“It’s so cozy,” I said, as we walked into my new apartment. First of all, I couldn’t believe how gorgeous and comfortable it looked, but secondly, I couldn’t believe I was going to be living here.

“It’s smaller than Matilda’s, of course,” he said. “But I thought it suited you better.”

“You guessed right,” I said and I couldn’t help but beam a huge smile at him. “I love it, Bear, thank you. You’re very generous.”

“I’m happy to have you here, Chloe,” he said.

I nodded, unsure what else to say as I walked around the apartment. It was older but it was stunningly beautiful. Intricate crown molding lined the ceilings, tall windows opened the room up to the city outside and the huge rooms were filled with informal furnishings—casual slip covered couches and dark red patterned fringed Persian rugs covered dark hardwood floors. The kitchen was entirely renovated, but even with the modern appliances and cabinets, it still had a rustic, cozy feeling to it.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said, coming up behind me. “Actually, I have lots of surprises for you,” he added with a low laugh. “Come with me,” he grabbed my hand in his and led me down a long hallway.

At the last door on the right, he reached out and opened it, flipping on the light switch as we walked in. I gasped in surprise.

“Bear!” I exclaimed, throwing a hand over my mouth.

“I’m sure you’ll need other things but I thought this would get you started,” he said.

“It’s amazing,” I said, walking in. He’d turned the second bedroom into a sewing studio. There were dress forms lining the wall and a few long tables, a very high-end expensive sewing machine on another table in the corner and bolts of fabric lining the walls. “I can’t believe this!”

“I want you to be happy, Chloe,” he said, smiling sweetly at me. “Your mother told me how much your fashion designs mean to you, and I want you to understand that coming here doesn’t mean giving up on your dreams and desires. New York is a pillar of fashion, and in time, I hope that you are able to make an impact of your own in this city. If anything is missing, please let me know and I’ll have it delivered right away.”

“Bear, this…this is too much,” I said, shaking my head. I was starting to feel a little weird about everything. I barely knew him and he’d gone out of his way to make me so comfortable.

“Nonsense,” he said, with a dismissive wave. “It was nothing.”

“It’s not nothing,” I said. “It’s very thoughtful. This is incredible.”

He smiled down at me, those eyes turning me to complete mush. What was happening to my life? It was like I’d been picked up and plopped into someone else’s fairy tale.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand again and pulling me out of the studio. “I want to show you something else.”

I let him lead me back down the hallway and watched as he opened another door.

“Here’s your bedroom,” he said. “Of course, you can change anything you like.”

It was like something out of a magazine. The four-poster bed looked so soft and plush that I wanted to jump right in it. It was covered in a jewel-colored patchwork quilt and flanked by a matching pair of shabby chic farmhouse style tables. Hanging over the bed was a lovely painting of the outline of a naked woman under a large oak tree.

“I love it,” I said, twirling around.

“Look at the terrace,” he said, opening a set of French doors. “The city is still loud up here, but it’s beautiful. You have a wonderful view of the park.”

“Oh, my god!” I exclaimed, leaning over the stone wall and looking down. Central Park loomed below, a massive, sprawling, green oasis. “I can’t believe I get to live here!”

I turned back to him and he was staring at me, his eyes sparkling with something I didn’t quite recognize. I grew quiet, licking my lips as I waited for him to speak or do something. I was at a total loss of how to handle a situation like this. Fuck, I didn’t even know what kind of situation this even was. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, how I was supposed to act, what he expected of me.

He reached out, gently pushing a strand of hair off my face as he stared at me silently. His eyes trailed down, raking over my breasts and back up again.

“Chloe, we should talk,” he whispered. “Let’s go back in.”

I nodded, following him. He sat on the bed…my bed…and I sat next to him, my hands in my lap as I looked over at him expectantly.

“I’m sure you have questions. And most of your questions will be answered soon enough, don’t worry.”

I nodded, listening intently.

“First, you’re going to need a safe word.”

“What?” I asked, my eyes widening.

“Don’t be naive,” he said. “A safe word. You know what that is. I intend to push your limits, but I am not a monster. So, what will it be?”

“I - I don’t know,” I muttered, bewildered. “I’ve never had one before.”

“What’s your favorite kind of pie?”

“What?” I asked, confusion filling my eyes.

“Apple? Cherry? Chocolate? What is it?” he asked.

“Peach,” I replied.

“Okay, would you like to use Peaches as your safe word?”

“I guess, I mean, sure, whatever, but Bear —,” I began.

“—what?”

“Why do I need a safe word?”

“Darling Chloe,” he smiled, peering right through me. “Because I’m going to fuck you like there’s no tomorrow. In every position. In every one of these rooms. And the day after that, I’m going to do it again. We’ll get into more detail as we go along, but the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you. So don’t forget your word.”

“O-okay,” I said, my voice cracking, my body tingling at his words.

“And Chloe?” he said, reaching up behind my head and sinking his fingers into my hair, pulling softly.

“Yes?” I asked, my eyes wide.

“Test yourself. Push your boundaries. Don’t use that word unless you really mean it. As soon as you utter it, everything comes to a full stop. And nothing happens again until I say it does. Do you understand?”

I nodded and he let go of my hair, sliding a finger down my chin. He leaned closer, his face inches from mine as he smiled.

“Now, there’s one more thing,” he said.

“Yes?” I asked.

“It’s important that you do anything and everything I ask of you and that you follow instructions perfectly, no matter how strange it might seem to you. Do you understand?”

“I think so,” I nodded.

“Good girl,” he murmured, brushing a kiss across my lips. A bolt of electricity ripped through my body as he kissed me, but his lips were gone before I could kiss him back.

“Any questions?” he asked.

“Yes, a million,” I replied.

“I don’t have time for a million questions. You can ask me one right now,” he winked, his handsome face wrinkling at the edges. I couldn’t believe the things he was saying, the things he was saying he was going to do to me. Fuck, I could barely breathe looking at him.

“Is this my job?” I asked, finally.

His laughter roared through the apartment and he shook his head.

“Of course not. I’ll find you a real job. You can consider this a fringe benefit,” he said.

I nodded, still completely confused. Did he expect me to be a sex slave and work for him at the same time? Was I seriously going to go through with this? To be honest, I would have done just about anything he asked of me, safe word or no safe word. In fact, I couldn’t imagine what we would ever need it for.

It’s not like I was going to ask him to stop fucking me, for fuck’s sake.

Such a request seemed like a joke right now. In fact, sitting on this bed with him, it was taking all my strength not to beg him to fuck me right this very second.

Turns out, begging wasn’t required.

“Now,” he said, standing up. I watched as he pulled himself up, standing in front of me and looking down.

His eyes flashed, full of hunger and desire. “Stand up, Chloe.”

I obeyed, silently standing in front of him.

“Are you ready?” he asked, without waiting for an answer. “I like being in control. Until I say differently, it would be best if you do everything I say without hesitation.”

That was my first clue that I might be in over my head. I could have strolled out of there and never gone back. It’s not like he was forcing me. It wasn’t even that he wasn’t giving me a choice. But what he wasn’t really giving me were explanations and that’s what I was desperately seeking.

He’d told me answers would come later, and I could either trust that and trust him, or I could walk out. I glanced over at the door of the bedroom, the thought of fleeing flashing in my head.

“I barely know you,” I muttered. “I’m so confused…” My eyes searched his for answers, but all I saw was darkness.

Maybe it should have scared me. But it didn’t. It only increased the intrigue.

His fingers snaked into my hair again, pulling my head back as I looked up at him.

“And that’s what makes this so exciting, isn’t it? I’ve been dreaming about fucking you again for a week. You’re all I could think about, Chloe. And right now, I’m tired of talking. Do you understand? I’ll tell you everything you want to know. You have to trust me,” he said, pulling my head back farther, his eyes peering into mine. “Do you trust me?”

“I - I think so,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

He smiled and nodded.

“Good girl,” he whispered, letting go of my hair and putting both hands on my shoulders. “Now, turn around and let me see your ass.”

“What!” I yelled, my eyes widening in shock.

He smiled, his eyes lighting up with a mischievous glimmer and shook his head.

“You heard me, Chloe,” he spun me around and gently pushed me forward, my hands landing on the patchwork quilt on the bed, my ass in the air towards him. His hands grabbed the edge of my skirt, lifting it up slowly over my hips, exposing my bare ass.

“You did good getting rid of the panties. Don’t ever wear them in my presence again. Make sure you follow the rest of my instructions just as efficiently.” His hands ran over my ass cheeks hotly and I shivered at his touch. “Your ass is absolute perfection, do you know that, Chloe?”

I blushed, my heart pounding so hard in my chest I could feel the blood pumping through my veins. His hands pulled my ass cheeks apart and I gasped.

“Bear,” I said, shaking my head.

“Shhh, this is just the beginning, Chloe,” he said, his fingertip trailing around my entrance. “I intend to get intimately familiar with every single inch of you.”

I whimpered as he pressed his fingertip forward, sliding into me.

“Mmmm,” he murmured, pressing further and further into me until his entire finger was buried inside of me. “So tight, so hot,” he said. “You know, my cock is going to feel so amazing buried inside of your tight ass.”

I whimpered again and he leaned down, whispering in my ear.

“Have you ever been fucked in the ass, Chloe?” he asked.

I shook my head no and moaned as he pressed even farther inside of me.

“Good girl,” he whispered. “I promise you’ll love it.”

In an instant, his fingers were gone and I was left bent over the bed, my ass in the air, exposed, vulnerable and bashful as a skittish deer.

When I heard the sound of his zipper, I bit my lip with worry. Was he going to fuck me now? His fingers had felt so amazing and now that he was gone, I felt nothing but empty and hungry and oh-so-fucking needy. Normally, I would have hated these feelings but now, with Bear, I was relishing in them.

Slowly, I was losing myself in my desire for him.

“Turn around,” he demanded. I did so, turning and sitting on the bed, and coming face to face with his perfect masterpiece of masculinity.

His cock was stunning. Huge. Long. Hard. And pulsing with hunger.

Hunger for me. Hunger for my body.

My eyes shot up to meet his and I saw the hunger reflected there, too. My own hunger raged through me. I’d needed a man like him in my life for so long and I never really knew it.

I wanted him to take charge.

I wanted him to tell me what to do to please him, to please myself. I needed Bear Dalton and I needed all of him.

And most of all, I needed every fucking inch of his exquisite cock.

“On your knees, baby,” he said, his voice a low growl of desire, as his pants fell to the ground. He stepped out of them quickly, kicking off his shoes and ripping his shirt from his torso. I licked my lips as I drank in the sight of his sculpted muscles.

He was like a dream.

My eyes trailed down his tight abs, pulled down by the thin line of hair that led directly to his treasure. My eyes locked onto his pulsing cock, licking my lips as I watched his fingers wrap around his shaft before offering it to me.

A perfect prize, a beloved treasure. And all mine.

Pleasure pulsed through my body, every inch of me tingling with sweet anticipation. I reached out, claiming my prize, first with my hand, wrapping around the base of his throbbing hardness and then with my mouth, sliding his velvety cock smoothly past my lips, my tongue twirling around it delightfully.

When I heard him moan in pleasure, it was like music to my ears. His cock filled my mouth perfectly, his hardness pulsing against my tongue hotly. I devoured him, working my hands and mouth in a symphony of movement until he was moaning over and over, his fingers sinking into my hair and guiding my head gently as he thrust his cock in and out of my mouth.

“Good girl, good girl,” he growled, over and over, his cock swelling as it slid across my lips. I sucked, harder and harder, working my tongue around his shaft, pulling the head between my lips until he pushed me away. I fell back on my feet and looked up at him.

“I’m not finished,” I begged, my lips wet and swollen with desire. He smiled down at me, the look in his eyes turning savage and raw.

“Neither am I,” he growled, his eyes full of white-hot determination. His mouth crashed against mine, his kiss hot and hard. I melted into him, our tongues colliding and tangling together in a hot mess of unbridled lust and desire. His fingers found their way to my buttons, pulling open my suit jacket and pushing it over my shoulders. My white silk camisole tore to pieces as he ripped it from my body, tiny pearl buttons flying everywhere.

“Stand up,” he commanded. I jumped to my feet and he unzipped the side zipper of my skirt, pushing it over my bare hips until I was standing in front of him wearing nothing but my heels and my black lace bra.

His kisses turned harder and harder until he pulled away, unfastening the front clasp on my bra until my breasts spilled out into his hands. His fingers found my nipples, squeezing hard until I cried out in pain.

A slow, evil smile started on his lips and spread to his eyes, highlighting the darkness that I’d seen there earlier.

He was sweet, he was generous, he was kind, but there was a prevailing darkness inside of him that did nothing but intrigue me and turn me on. Maybe I should have been afraid. Maybe I was putting myself in physical danger. But being with Bear stimulated everything inside of me—not just my flesh, but my brain, too. My head was racing with wonder and awe, never knowing what was coming next.

He kept me on the edge of the Universe with every stroke of his tongue.

This was the kind of relationship that I’d yearned for. This was the kind of sex that I’d always imagined. This was the fantasy that I’d been searching for.

A real man.

A demanding man.

A man that knew exactly what he wanted, how he wanted it and how to take it.

How could I not appreciate that? There were no games. No pretense. No uncertainty.

There was nothing but need and desire and the willingness to fulfill it.

I’d never wanted to be fucked so badly in my life. I’d never wanted a man to take me, to make me his, to use my body in whatever way pleased him…all because it brought me pleasure.

Sure, I was confused as hell, but I’d never felt so fucking alive in my life and all I could do was beg for more.

Gently his pushed me back onto the bed, hovering over me and pulling his mouth from mine as he looked down into my eyes, his cock inches from my waiting pussy.

“You’re the most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen, Chloe,” he whispered, his voice thick with lust as he rubbed his cock over my clit. I squirmed below him, my body thrumming with desire.

“Bear, please,” I said, lifting my hips, eager for him to be inside of me.

“Tell me what you want, Chloe,” he said.

“I want you, please, Bear, please?” I begged.

“Say it, say the words, baby,” he said, pushing forward, his cock pressing into me ever so slightly, too slightly. I whimpered, pressing my hips up again.

“Fuck me, please fuck me,” I cried.

“Good girl,” he growled, as his lips found mine. His cock slid inside of me smoothly, one long, deliciously satisfying thrust that sent waves of pleasure rocking through every inch of me.

“Yes!” I cried, tears of joy springing to my eyes as I finally felt what I’d been dying to feel for so long. “Oh, my god, yes, yes, yes!”

He kissed me hard, too hard, the metallic taste of blood stinging my tongue. My pussy quivered in the sweetest pleasure around his hardness, my body singing in joy and fulfillment as he began fucking into me over and over again. My thighs wrapped around his hips, my hands wildly running over his rippling flesh, his strength on full display as he hovered over me, his muscles flexing as he expertly pulled every ounce of pleasure from my flesh.

His perfect cock hammered into me, slamming fully into me, his body banging against my swollen clit, his delicious fullness ripping everything away.

There was no more shyness, there was no more embarrassment.

There was no uncertainty, no confusion.

As far as I was concerned, as long as this beautiful man fucked me in this incredibly forceful and gorgeous way, then he could do anything in the world to me he wanted.

Fuck my questions. Fuck my need to understand.

All I needed was Bear’s body, Bear’s cock, Bear’s kisses. Those are the things I understood.

The rest didn’t matter.

All that mattered was our bodies, fitting together perfectly, crashing together in a perfect crescendo of everything good in the world.

His kisses turned deeper, his hands touching all of me all at once, his scent, his taste, his song…all turning everything around me and in me into the sweetest pleasure I’d ever felt.

“Bear, Bear, Bear,” I cried, as I opened myself to him, as fully as I possibly could. My thighs fell apart, my arms wrapped around him, welcoming him in, inviting him into the deepest parts of me, parts of me that even I hadn’t seen for myself yet.

He fucked me with abandon, his eyes closed, his hips working against me like a two hundred pound fuck machine.

Quivering, shuddering, quakes of pleasure washed over me, my body exploding into a million stars of light as I pulsed around his hammering cock, relentlessly pounding into me harder and harder until he crashed over the edge with me, his body shuddering hard as his huge cock swelled inside of me and exploded.

“Chloe!” he called, my name echoing off his tongue like a battle cry as he came inside of me.

“Bear, yes, yes, yes!” I whispered, his warmth washing over me and in me, as he moaned and kissed me again, his tongue searching deeper and deeper as we clung to each other, my entire body tingling with pure joy.

I fell back on the bed, watching him, his face flushed, his sculpted body so fucking alive and beautiful that it almost hurt to look at him.

He shuddered and pulled out of me, the absence of his warmth so palpable I almost pulled him back in. A whimper escaped from my lips as I stared up at him.

He pulled his pants up, zipped them and turned away from me. I was naked, splayed out on the bed like a harlot, begging for more as I watched him walk towards the door.

“You’re leaving?” I asked, my voice full of breathless dismay.

“You need time to get settled. One of my drivers will pick you up at nine in the morning to bring you to my office,” he said, before pausing at the door and throwing a quick smile my way. “Don’t worry, Chloe. We’ve only just begun.”

And then he was gone, just like that. Leaving me alone in this strange city, this strange apartment, with all these strange feelings coursing through my limbs as I tried to make sense of it all.

In the end, even that was pointless. Sleep found me before any rational thought appeared.