The Billionaire's Heart (His Submissive, Part Four) by Ava Claire Page B

making it sing in ways I never knew were possible. To an outsider, maybe the idea of submission was so black and white. Hell, at first, even I was leery.
    But that was before Jacob opened my eyes. It was more than domination and control. It was spiritual. Giving him my body, my soul, my heart--nothing had ever been so simple. So right.
    She reached in her back pocket and pulled out a small tube of lip gloss and popped the lid. She smoothed the applicator over her lips then rubbed them together for what felt like an eternity.
    "So this is what’s going to happen." She pushed the tube back in her pocket and faced me, perching on the edge of the sink. "Jacob is gonna take you to lunch. Or dinner." She shook her head, rethinking it. "Nah, lunch. I can tell from your shade of pale that you won't be able to sit on this until dinner time."
    I watched her gather her ebony hair into a low bun and tuck it back into her ball cap just as an elderly woman with two kids shuffled in the bathroom.
    "After ordering, you're going to excuse yourself,” she continued, not even noticing them. “And that's all you have to do to keep your…” She scrunched her forehead, trying to find the right word. “ boss from losing every ounce of respect he's built since he strutted out of business school."
    The older woman was chatting with the little girl not in the stall. Even though I had a feeling our conversation didn't even make their radar, I leaned in toward Rachel, trying to be as confidential as possible. Being so close that I could smell the sugary notes of her perfume made my stomach lurch. The desire to do her harm raced through my mind
    "I don’t think you cared about him at all.” I stared at her intently, waiting for the blow to land. “Not if you want to ruin him like this.”
    Her mouth opened and closed and for a second, she faltered.
    "We can figure this out without involving anyone else," I said quickly, latching onto the moment of weakness. We both cared about Jacob and as jilted as she felt, there was obviously a part of her that didn’t want to hurt him. Why else was guilt burning in her eyes?
    She cleared her throat and turned her back to me. I held my breath, waiting for her to say it was all a mistake. But when she twisted back around, the look she aimed at me punched all the air from my lungs. The moment, and any chance I had, was gone.
    I watched helplessly as she stepped around me and gave her reflection in the mirror one final look. "We are going to figure this out. Or else." She paused at the door. "Text me the restaurant you guys decide on.” She blew me a kiss before pushing back into the lobby.

****
     
    The feel of Jacob's hand as he led me to our table should have had me floating on cloud nine. Instead, guilt anchored me to the ground. His hold was a stark reminder that I’d been lying to him all day.
    As soon as we met back up at the museum, he knew something was wrong. He pressed and prodded, not letting up until I forced a kiss that made me feel like even a bigger traitor. He’d spent the rest of the morning telling me how beautiful I was, how happy just spending the day with me made him. I’d given him Oscar worthy smiles and even another kiss or two that sent waves of lust rushing over me. But not even his lips could monsoon the shame that was slowly eating me whole. Every minute fed the swell of regret that had taken up residence in my chest.
    Jacob’s eyes brightened as we came to a stop at a table that overlooked the canal. “What do you think?”
    “It’s nice,” I offered, plopping down unceremoniously.
    “Just ‘nice’?” His voice was tight with disappointment. “I was hoping for something a little more descriptive than ‘nice’.”
    “It’s great!” I said, feigning cheerfulness. He didn’t seem to buy it, but he lowered himself into his seat with a small nod anyway.
    Once the waiter had poured our glasses of wine and ducked away, I knew that Jacob wasn’t going to let up. I felt