Surrender Under His Command

she'd slept with him

Jessa woke in the early hours of the morning and blinked steadily for a moment, wondering where the hell she was. It was too quiet for the shelter and the bed was way more comfortable.

A soft snore drew her attention and she rolled over to see Damien lying on his back, his arm sprawling over his head, the sheet resting on his stomach.

She’d slept with him. What had she been thinking?

Yeah, she knew what she’d been thinking, that here was the sexiest man she’d ever met and he wanted her. Her. She’d been thinking it was a dream come true, one she couldn’t pass up.

A one-night stand that she would remember for the rest of her life.

Except that she’d never had a one-night stand before. However, she was pretty sure that most people didn’t bare their sole to their lover, spilling their darkest, most horrible secrets.

It was a wonder he had wanted to touch her at all afterward, let alone make love to her half the night. She was going to be sore when she started moving around. Worth it, though. She grinned. Yeah, the s*x had been amazing, but it was Damien that had truly made it wonderful. He’d been nothing but kind and considerate, even when she’d freaked out on him.

But she couldn’t forget that all they had was one night. As hard as it was going to be to get up and leave, she had to. She had to separate herself from him.

For her own good.

Sitting up carefully, she wondered if she could manage to climb out of bed to get in a shower without him waking up. Scooting over to the side of the bed, she swung her legs over the edge, letting out a scream of surprise when a tanned, muscular arm surrounded her waist, dragging her back down.

“Just where to do you think you’re going?” Damien murmured in her ear.

“I have to get up for work,” she told him. Already her body was reacting.

Her c**t throbbing as her n*****s hardened.

“Surely we’ve got some time… ahh, damn, maybe not. I have a flight to catch this morning.”

Twisting her around, he hugged her tight, kissing her deeply. “Hmm, I should have set my alarm for earlier.”

“But you have to go and so do I.” Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with him, but it was best to break things off now. It was a good thing he was going away, give them both breathing space and stopping her from falling back into his arms and begging him to take her.

“You’re right.” He gazed down at her. “Take a shower in here, while I grab one in the guest bathroom. Do you have a change of clothes in your backpack?”

“Yes.”

“Good. After we shower, I’ll rustle up something for breakfast. Hopefully you like omelettes. It’s about all I can do.”

“That’s fine.”

She showered quickly, changing into an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Combing her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror, wondering at the wide-eyed gaze of the woman staring back at her. This woman looked like she’d been well-loved, her gaze was shining, her lips plump and there was an air of satisfaction around her.

“Jessa, come down when you’re ready,” Damien called out. “I’m going to get our clothes from outside and then start breakfast.”

“Okay, thanks.”

She gazed around the magnificent bedroom one more time, drawing it into her memories. Last night was something she would remember forever.

---

Jessa walked down the alley behind the diner to the back door. Damien had dropped her off outside and she’d waved to him as he drove off, her lips still tingling from his kiss. He’d said he would see her when he got back, but she knew that was just talk. She’d probably never see him again.

For the best, she told herself, wishing she could believe it.

She was a bit early for work, but she knew Frankie would already be there. Frankie always beat her there in the morning. Sometimes she wondered if the other woman slept there.

Jessa knocked on the back door and waited for Frankie to open it. The diner wasn’t open yet and Jessa didn’t have any keys. She shifted her backpack from one shoulder to the other.

The solid door opened but instead of seeing Frankie’s smiling face, Jimmy stood there.

“Hi, Jimmy, how are you?” she greeted the owner of the diner.

The dour-looking man stared down at her. “Jessa, what are you doing here?”

“Umm, I’m working the breakfast shift to cover Wendy.”

Jimmy shook his head and her stomach took a nosedive. “Wendy’s back. I sent you a text, didn’t you get it?”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket. It was just a cheap one, but it was the only way for Jimmy to get a hold of her about shifts.

Yep, there was his text.

“Sorry, I must have been on my way when it came through and didn’t hear it. You’ll text me about any other shifts?”

She tried to hide her disappointment about the lost money as she looked up at Jimmy. A look of guilt crossed his face and her stomach gurgled in worry.

“Look, Jessa, you’re a real good waitress, but my niece just moved to town and she’s looking for some part time work. Times are tough and I can’t employ you all. Family has to come first. You know how it is.”

Sure, she knew. She was the easiest one to let go, since she didn’t really exist.

“Probably best if you start looking for work elsewhere.”

“I understand, thanks for everything.”

Thanks for everything? Thanks for what? Thanks for treating me like dirt when I worked my ass off for you? The words remained trapped inside, buried deep. Just like they always did.

Jessa turned away in a daze. What the hell was she going to do now? She didn’t have near enough money saved for when the baby came. She couldn’t sign up for any government assistance programs because of all the paperwork she’d have to fill out. That would be a target on her back that Victor couldn’t miss.

She bit her lip to hold in her sobs.

“Jessa! Jessa, wait up!” She turned to find Frankie running toward her.

The other woman stopped when she got close. “Jeez, girl, you’re gonna give me a heart attack,” she said, running her hand back and forth over her face. “How can you walk so fast with those short legs?”

“Jimmy let me go,” Jessa said in a daze.

Frankie scowled. “I know. I hope you gave him an earful. That bastard.”

Jessa shrugged. “He needed the work for his niece.”

“His niece is a fat, lazy slob with the attention span of a two year old. Jimmy needs his head examined and you should have told him off for treating you like dirt. Manners are well and good, sweetheart, but sometimes you just got to let it rip. Otherwise your insides will get eaten away at with all the stress.”

Jessa nodded. She was right. It wasn’t anything Nora hadn’t been trying to teach her. To speak her mind. To stand up for herself.

“Here, this is for you.” Frankie handed her an envelope.

Jessa took it. “What’s this?” She opened it up, her jaw dropping.

Quickly, she thrust it back at Frankie. “I can’t take this.”

“Sure you can. It’s my tips for the week and I want you to have them.”

“Frankie, no, you need this.”

Frankie cupped her cheeks. “Not as much as you do, honey. Now, you come back and let me know that you’re doing okay. Promise.”

Tears filled her eyes at the older woman’s kindness. “I promise.”

****

Damien climbed into the backseat of his town car after greeting Robert.

Exhaustion washed over him. He’d been away five days, but it felt like a month. He was growing old. He hadn’t slept well, either, which didn’t help.

He’d told himself it was because of the unknown surroundings, however he was a seasoned traveller and had never once been homesick.

No, the real reason he’d had trouble sleeping was because he’d been plagued with dreams about Jessa. Her touch, her smell, the little noises she made when she came. He had barely managed to push her out of his mind in order to get some work done, but during the evenings she snuck into his head, tormenting him.

He should have gotten her phone number. He’d spent endless hours wondering if she was okay, if she was safe. The area she lived in wasn’t that bad, but she’d have been a lot safer in his house. Robert could have driven her to and from work and Damien could have called her each night. Why the hell hadn’t he insisted she stay there?

Because she’d have run a mile in the other direction and he knew it.

He glanced at his watch. It was early, she’d still be working her shift at the diner.

“Robert, change of plans. I feel like having breakfast.” He gave his driver directions to the diner. Not like he was going to get any sleep until he’d seen her anyway.