At His Command

AT HIS COMMAND - Chapter Six

As I expected, Tristan handles everything. The next day, even though it's a Saturday, I receive a nondisclosure contract and a request for my bank information via courier.

After signing and returning it, twenty-five percent of my advance appears in my account Monday afternoon, followed by a phone call.

"Ms. Amato?" I recognize the voice as the older secretary from Black's office.

"Yes?"

"I'm calling to go over some details."

The "some details" take an hour, and entail coordinating a visit to the doctor, setting up an appointment at a spa for hair, facial, massage and waxing, and organizing a time for a designer to come to my house for a private wardrobe fitting.

My days fill with tasks. He wants me to do everything from choose new clothes to confirm I'm not allergic to animals to tell him what kind of pen I prefer.

I get a clean health report and a birth control shot, and the doctor says I can have unprotected sex immediately without risk of pregnancy because the shot came within seven days of my period.

After hearing that I go home and masturbate in the shower. Yeah, I'm a crazy person this week. Touching myself one minute, weeping the next, gasping with free-floating anxiety the rest of the time.

It's as if I have to jump through multiple hoops — which isn't entirely a bad thing, I guess. I'm grateful that he's so thorough, like when he sends his last five years of health reports to me, highlighting the negative STI tests with little blue paper flags. I smile and run my finger over them, wondering if he'd gone through and placed each sticky note on the page himself.

I'm sure he did.

However, I still have no idea when we're going to... begin. I'm sure he's doing this on purpose, to keep me slightly off-kilter.

Early Friday morning, my phone rings.

"Sienna." His voice is unmistakable and deep.

"Hey." My voice is raspy with sleep.

"Please have all of your bags packed by three this afternoon."

The sound of my pulse whooshes in my ears. "Okay."

"Don't pack one of the formal dresses you selected from the designer. You'll need one for this evening."

"Oh, you're not going choose what I'll wear?" I can't help but sass back.

There's a long silence. "I'm not that much of a control freak."

Right. I almost laugh out loud. "Whatever you say."

"I'll pick you up at seven. Please be ready. I hate when people aren't punctual."

"I kind of suspected that."

"See you this evening, Sienna."

He hangs up and I begin to sweat.

Since I'm starting a new life that's completely unlike my current one, I choose to wear something I've never previously considered: a jumpsuit.

The fashion consultant that came to my apartment the other day assured me that the velvet, sleeveless jumpsuit with the plunging neckline is the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. Its color is black as midnight and makes me feel decadent.

Glancing in the full-length mirror for the fiftieth time, I'm not sure about that anymore. But it does somehow make me appear taller. With the four-inch Louboutin heels, I seem almost... sleek. I'm leaving my hair down tonight, mostly because I'm too nervous to try to tame it into a bun.