Zora turns to face me, her brown eyes watching me with a softness I haven't seen in a long time. She doesn't have to say anything to make me realize what I need to do to fix the bridge I've been burning. I reach for the buttons of my shirt with steady fingers, my movements slow and intentional. I shed the layers of my polished corporate persona, dropping my shirt and my pantsuntil I'm standing before her in nothing. The cool air hits my chest; I don't look away from her gaze.
I lower myself to my knees on the hardwood floor, the position of total submission feeling like the only honest way to offer what I owe her. I rest my hands on my thighs and look up at her, stripped of the authority I've used as a shield for years. This is my choice, a physical surrender to the person I've spent months unintentionally stifling. I can't let another night go by without her knowing how much I've messed up.
Taking a deep breath, the vulnerability of being at her feet makes my blood hum with a strange combination of fear and relief. "I'm sorry, Zora. I'm so deeply sorry for what I did to you. I stole your autonomy because I was too arrogant to believe you could survive without my hand on the wheel. I made your success feel like a lie by manipulating those sponsorships and treating your life like a project I needed to manage. I took away your sense of achievement and I called it protection because I can't face the idea of you not needing me anymore."
Zora stares at me for a long time, letting the silence build while she processes my words. She walks toward me, her footsteps light on the hardwood floor. She stops in front of me, her knees inches from my chest. She reaches out and runs a warm hand over the top of my blonde hair, her fingers grazing the scar on my eyebrow with a tenderness that makes my chest ache.
"I know it's hard for you to be here on your knees like this, Reid. I know every part of your nature wants to be in control of the room and the situation."
She sighs softly, her touch lingering on my temple. "I needed to build the Sunflower Center with my own hands. I needed to know that every brick and every tile belonged to me because I earned them. If I had let you handle the funding, the Sunflower Center would have always been your victory, not mine. I don't want to live in your shadow anymore."
I lean my forehead against her stomach, the soft knit of her dress a comfort against my skin. "I understand that now. I see the woman you've become, and I'm disgusted that I ever tried to keep you in a box."
Zora tilts my head back so I have to look into her eyes. She smiles, and it's the most honest expression she's given me since the day we met. "I miss the authoritative side of you. I miss the way you handled things back during our session through the RAA. But I can't give into that part of us until I know we're on equal footing outside the bedroom. I can't be your Omega until I'm also your partner in life."
I reach up and take her hands in mine, my thumbs brushing over her knuckles as I look at her with absolute certainty. "I'm your partner, Zora. I'm done trying to lead you or protect you from things you can handle yourself. I'm right here beside you from now on."
Zora smiles and the tension that's been between us for months dissolves into something warm and familiar. She reaches for the hem of her dress and pulls it over her head in one fluid motion, revealing the warm curves of her body. She steps closer and rests her hands on my shoulders, her eyes searching mine with a quiet intensity. "I'm tired of making every decision, Reid. I've been the boss for months and I'm exhausted. I need you to take over for me tonight. I need you to be Sunday."
I rise from the floor and look down at her, my height and presence filling the space between us as I reclaim the dominance she is asking for. I'm no longer the apologetic man on his knees; I'm the Alpha she needs to regulate her world. Reaching out, I cup her face while my thumbs stroke her cheekbones with a possessive pressure. "I will take care of you, Omega. But we're doing this with absolute clarity. The safe word is Red. It's a hard stop that I will never argue with."
I lean forward and press a slow, lingering kiss to her forehead, letting the heat of my skin ground her for a beat before I continue. "I'm never going to take your choice away ever again because your consent is the only thing that matters to me."
Zora nods, her breath hitching as she leans into my touch. "I understand that Red is the word, Alpha."
I take her hand and walk her toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the heart of the city. I make her stand inches from the glass, her naked body illuminated by the flickering lights of the skyline. Across from us, the windows of another high-rise apartment building are visible, showing the warm glow of living rooms and the silhouettes of people moving inside. I step behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her back against my chest so she can feel the rigid length of my cock against her spine.
Leaning down, I press my lips to the sensitive skin behind her ear and drop my voice into the sultry baritone I know she likes. "I'm going to drive you mad tonight, Omega. You're going to feel every bit of need I've been holding back."
I move my hand down between her thighs, my fingers finding the damp heat of her pussy. I slide two fingers inside her and curl them at the knuckle to press them into her G-spot. I stare at our reflection in the glass and then at the buildings across the street. "Look at those apartments, Zora. We can see them, which means someone over there could easily look over and see exactly what I'm doing to you right now. There's a real risk of people seeing us."
My fingers pump faster, as my palm hits the hard peak of her clit while I watch her expression in the glass. "Does the idea of someone watching you take my fingers turn you on, Omega?"
Her pussy clenches around my fingers and slick drips out of her opening. I let out a low chuckle against her neck, the vibration of my voice making her shiver. "I have my answer."
I continue to work her. I keep her close to the glass but don't force her against it, letting her hover in that vulnerable space between me and the city. I watch her eyes go unfocused as I drive her toward the edge, my fingers moving in a steady, punishing rhythm. She hits her peak with a muffled cry, her body shaking as the release washes over her. A fresh wave of slick runs down my palm and her inner thighs as she leans back against me, her body tensing with an orgasm as she moans,
"Put your palms against the glass and stick your ass out toward me.” I step behind her and grip her hips, watching her reflection as her eyes widen while she stares out at the city.
Lining my cock up with her entrance, I sink into her pussy in one long thrust that forces a strangled gasp out of her. I find a relentless rhythm from behind, my hands digging into the soft skin of her waist while the window creaks under the force of my movements. I want her to feel the vulnerability of the position and the absolute strength of my claim.
"Now if someone looks over here, they'll really get a show, Omega. "
She moans and brings her ass back as I thrust forward, making her ass cheeks jiggle with the force. We keep that hard momentum; our skin slapping fills the room.
"They going to see your perfect tits bouncing, and that wanton look on your face."
Another, louder moan leaves her. "Fuck, why is this so hot?"
A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips. I took a gamble on whether she would be into this; I'm glad I chose right. I thrust into her to my knot and stop, before I lean over her back and place my lips next to her ear. "And no matter how much they may want you or me, you have the knowledge of knowing you belong to me, and I to you."
I pull out and turn her around before she can catch her breath. I lift her and pin her back against the glass. I watch her bodyjerk at the contact with the cool surface, her breath hitching in her throat as she stares at me with wide eyes. I enter her again from the front, my hands reaching behind her to grip the window frame as I hammer into her heat. I'm reclaiming every inch of her, my eyes locked on hers while the city lights blur in the background.
When her breathing turns into frantic gasps again, I don't pull out. I keep my cock buried deep inside her as I lift her into my arms, the shift in gravity making her gasp and cling to my shoulders. I carry her to the massive bed with her legs wrapped around my waist. I lay her back against the white linens. I move over her so I can look down into her eyes.
The moment turns more intimate. I continue the pace with a slow and agonizing precision that focuses on her pleasure. I watch the way her pupils swallow the brown of her eyes as I hit the depths of her pussy with every stroke.
My knot nudges against her opening, stretching her inch by inch until I pop inside. Zora’s eyes widen as she feels the fullness, her pussy clenching around the base of my length in a tight, welcoming grip. I lean down and press my forehead to hers, my voice a low rumble. "You're taking every bit of me, Zora. I'm never letting you go again."
