boyfriend.
“She’s not an enabler,” Violet said. “But there are times I wish I could say no to her.”
“Why can’t you?”
Another truth that carried a brutal sting. “She’s my only friend. So many people out here are so fake. I tried to be myself and make friends when I moved here, but it feels like everyone has ulterior motives. A script to be sold, a headshot to push. People survive out here stepping on each other’s necks, but Faye and I met and we stuck together. We helped each other professionally and became friends because of it.”
“I get that. I want you to forget about Faye for a moment. Other than your obvious weight loss goals, what do you want for yourself?”
Violet smiled at the first thing that popped into her mind. It was so superficial and silly, but it was something she wanted. She chuckled a little. “A new dress. A few new dresses. I have nice stuff, but the sizes are all over the place and really it’s all work stuff. I want a new dress and some cute boots.”
“Then that’s your homework this week. New boots. New dress. And—”
“And?”
“Don’t take Faye shopping with you.”
The suggestion should have felt odd, but it didn’t. She considered a little retail therapy on her own, without having to talk about work or someone else’s boyfriend, or even feeling the odd pressure of having to keep what happened between her and Grant to herself, and suddenly she felt relieved.
CHAPTER SIX
6
Day 11
Grant stepped out of Armando’s truck, not even trying to wipe the dumb grin off his face. He managed it when he had to, but it was hard to stop thinking about Violet. As he and Mando made their way to the Whole Foods entrance, her face was all he could picture. The cute way she complained and taunted him was all that played in his mind.
“You’re singing again, man,” Armando said.
Grant hadn’t even noticed. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to me, but you gotta give me details. I thought you were going to break something last night and now you look like—well, I mean, shit, you’re singing.”
They walked inside and joined the line at the juice bar so Armando could order this gross beet-celery shit he swore by.
“I don’t know what to say, man.”
“Is it working out the way you wanted it to? Clearly it is, but the way she was talking, no respect for you at all. Sure she fits in the D/s file?”
“She’s destroying the D/s file.” Grant laughed. “She’s never subbed before, but she’s a natural at it, when she’s not yelling at me.”
“You spank her yet?”
“No. She’ll like it too much and she hasn’t earned that reward yet.”
“You are so screwed.”
“Why? Because I’m taking it slow with her?”
“’Cause she has you wrapped around her whole fist. Just look at yourself. You’re smiling like a dope and you’ve only been messing with her for a week.”
Immediately Grant wanted to defend their relationship. Instead he told Mando to go grab them a table while he picked out his own lunch. He didn’t feel like he and Violet were messing around. Things were casual, in a sense. He hadn’t tied her up, gagged her, spanked her, made her kneel in various submissive poses to his satisfaction. She only followed his instructions fifty percent of the time and, fuckin’ hell, she couldn’t keep from talking back to him. They weren’t up all night talking on the phone. She wasn’t blowing his cell up with non-stop texts, but there was something there, a connection that extended way beyond their agreement as client and trainer. More than the simple verbal pact they’d made as completely unprepared Dom and shit-talking sub.
Grant loaded up a square cardboard bowl with vegetables from the salad bar then, after he paid, joined Armando at a table by the front exit. They had a little under an hour to get back to the gym. In the meantime, Max was there holding the fort down while Keira taught a cardio barre class.
Armando sat back and
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