Brie Learns Restraint (After Graduation, #5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

and told her to partake. They both put their lips to the cups at the same time. So simple, and yet an intimate act to share with him.
    Being here with Tono, caressed in beautiful silk, leisurely drinking tea within the confines of his exquisite garden seemed as natural as breathing.

Transfer of Power

    B rie packed quickly, her hands trembling as she placed the last of her clothing in the suitcase and zipped it closed. Sir grabbed it and nodded to her.
    I will miss you… she cried in her head.
    Sir had been unusually quiet and curt with her this morning. Neither of them wanted this parting, but Brie dutifully followed him out of the apartment.
    The drive to Tono’s was silent, but full of unspoken conversations. Would their relationship survive such a test this early on? Brie was suddenly scared again. It was not Tono she feared, but her natural attraction to him. Will I grow to love Tono too much…? Brie shook her head, hating her doubts.
    “What is it, Brie?” he asked, noting her headshake.
    She blanched, ashamed of the reason for her misgivings. “It’s nothing, Sir.”
    He let it drop and stared forward, concentrating on the road.
    When they pulled up to Tono’s home, Sir turned off the engine and stared at the simple rock garden in the front yard. “We will say our goodbyes now. Once we enter Nosaka’s house, I will present you to him, along with the key to your collar.”
    Brie grasped her collar, shaking her head.
    Sir smiled gently, pulling out the key from under his shirt. “The original key remains with me, téa. You are my sub; this arrangement does not change that.”
    She nodded and wiped away the tear that had formed in the corner of her eye. “I don’t want you to go,” she whispered, and then looked at her lap, trying hard to keep her emotions in check.
    “No tears. Consider this a lesson. Embrace it and learn from it. It is a characteristic of yours that I greatly admire.”
    “Sir… I am unsure if I am allowed to ask, but I have a personal question about your trip.”
    “All questions are allowed, even those I may choose not to answer.”
    Brie voiced a concern that had been burning in her heart ever since he’d announced he was heading back to Russia. Before she lost her nerve, she blurted, “Will you be entertaining Rytsar’s subs while you’re there?”
    His laughter filled the small sports car. “No, téa. This is a business trip. I will have no time for such play.” He added in a more serious tone, “I would not damage the newly forged trust between us. This separation will be hard enough without adding that element to the mix.”
    Brie smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. Of course he would be thoughtful of their growing relationship.
    “It is time, téa. Look up and tell your Master goodbye.”
    She met his confident gaze, but could not stop her bottom lip from trembling. “Goodbye, Master.”
    He grazed her lip with his finger. “Be my good girl. Follow Nosaka’s orders dutifully and with a servant’s heart.”
    “Yes, Master.” She could not stop an errant tear from escaping.
    Sir wiped away the wetness with his thumb without mentioning it. “I look forward to seeing your completed documentary and hearing about the lessons you learned from Nosaka on my return.”
    Brie spoke the words that had been pounding in her head, in time with her heartbeat, since she’d woken up that morning. “I will miss you…”
    He smiled, but she noticed it did not reach his eyes. “For the first time since my father’s death, I am experiencing that emotion as well. I do not care for it, but I assume it is a positive sign.”
    Brie took his hand and kissed it, choking down her emotions.
    His countenance changed to that of a trainer, his voice unemotional and firm. “So now you begin your three-week adventure in the hands of another. Do not burden him with tears. Look at it as the unique opportunity it is.”
    She accepted that his defensive barrier had reared its ugly head again.