“That’s what we’re doing right now.”
“So, what happens now?” she asked.
“I’ll send you a negotiations questionnaire tonight.”
“A questionnaire?”
“Sometimes it’s easier to approach the hard stuff in writing, and it’s good to have to think about your answers. It can really clarify things for you. It gives me a good base to start from, then we can go into more detail in conversation as needed, and I’ll have it all in writing to refer back to. But I’d really like to have dinner with you first and continue our conversation. It’s getting a little chilly out here. And I’m getting hungry. How about you?”
She smiled, and her smile was so lovely, it felt like a soft punch to the gut, but in the best way possible.
“I’m actually starving.”
“One of the restaurants here okay? Or we could head into town, if you’d rather, since you work here.”
“There’s a nice diner in town,” she suggested.
“Hard to beat good old-fashioned diner food. Let’s do it.” He stood and offered her his hand, and she took it, hers small and soft in his, soft in a way that made his heart pound in his chest. “Let me grab my car—I’ll pick you up in front of the apartments in a few minutes, unless you need more time to get ready?”
“I should run back up to get my purse and my coat, but that shouldn’t take long.”
“Sounds good. Come on.”
He held on to her hand as they walked out of the barn, and he could still sense the heat of her touch even after she slipped her hand from his when they got closer to the staff building.
Something about this woman.
He really couldn’t wait to spend some time with her tonight, or more, if things worked out the way he hoped they would.
They parted at the elevator of the apartment building. She took the elevator upstairs, and he took the stairs down to the garage level, then a few minutes later he pulled up to where shewaited for him. He got out and went around to open the car door for her. She looked up at him, her brows furrowed in confusion.
He gestured to the seat, but she only blinked at him.
“I-I’m sorry. I’m not used to anyone being so… nice to me. So gallant.”
“Is it gallant? Yeah, I guess I don’t mind that. But I should tell you, in my mind it’s nothing more than good manners. Well, maybe a little more than that, in my case, but either way, you’ll have to get used to me opening the car door for you.”
She smiled, a look of pure pleasure on her face. “It might take some practice on my end.”
“Don’t worry—I’ll remind you. And if you forget too often, I can always take it out on your ass.”
“Oh, we’re going there, are we?” she asked with a laugh.
“Gotta start sooner or later, and you did say you wanted to start sooner. It’s good for you to know what you can expect from me.”
“Okay, so smack on the ass if I forget the rules. Got it,” she said, sass in her tone. But he liked it.
Despite the humor, he felt some kind of understanding pass between them in that moment, that the roles they were going to discuss were already kicking in, and that was exactly where he wanted her to be: in recognition of his dominance. In recognition of her submitting to him when the time was right. It was a small gesture, but in a power dynamic, the smaller, more subtle things were often the most telling.
They chatted idly on the way into town, with Claudia pointing out different sights, telling him a little about the history of the Ranch. It really was a beautiful area, even more so when a light snow began to fall from the darkening sky.
Porter’s Corner was a small quaint town, and he liked it immediately. He found a parking spot on the street and pulledover. He shut the engine off, and as he unbuckled his seatbelt, she did the same and reached for her door.
“Ah-ah,” he chided gently, reaching out for her hand.
“Oof! I forgot already.”
“A mark in the ledger on night one? At this rate, you’re gonna be in so much trouble.”
