Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
My palms grew damp.
She leaned back slightly. “One of my favorite clients ran the largest private security firm in Tokyo. He was a cold man. Savage. The kind of person who could kill someone with a paperclip and still be on time for his daughter’s ballet recital.”
I shivered.
Ms. Hiroko arched an elegant brow. “He came to me at first just to talk. Said he was curious. Wanted to ‘observe.’ He never spoke of touch. Never mentioned pain. But I saw the way he looked at my whip. How his fingers twitched. The longing was there, twisting under all that silence.”
She reached forward and poured herself a cup of tea that Zo had laid out on his coffee table. “I gave him his first assignment. Nothing dramatic. I simply told him to kneel. That is all.”
I widened my eyes. “And he did?”
“No. Not that night. He stood still for ten minutes, shivered, and then left. But he came back. Three times and still he wouldn’t kneel, and I would just stare at him, unwilling to say anything else until he obeyed,” her eyes twinkled. “And then, on the fourth visit, I didn’t say a word. I simply entered the room, closed the door, and waited. Do you know what happened?”
“What?”
“He got down on both knees. Removed his watch—a platinum timepiece—and placed it by my feet like an offering. And then he whispered, ‘break me.’”
A wave of goosebumps slid down my skin.
Ms. Hiroko set the teacup down. “That’s when I knew he was ready. That moment wasn’t about the whip, pain, or power games. It was about relief. Trust. He needed someone to carry the weight for him. In that space—in that surrender—he could become something softer. Truer. Without any judgement.”
I sat very still, trying to breathe through the sudden heaviness in my chest.
Kenji’s face floated behind my eyes again. That dangerous elegance. The heat he wore like a crown. The way he looked at me like I could ruin him—and he might let me.
“Why do you think you’re drawn to this path?” she asked.
“I couldn’t even tell you how I got here for sure. I just. . .started wanting this after. . .meeting him. I started dreaming about dominating him. Tying him up with rope and having him on his knees. It just felt so thrilling.”
“A certain type of man will trigger that in a certain type of woman. This person. He must be a beast. Do you think so?”
I considered Kenji and nodded. “Yeah. . .I would call him a beast. In fact, many would.”
“Be careful with those.”
I swallowed. “Why?”
“Because a beast does not give you his belly unless he is already falling in love with you.”
My breath caught.
She leaned forward. “When a beast who has devoured kingdoms lays down his hunger at your feet? You must tread lightly because that is the most sacred moment of his life. And if you mishandle it, the beast will never trust you or the world again and. . .”
I parted my lips.
“He’ll destroy you both.”
I shivered.
“Also. . .a beast is not afraid of pain or death.” She raised one finger. “A beast fears being seen. And surrender is the most naked act of all.”
Fuck. What am I getting into?
Ms. Hiroko tilted her head. “You think you’re planning a date. A clever seduction. A surprise.”
“Yes.”
She smiled. “No, what you’re planning is a ceremony. You are building a sanctuary for a god who has never known peace.”
Her words hollowed me out, filled me anew.
Every nerve in my body buzzed.
With a gentleness that unraveled something deep in my chest, she said, “we have time, and I see your spirit. I will teach you all that you must know. I will help you but understand this. . .”
I was completely captivated by her.
“If he falls to his knees, Nyomi. . .don’t meet his gaze with pride. Meet them with tenderness. With awe. Because that is not a man yielding to you—” she tapped a lacquered nail over her heart, “—that is a man trusting you not to destroy the boy he buried to become a king.”
I blinked hard. “Okay. I understand.”
She leaned back and for a long moment, there was only silence between us. Then she picked up her cup again, voice smooth and casual as silk. “Now, Zo told me that you are a bestselling author.”
“I am.”
“I have been working on my story. I have so many journals of notes. I wrote things down for years but I don’t understand how to put it all together.”
I grinned. “Now you’re speaking my language.”
“Am I?”
“Every person in this world has a book inside of them. Really special people have a full library of stories for this world and I think you are one of those people.”
Ms. Hiroko studied me for a long moment then let out the softest sigh. “Many women in my world have told their stories. I’m not sure what mine would offer now. Perhaps, I should leave this dream alone.”