Bound by the Red Thread

Her eyes popped open. Had anything else happened? No, she was crazy. Paul would never. But, did she know him well enough to say that? She caught her breath and glanced around the room. Where was he? Had he slept in her bed?

Her coffee table had been moved to the side of the room and there stood Paul in the middle of the room. He was stretching and reaching his arms and legs in what appeared to be some kind of choreographed movement. It was soothing to watch.

She shifted to her side to have a better view as the fluid movements rolled from his shoulders through his arms. His hands grasping and pulling, his body constantly in motion. He’d step forward with one leg, back with the other. It was like a wave rolling across his body.

He’d removed his shirt and there was a fine sheen of sweat covering his chiseled tattooed chest. As a nurse she’d seen many human forms, but nothing as sculpted as this man.

His skin was bronzed, and she could see the muscles ripple as he moved. Each movement was timed and flowed perfectly into the next. If she tried to do something like that, she’d end up looking like a spastic elephant, although she had to admit it appeared very relaxing.

She’d tried yoga once. After she pried her fat ass up off the tiny mat, they suggested she used, she’d been sweating like a pig. Not a good look. After the first session, she didn’t sign up again.

“Good morning,” Paul’s deep voice broke into her thoughts. She refocused her gaze from his magnificent chest to his face. His dark eyes were focused on her and she suddenly felt very self-conscious at being caught watching him.

“How are you this morning?” he asked continuing his routine.

“I’m good. Sorry, I fell asleep on you last night,” she said, blushing a little at the implication of her words.

“I’m sure you needed it. I didn’t mind.” He lifted his arms over his head, the muscles in his chest rippling as he stretched.

“Did you sleep?” She hoped he’d volunteer the answer to where and she wouldn’t have to ask.

“I caught a few hours. I’m an early riser. I hope I didn’t wake you. There are some pastries on the table. I got them when I went for my run.” Paul picked up a towel off the floor and began wiping his face and chest with it.

Nicole’s hands itched to take the towel from him and replace it with her hands and tongue. Her breath quickened as she continued to watch him.

“You’ve been on a run already?” What kind of fitness routine did this man have? Climbing up the flight of stairs to her apartment was about all she did.

“Yes. I do ten miles a day. I threw the blankets I used last night in the washer downstairs. They should be dry now. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, okay.” Nicole watched him leave. He must have either slept in her bed or found her spare blankets and slept on the floor.

She rushed to her room, but as far as she could tell it was the same way she’d left it when she got out of it yesterday morning. She ran her tongue over her teeth, ugh. She’d fallen asleep last night without doing her bedtime routine and needed to brush her teeth and take a quick shower.

Too bad she hadn’t been awake when Paul took his run. That would have been the perfect time to shower and get her thoughts together.

She heard the door open and ran a hand through her hair. “Nicole,” she heard him call out.

“In here,” she answered. He came into her bedroom carrying a pile of folded blankets and towels. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“My mother taught me how to be a good houseguest.” He moved over to the window and examined the lock, taking a picture of it with his phone. “I’m going to run down to the hardware store to get a replacement for this.

“Won’t the maintenance people take care of it?”

“They will, but the locks they use are all pretty flimsy. I want to get some better ones that won’t be as easy to break. Once Neptune gets here then we’ll install a security system, so you don’t have to worry about anyone else getting in. Bruce and Ryan are in the parking lot and will be there until I get back.”

Nicole nodded. It was something she’d been thinking about doing. She just hadn’t taken time to do it and wasn’t sure of the expense since she wasn’t going to stay there permanently. Now that she knew how easy it had been for Huang’s man to get in, she fully agreed that she needed to do something.

“Okay. They were at the meeting yesterday?” When Paul nodded, she continued. “I’ll be fine alone. I’m going to take a shower and clean up a little. I’ll be fine,” Nicole said, relieved to get a few minutes to herself. She didn’t know whether Paul could tell she needed a few minutes or not but didn’t care as long as she got what she needed to do done.

She followed him to the door and locked it behind him. She glanced out the door, and down to the parking lot, but didn’t notice anything different. Not that they would be very good security guards if she could spot them. Now for her shower and a little time to sort out the thoughts running through her mind.

Paul couldn’t help but notice the looks he was getting from Nicole. If he was reading her right, she was as interested in him as he was in her. Could anything come of their mutual attraction? Should he even be considering it?

Her actions and reactions confirmed his suspicion that she was a submissive. Did she know it though? Was she interested in the lifestyle? He’d done some snooping while she was still sleeping and found her stash of books. Several were by a very popular author who also wrote stories about BDSM.

Was it something she would be willing to try, with him? She was a client. Should he even be considering spending time with her? Should he wait until the case was over? His mind was running in so many directions, but it all narrowed down to the fact that he was interested in her and wanted to see where things would go.

Maybe this time if he started things in the beginning of the relationship, he wouldn’t scare her off. When Paul had tried dating women who weren’t in the lifestyle before, he’d noticed that they often ran scared when they found out what he needed to make his life complete. Vanilla sex was fine, but after a while it was boring, and he needed more to keep himself happy. He needed to be in charge. In the bedroom at least. In other areas of his life, he could use a partner, but in the bedroom, it was his way or no way.