Destined for the Dom (Masters of Submission, #2)(30)

She shook her head. Hunter could read her like a book. Even as kids he always knew exactly what she was thinking. “All right. If you must know, I’ve found a job. I’ve relied far too much on you lately. I need my independence.”

He clasped her chin and angled her face to his. “What sort of job?”

“The pay’s real good, and it will get me out of the house.”

“Answer the question, Zo?. What sort of job?” His tone was measured, but it held that steely underlying menace that made her shiver deep inside. She could tell he was angry.

Zo? raised her chin, defiantly holding his gaze. This time she wouldn’t back down. This time she wouldn’t submit to his control. “The new club is real nice.”

“For the last time, Zo?, what sort of job?” She heard the impatience in his voice, and decided to come clean.

“A dancing job.”

His hands dropped to his sides, but his fingers kept clenching and unclenching. She figured he was doing his darndest to stay calm. Well he wasn’t the only one. Eventually he spoke, “A dancer? No way.”

Going on the defensive, Zo? stood her ground. “Hunter, listen to me. I’m fast losing my sanity here. I can’t stay at home all day long, while you’re away working. I need a job. I need money of my own. I need to be my own woman. Don’t you understand, I need to save for my future.”


“Save? What for?” His brows drew together, and he looked confused.

“For when…” She shrugged, not wanting to push him on this. For when he didn’t want her anymore, she’d been about to say. She couldn’t rely on Hunter for the rest of her life. “I need to save for a rainy day,” she finally blurted out. Zo? turned and began putting the chair and pillow away. She didn’t want an argument, but she could sense Hunter’s disapproval a mile off.

“Rainy day? What makes you think there’s going to be a rainy day?”

“Hunter, you know as well as me, there’s always a rainy day for people like us.”

“No, that’s bullshit, Zo?. We’ve both risen above that. We’ve moved on. We’re not the same people who went to St. Mark’s.”

“Don’t kid yourself.”

He stared at her for a long time. “I strongly disagree.”

“We can’t move on, Hunter. Both of us are stuck in the past. You have nightmares every night. You’re plagued by guilt, just for surviving Afghanistan when your buddies didn’t.” Zo? knew she’d hit a raw nerve when his demeanor darkened even more. His eyes were furious, but she had to continue. “I live in the real world, Hunter. I have to make contingency plans. I need a job, and that’s all there is to it.”

He stalked right up to her, and held her wrist tightly in his hand. “I strictly forbid it.”

Zo? felt her eyes widen. She wouldn’t allow him to dominate her anywhere apart from the playroom. She yanked her hand away. “Forbid, forbid. Who the hell do you think you are, Mister? You can forbid all you want, but it won’t make a damned bit of difference to me. I’ve already accepted the job, and I start tonight.”

“Over my dead body.”

“You don’t own me. You can’t stop me. Give me one good reason why I should listen to you?” She wanted him to say, because I love you, Peaches. Why couldn’t he whisper those three little words? Instead, he just turned on his heels. It was clear Hunter didn’t love her. She was just there to satisfy his ego.

Zo? glanced at her watch. “I need to get changed. I’ve made you something to eat. It’s in the refrigerator.”

As he strode angrily away, he shouted over his shoulder, “Just remember, I don’t approve of this at all, young lady.”

“Your objection has been noted, Mr. Black,” she called angrily after him.

When he’d finally gone, Zo? slumped onto her bed. She nervously wrung her hands together. They were sweating. That hadn’t gone well. It was their first real argument. They’d had the odd disagreement or two in the last four months, but nothing like this. Was this the beginning of the end of their relationship? Zo? wiped away a tear that started to trickle down her cheek. She genuinely believed that Hunter would be the man she settled down with, but that was no more than a fanciful dream now. She loved him, but it hurt her to know that he didn’t love her back.

Taking a deep breath, Zo? pulled herself together and went over to the wardrobe. She opened the door and reached inside. After pulling out several garments, she decided on a low-cut black dress. The Déjà Vu Club on the outskirts of Boston was a far superior venue to that of Les Belles, where she worked in Pittsburgh. It required a more sophisticated wardrobe. When she was completely satisfied with her makeup, hair, and presentation, she grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. She’d already called a cab, and she waited patiently by the front door for it to arrive.

Hunter came out the kitchen and began walking down the hallway. “Listen, Peaches, let’s not part on an argument.” He was eating a cold chicken leg she’d prepared for him earlier. His jaw dropped open when he saw how she was dressed.

He pointed his chicken leg at her. “There is no way on earth you’re leaving this house, dressed like that.”

“Don’t start again, Hunter. You make me wear far more revealing clothes at Club Submission.” It was true. She’d been three of four times now, and each time he’d insisted she hardly wear anything at all.