We did our usual routine in the morning. We got ready and headed to work together at the same time. Usually, we held hands during the drive, Calloway’s large thumb moving over my knuckles. But today, we didn’t share any affection.

When we arrived at work, we walked past the rest of the staff without our usual dramatic appearance. We walked side by side, our arms nearly touching. But to everyone else, that was pretty much us fucking.

Calloway walked me to my office even though it was unnecessary. Even when Hank was a bigger threat, it still didn’t need to happen. But I wasn’t in the mood to argue, so I didn’t bother fighting it.

He stood in the doorway and stared at me, his blue eyes saying what his lips couldn’t. He gave me his typical piercing gaze, apologizing but also standing his ground at the same time. With those powerful shoulders, chiseled physique, and movie-star face, it was difficult not to want him—even after last night.

“I’ll see you later.” I walked into my office so I wouldn’t have to look at him anymore. I wasn’t entirely sure what I felt about last night. But whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

He followed me inside then wrapped his arm around my waist. He pulled me into his chest and gave me a slow kiss on the lips, not giving a damn if a colleague walked by and spotted the affection.

I wanted to push him off, but my body immediately responded. Right on cue, my lips kissed him back, and my heart fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. My arms rested on his, and I felt his hard-on through his slacks.

He pulled away and looked at me with his intense gaze, clearly wanting to kiss me longer and harder. If he could get away with it, he would have lifted me onto the desk and taken me then and there.

But he made the right decision.

Without saying another word, he walked out and headed to his office.

I leaned against the desk and gripped the edge, knowing I was going to think about that kiss all day until I got another one.

* * *

We had a meeting in the conference room during lunch.

And that meant it was one of the rare times I would see Calloway during working hours.

I took a seat with my sandwich and salad, and of course, no one sat beside me until just before the meeting started and there weren’t any other chairs to choose from. Bill sat on my right, Alexa on my left.

I didn’t get any kind of greeting.

Calloway walked in right at the last minute, waiting until everyone in the office was ready before he made his appearance. He walked to the very head of the table, the chair that everyone knew was reserved for him.

But he didn’t take a seat.

He grabbed the remote for the projector and clicked a button. “Good afternoon, everyone. We’re going to go over the last quarter because we could make some serious improvements.” He clicked the button again and changed the slide. Like a bull that had been released from his cage, he reared his head and seemed angry. Sometimes it was difficult to tell if he was intense and focused or just pissed off.

Either way, he looked sexy as hell.

Instead of listening to what he was saying, I kept fantasizing about him. He looked so sexy in that black suit, his shoulders broad and powerful and his legs muscular and long. If I had to sit there and look at him for an hour, I knew it was impossible not to think about sex.

I was sure every other woman in the room was thinking the same thing.

I pictured myself falling to my knees in front of him, his enormous cock shoved down my throat as he gripped my hair like it was reins of a horse.

I drank some water and forced myself to cool off.

“We’re invited to a city-wide charity event taking place at the Plaza next Saturday. This is a work function, and I expect everyone to be there. Each of you will get overtime for the appearance. If you have a conflict, speak to Theresa about it, and we’ll see what we can do.”

Everyone gathered their things, assuming the meeting was over.

“I’m not done.” Calloway’s deep voice echoed in the room, making everyone flinch in their seats. His employees respected him and the company he built, and they rarely heard him turn dark like that. I was used to it, but I knew they weren’t.

He tossed the remote on the table and placed his hands in his pockets. “I have to say how disappointed I am in all of you for the way you’ve been treating Rome.”

Oh god.

No.

What the hell was he doing?

“Yes, I’m sleeping with her. Yes, she’s an employee. But frankly, it’s none of your concern. Rome is the hardest worker here. She picks up your slack without expecting a thank you, and we’ve never been so productive as we have since she came on board. All the improvements we need to make are coming from your negligence, not hers. So instead of ostracizing her like this is a high school lunchroom, I expect each and every one of you to treat her with respect just as you did before we made our relationship public. If you can’t do that, I’m more than happy to replace you.” He grabbed a stack of folders and dropped it on the table. It made a loud thud once it hit the surface of the wood. “These are all the applications I’ve gotten—in a month.” There had to be hundreds in the pile. “Just so you know.”

* * *

I was mortified.

He dropped a bomb I had no idea was coming. I just assumed it was going to be a regular quarterly meeting, like the others we’d had in the past. But he took the opportunity to put our relationship on blast.

I was certain he’d just made the situation worse.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in my office, trying to hide from everyone else so they wouldn’t see how red my cheeks were. It would take at least a month for everyone to stop talking about it.

Maybe longer than that.

“Hey, Rome.” Alexa knocked on my open door before she stepped inside.

Maybe I should have kept my door closed. “Hey, Alexa. How can I help you?” When my colleagues needed something from me, they usually just sent an email. Since they used to come to my office, I knew that was just a tactic to avoid me. It was very rare to speak to someone face-to-face.

“I’m going to the café downstairs. You want anything?” She didn’t look at me with that judgmental stare I was used to getting. She’d even personally given it to me a few times.

“Uh…” I couldn’t think quickly on my feet, so surprised by the offer. “Yeah, I’ll take a black coffee.” I didn’t even want any coffee, but I just wanted to make this conversation go well. I grabbed my wallet and searched for some cash.

“I got it,” she said as she walked out. “You can get me next time.”

Now I wasn’t sure what was going on. Were people going to change their attitudes just to keep their jobs? Or did they realize they were all being assholes to me? I wasn’t sure, but I hoped it was the latter.

* * *

Calloway came to my office when he was finished with his day. Sometimes he worked later than everyone else because he had more things to do, so I just worked until he arrived at my door.

He leaned against the doorframe and silently announced himself. His presence was powerful enough that I could tell when he was walking down the hallway toward my office. I couldn’t hear him, but I could certainly feel him.

Like usual, I organized my things then walked out with him.

Calloway walked with his hands in his pockets and said goodbye to the few people who remained at their desks.

They said goodbye to me too, which was a nice change.

The second we were in the elevator with the doors closed, I spoke my mind. “Are you crazy?”

“Yes.” He stared straight ahead of him. “But you already knew that.”

“I can’t believe you said all of that at the meeting.”

“I don’t care. I own this company, and I can do whatever the hell I want.” He glanced at me, his eyes radiating authority. “If they don’t like it, they can get another job. I offer great salaries, full benefits, a ridiculous amount of time for sick and maternity leave, and a pension. So maybe they should appreciate what I’ve given them and show it by treating you like a human being and not a whore.”

I knew he meant well, and that touched my heart. “I just don’t want people to hate me even more.”

“Again, if they have a problem, they can just leave.”

Alexa brought me coffee that afternoon, and Bill said hi to me when I grabbed a muffin from the break room. Instantly, everyone was treating me like I wasn’t invisible anymore. They were probably just doing it for show, but it was still a nice change.

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.”

I felt two conflicting emotions at once. It still bothered me that he wanted to do those things to me, that he wanted to make me submit to him. To give up my freedom and enjoy his cruelty was something that unnerved me. It would be a crime against my own sex. But then the words he said afterward made me numb everywhere. He wanted to be with me to the exclusion of everything else—and that meant the world to me.

He watched me as he waited for a reaction, for me to say something.

I didn’t ever want to be his sub, but something about his words aroused me. I knew if I ever got on my knees and allowed him to command me, he would be harder than he’d ever been. His chest would expand with heavy breaths, and his intensity would multiply by a million. The idea of turning Calloway on turned me on. But I still wouldn’t make the sacrifice. “I don’t judge you, Calloway. I’ve never judged you. I just don’t understand.”

“You would understand if you tried.” His words implied what he meant, that I needed to allow him to be a Dom to truly get what he meant. I’d have to step into the darkness with him, to become a demon just like him.

“I just…I wish I was enough for you.”

His eyes softened in remorse. “I never said you weren’t, Rome. When I went to Ruin, I wasn’t hard at the memory of having a sub. I was hard at the fantasy of having you as my sub, of making you my plaything. You’ve always been enough for me, sweetheart. I don’t want anyone else but you.”

I looked to the ground, unable to meet his intense gaze any longer.

“After all this time, I wish you understood that I would never hurt you. That what we would have would be nothing like the abusive relationship you had with that asshole.”

“I know it would be different, Calloway. I don’t compare you—”

“Then why won’t you try with me?”

I should have known this would come up eventually. For the first few weeks, we were happy together. But the truth always had a way of coming back. “Because I don’t want to, Calloway.” I tried to say it as gently as possible even though he would still be disappointed. “I have no desire to be treated that way. I love it when we make love. I love it when we can’t even get our clothes off before we fuck on the dining table. That passion is more than enough for me. I don’t want it to change.”

“What if we had both?”

“No.” I didn’t want to fulfill his fantasy of being a weak possession.

“I made a sacrifice for you. And you won’t make one for me?” He did a good job of keeping the edge out of his voice, but some of his resentment seeped through.

“I never asked you to make the sacrifice.”

“Bullshit.”

Fire rushed through my body at a million miles an hour. “I said I didn’t want to be your sub, and I walked away. You’re the one who said you’d change to make this work. I never asked you to.”

“But you didn’t give me any other choice.”

“It’s not the same thing,” I argued. “If you miss it so much, why don’t you just go back to it? You can find a woman far more beautiful than me to get on her knees and ask to be whipped.” The idea of him being with anyone else repulsed me, but I was too angry to control my tongue.

“I can’t live without you,” he snapped. “And don’t act like you didn’t know that.”

“You never tell me you love me.”

His nostrils flared like I’d said something that really pissed him off. His shoulders grew rigid with his fury, and he breathed through the rage, attempting to keep himself under control. Then, out of nowhere, he rushed me.

He dashed to me so quickly I could barely see him move. There was nowhere to go but backward, and my back hit the kitchen counter when I ran out of space. He grabbed me by the hips and threw me onto the counter before he grabbed my panties and ripped them apart. He got his slacks undone and his cock out in record time, shoving himself violently inside me.

I gripped his shoulders and held on as he fucked me on the counter, giving it to me hard, without giving my body a moment to acclimate to his enormous size. He was rougher than he’d ever been before, taking me like an animal.

He grabbed the back of my neck and focused my gaze on his, still thrusting deep inside me. “Because I don’t need to say it.”