6
CHAPTER SIX
Sophia isin somewhat of a daze and I watch with fascination as realization dawns on her. The emotions playing across her face betray her private thoughts—lust, confusion, comprehension and finally, humiliation. She bows her head and avoids my eyes, her face turning a deep shade of crimson red, and I am convinced she is about to start crying again.
“Hey,” I say softly, “It’s okay. Really.”
She shakes her head and replies, “No, no, I was completely out of line. If you fire me now, I completely understand.”
“Sophia,” I can’t avoid the slight admonishment in my tone, “I’m not going to fire you. In case you didn’t notice, I was a willing participant.Ishould be the one apologizing toyou.”
I sigh heavily and continue with the part I don’t really want to say but I know I should. “If you feel uncomfortable working with me now, I can transfer you to another area to report to someone else. I don’t want you to feel pressured or awkward at work now.”
Sophia’s deep brown eyes finally rise to meet mine head-on. She stutters for a second before getting her words out. “I - I don’t want that! Dominic, don’t you know? I love working with you, learning from you, and just being with you. What happened just now-,” her voice trails off, her brows furrow, and she looks down at her fidgeting hands.
“You regret it? It’s fine, Sophia. You can say it.”
“Regret it? No! I’vewantedto do that for so long now,” Sophia says emphatically as her eyes search mine for affirmation. “I just can’t believe I really did that. That just isn’t like me at all, being the aggressor. It’s embarrassing,” she says as she first lowers her eyes then her head.
Gently grabbing her chin, I lift her face as I say, “Sophia, you shouldn’t be embarrassed. If I hadn’t wanted it to happen, it wouldn’t have. Now, we have to focus on where we go from here.”
“Where do you want to go?” she whispers to me.
“That’s up to you. I am obviously attracted to you, but I’m also your employer. This is uncharted territory for me, but I’d rather you make the decision for what’s best foryou,” I purposely answer cryptically.
“Really? You care about what’s best forme?”
Now my brows are furrowed and I narrow my eyes at her, “Of course. Why wouldn’t I want what’s best for you?”
“I just don’t think anyone ever has considered that before,” she says absently, momentarily deep in thought somewhere else. “I’d like to see where this goes. I already know I like spending time with you. I’d like it to be more.”
“Sophia, there are things you need to know about me, beyond how I am during our working relationship,” I know I’m not telling her everything just yet, but there some things that are ingrained in me now.
“Okay,” she says apprehensively.
“One, I only want committed, monogamous relationships. I don’t share and it won’t end well for anyone involved if that were to happen,” I purposely wait, because this is a deal-breaker for me. I realize it’s a shocker for most women—that a man would willingly choose a monogamous relationship instead of playing the field.
“I won’t have to share you?” she asks incredulously, and I narrow my eyes at her choice of words.
“No, no sharing either way. I won’t share you with another man and there will be no other women for me. If you aren’t onboard with that, there’s no point in continuing this conversation,” I say decidedly.
She blinks her eyes in shock before agreeing. “Yes, I’m onboard with that. I just wasn’t expecting that. Most men want to be a free agent, especially in a new relationship.”
“I know they do, but I don’t. I have certain expectations and there’s no way they would be met if we’re not equally committed.”
“What expectations?” she asks, now narrowing her eyes at me, tilting her head to the side and watching me carefully.
I can’t help but smile at the look on her beautiful face. Her brown eyes are so expressive and she definitely doesn’t have a poker face. Just when she thinks she has me figured out, I throw her a curve ball and she has to rethink her position. “Sophia, my parents always taught me to take care of women. Not that they’re weaker and can’t take care of themselves, but that it’s a man’s responsibility to love, cherish, and protect the woman he cares about. I take that very seriously—it’s deeply ingrained in me now. If you can’t believe in me and trust me to do what I think is best for you and for us, we won’t work.”
“Are you saying you get to make all the decisions for me?” I instantly recognize that there is no judgment in her tone of voice. She is simply asking for clarification.
“Yes and no. There are obviously times you will have to make decisions without me, but I would expect that you would make the choice that you know I would approve of. If you go against me, it goes against my ability to protect and care for you.”
Sophia pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes taking on a distant look, and I know she’s deep in thought. Her apprehensiveness and body gestures are giving away her feelings. She’s conflicted—on one hand, she wants to question me, but on the other hand, she isn’t sure if she should.
“What if I mess up?” she asks and immediately casts her eyes downward. Seeing her muscles tense up, I know she is more than nervous—she’s scared. Her body is cringing at whatever thoughts are flying through her mind and my mind conjures images of someone abusing her.
“We will talk about it, Sophia,” I respond and wait for her to look at me again.
