SIX

C H A P T E R - - - S I X - - - R E I D A N

Reidan experienced a vibration throughout his entire body, as if each and every skin cell was on guard, waiting to see what would come next. He was so tempted to reach out and touch Selena as he looked down into her open, sincere eyes. He also wanted to take her hand and drag her into his playroom. He was curious to see how she would react if he threw her in headlong. No, he had to be wise about this. He had to be careful not to mess things up.

In order to learn the ins and outs of his father's company, for instance, he needed Selena nearby. Except for her, no one else was familiar with the details of all the drug and firearm transactions, and he couldn't really rely on anybody else in the inner circle either. She was necessary. She couldn't be replaced.

He was anxious to show her the playroom, but if he were being really honest with himself, he knew it wasn't the actual reason. He could feel something beneath her skin, as though her blood itself was singing to him and expressing her true desires. A Sub, she was. He simply knew it. Similar to how he felt the breeze in his hair or the sun on his skin, he could sense it. There was a beast within her that responded to the cry of the beast within his chest, and he wasn't going to stop until he claimed it.

He quietly beckoned Selena, taking care not to bump into her body as he passed.

"Come with me," he whispered. He wanted it to be a conscious touch when he touched her. Calculated. Controlled. Not in a reckless manner, that is.

He felt a massive lump begin to grow in the base of his neck, directly under his pulse, as he escorted her along the corridor behind the dining room and approached the entrance of his playroom. Did he truly act in this manner? Did he eventually locate his Sub after spending so many months looking for her? Or did he simply delude himself into thinking it was okay to reveal his entire self to this person he had just met because he was so desperately, stinking hungry for it? Reidan was aware of his careless behavior. Really absurd But he was powerless to control his behavior. Even if doing so resulted in the loss of his life, his body was determined to pursue its goals all the way to the bitter end.

Reidan murmured, his heart thudding loudly in his ears, "Here," as he stopped in front of the playroom.

He could feel the blood in his veins pulsing rapidly through his body as he caught a glimpse of Selena's eyes glimmering with great interest.

Selena started to ask, "What," but Reidan softly interrupted her by lifting his hand. As soon as she stopped speaking, Reidan felt an intense rush of excitement that nearly made him tremble. He restrained himself, though. Even though he felt as though his skin was going to completely spring off of his body as a consequence of Selena's calm, silent obedience, he couldn't afford to become overly enthusiastic.

Reidan struggled to maintain as much calm and steadiness in his voice as possible as he said, "Before I show you this room, I need your opinion on something. You cannot tell anybody what you see in this chamber, regardless of your decision on what is within. I truly mean that. absolutely anyone. If you do and I find out, you will no longer be working for me. It’s that serious.”

Selena's face paled somewhat as she digested Reidan's comments, some of the color that had crept into her cheeks as a consequence of the wine fading. But when she spoke, her tone was firm. “Okay. That is something I understand. I'll keep my distance."

"Good," Reidan said curtly, while feeling an almost overpowering sensation of relief wash over him. At the very least, he had an insurance policy that would keep Selena from telling everyone what a weirdo he was. Some of him realized it was unjust for him to keep the job hanging over her head like a dagger, ready to fall at any time she did something wrong. But it's not like he was planning to fire her.

He actually needed her more than she did, if anything. Even if it didn't pay as well as her current work, she could always find something else to do. But Selena's successor was impossible to locate. Nobody else had the same level of expertise in the industry and understanding of his father as she had. Considering how much he had offended her earlier in the day, Reidan really ought to have been working extra hard to keep her on board, but the playroom's secrets mattered more to him than the company. It meant far more than the authority he had inherited from his father, more than his status within the family, and much more than the reputation his name had left behind. Above everything else, he had to keep the playroom safe.

He realized that he had been silent for some seconds, which had undoubtedly just made both of them more nervous. He blew out his air. Even though there was no one else in the apartment to overhear him, Reidan muttered, "I'm going to show you something that means very lot to me," moving a bit closer to Selena so he could speak more subtly.

"It truly means everything to me. I'm not saying this to frighten you or anything like that. I simply want you to understand so that you would grasp how much power I'm actually offering you here when you see it. "

Selena was given the opportunity to speak, but she remained silent. However, a few lines started to form on her forehead and in the space between her eyebrows, as if she were trying desperately to memorize his words. Reidan continued to speak despite feeling his fingers begin to quiver even as he held them firm against his sides, squeezing the words out as boldly as he could.

"This is where I play. This is where I enjoy myself, I call it my playroom.

"Such as an arcade?” Selena enquired, a small smile appearing on her face. Reidan, though, had the impression that she wasn't making fun of him. Instead, he thought that she would have accepted it as normal if he had genuinely had a room full of video games and foosball tables, rather than criticizing him for his immaturity. He nearly grinned as he imagined it.

In spite of this, Reidan shook his head and gathered all the strength he could muster in order to move ahead into the unknown and speak the truth into the air all around them. “No. for sex. particularly the type of sex I have.”

Prior to regaining control and closing her jaw, Selena's jaw briefly fell open. Half-expecting her to move away from him, she did so by creating some sort of space between their bodies for protection. However, she made no attempt to move and kept her gaze fixed on him. Instead, she continued to look into his eyes while keeping her mouth wide and her body still. That pleased Reidan, he thought. He made a move to place a hand on the playroom door handle, telling himself that she wasn't terrified yet at least.

Reidan added, "I need to be in control during sex," but he had to look away from Selena in order to say it without letting his voice quiver. He simply had to. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes when he was confessing his deepest, darkest heart secret.

"It's the only way I'm fulfilled.  This..." He hesitated, motioning to the playroom behind them. "... helps me in doing so.  I want to make clear that I never intend to hurt my partners. I never want to do anything to them that they don't want done. But this is how I am. There's nothing I can do about it." He smiled sadly at the end, eventually lifting his gaze to see whether there was any fear on Selena's face. He almost passed out when he realized he couldn't see any criticism or disdain in her eyes. "Do you have any other questions?" " he inquired as soon as his capacity to talk returned.

Selena cleared her throat and eventually nodded. “Yes. There are a lot of them."

Reidan's back of the neck reddened. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad indicator.

"How come you're telling me this?"

" Selena inquired gently, blinking slowly as she stared at Reidan.

"That's an interesting question," Reidan admitted. He knew he hadn't been very direct with her, despite his best efforts to urge himself to be honest before things grew any more serious between them than they already were.

"I'll be completely honest with you, Selena. I've been looking for someone to share this room with for a long time, but I'm not having much luck. Most ladies I meet are too shy, fearful, or... dull, to be honest. I haven't been able to be completely honest with someone in a long time. So I'm trying to be straightforward with you. If you're not interested in me, in doing anything with me, please let me know right away, and we can forget about this talk. I don't want to step over any lines. But..." Reidan hesitated once more, licking his lips.

"I feel there is something unusual about you. Something unique. I believe you have potential that I have never seen in a woman. I'm curious to see whether I'm correct. Selena, I'd want to get to know you better."

Selena walked closer to Reidan after a few seconds of stillness, bringing a wave of heat cascading over his head. He struggled to maintain his composure as she drew nearer to him, and the shaking in his fingers spread up his arms. He was prepared for her to speak or even spit in his face, but all she did was look up at him.

He struggled to maintain his composure as she drew nearer to him, and the shaking in his fingers spread up his arms. He was prepared for her to speak or even spit in his face, but all she did was look up at him.

She wasn't fleeing, though Reidan wasn't sure what she was telling him. Even if she was afraid, she seemed to have more bravery than whatever dread she could have had. Reidan felt as though his bones were trembling beneath his skin as a result of the passion that flared in her eyes. She wished to remain. This much was obvious. She was curious in the contents of this space. Maybe she even wanted to know Reidan.

Reidan made an effort to hide his amazement and the amazing, almost crushing comfort he experienced. He wanted to project the impression that he was confident in her capacity to handle the situation and that he had no reservations whatsoever.

"I have to lay down some ground rules before I show you this place. Please, only for our protection. ”

Selena softly nodded while maintaining her upward gaze and her inquisitive eyes.

"You are not required to enter this room. If you wish, I can provide you an out. You are free to leave at any time, and we will never discuss this again. You'll maintain your job, and I won't bother you. If you decide to leave, there will be no consequences."

He waited, giving Selena a long enough pause to walk away from him if she so desired. But she remained still.

"If, on the other hand, you decide to come into the playroom..." Reidan remarked quietly. Speaking out loudly about this would have felt vulgar, perhaps sacrilegious. Sharing this moment, where the air appeared to spark around them with the energy created by both of their bodies, was almost sacred. "That implies you'll be under my command for the remainder of the night." I'll tell you what to do, and you'll have to do it. That is, unless you use the safe word. You can choose a phrase to indicate to me that you do not feel secure, and I will instantly halt what I'm doing to make sure you're okay."

Selena grinned immediately, a naughty glitter in her eyes as she nibbled her bottom lip in thinking. "Doesn't the fact that I can use the safe word whenever I choose imply that I am truly in control?" ”

Reidan couldn't stop the smile that crept across his face in reaction to her words. "You're correct. Excellent work. You're a rapid learner."

Selena shrugged sheepishly. "I suppose you could say you're an excellent instructor."

Reidan gazed at her for a long time, taking in every feature of her face and body before speaking again.

"I want to be clear with you, even though I know I've probably pushed this point hard enough. What occurs in the playroom remains in the playroom. You can't tell anyone about it, and while we're outside, we won't talk about what occurred inside. When we're at the workplace, we'll be very professional. It needs to function that way; else, things may become messy quickly."

"I understand," Selena answered confidently, beaming up at him affectionately. Her eyes appeared to alter once again, the sparkle of mischief from before giving way to something deeper, something more difficult to decipher. Reidan could tell she was excited, at the very least. Her body appeared to vibrate with expectancy, her fingers clenched into fists at her sides, as if she was about to strike something.

"Just to be clear," Reidan murmured, moving inexorably closer to Selena until their chests almost touched. "I'm in command there. I'm in charge. But at work... you are."

Selena grinned, her fangs bared like a savage beast, her eyes twinkling like a newborn star. "That sounds nice to me," she said quietly, placing her tongue between her top and bottom teeth. Reidan had to use all of his strength not to rush into her right then and there, to sweep her up into the most powerful kiss of his life, but he did. The children's playroom. It had to take place in the playroom.

"One more thing," he continued in hushed tones. "We'll sign a contract outlining the details of the deal. But we may call it quits at any point. If you ever become bored of it..." He paused, not wanting to continue the sentence when their relationship had only just began. But he needed to be honest with her. He wouldn't penalize her if she chose to leave him; she had the authority to do so. He didn't want to be the sort of guy that mistreats his spouse. In order for her to feel strong as well, he wanted her to be free.

Selena was expected to answer him verbally, so he waited for her to do so but there was a long silence first. She instead lost her smile and her face took on a harsh, unwavering expression that was nearly incomprehensible. Were there any doubts in her mind? Was she on the verge of backing down and putting out Reidan's aspirations once and for all?

Selena, however, protruded her tongue from the corner of her mouth in the subsequent split second, paused, and then slowly licked her lips. She leaned down and put her hand on top of Reidan's, directly over the playroom doorknob, and Reidan thought, "Shit," as he felt his eyes widen.

Reidan said to himself, clearing his throat with a heavy gulp, "This is happening." This is actually fucking happening.

Selena's final decision should be made by her and her alone, so he withdrew his hand from hers. She was going to pause, hold back, and give her alternatives one final thought, as he had anticipated.

But without deliberation, she pushed the door open, twisted the knob, and fearlessly entered the room without waiting for Reidan.

Fuck. Before he followed her inside, Reidan took a deep breath. There is currently no going back.