She stepped cautiously across the threshold, craning her head. “This is your house?”
“Yes.”
“It looks like a museum.”
“It’s old.” Forget this polite shit. “Why are you late?”
Kate’s smile trembled and fell away. “I-I’m sorry. I was going to say I got lost, or something, but I don’t want to start today out with a lie.” She bit her lip and looked down at her shoes. “I was scared. I didn’t sleep at all last night, and I didn’t have clothes like what you wanted me to wear, so I had to go shopping, but it took forever to find what I wanted.” Her voice quavered through the last of it.
“Shh. Come in.” He felt like an ass. Why had he assumed she was playing a game with him? He’d dated a few subs who had tried head games with him, but she didn’t seem the type. He was too eager for this, and all the waiting and wondering had made him grumpy. Showing up at all was pretty ballsy of her.
She stepped inside, and he closed and locked the door behind her, even though he didn’t usually bother. It would tell Ambrose he didn’t want to be disturbed, at least.
“Take off your shoes and put them by the door.”
“My shoes?”
“And socks.”
Although she quirked a brow at him, she still complied. Some Doms insisted their women wear heels for them, but he felt that bare feet set a better tone. Barefoot submissives tended to remember their place, even if the rest of their clothing stayed on.
“Would you like a soda? Water?”
“Nothing for now, thanks.”
Back to small talk. He hated small talk. Small talk made him feel as if he were at work.
“The house was built in the 1880’s. I’m having it slowly restored. The company doing it specializes in this kind of thing.”
Kate walked across the foyer and turned back to look at the stained-glass window high above the door, then followed the light filtering through it to the pattern it made on the pale marble flooring.
“Original?” She pointed at the window.
“Yes. The artist knew what he was doing, luckily. I’m glad, because I doubt I could commission something so beautiful now.”
“It’s Saint George?”
“I assume so, because of the dragon.”
She stood and stared at it, and while her eyes were busy, Banner looked her over. Yoga pants, T-shirt. Those she’d done. Lines under her clothes betrayed the bra and panties she’d worn despite his instructions not to, plus her hair was in a ponytail when he’d told her to wear it loose. It was pulled back so tightly from her face that it must have made her scalp ache. She looked like a sadistic primary school teacher on her way to her Saturday Pilates class.
However, the way the yoga pants clung to her perfect ass was sinful. Whoever had dreamed up yoga pants must have used Kate’s ass as inspiration.
So, how did one go about disciplining a vanilla girl who said she wanted to be submissive but dug in her heels?
“Do you need a few minutes to finish getting ready?” Banner let his gaze meet hers and narrowed his eyes slightly.
A pink tinge spread across her cheeks, and she averted her gaze. “Do I have to? I mean, I almost didn’t come because of that. Telling a person how to dress is kind of creepy. I’m a grown woman. I should be able to dress the way I like.”
“Creepy? You better get used to it if you really want a Dom. They’ll expect you to follow their orders.”
She nodded carefully, but her face betrayed her trepidation. “I’m trying to understand it all, but some parts seem so weird.” Chuckling, she added, “Other parts are totally hot.”
He understood where she was coming from, but she’d have to learn to give in a little. Sometimes being a submissive was about stepping out of your comfort zone. That was something he’d have to explain as they went. For now, baby steps.
He led her through the house. Occasionally, her whispering footsteps paused in his wake, and he waited while she gawked at the rooms or art that interested her before he continued on. Once she stopped to admire a landscape he’d painted years ago, but he didn’t tell her it was his work.
“You didn’t mention you were rich.”