almost overshadowed everything else. In less than an hour, Mason Trent would be arriving at her house, not only as the man she'd once had a major crush on but as her official Dom.

Desi was like a bird flitting back and forth between branches, unsure of which way to feel about that. Knowing the potential for heartache was there, it was reckless to feel anything at all. She hated that it seemed wrong to feel any kind of attraction or trust for Mason, though her logical side approved of the caution. Meanwhile, her fear wished she'd just back out completely, insisting that she wasn't ready. It made her think things like: I might be jumping the gun here and should probably see a different therapist to get a second opinion.

The lingerie she chose was black lace with ribbons and bows of French pink satin in all the right places. Her form-fitting dress was solid black with long sleeves of lace. It was both modest and sexy, something she would feel comfortable moving around in. She could only imagine what all Mason planned on doing to her.

At five minutes to eight, the doorbell rang. Her stomach flipped with anticipation and excited nerves. The same kind of excited nerves she'd felt when first starting her business. Yet, another life goal she'd spent a long time dreaming about. With one last glance in the mirror, she took a steadying breath and grabbed her clutch on her way down the stairs to answer the door.

I am a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman, not a naïve girl barely out of high school anymore.

Though she'd only parted with him seven hours ago, the sight of Mason on her doorstep took her breath away. As if she still couldn't quite believe that he was back in her life.

His gaze traveled down to her heels, then slowly climbed up her body again. Her dress covered all the way to her neck, yet Mason's eyes were burning with intense hunger when they met hers.

"That has got to be the sexiest fucking dress I've ever seen," he said sincerely.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Sir," he prompted.

Heat crawled up her neck to stain her face. There was something delicious about having the ability to call him Sir. It was a coveted position she'd spent many months envying from the submissives she'd met at dungeon parties and munches, that they already had a dominant dedicated enough to rely on to guide them and explore kink with.

"Thank you, Sir," she whispered.

"Mmm," he hummed shortly, his eyes flicking briefly to her mouth. "Do you know what I want now?"

A tingle of desire zipped through her veins. "I could guess... Sir."

Mason gave her a wicked grin. "You really couldn't," he promised with a hint of something dark and evocative. "But I would like a tour of your apartment."

"Oh, yes. Please, come in," she flustered, gesturing for him to enter and closing the door behind him.

There wasn't much for him to tour. Her apartment was modern and chic but small compared to others in her income bracket. Despite her chosen career, Desi hated having any kind of unnecessary space, especially if it was open and impossible to fill for one person. It made her feel too lonely, like it had throughout her marriage spent in the grand Ellingston Estate.