“No, no, it’s more than fine. Perfectly fine. Everything you’ve said, I agree to.” She took a deep breath and nodded her head. “You’ve been very blunt. Very honest.”
“You’ll find that I won’t try to romance things up at all. I intend to get what I want, and I don’t wait around for it either.” He glanced down at his watch and saw that he’d spent ten minutes longer than he intended to. “I’ve got to go. I have your cell phone number, and I’ll make arrangements for everything. We’ll talk more after all the checks are through, and until then, stay safe.” He got to his feet and handed her the single rose, kissing her cheek. “Until next time.”
He left without looking back, knowing he’d made the right decision. A younger woman wouldn’t want to be settling down, not a college woman either. Elizabeth was the right pick for him, had the right set of curves. She was also a little on the submissive side as well. He wasn’t a dominant man at all. He didn’t do whips, slavery, or rules with safewords. He was just a man who liked to always be in control no matter what.
Some of the women in his past couldn’t stand to have him control their lives. He wondered how long this would last with Elizabeth. It was new even for him, and he was excited about it. To find out exactly what she liked, what she didn’t. He looked forward to learning what buttons to press, and those to leave.
Pulling out his cell phone, he arranged for two appointments; one for himself and the other for Elizabeth. Next, he got his PI on the phone. Normally he used him for clients to help him get all the details concerning a case. This time, he’d be paying him out of his own money and not through the office. He wanted to know every little detail about Elizabeth Walker, and the sooner the better.
Once he finished, he climbed into his car and took one last look into the coffee shop. Elizabeth had the rose in her hand, and she leaned in, sniffing it. She didn’t smile or show any sign that the rose meant anything to her. In fact, she got up, and walked away, leaving the rose on the table.
He didn’t know if he was happy or pissed off about that.
Chapter Two
The doctor’s visit went really well, and Lizzie liked him even though he wasn’t female. She usually went for a woman doctor to help her feel more comfortable, but no biggie.
Throughout the appointment she rarely spoke and allowed the doctor to do all the talking. He checked out her birth control prescription, and seemed satisfied with what she was on, and also informed her that Mr. Clark had booked her for regular appointments. If she had any concerns she’d go and see him.
Leaving the doctor’s office, she was kind of in a daze. Within a matter of days of their first meeting, she’d been sent her appointment, and she’d gone to her bank to find a deposit that had come from him as well. She didn’t even want to know how he’d gotten her personal details, but so far, everything seemed to be working okay.
Now she only had to wait to see her checkup results.
She went straight to the coffee shop to start her shift for the afternoon, and tried to not think about the deal she was getting herself into. Daniel was … different. He’d been blunt, which she did find refreshing, but something hadn’t clicked with her about everything at the moment. She didn’t know what to make of him, and he kind of overwhelmed her.
However, she’d also felt a buzz from the small touches he’d given her as well. She’d been with one other guy on prom night, but that had been all, and not exactly thrilling. Most of that she’d been in pain and not enjoyed the experience. A couple of guys had asked her out on a date, but she’d not been interested. Her education meant more to her, and if she’d not been struggling for cash, she’d wouldn’t be doing this with Daniel either.
The shift helped to take her mind off Daniel. Serving coffee, muffins, and sandwiches filled her afternoon. She could probably leave this job with the money Daniel was paying her, but she liked the change of pace. When she was dealing with coffees, it helped her to forget about everything else. By seven o’clock when her shift ended, she checked her phone and saw a message waiting for her.
Inside the message was an address with the simple words: meet me.
It was Daniel.
He’d sent the message half an hour ago.
She didn’t exactly have much time, but she cursed herself for not checking her phone. She hailed a cab, and asked for the driver to take her to the address as quickly as he could. She texted back to Daniel that she was on her way, and hoped that trying not to think about everything else, he didn’t just get up and leave.