A job well done.
Then…
She sighed. Then there was Bob.
She did not want to give up Bob.
Not just as a client either. It annoyed the snot out of her when she felt a twinge of guilt over that, picturing Cris’ face.
She also thought about the road ahead for Landry. Taking care of Landry, at first, would most likely be a full-time job in and of itself. Anyway, she didn’t have to worry about that for several days.
Bob wasn’t supposed to come back until next Thursday. She still had time to make up her mind there.
Two cups of coffee, an hour on the elliptical, and a shower later, Tilly dressed and was waiting when Landry pulled into the driveway.
Even though she’d told him not to bring Cris, relief to see Landry alone mixed with longing and a pang.
Goddammit.
She couldn’t possibly miss the asshole, could she? Was she that sick and twisted to seriously want to see him after what he did to her?
She didn’t go out to Landry. She made him walk to her front door and ring her bell. She’d opted for slacks, a blouse, and a blazer. Conservative heels, her hair smoothed back, not gelled into her usual wild, spiked mess.
“You look very nice. I feel underdressed.” He wore jeans and a long-sleeved button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
“That’s not my problem, Landry.” She picked up her purse and pulled the front door shut behind her, locking it.
He kept his tone light. “I didn’t say it was.” He opened and held the car door for her. When he spotted her arched eyebrow, he smiled. “Holding doors isn’t just a slave thing, Tilly. It’s a gentlemanly thing.” His face darkened. “Or did slave never hold doors for you? I taught him better than that, I thought.”
“No, he held them. I just didn’t picture you being a man used to doing it.”
“There are a lot of things about me you don’t know. Was that an assumption on your part? I thought we agreed to banish those from our marriage.”
She loved the sound of his voice, the hint of his accent. “Touché. Very true.” She took a deep breath and let it out as he took his place behind the wheel. “I’m sorry I’m bitchy this morning.”
“It’s all right. This is rather stressful. I’m aware of that. You are not alone in your feelings there.”
The question popped out of her mouth before she could beat it back. “So is he kneeling naked on the floor today?”
Landry slipped on sunglasses while he drove. “No. I let him get dressed and walk down to the park near the hotel. I told him I want him to sit there and think about his life and the things he’s done to the people who’ve loved him.”
“What did you tell him about today? About me?”
“Absolutely nothing.” He turned to her when he had to stop for a light. “It’s none of his business. He’s my slave. He gets no say in this. I terminated his rights as my partner when I found out what he did to you. I want him to truly comprehend what he’s done to us.”
She snorted. “He didn’t do anything to you, when you think about it.”
He returned his attention to the highway when the light turned green. “You spent the last five years wondering why you weren’t good enough. I’ve spent the last weeks looking back on the past five years and wondering how much of what we had was really a lie. I went from feeling loved to feeling like a pity fuck. I think you and I each have a lot of issues to work out for ourselves. You have your life ahead of you, regardless. You’ve moved on. I’m left to wonder if I’m even going to survive, much less if I want to. If it’s worth fighting this time. Or if the man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with would rather be with you.”
She stared at him, speechless. Yeah, that would suck.
The attorney was waiting for them. Tilly assumed getting the pre-nup negotiated would be a very complex process. Landry overruled the attorney on most matters, meaning it when he said he wanted it very cut and dry. Tilly kept all her pre-marital assets, no matter what, and anything she earned during their marriage. If he died, it all went to her.
Just as they’d discussed.
While they sat in the attorney’s office and waited for the secretary to finish creating the documents, Tilly stared at Landry. “How much are you worth, anyway?”
“Roughly?”
She nodded.
He shrugged. “With the business and properties, over fifty million.”
She knew her eyes widened at that, because he laughed. “Not so much of a pay cut now, is it?”
“I’m not hoping you die. You realize that, right? I’m not going to try to kill you to get it, either.”
He smiled. “I know. You’re a kind soul. You would have made an excellent nurse had you kept up with that.”
“How can you say that when you don’t even know me?”
He leaned forward, his gaze on her. “Because you have kind eyes. Nothing that’s been done to you has managed to kill the sweet and giving spirit within you, the soul who wants nothing more than to lovingly serve. Buried behind an extremely thick and well-defended wall, yes, but it’s still there.” He took her hand in his and kissed it. “I don’t deny we’ve both been through a lot of crap to get to this point. Honestly? I’m very glad you’ll be beside me through this.”
Well didn’t that just fill her with warm fuzzies. She had no idea how to reply, so she kept her mouth shut.
Landry must have researched where to eat because he drove her out to St. Armands Circle, to a nice restaurant with an outside patio, without asking her for directions. Fortunately there weren’t a lot of smokers and they could enjoy the beautiful day.
“I’ve decided I have another rule,” she said after the waiter took their drink orders.
He looked amused. “And that would be?”
She leaned in, dropping her voice. “What you said in the car on the way to the attorney’s office, about not knowing if you even want to fight. If I’m doing this for you, you will fight. Do I make myself clear? I’m not signing on for you to just give up and roll over and cave in. Understood?”
He studied her for a long time. “You don’t know me,” he quietly said. “Why is this so important to you?”
“I’m uprooting my life. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think you were worth it.”
He clasped his hands together on the table. “Why is it so important to you now?”
She loved his eyes. Fuck, why’d he have to be cute? “Because he left me for you, to stay with you, to help you recover. You obviously meant a lot to him for him to do that. If you give up and die, then I lost those years and went through hell for nothing. If he gave you back your will to live and kept you going, no matter how wrong it was or how much it hurt me, I can’t totally fault him for that. Even if he acted like a moron,” she added.
When he grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkled playfully. “Okay. I can understand why you think that. It’s flattering.”
“Oh, geez. Ego alert.”
He laughed and sat back in his chair to take a drink of water. “You’re a ball-buster, Tilly.”
“The Domme gig wasn’t a clue?”
He leaned in again, still grinning. He dropped his voice. “About your other…condition. For our wedding night. Can I make a condition of my own?”
She nodded.
“You said you wanted vanilla. I’m fine with that, as long as you don’t try any CBT on me.”
She had to cover her mouth with her napkin to keep from spraying her own water all over the table as she laughed. When she finally managed to recover, she smiled. “I promise I will only verbally bust your balls.”