Page 82 of Sugar
Unease prickled at the back of my neck when her silence stretched even after he walked away. “Tell me what’s going through your head right now, guppy.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line before parting them to stammer, “W-what kinds of things will you tell me to do?”
“Whatever I decide. What you eat, drink, do.” I skewered her with a look. “Even when you sleep. If I say I want to see you in a specific dress, you’ll wear it. If I say you’re attending a dinner with me, you’ll attend. If I want you to come see me at work, you’ll come.”
But not in the way I want.
Her brows lowered. “You want control over all that?”
More than I want my next breath or my left nut.
“Yes,” I said simply.
“Butwhy?”
“Control issues, remember?”
She looked like she wanted to say more before stopping. After a long beat, she asked, “What happens if I don’t do something?”
“Nothing. If you agree, that’s it. You’re agreeing to all of it.”
“So there’s no punishment?”
I narrowed my eyes watching for any cue or tell. “Do youwantthere to be a punishment?”
Punishment wasn’t my kink. Obedience was. But if that was something Maddie was into, I would find a way to accommodate that without launching over the line.
“No, no, that’s not…” She shook her head, not as a denial, but like she was trying to clear it. “I’m just trying to make sure I’m clear on your expectations.”
Fuck, so sweet, and she doesn’t even get it yet.
“There’s no punishment,” I said. “If you don’t enjoy—or at least tolerate—the things I tell you to do, then the arrangement isn’t working. We scale back to the original one, or we part ways.”
Her brows lowered as she chewed on her bottom lip again.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” I demanded.
“I’m just going over it all. It’s a lot to process.” Her answer might’ve been the truth, but it wasn’t the whole one. That wasn’t all she was thinking.
“Madeline.”
The one word was enough, and she let out a small sigh. Fidgeting with the napkin in her lap, she admitted, “I don’t see what you get out of this.”
You.
Before I could think of a diplomatic way to say that—one that wouldn’t send her fleeing out the door—she continued. “I just assumed most of the men in this kind of situation are old and can’t get a date otherwise. But you’re not like that.”
“Thanks for noticing,” I deadpanned.
“What I’m saying is that you could easily get a revolving rotation of dates that don’t involve any arrangement. I’m not getting why this is worth it to you.”
“I like the control I get. I can’t deny that I also liked having you on my arm on Saturday.”
Her lips tipped. “It did seem effective in keeping Violet Augustian at bay.”
“Violet is bad, but the men are worse. Most are miserable in their marriage and think that every man should settle down to be miserable, too. Or they push the women they can’t fuck onto the single men to live vicariously through them. Either way, it’s a pain in the ass. One I didn’t have to deal with because I had you there.” I leaned forward. “More than that, Maddie, is the simple fact that I enjoy your company.”
I thought that would earn me a smile. At the very least, the soft expression she got when she seemed happy.
