Dominating Mayor Mills

Chapter 3

Regina looked up from her novel when she felt Emma enter the room, their eyes meeting briefly before she looked away. She noticed the white, crinkled paper clutched tightly in Emma's hand, and her cheeks burned with the knowledge that Emma was now all too aware of one of her deepest secrets. Regina was still embarrassed, and she didn't want to have this discussion, no matter how much she knew they needed to. Even if she and Emma chose not to incorporate power play into their intimate relationship, they still needed to have this talk and to settle things between them. Knowing they needed to talk did not do anything to lessen the dread she felt, however.

Emma, noticing Regina's tight expression, immediately walked up to her lover and sat down next to her on the couch. She removed the pillow from Regina's lap and set her book down on the coffee table before pulling the woman into a long, tight hug. She poured everything she had into the embrace, wanting Regina to feel nothing but comfort and safety. Regina was stiff at first, but she melted into Emma's arms after a few seconds, losing herself in the warmth and security she was offered. Regina inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of her lover, closing her eyes and focusing on the soothing up and down motion of Emma's gentle hand against her back.

"I love you," Emma breathed against her temple. "Thank you for writing this letter."

Regina, unsure of how to respond, simply nodded against Emma's strong shoulder. Emma pulled away slowly, reaching up to cup her cheek. When Regina looked away, Emma tilted her chin so that their eyes met.

"Don't do that, baby. I'm sorry for making you feel hurt and rejected. That's not at all what I wanted. Never. And I know you're embarrassed, but please don't be, okay? It's just me, and I'm never gonna judge you. I want what you want, remember?"

"I've never before spoken of this," Regina confessed after a moment. "It's terribly difficult and uncomfortable. I feel utterly exposed."

Emma, hearing the vulnerability in Regina's voice, cupped her cheek and kissed her softly on the lips. She stroked her thumb again the smooth, olive skin of Regina's jaw, pulling away after a moment to look her in the eyes.

"I know. And I'm sorry it's so hard for you, but I promise it's going to be okay. You've done the hardest part, right? You said it out loud. You finally faced it. And it's gonna be hard to go into details, to share more about what you want, but you've taken the first step. And trust me when I say that I really do want this with you, Regina. I don't want it to be hard for you, even though I know it will be, but I want you to know I'm going to be here every step of the way and I'm going to do everything I can do make it easier on you. I'm not gonna use any of this information against you, okay? I'm not going to use it to hurt you or to humiliate you. I'm going to use it to give you what you want, what you need, and to keep you safe. Okay?"

"Thank you."

Emma waited, hoping Regina would speak some more, but when she was met with silence, Emma opened the letter and flipped to one of the spots she'd wanted to discuss.

"Is it okay if we talk about it? Or do you need a minute?"

"No. We... it would be best if we discussed the letter now."

Regina knew that if they waited, she would retreat into herself and would not speak of this again. It was best to get it all out on the table sooner rather than later.

"Okay." Emma reached out and squeezed Regina's hand before turning back to the letter. "I didn't know- I had no idea you felt that way about Daniel. That he... did you and he do what we did?"

"In part, but to a much lesser degree."

"Will you tell me about it?"

Regina swallowed, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. She looked down at her knees, rubbing her hand against the material of her jeans as she spoke.