Mastered (The Enforcers 1)

There was little point in putting it off, since Drake would no doubt have her instructions for the day listed in his note.

First she opened the box, dreading what it would reveal. But even she wasn’t prepared for the extravagance of this offering. She dropped it as if it had burned her, and she stared aghast at what had to have cost tens of thousands of dollars.

It was a sapphire and diamond choker that glittered brilliantly in the light. The stones varied in size from very large to the smaller ones that encrusted the edges. It was certainly beautiful, but she couldn’t ever imagine herself wearing it.

Hadn’t Drake learned anything about her at all? That expensive gifts were totally unnecessary? Had she not given him enough reassurance that he was all she wanted and needed? Not gifts every single morning.

With trembling hands, she opened the note and read his now-familiar scrawl.

Good morning, my angel. I hope your knee is feeling much better. I hope you like the choker I chose especially for you. It pales in comparison to your beauty and to your gorgeous blue eyes, but I think it will complement both nicely. Be sure and inform me if you leave the apartment and also remember that you are never to do so without one of my men.

It shouldn’t have bothered her. She thought she’d gotten past this last night when she’d made certain realizations about Drake and his need—and delight—to take care of and protect her. But now, no longer in the fantasy of the moment, it irritated her that he felt the need to curtail her freedom so drastically. For that matter, was it really necessary, the veritable circus act it required for her to so much as leave the building?

“You chose this,” she reminded herself.

She’d been made well aware of Drake’s requirements and she’d willingly signed on, agreeing to those requirements and also knowing the consequences and rewards for her actions.

Oh well, it wasn’t as though it was for forever, right? Only for as long as . . . what? Drake got tired of her? Decided he wanted a new trained monkey?

The thought made her unhappy even as she chastised herself for wanting it both ways. To have her cake and eat it too. She had to stop overthinking matters. Live for the moment for once in her life. Don’t think about tomorrow until it arrives. For one glorious span of time in her life, she was going to indulge in what she wanted and put her needs before others, and she refused to spend the entirety of her relationship with Drake feeling guilt for, as he’d stated in the beginning, enjoying the ride. When in her life had she ever given in to impulse? Thrown caution to the wind and plunged recklessly into anything? Oh, that was easy. Never!

There were things she’d like to do. Visit her girlfriends. Or simply enjoy a day out. But quite frankly what she needed most was a break from all the testosterone that was always in abundance wherever Drake was—or rather couldn’t be at the moment. If she had to spend another day with one of Drake’s men hovering over her, she might well scream.

Suddenly a day alone and not leaving Drake’s apartment held greater appeal than it had before.

She got up and took her time showering, and then she remembered to put the ointment on her knee. It was too late for breakfast, so she was running through her lunch options in her mind.

She was tempted to order takeout, even though she had plenty of stuff to whip up something herself in no time. Takeout had always been a luxury for her, one seldom indulged in and usually only for special occasions. The more she thought about it, the more she craved some really good Chinese or Thai takeout. And why not? She had plenty of cash on her. Drake’s minions weren’t around to whip out a credit card.

But then should she be saving her money? She couldn’t take anything for granted, and if Drake did suddenly get tired of her and dump her, she would need every penny she had to support herself until she found a job and a place to live. Because she knew one thing already. If Drake ended their relationship, there was no way she’d go back to her old apartment knowing that Drake had paid the rent for two years.

Shaking off the unpleasant direction in which her thoughts had taken her, she went into the kitchen and then took out her phone to look up nearby places that would deliver to Drake’s apartment.

After a few frustrating minutes in which she realized just how unfamiliar she was with this part of the city, she nearly gave up on the idea of ordering takeout. But then an idea hit her. Surely the doorman or the concierge would be able to give her some guidance.