She's lying on her side, propped up on one elbow stroking her hand softly across my thigh. My cock stirs, tired yet needy. When she slides her hand across, grazing the hairs of my stomach I catch her fingers in mine. "You're pushing your luck," I smirk.

"I'm good at that." She whispers smiling before entwining her fingers in mine. I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her fingers gently.

"I've noticed. Now let's get cleaned up before your husband arrives." I say with a sarcastic smile. She rolls her eyes at me before her expression goes serious and she bites her lip. She sits up higher, resting her head on the headboard and peers down at me. Curious.

"You've seriously never had a girlfriend? Not one? Ever?" She sounds amazed.

"No. Not one. Ever. I've had submissives, and a domme. That's it."

"A what?" She frowns.

"A story for another day, come on. We've spent the entire day in bed. We need to get out." The clock on the bedside says 4:45pm. We had literally spent the last three hours fucking. They were the best three hours of living memory, except for maybe last night, but we had things to do. I go to move, but she pulls me back.

"Tell me. Are you saying you were someone's submissive?"

"Yes. That's what I'm saying."

"Who was she? I mean I assume it was a woman?"

My mouth tilts up in amusement. "Of course it was a woman. I was with her for six years." Her mouth all but drops open as her eyes go wide.

"Seriously? Six years? Did you love her?" She stares at me expectantly.

I stop moving and lie back down. Did I love Elena? I cared about her yes. I was thankful for what she did and I owed her a lot. Like I owed Charlie a lot. Charlie and Elena. Two women who had been instrumental in making me who and what I was today. Elena had of course been a lot more physically present than Charlie had. Her instruction during the course of our time together was evident in how I was with my submissives. All fifteen of them.

Charlie instead lived in my memory and my fantasies. She was how I realised what I wanted. She was also the passions I enjoyed and the kind of women I was attracted to.

"No. I didn't love her." In truth, I had no idea what love was. Whether I was even capable of it. "I cared about her. I still do. We're friends."

"Oh," She looks down.

"What?" I tilt her head up, my fingers under her chin.

"I don't know." She shrugs. "Six years is a long time. Longer than I've been with Matt. It's just.. Why did you stay with her if you didn't love her?"

"Dom/Sub relationships are complicated Charlie," I explain.

"I thought they were very simple. I thought everyone knew where they stood?" She smarts.

I raise an eyebrow and smile. "You always were too clever for your own good. But like I say, it's a conversation for another day. We don't have time."

"No," She shakes her head. "We don't." Her eyes burn into me.

I sigh. "You're really taking the job?"

"I really am."

I nod. "Then I guess I have a week to convince you otherwise." I smile.

"You're going back to Seattle tomorrow so I hope your phone sex game is strong." She smirks.

I brush my hand down her face and stroke my thumb across her mouth as I smile. "I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for the next five days whether you like it or not. I can help you pack." I shrug. She sits up, the sheet dropping from her to expose her perfect, edible breasts.

"What? You said you couldn't?" she shakes her head.

"I said I couldn't stay for a month." I correct.

She narrows her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did."

She stares at me a long time. All manner of emotions fleeting across her face. I recognise every single one. Had I learned her that quickly? Or had I just always known her?

"Christian, I need to do this. London. I haven't wanted something this much since..." she looks down. "Well, you. This is scary and real and different. I need to take this job."

"I understand. But Charlie-."

"No. Just please don't say anything else. But listen." She shifts forward, closer to me and grabs hold of my hand again. "I asked you last night what you needed and you had nothing. I know it wasn't that you didn't want to tell me, it's that I saw it in your eyes. I don't think it's because you don't need anything Christian. Everyone needs something. I don't know what's happened to you, maybe you'll tell me at some point but I'm not going to force you. But you need to think about what you need, what will make you happy, what will take you out of your comfort zone. Something scary and different and real. " She smiles. "Please tell me you'll do that."

"Ok," I say after a long silent moment. She nods and bites her lip thoughtfully as she stares at me.

"And you won't ask me to stay?" She says squeezing my hand tighter. The pleading in her voice is almost painful. I sigh deeply. Every fibre in me wants to defy her request.

"Ok. I won't ask you to stay." My voice is quiet and unconvincing. Maybe because I'd already decided that if she hadn't changed her mind in five days then I would definitely be asking her to stay. I'd maybe even beg if I had to. I hadn't done that for a long time.

She swallows once and then nods again before leaning forward to press her mouth to mine. "Thank you." She whispers. "Now let's go wash." She says with a soft smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Once I've rinsed myself clean, I take the proffered washcloth, which I've just watched her lather with expensive smelling shower gel. She smiles before turning her back to me, bending forward to press her palms flat against the shower wall. I start at her neck, rubbing in circles across her back and downwards left to right. I lean under the spray to press my mouth to her shoulder, biting it, making her moan softly. I wrap my free hand around her and slide it across her breast and down, between her legs.

"Christian... we don't have time." She protests. Yet she spreads her legs a little wider, welcoming me.

"Best be quick then." I whisper in her ear before biting softly on her earlobe. "Come for me."

I slide two fingers inside her making her moan again. She turns her head to find my mouth, which I capture greedily as the water cascades over us. She bites my lip as she moves against my fingers, eyes closed lost in the moment. I continue washing her body, covering her breasts and throat and stomach with soap. When she orgasms, she bites hard on my bottom lip but then licks and sucks at it softly, as though in apology.

As I remove my fingers from her, she turns around to face me. She looks beautiful, the water cascading over her face and body and her cheeks flushed with her climax. Gently, I push her back against the shower wall and pin her hands above her head as I kiss her hard, pushing my hips into her, pressing my erection against her warm wet body. I could spend a month inside her and it still wouldn't be long enough.

She pushes me back, smiling. "Gideon will be here soon."

"And," I move to kiss her again.

"Ok, so will we just invite him in with us?" she smiles.

The rage washes over me in a wave. The fresh image of her and Gideon together feels a lot like a kick to the gut. Or lower. I move back, out of her reach and then open the glass shower door and step out onto the warm bathroom floor. As I grab the towel I hear the water turn off.

"What just happened?" she asks stepping out of the shower.

I turn around to glare at her. "You still want him don't you? Gideon."

She looks at me as though I've just spoken Russian. "What?? No of course not." She smiles. "It was a joke," She steps toward me hands out, but I step back out of her reach. "Christian seriously? It was supposed to be funny. I was joking," She asserts.

I stare at her for the longest time, as the water drips from her body and splashes quietly on the floor. I walk toward her and take her face roughly in my hands, kissing her hard.

"Well, comedy isn't your forte. In case you were thinking about a change of career." I say against her mouth.

"Guess I'll stick to the day job then," She says breathlessly.

"You're mine. For the next 5 days, you belong to me Charlie." My tone is serious and firm as I hold her face in my hands.

She stands back and gives me an exaggerated glare, eyes inscrutable and wide. "I belong to you?"

"For 5 days. Yes." I answer simply. Well then I'd ask her not to go. Then I'd deal with what that meant. She looks like she's about to argue with me. Like she's trying the words on to see if they fit. When her expression softens I see the ghost of a smile appear at the side of her mouth.

"And what does that mean exactly? I belong to you."

Oh Charlie. I smile. "It means try it my way. For 5 days."

"Your way? You mean be a submissive?" She's trying hard to hide her smile.

"Be my submissive, yes." I nod, smiling.

She stares at me. "Are your submissives allowed to leave the bedroom? I have quite a few things to arrange in the next few days."

"We can negotiate the particulars." I smile.

She mulls the words over. "Well I won't be signing any stupid contract so you can forget that," She moves past me to grab a towel from the heated rail. She begins rubbing furiously at her hair as she turns back to me.

"I suppose you did try it my way for the last 18 hours." She says with a smile. "Not a green scarf in sight."

"See, I can be reasonable." I smirk. Charlie's face tells me she disagrees.

I run the towel over my chest and down between my legs. She watches my every move with a fascinated look on her face as she dries herself off. When I wrap the towel around my waist she places her own back on the rail and turns to pick up her silver watch resting on the sink.

"Shit, we really do need to get dressed. My ex-lover and soon to be ex-husband will be here soon." She says, turning to me with a smile. "Ok. We can discuss the particulars later."

"One of those particulars will be a complete embargo on any mention of your ex-lovers, by the way," I say with a frown. "Just so you know."

"Has anyone ever pointed out that you have some slight jealous/possessive issues?" She holds her hand up, thumb and index finger an inch apart. "You might want to raise them with your therapist when you next see them."

"If I spend any more time with him I may as well ask him to move in."

"Ok but not before taking him to dinner first." She smiles.

When I'm dressed I leave Charlie to finish getting ready, and head back through to the lounge. I lay the paperwork I had couriered over on the low table, together with the Mont Blanc that Elena bought me for my 26th birthday with my initials engraved. The two contracts I lay out side by side, skimming my eyes over all the points I asked Philip to highlight in the NDA. The other contract was a lot more straightforward.

"Any chance of you telling me what's going to happen? I really feel like we should have spoken about this before now," She says from behind me.

When I turn to look at her my chest constricts. Her face is bare and her hair is dry now and loose about her face, falling over her shoulders. It looks perfectly dishevelled. The lace summer dress that I peeled from her earlier is once more tight fitting around her breasts, the top button of the neckline casually undone. She looks 19. She looks like I'd imagined her in ever fantasy I'd ever had about her in the last 8 years.

"I'm going to save his company." I tell her.

Her mouth drops open partially and confusion comes over her face. "Why would you do that?"

"Because it's the smart business decision." I shrug, holding her eyes a moment before looking back at the contract.

I hear her come towards me, and she takes a seat next to me on the sofa. "When did you decide this?"

"Last night."

"After we fucked?" Her voice is suspicious.

I turn to look at her. "Yes." When she continues to stare at me I frown. "Charlie stop looking for hidden agendas where there aren't any. The company is salvageable. I'm going to salvage it."

"So you're going into business with him?" Her scathing tone feels like being whipped. "You and my husband will be business partners?"

I take a deep breath and turn to her. "Ex-husband. And No. I'm making a smart investment in his company. There's a distinct difference."

"Why?"

"I just explained that. I'm a businessman. I make business decisions."

"I thought you were my friend."

I feel my face contort. "I am Charlie, of course I am. But when we spoke last night it was clear you were concerned about it. About him. I thought this would be what you wanted."

Her shoulders sag in defeat, or acceptance, and she turns away from me to gaze down at the paperwork. "What's this?" She slides the NDA toward her.

"A non-disclosure agreement." I watch her face as she glances over it.

"What are the 'additional agreed upon terms'?" She quotes.

"That he signs the divorce papers," I explain. I didn't want that written down anywhere. We'd agree that verbally, with Gideon as a witness. But I'd make sure he signed them before he left this room. Her head turns to me. Eyes unreadable. "Do you have the papers?" I ask.

"Yes. In my purse." She nods.

"Good. Go get them now."

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and stands up. Going to where she dropped her brown leather purse earlier when she arrived in a rage. As she retrieves a manilla coloured envelope there is a knock on the door of the suite. Her whole body tenses at the sound, before relaxing again.

"It will be Gideon," I say softly.

"Of course," She nods before turning to go to the door. When she opens it he smiles brightly at her and moves in to hug her tight, kissing her on the cheek with familiar warmth.

"How are you doing angel?" He says as she wraps an arm around him. "You good?" He pulls back to cast a glittering blue gaze over her over.

She smiles warmly at him. "I'm good thank you," she nods. Gideon is wearing dark coloured grey jeans, a white t-shirt and a grey wool V-neck sweater. He looks casual and relaxed. I think his nonchalant demeanour also relaxes Charlie somewhat because she looks a lot less tense as she walks back towards me and hands me the envelope.

"Sorry, I'm late." He says. "Got held up in Brooklyn. Was trying to get a look at a nightclub I'm buying. Place is like Narnia inside. I swear a minute in there is like an hour out here," He smiles. "So, where we at? Where do I sign?" He says sitting next to me.

"We'll sign everything when he gets here," I tell him. "Is he an on time kind of person?" I ask Charlie.

She shakes her head. "No." Just then, there's another knock on the door. Firm. Loud. "He's notoriously early for everything." She says looking a little pale again, afraid.

Standing, I walk around the table to her and take her hands in mine. "I'm here." I lean in and kiss her softly on the lips. "Everything's going to be fine. Promise you." I smile. Her face softens on me and she nods, smiling back at me.

"Ok," She squeezes my hands before letting them go to go get the door.

As I turn back around Gideon is looking up at me. He's also smiling. For a moment I'd literally forgotten he was in the room. He leans back and crosses one leg over his thigh, ever relaxed. He looked pleased with himself. Vindicated.

"Well about fucking time." He sighs, nodding once. "About 8 years too late mind you, but you always were a bit slow on the uptake man. You look good together. But then you always did." He smirks, a glint in his eye.

I'm about to answer him when I hear movement behind me. Slowly I turn around to get my first look at him. At Charlie's husband. The one who'd managed to get her to marry him. The one who'd hurt her. The one who at one point had reminded her of me.

He looks exactly like the bastard I imagined him to be.