“Say it again,” I say.
Her eyes narrow.
“I wish for you to stay here with me, including your cats,” she says.
I grin because I made her repeat herself.
“Ten with the paddle for the cheek,” she says when she sees it.
My grin only gets wider as I test how far I can go.
She nods knowingly as her mouth tugs into a grin.
Before she can do or say anything, I shout, “Henry!”
He comes into the entrance hall.
“If you would be so kind as to move my cats to this house,” I say like a right old lady of the house without breaking the gaze into Victoria's eyes.
“Very well, Miss Phillips,” says Henry and withdraws.
The moment the door is closed, Victoria says, “Get up there,”and points with her eyes upstairs, where her pleasure room is. “Right now!”
“Of course, Mistress,” I say, but can’t keep the grin from my face.
I will, undoubtedly, pay for it. But I counted on it. I might be her submissive, but I will always keep my free will—even if it drives her nuts. It is supposed to.
EPILOGUE
PLAYLIST: JACKIE O – IZZY ESCOBAR
Victoria
“You will, for Christ’s sake, get your arse onto that stage right now,” I say as I push her like a reluctant child towards the main stage of the Royal Opera House. “There will be no one there except Walter and me. You have read to me a million times. Just pretend it is only you on that stage. You won’t even see us.”
“But—“
“No but. You told me to decide for you, and I did. You belong on this stage. There is no point in dwelling on the past.”
“And what if he thinks I am horrible?”
“He won’t because he has already seen the video I made in the King’s Vault of you reading Shakespeare to me.”
“You didn’t!” she shouts.
“Oh, I did,” I say and add hissing, “Now go, or I’ll make you stand there naked.”
Her face falls. I would never make her do it, and my threat is thereby empty, but she mustn’t know that.
“Remember what Brené told you,” I say.
“Live true to yourself, Mia,” she repeats Brené’s words when we met her last year.
“Exactly. And this is your true self,” I say.
Her eyes are filled with dread.
“Go, now! End of discussion.” I say harshly and give her the final push. She stumbles onto the stage, and I join Walter in the auditorium.
