His Broken Submissive : Mercy

23 Looks Good on Ya

I struggle to keep the smile on my lips as I walk out to the SUV. All week I was looking forward to this meeting and showing Jonathan all of the progress that we've made.

Today Joseph was going to wow him with the new menu and Erin was going to share the rebranding plan. It's only fair after how much effort she's put in that the restaurant carries her name, not Damiens.

I feel my eyes begin to water as I pull onto the bypass, heading to the restaurant. There's no reason to be this upset, he offered to cancel and I told him not to...

But I wanted him to...

Before my makeup can be ruined I crack the windows and turn up the radio, trying to clear my mind. Erin has worked so hard I owe her my full, unburdened attention.

The full parking lot as I pull up to the restaurant makes me smile. Business has steadily grown and word of mouth is travelling fast.

Erin is waiting at the podium as I walk through the front entrance. She beams at me instantly walking over to greet me.

"Your timing is perfect as always," she says, guiding me towards one of the private rooms. I notice on our way through the main dining area the subtle upgrades they've done.

They've opted to keep the Mediterranean decore the same as it fits the new brand. Everything from the earth tone colour scheme to the natural wood accents will stay but they've opted to update the lighting to a more rustic motif.

I don't miss how full the interior is, nor the happy chatter and delicious aroma completing the atmosphere. For a weekday lunch crowd I'm blown away and curious what the weekends are like.

"Are you sure you're not too busy?" I ask, nodding to the masses.

Erin grins and tucks a loose strand of her flaming locks behind her ear. "They've got this, if they need something, don't worry, we'll hear about it."

I sigh and sink down in the chair, savouring the silence of the private dining room as she closes the door behind us. The table has numerous documents spread across it, clearly waiting for my arrival.

"I take it Jonathan won't be joining us?" She asks cautiously. When I nod I see a flash of disappointment in her warm brown eyes but she recovers instantly.

"Sorry," I mumble, tucking my purse away.

"Don't be." Erin smiles and hands me a glass of ice water. She bites her lip for a moment as if debating something with herself and takes a deep breath. "Maybe this is for the best... I had something I wanted to discuss but was originally going to wait until after we finished the contract."

Her cryptic phrasing has my attention as Erin always cuts to the chase. "What is it?"

"Well, as you know we've already cut out payback time in half right?" She leads as if softening a blow.

"Yeah, down from six months to three, do you need the full six now?" I ask trying to follow. Erin has been working extra hard to clean up the mess Damien left her in and with business booming she's made the most of it.

"No, well maybe?" She scrunches up her face and slumps in her chair.

"Which is it?" I ask with a laugh.

"We have an opportunity. One that wasn't supposed to come up for a few more months," she leads, watching for a reaction.

"When you'd be free and clear," I finish for her, catching on. "So what is it?"

"The marina adjacent to the restaurant is available. Now I know what you're thinking," she blurts out, digging through the papers to pull a site map and balance sheet to the top.