Black Promise (Obsidian 3)

He adjusted his cuff links without watching his hands. “I’ve always shown all of them respect. It’s time they did the same for me.” The doors opened, and he walked out, looking like a model who just walked onto a runway.

We walked to the car, and his driver took us home. Calloway sat on the opposite side of the car, his legs long and his knees open. His elbow rested on the armrest, and he looked out the window, deep in thought.

The driver rolled down the center partition so he could speak to Calloway. “Mr. Owens, your equipment has been delivered. They just finished setting up everything in the garage.”

Calloway kept his eyes out the window. “Thank you, Tom.”

The driver rolled up the window again.

I was curious to know what kind of equipment he was referring to, but I wasn’t sure if it was nosy for me to ask. I decided not to and hoped Calloway would mention it on his own. Right now, I felt like a long-term visitor. The only reason why I lived with him now and in the past was for protection. He’d never officially asked me to live with him permanently, so I didn’t feel like I had the right to ask anything.

We arrived at the house and walked inside. Calloway immediately walked into the garage as he loosened the tie around his neck.

I didn’t think it would hurt to follow him.

We opened the door where his Aston Martin sat. He had a two-car garage but only one car, so he had extra room inside. Now there was a treadmill, a few weight machines, and free weights, along with a few work-out benches. It was a personal gym, the equipment all brand-new.

Calloway inspected everything, making sure it was exactly what he ordered. He eyed the free weights then examined the treadmill machine.

“I hope you don’t expect me to use any of this.” I wasn’t an athletic person. I’d rather not eat than exercise. That’s what I’d been doing my whole life anyway.

He eyed me without an ounce of playfulness. “I’ve been abandoning my sessions at the gym. I thought if I had my own work-out room, I could work out while you’re in the house. Best of both worlds.”

“I think you can go to the gym for an hour and leave me alone.” After seeing the way Hank turned into a pussy, I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. “Or I could go with you to the gym and walk or something.”

He walked back to the door. “This is better anyway. I don’t like to be around people.” He walked inside and locked the door behind us.

Now that we were alone together, the events from last night came into my mind. Calloway knew I was upset, but he hadn’t asked me about it. I didn’t bring it up either because I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to say.

Calloway stripped off his jacket and tossed it on the armrest. He unbuttoned the top of his shirt and let both ends of his tie stretch down his chest. He inserted his hands in his pockets as he stared at me.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared back.

“You’re mad at me.” He didn’t phrase it as a question, but it came off that way.

“No. Not mad.”

“Then what?” he asked quietly.

I knew what Ruin was, but I’d never seen it with my own eyes. I saw things I could never unsee. “I just… I guess I’m floored by what I saw last night.” Christopher told me about the women who voluntarily wanted chains around their necks, but seeing it in person changed everything. Women averted their gaze any time a man who wasn’t their Dom drew near. Women were second-class citizens—and they wanted it that way. “I guess it still shocks me that’s what you’re into…that you want me to be that way.”

He held my gaze without blinking, his look hard and unreadable. He looked away then rubbed his chin, his callused fingers touching the scruff that grew along his jawline. When he shaved, he looked clean and sexy. When he didn’t shave, he looked rugged and sexy. He brushed his thumb along his bottom lip before he turned back to me. “I’m not going to apologize for what turns me on. I’m not ashamed of my specific tastes. I’ll still tell you it’s one of the most beautiful relationships between a man and a woman. I would kill to have that with you—to have your unshakable trust. I would love to dominate you, tie you up and control you. I would love to pin you down and take you whenever I felt like it. I would love your obedience.” He closed his eyes as if a wave of emotion swept over him. He couldn’t continue speaking until he regained control of his sanity. He opened his eyes again, his jaw clenched hard. “I’ve given you what you want, so you have no right to judge me. You tell me you love me, but I’ve done something to prove my profound feelings. I’ve given up my greatest joy to be with you. That’s not a simple phrase. That’s a sacrifice. There’s not a single woman in the world I would have done that for—except you.”