9
Slade
Putting out place settings and finding a jar candle was probably overkill, but after busting my ass all day, trying to make sure Jack couldn't find any reason to be upset with me, I wanted everything tonight to go perfect. And wasn't that a load of fucked up shit, seeing as I had never—not once in my life—given a damn about trying to woo somebody.
Hookups were easy. Approach somebody at the bar, maybe even sit on my ass until someone swiped on my profile, get each other hard, get off, and get gone. And, yet, here I was trying to make a good impression on Jack. It was the least I could do after the lousy first impression I made last night. The only way that could've gone any worse would've been if I had puked all over the leather interior of his car, or on his expensive shoes.
My apartment smelled like a mix of lemon cleaner and some sort of frozen pasta Jack had picked out. The combination shouldn't make me smile, but it did. It smelled like hope that I could eventually pull my head out of my ass.
There was absolutely nothing Jack could fault me for.
After he texted to let me know he was about fifteen minutes away, I ran into the bathroom to check my appearance again. My hair was neatly pulled back into a low ponytail and the button-down shirt I wore over a simple black t-shirt looked brand new, because it was. I’d been panicking over what to wear when I remembered the purple and black checked-pattern shirt I’d tossed in the back of the closet as soon as I got home from Christmas with my family last year. The dark wash jeans did nothing for my assets, but they were the only pair I owned that weren’t shredded, faded, or stained.
I glanced down at my feet, trying to figure out if I should put on socks and shoes.
Screw that. This was my house and I was going to be comfortable. I was already going way outside of my comfort zone. My stomach did a flip when there was a knock at my door.
He came back.
Of course, he came back, he said he would. The only thing that was up for debate was whether he would stay once he decided if I had made enough progress.
I felt damn good as I checked out the state of the apartment again. Although, I had been annoyed by Jack's demands earlier, now I was grateful to him for pushing me. It was amazing how much better I felt mentally, now that I wasn't being weighed down by my own mess.
Not only that, but I had gone above and beyond, getting everything on Jack's list done. I stood tall, with a broad smile on my face as I swung the door open. Jack would be—
Okay, so I hadn't expected a pissed off scowl when I answered the door. “What's wrong?”
Jack let out a frustrated sigh. He lifted a hand toward my face, dropping it to his side when he’d only been inches away from touching me. “Did you take a nap today?”
“I didn't need one. Once I got going, I sort of let the momentum carry me through everything on your list, and even a few other tasks,” I explained.
“But I told you to take a break and get some rest.” Jack shrugged out of his jacket, handing it to me. I hung it on one of the hooks behind the door. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been able to get to them without tripping over crap.
“I know, but I was afraid that if I stopped, I would lose the motivation to keep going,” I admitted. “I thought you'd be happy.”
Ugh, I hated the whiny, dejected tone in my voice.
“Make no mistake, Slade, I'm proud as hell of what you've accomplished. But if you want to make a good impression, you need to prove that you canlistenwhen I tell you to do something. If I can't trust you to take a break so you don't kill yourself trying to get your apartment clean all in one day, how am I supposed to trust you to use a safe word if I push you too far in the bedroom?”
I hadn't thought about it that way. I'd been so gung-ho about trying to get through Jack's stupid little list, that I hadn't considered there might be an underlying lesson involved.
I hung my head as I shuffled toward the kitchen. “I'm sorry. I'll do better. I promise.”
Jack squeezed my shoulder and spun me around. “Look at me, boy.”
I couldn't. I didn't want to see the disappointment on his face. Just one time, it would be nice to do something right.
Jack squeezed my chin, forcing my gaze to meet his. “This is all new to you. I understand that. But we’re going to get one thing straight right now.”
The commanding tone in Jack's voice would've me hard if I wasn't so upset with myself. “Okay?”
“I knew who you were when I brought you home last night. I knew you were going to be a handful. You are going to challenge me, just as much as I'm going to push you, but that's part of the draw for me.” He gave me a slow up and down appraisal. “I’m sure there are men out there who want nothing more than to be served, but I’m not one of them. When you fall in line, I want it to be because I’veearnedyour submission, not because you think it’s something you should hand over to make me happy.”
“I thought you said you expect me to obey you.” I massaged my temples, trying to fight off the headache I felt coming on. This shit was confusing as fuck, definitely nothing like the porn I may or may not have bookmarked on my computer.
“I absolutely do,” Jack confirmed. “But I didn't give you that to-do list to see how compliant you would be. I fully expected the pushback you gave this morning.” Jack's hand slid around to the back of my neck. I tilted my head to the side, resting my cheek against his palm. “I don't deal well with yes-men. That goes for, both, my personal and professional lives. I want to spend time with people who aren't afraid to speak their own minds. And, honestly, getting to punish you when you step out of line is a massive turn on. You wouldn't want to take that away from me, would you?”
I let out a weak chuckle. “No, I guess not.”
