Blyss (The Blyss Trilogy 1)

She tentatively shakes her head. “C’mere, sweetheart,” I say reassuringly and pull her into a tight embrace. “I know I’m running thin on your faith in me, but you can trust me on this one. You’ve been here for four days now, and have I abused you in any way?”

I feel her breath on my chest as she whispers, “No.”

I let out a sigh. “I have no intention of ever hurting you, Julianna. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a woman beater, and I don’t like to see women broken. Do you hear me?” Somehow, she’s done it again; she has an innate ability to flip my purpose and intent around, doing a complete one-eighty with my emotions, and I’m not an emotional man. Having a soft heart will get one killed in this business, and I have to give myself a pep talk before entering her room every time, steeling myself against the need to cave in and mollycoddle her at every turn.

“Yes,” she breathes.

I keep my lower body pressed to hers and pull my upper body away, tilting my head to the side to get a good look at her, and my gut clenches at the sight of her tear-glistened eyes. I give her my megawatt smile, the one that always has women dropping their panties for me. I can see by the look on her face she’s not immune to my smile, either. I don’t smile often, but when I do, it’s like breaking out the big guns. “That’s my girl. Trust me on this one; I’ve got you.” I pause and give her a chaste kiss on the lips. This thing between us feels too natural, and I’ve got to leave before I do something I may or may not regret. I break away from the embrace, taking a few steps back. “I’ve got to go now, but I will be back this afternoon, okay?”

“Travis?” I can clearly see she’s still shaken up about the microchips.

“Yeah?”

“Can you...can you please just hold me for another minute?” she asks warily.

Ah hell, I’m done for. I can’t resist her sweetness. I briefly close my eyes, and let out a long sigh. “Yeah, baby, c’mere.” She moves into my arms and I melt a little more. Nick was right—she’s chipping away at my stone wall. I bend my head to rest my lips on the top of her head and breathe in her scent.

“Thank you, Travis. I was alone all day yesterday, and I liked it, but I didn’t. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, it makes perfect sense. It means you’re human,” I say, speaking into her hair and pulling her in a little tighter. My right hand reaches behind her neck, and I thread my fingers through her silky blonde hair, gently massaging the back of her head. “It’s all going to be all right, baby,” I say reassuringly, then kiss the top of her head. Why the hell am I trying to make assurances that I most likely can’t keep? The statement just spilled out of my mouth, as if my subconscious knows something I don’t, along with the endearment I’ve never used on any other woman.

I have to come back this afternoon and turn on her sexual desires, knocking down the walls of her inhibitions. The way she acts, it’s like she was raised by people who have been brought up believing the exploration of one’s sexual side is taboo. Much of that mindset stems from the old Puritan piety and witch-burning era. Those people were after moralistic perfection, thinking it was sinful and wrong to enjoy sexual intimacy with their partner. In actuality, though, for her generation, I’m sure it was just a scare tactic enforced by her father to keep her from getting knocked up.

It’s my job to teach these women otherwise. I get them to live for the next euphoric, seismic release, the next big O, the next kinky adventure. Once they give in to their body’s natural desires, I then train them to enjoy the individual proclivities of their future owner. By the time I’m done, these women are literally begging for whatever kink their new master likes. Of course, these drugs are like a gift from the sex gods, a supercharged aphrodisiac, none of which this world has ever seen before, which, in turn, makes my job a hell of a lot easier.

I’m pulled from my thoughts as a voice comes over the intercom, and I can feel her body tense as it startles her. “Travis, Code Yellow, room three.” Then the voice repeats, “Travis, Code Yellow, room three.”

I break away reluctantly. “I’ve got to run. Duty calls, but I’ll be back after lunch.” I tap her on the end of the nose and step away. When I get to the door, I turn around. “Oh, Julianna?”