DOMINANT BY MY BOSS

And Lyla… Don’t test me again

“Yes.”

“But you don’t get to decide when.”

He returned to the couch. “Spread your knees.”

I did. Wider. Exposed. Humiliated. Wet.

He watched. Unmoving.

“Tell me what you’re thinking right now.”

My voice trembled. “I’m thinking… I want you to touch me. I want you to kiss me. I want everything.”

“And?”

“And I’m scared.”

“Of me?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He let the silence stretch again.

Then, softly: “Crawl to me.”

My heart lurched. With my hands bound, I leaned forward and moved slowly across the rug on my knees. Every inch felt endless.

When I reached him, I stopped between his spread thighs and looked up. He threaded his fingers into my hair—not pulling, just holding my head firmly in place.

“Look at me.”

I did.

“You’re shaking,” he observed.

“I know.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve never wanted anything this badly.”

His grip tightened slightly. “Good girl.”

He guided my head forward until my cheek rested on his thigh. Through the fabric of his pants, I could feel how hard he was. I ached to press closer but didn’t dare.

“Stay.”

I stayed there, breathing in the scent of him—clean soap, dark cologne, and something raw underneath—while he stroked my hair with surprising gentleness. Like I was something precious. Something dangerous.

Time blurred.

Eventually, his voice broke the quiet.

“When I decide you’re ready… I will take you. All of you. Every part. But not tonight.”

Disappointment and relief crashed over me at once.

“Why not?” I whispered.

“Because I want you begging. Truly begging. Not just saying the words.” He lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. “And when that happens, Lyla… you won’t be able to think of anyone else. Ever.”

I believed every word.

He untied my wrists and rubbed the faint marks the silk had left. Then he helped me stand on legs that felt like water.

“Put the nightdress back on.”

I obeyed with clumsy fingers. When I was covered again, he walked me to the door.

“Go back to your room.”

I stepped into the hallway and turned to look at him. “Goodnight, Master.”

He watched me for a long moment with those dark, unreadable eyes.

“Goodnight, Lyla.”

*******

The next morning felt wrong from the moment I opened my eyes.My wrists still remembered the silk. My skin still remembered his voice when he called me “good girl.” He had looked at me like I already belonged to him, even though he hadn’t taken me yet.

I couldn’t stay trapped in that tiny basement room any longer. The walls felt too close. Every creak made me think he was coming for me. I needed air. Distance. Just one day.

Aunt Rosa’s house was forty minutes away by bus. She was the only family I had left who still answered my calls. I packed a small bag and slipped out the side gate at 8 a.m. while the rest of the staff handled breakfast. Fredrick, the security guard, looked the other way when I whispered “family emergency.”

The bus ride felt endless. I kept my hood up and checked my phone constantly, half expecting a message from him. None came. Of course it didn’t. Russo El Massimo didn’t chase with texts. He waited. And waiting from him felt worse than shouting.

Aunt Rosa pulled me into a tight hug the moment she saw me. Her house smelled like cinnamon and fresh laundry. She sat me down with a bowl of warm oats and extra brown sugar, just like when I was little.

We talked about safe things—her neighbor’s new dog, rising bread prices, the leaking roof. But she saw through me.

“What’s really eating at you, Lyla?”

I stared into my tea. “It’s work. I’m scared of him. He’s powerful… and he wants me in a way that feels like he’ll never let go once he has me.”

Rosa squeezed my hand. “Then why are you still there?”

“Because part of me doesn’t want him to let go.”

She sighed heavily. “Some men are quicksand, baby. The more you fight, the deeper you sink. You have to decide if you want to sink… or run.”

My phone buzzed around 3 p.m. Unknown number.

{Where are you?}

{Answer me, Lyla.}

I replied with shaking fingers: *Visiting family. I’ll be back tonight.*

{You didn’t ask permission.}

*I needed a day. Just one day.*

{One day without my knowledge is one day too many. Come home. Now.}

I stayed a little longer, then hugged Rosa goodbye. She held me tighter than usual. “The door is always open. No questions.”

I slipped back onto the estate at 7:15 p.m. Everything looked normal, but I felt watched. When I reached my room, the door was open. On my bed lay a single red rose and a neatly folded black silk tie.

No note. The message was clear.

My phone buzzed again.

{Tomorrow night. Same room. 11 p.m.}

{Wear nothing under your uniform when you come.}

{And Lyla… Don’t test me again.}

I should run. Instead, I sat on the edge of the bed, running the silk tie through my fingers. It still smelled like him.