Hold My Hand by Paloma Beck Read Free Book Online Page B

cheek and I leaned into his
touch. My body craved him, moved towards him of its own free will.
I couldn’t help but avert my eyes to the floor when he was this
close. His presence was overwhelming.
    “I want to learn about
you.”
    With his thumb under my
chin, he raised my gaze to him before answering, “Baylor lives in
my guest cottage, and to answer your earlier question, yes, Baylor
has the weekends free unless we’re traveling. Does this meet your
satisfaction, little elf?”
    “Yes sir.”
    A clearing of the
throat behind me caught our attention. The maître de, waiting to
seat us, bowed slightly and we followed. Our table was near the
window looking out on the city. Tucked behind foliage, we were
isolated, with utmost privacy except for the darkened sky beyond
the window. This was one of those swanky places that required
reservations, the type I’d never frequented. My attire –the
beautiful clothes William had sent me- suddenly made more sense. He
would know I’d own nothing acceptable for this
restaurant.
    There was no menu
placed in front of me. I remembered this from last time we ate at a
restaurant so I didn’t even ask. I sat quietly, smoothing down the
soft fabric of the shortest skirt I’d ever worn in all my life. I
liked it though. It made me feel pretty and feminine. When I
walked, it ever so lightly brushed against my thighs. I felt
lighter, more delicate but not so much breakable as I’ve felt in
the past.
    Today’s experience has
liberated me somehow, leaving me to feel more like a woman to be
desired than ever before. William has brought this feeling to me.
If for nothing else, I owe him for this gift.
    William’s voice wrapped
around me as he spoke and I returned from my inner thoughts. “I’m
pleased you enjoyed your afternoon at the spa.”
    “It was an entirely new
experience. I still don’t quite know what to think of all that
plucking.” My sensor failed me again as these words escaped my
lips, and I’m graced with William’s robust laugh. I amuse him; my
sheltered, insecure little life amuses him. If not overshadowed by
the joy of William’s laughter, these moments would’ve caused me to
question myself.
    “Aubrey, I can assure you
the plucking, as you call it, will well be worth it.”
    “ I did enjoy the
pampering. I haven’t worn nail polish since I was a little girl and
my sister painted my toes.” He smiled at my confession before
looking to the approaching waiter bringing us wine.
    I continued to observe him,
again from under lowered lashes as the waiter poured wine into
William’s glass and waited. After tasting, William nodded and the
waiter filled both glasses. He placed the bottle on the table and
left us, all this done without a single word so very much like I
remember from our last meal at a restaurant.
    “You’ll enjoy this wine.
It’s sweeter than the last and I suspect you will found it quite
delicious.” William sipped from his glass and raised his eyebrow in
expectation. I picked up my own glass, placed the sparkling glass
to my lips and tasted the warm liquid as it rolled onto my tongue.
It was magical, true to his word; this wine was more delicious than
the first.
    I embraced the feeling –the
newly waxed Aubrey drinking wine in this restaurant with this
glorious man– and I allowed the warmth from the wine, the amazing
tastes bursting on my tongue, to relax me.
    Setting my glass down, I
felt myself smile. It was a good feeling.
    “You’re smiling. I very much
like you smiling.” I liked this too. I could count how often I’ve
smiled in recent years – not nearly enough.
    “Thank you.”
    I reached to pick up my wine
glass again but William took it instead. He held it to my lips with
one hand while his other moved my hands to my lap. His eyes
remained focused on me as he served me sip after sip. I felt his
eyes watching as I swallowed and the nectar coated my throat. It
was mesmerizing to be watched by William and before I realized, he
was