Trust Read Online Free PDF Page A

and stepped inside my office, closing the door behind her. Her long brown hair was swept up in some sort of high ponytail. She was pretty, but then again, she always had been.
    She took two long strides toward me before stopping and placing her hands on her hips. “You’ve gotten yourself in quite a mess, haven’t you?”
    I gave a half laugh. It was just like Sarah not to beat around the bush. Most people who met her would never guess she was a submissive. Outside the bedroom, Sarah tended to radiate confidence and control.
    I stood and walked around my desk to stand in front of her. “Did you come all this way to tell me how stupid I am?”
    Sarah placed her hands on my shoulders. “Hardly. I know you, Stephan, and I figured you could use all the friends you could get right now.”
    Taking a deep breath, I sighed and pulled her in for a hug. “How long are you in town?”
    She pulled back and looked me in the eye. “As long as you need me.”
    “You don’t—”
    “You’d do it for me.”
    She was right. I would.
    “See. That wasn’t so hard.”
    This time, I did laugh.
    Sarah glanced over at the couch and then pulled me over to sit down. “So tell me. How are you doing? Really.”
    I sighed. “As well as can be expected, considering.”
    She looked toward the door, then back at me. “Your assistant didn’t seem too crazy about my being here.”
    “It’s not you. This whole thing with the media has been trying on her. She’s the one who has to field all those calls and say ‘no comment’ all day long. I’m sure you passed through the maze of reporters on your way into the building.”
    Sarah sat back on the couch and folded her arms. “They’re vultures. As soon as I stepped inside, they were surrounding me, wanting to know who I was.” She glanced down at her designer clothing, then back up at me, smirking. “I guess maybe I shouldn’t have dressed so nice to come see you today. Perhaps a burlap sack would have been better.”
    “I’m not sure even that would have been enough.”
    Neither one of us said anything for several minutes. “You look tired.”
    I leaned my head against the back of the couch and closed my eyes. “I haven’t been sleeping very well lately. I’m fine, though.”
    “How long has it been since you slept through an entire night?”
    I opened one eye to look at her. What was this, an inquisition?
    “Don’t give me that look. You’re not my Dom anymore.”
    “I don’t need a babysitter.”
    “Apparently you do. How long?”
    Leveling my gaze at her, I took in her posture. She held her shoulders back and had that look on her face as if she were about to go to battle. Maybe she was.
    I sat forward, running a hand quickly through my hair. What difference did it make if she knew or not? “A couple months.”
    “Is it because of that girl? The one they say you kidnapped?”
    I didn’t respond, and apparently, that was answer enough for Sarah. She cocked her head to the side and watched me for what felt like a very long time. “You care about her.”
    It wasn’t a question, so again I didn’t bother with an answer. Sarah knew me well. She’d been my submissive for a little more than a year. We’d shared a lot of things together, but one thing we’d never shared was love. Our arrangement had been one of friendship and mutual gratification. Neither of us had been under any illusion that it was more than that. When she’d graduated and moved away, there had been no hard feelings. We’d known the relationship was temporary, and that had suited us both at the time.
    “Do you love her?”
    I opened my mouth to reply, but no sound came out. The answer was simple. Yes, I loved Brianna. I always would. Things were complicated now, however. And even though my feelings for Brianna weren’t in question—at least for me—I didn’t know if I should share them with anyone. It didn’t have anything to do with trust. I trusted Sarah. The reality, however, was that if