Women didn’t make me awkward, so why did I feel like I could never get myself together around Avion?
She at least seemed reasonably understanding of the circumstances after she’d had a chance to calm down and think logically. Still, even when she gave me a perfectly clear out, I still felt the need to apologize to her. The sounds of her sobbing in the bathroom kept me up last night. For whatever reason, it hurt me to know that I had caused her pain of any kind, let alone brought her so much anguish.
The coffee started to spread towards the file I had sitting on the table next to me, and I yanked it up just before it could stain it. “Hey!” I called out.
One of the kitchen staff came fluttering out of the kitchen. “Sir? Oh! I’ll be back!” and she twirled right back around.
The dining room was one I didn’t use very often in my home. The second floor of my estate was where all of the staff quarters were, along with the massive kitchen and huge dining room. More often than not, I was forgetting to eat or scarfing down a meal on my way to or from work. Most frequently, I ate in my office, usually while Milli filled me in on what was going on around me. I knew that if I wanted to earn my way back into Avion’s good graces, it was going to be by treating her less like a prisoner, so along with having the camera removed in her room, keeping her door unlocked and totally under her control, and giving her phone back, I wanted to start allowing her out of her room more. Maybe if she got a better lay of the land, she wouldn’t feel so trapped.
I didn’t want her to see me as the enemy.
The kitchen staff member who’d seen my spill came floating back out of the kitchen with a few additional members at her side. They had a replacement tablecloth for the one I’d spilled on, and they worked at breakneck speed picking up the table’s cutlery, flatware, and other decorations, and replacing them with a different one. I was aware that I had the best staff in all of New York, but it was impressive to watch them undress and redress the table like they were a pit crew for NASCAR.
“Thank you,” I said when they were done. “Sorry.”
“No problem, Mr. Raines,” the original kitchen staff member said. “Do you need anything else?”
“No, but when will dinner be ready?” I asked.
“The first course you requested is about five minutes away from being completed and will be served when Miss Narzand arrives. The main course will finish around the time that you all are finishing the first course, and then dessert will be served upon your request after that.”
I nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”
They responded only with a courteous bow and left without another word, and I returned to my seat and sat down, opting not to touch the glass of water that was placed at my spot to replace my coffee.
Clearly, I couldn’t be trusted to drink right now.
Why the hell was I so nervous all of a sudden? It wasn’t like I’d never been out on a date before, even if I preferrednotto date my subs.
And this wasn’t a date.
“Fuck,” I said out loud.
I took a deep breath and rubbed my temples, begging my body to cool itself down. All I was doing was having a meal with Avion so that I could discuss the loosened restrictions and, if the time was right, give her the file. I looked down at it as the thought crossed my mind. Inside was the truth about her grandparents, that they were still alive and well in Bordeaux. It was an unexpected peace offering. When I found out the information, of course, I hadn’t planned to use it to sway her thoughts one way or the other, but if it could help her to know that I wasn’t just in this for her father’s money, then it was worth it.
Then again, wasn’t I supposed to just be in it for her father’s money?
I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. I couldn’t think straight. How did everything get so jumbled? Why did my heart keep beating so fast? Why was I being so much more considerate of this woman than I’d ever been of any other woman? I’d convinced myself that she was the one, true, perfect sub I’d been looking for, but would a perfect sub honestly require this much work? The pull with subs for me had been the fact that I could remain unattached.
So why was I willing to do so much to please Avion? Why didn’t I just move on?
Someone cleared their throat from the entrance to the dining room and I looked up to see Milli standing there. “I’ve brought your dinner guest.”
The sarcasm in his voice when he said it didn’t miss me, but I ignored it. He may have his reservations about the path forward that I’d charted, but I believed in it to work. Namely, because it had to. I had to regain Avion’s trust and make it her choice to want to stay at my compound and eventually open up about her family. Only then would we be able to make any sort of dent in the Narzand brothers’ empire that would equate to the money their father stole from me.
And if she ended up being my sub along the way, then so be it.
To be respectful, I stood up from the table and waited as Milli led Avion into the room. She’d changed from the sundress she was wearing that morning and was now dressed in one of the evening dresses I’d stocked in her closet. It was black and hugged her form in quite the enticing way, and her hair was parted in the center and hanging on either side of her face. She really was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Milli pulled out her chair and she gave him a sweet smile as she sat down with him pushing in the chair for her, and once she was settled, I looked at Milli and said, “Thank you,” and then sat down myself.
“I’ll see you both tomorrow,” Milli said and then he left.
“Does Milli live here?” Avion asked quietly.
“No,” I said. “Although I’ll admit I’ve put him through the wringer, and he’s had to stay the night more than once.”
Avion nodded. “Ah.”
