"I can't just ignore it."
"You can't control it either. So reading every comment, every article, every post is just letting them in your head." I turn her to face me. "That's what they want. They want you spiraling, doubting yourself, breaking down."
"Not breaking down."
"Close enough." I see the cracks forming. "When'd you eat last?"
She doesn't answer.
I pull her to the kitchen, make her sit. I put together grilled gulf shrimp, red beans and rice, with cornbread. It's nothing elaborate but it's enough to keep her functional.
She picks at it, barely eating.
"Simone."
"I'm not hungry."
"I don't care. Eat."
She takes a few bites, then sets the fork down. "Luc, I can't do this right now."
"Can't do what?"
"Pretend everything's fine. Pretend I'm handling this. Pretend I'm not furious and violated and exhausted." Her voice cracks slightly. "I need a minute where I don't have to be strong."
There it is.
"Come here." I pull her out of the chair, lead her to the couch. She sinks against me, tremors running through her body. She's not crying, just shaking with the effort of holding everything together.
I let her stay there. Let her lean. Let her not be the CEO, not be the fighter. Let her just be exhausted.
She eases back, the shaking finally stopped. She looks at me.
"I hate this," she says quietly.
"I know."
"I hate that Armand did this. I hate that someone on my board leaked it. I hate that strangers are judging me for choices that were mine to make." Her fists clench. "And I hate that I can't make it stop. I can't make my mind stop running through every possible outcome, every way this could go wrong, every person who's going to use this against me."
"You need to stop thinking."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can." I frame her face, hold her gaze. "But you need help shutting your mind off. And I can give you that."
Understanding flickers in her eyes. Hesitation. Then a nod.
"Strip. Everything off."
She stands, pulls off her clothes with shaking hands. When she's naked, I gesture to the floor in front of me.
"On your knees."
The command comes out flat. There's no room for negotiation. She hesitates for just a second, then sinks to her knees in front of me.
"Good girl." I unbuckle my belt slowly, the leather sliding through the loops with a soft hiss. "You're going to take me inyour mouth. You're going to focus on nothing but pleasing me. And you're going to stop thinking about anything else."
Her breath catches. We've done a lot together, but oral's different. More vulnerable than anything we've done so far.
