Need by Sherri Hayes Read Free Book Online Page B

down.
    As we were eating, I kept eyeing the paper he’d brought down with him that was lying at the other side of his plate. He waited until he was finished eating before handing it to me. 
    “I want you to read this and write your thoughts about it in your journal. We’ll talk about it when I get home.” 
    I nodded my agreement, and he smiled at me while getting up to complete his morning ritual before leaving for work.
    The paper he’d given me talked about trust. It explained trust in a way that I’d never thought of before. I not only put that in my journal, but also told him that night as we were sitting in his chair. Although trusting someone did make me vulnerable, it also created a feeling of safety. Something I was already feeling when it came to him.
    On Friday morning, Stephan did the same thing. He disappeared while I was cooking and brought another paper down with him. He left once again, giving me the same instructions as the day before.
    This time, the paper talked about submission and what it meant. I found I had many questions after reading it and wrote them all down in my journal so that I wouldn’t forget. That night was the first time I let him read my journal.
    He read in silence through the pages I’d written, not commenting until he was finished. “You express yourself well in writing, Brianna.”
    “Thank you, Sir,” I said.
    One of the questions I had was about kneeling. I was amazed to learn just how much he liked it when he would come home and I’d be there waiting for him. He told me how it felt to stand over me and greet me.
    We talked for hours before it turned into something else. He moved his hands more freely over my body as his mouth covered mine. Everything was slow and almost comforting. This was Stephan. He said he wouldn’t hurt me, and I trusted him. Plus, I had my safewords.
    By Saturday morning, I’d almost forgotten later that evening, I’d be in a room full of a hundred strangers. Almost, but not quite.
    I tried to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t think about it too much, but it kept creeping into my mind. My worst fear was that something would happen, and I would embarrass him. He’d tried to reassure me every time the subject came up, but I knew he could tell how nervous I was.
    By one o’clock, I’d cooked two full meals and cleaned the entire downstairs, with the exception of his bedroom and bath. I was just getting ready to head upstairs when the phone rang.
    Stephan’s voice floated to where I was in the dining room. From his comments, I could tell someone was here to see us. I just didn’t know whom.
     
    Stephan
    The last thing I expected on this day was a visit from my aunt. It wasn’t that she never came to see me at my condo, more that it was rare. Usually, she would just pick up the phone and call, or ask me to stop by.
    When I hung up with security downstairs, I glanced over at Brianna to find her watching me. She quickly averted her eyes, but I knew she would have heard enough to know that we had a visitor. I walked over to her. She still wasn’t looking at me. 
    “Diane’s here. Why don’t you go freshen up while I get the door?”
    Brianna nodded and went to her room. She disappeared just as my aunt’s knock sounded.
    Diane was dressed in a light blue pantsuit. Her hair pulled back so that it was off her shoulders but cascading down her back. She was beautiful and classy, as always.
    “Hello, Diane. Come in.”
    “Thank you,” she said as she walked through the door.
    I didn’t miss her eyes darting around the room in search of Brianna. “Would you like something to drink?”
    “Oh, no thank you, dear.” Diane took a seat on the couch. I followed her lead and sat in my chair across from her. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here,” she said before I could comment.
    “Well, yes, the thought did cross my mind.”
    She looked around again. “Is Brianna here?”
    “Yes,” I answered. “She just went to her room to get