Waiting for Me by Ava Claire Read Free Book Online

go. If I was cruel,
     I would have said that she never had me in the first place. Instead, I turned on my
     heels and went out the back door.
    That same desperation was back in her eyes, her voice. And I was done being polite.
     I wanted her out.
    “There is no ‘our’, Delilah. What we had was fun while it lasted. And just so we’re
     clear, it was a no-strings attached arrangement. An arrangement you agreed to.”
    Tears built in her eyes, her voice raw and loud. “But you knew I was falling for you. And you saw me, you took care of me, then you tossed me aside!”
    I knew painting me as a villain was important to her narrative, but it wasn’t an accurate
     portrayal. I could have told her my story, that I knew what it was like to love and
     not have that returned. It was the reason for my rules. Not getting attached, compartmentalizing
     my emotions, keeping my subs at a distance, all of the above kept my heart safe from
     reliving that hurt. I didn’t let anyone get too close.
    Except Melissa.
    She was the one woman I wanted to know me. A woman I wanted to know inside and out,
     as my submissive and more. A woman I was losing precious time with every moment I
     wasted with Delilah.
    “It’s time for you to go,” I said darkly.
    Delilah’s tears were in free fall, coursing down her face as she stood her ground.
     “What, are you going to pick me up and throw me out?”
    “Delilah,” I warned. The anger in me smiled evilly at the thought, but I would never
     put my hands on her, or any woman, in anger.
    She squared her shoulders. “It’s okay. You should do it. I’m used to being hurt by
     you.”
    I went rigid like she’d just hit me. It was always my greatest fear that I’d misread
     a lover and miss some sort of mental issue that created their need to be dominated
     or spanked. To each their own, but I dominated because I never felt as alive as when
     I had a woman on her knees before me; discovering herself, and how freeing submission
     was. It wasn’t about inflicting pain or causing harm for harm’s sake. To hear that
     Delilah missed that and thought it was all about hurting her felt like a blow to the
     gut.
    “He might not throw you out on your ass, but I will.”
    Melissa stood in the doorway, just waiting for the word.
    Delilah looked back and forth between us, swiping at her cheeks. “We’re not done here.
     Not by a long shot.”

7
    ****
    M elissa peered over at me, hesitation dancing over her soft features. “Do you want
     to...talk about it?”
    I dabbed at my mouth, trying to keep my voice relaxed even though Delilah’s words
     were still echoing through my head.
    It’s okay. You should do it. I’m used to being hurt by you.
    “Do I want to talk about the train wreck that went down an hour ago?” I gave it to
     her straight. “Not really.”
    My phone sang in my pocket. I retrieved it and looked at the screen. It was my assistant,
     Jessica. Again. I was tempted to answer it, but I decided better of it, letting it
     go to voicemail.
    She pivoted herself to me, not letting it go that easy. “I think the string of events
     are pretty self-explanatory. She was into you, you weren’t really into her, she lost
     her shit.” She raked her golden bangs out of her eyes and on closer inspection, I
     saw that I misread her. It wasn’t hesitation on her face, or wariness. It was attentive
     curiosity. Like she was standing at the edge of the pool, weighing the options of
     dipping her toe in the water or just jumping in.
    “I’m asking about her whole ‘you hurt me’ comment.”
    I scrubbed my hands down my face with a groan. “I was worried you caught that.”
    “It’s hard to miss something like that,” Melissa answered quietly. “And I saw your
     face. You looked—” She nibbled her bottom lip as she tried to find the right word.
     “Broken.”
    Sticks and stones...what a fucking crock. I knew all too well that words could injure
     more deeply than any physical blow. I