Читать книгу Match Pointe - Indigo Bloome - Страница 25

For the first time, Stephan felt her tense beneath his touch. He observed her hesitation as he guided her back to the lounge and wrapped a throw around her shoulders, understanding the need for her to stay warm after such physical exertion.

‘Just like you, I need to understand what makes you tick if this is to work,’ he explained. ‘Talk to me …’

‘I need boundaries. I like discipline. I love to please.’ She didn’t make eye contact as she said the words.

‘I can understand that.’ He idly played with a strand of her hair that had fallen free from her tight bun. ‘Tell me more.’

‘You have my file, just as I have yours, sir.’

‘I want to hear it from your mouth.’ The words rolled off his tongue so sensually that she couldn’t imagine denying him anything.

‘The ballet gave me all of those things. All the details of my life were organised for me – what I ate, what I wore, where I went, what I did. I had focus, I had ability, they had control and I loved what I did. I had no social life, no life at all other than the ballet. When that stopped …’ She inadvertently rubbed her ankle … ‘I felt like I was in freefall. My life lost all its meaning and purpose.’

She raised her eyes to meet his and they locked for some time.

‘And your family?’

‘I have no family – only the ballet, since I was twelve, sir.’

‘I see. By the way, you don’t need to keep calling me sir,’ he said before continuing his inquisition. ‘Boyfriends?’

‘Not really, sir – oh, sorry,’ she corrected herself.

‘I can’t believe there was never any interest.’

‘There has been interest, yes, but I considered it all a distraction, as I was dedicated to the ballet. Dance always came first by a long way, so nothing ever developed.’

‘And now? Friends?’

‘Not really – some of the other dancers, perhaps, but I don’t keep in touch with them now. I suppose we were close in some ways, but we were also in constant competition with each other so it didn’t foster strong relationships. The constant bitchiness left me worn out so I tended not to socialise more than I had to. I’ve never been comfortable around a lot of people.’ She looked into his eyes, trying to read his face before continuing. ‘This role has given me the opportunity to enjoy a better lifestyle, continue my dancing and see the world from a different perspective. And to be of service, I hope.’

She felt a slight twinge of betrayal for not mentioning her relationship with Noah, but given that Stephan had just annihilated him at Arthur Ashe Stadium she thought it best to say nothing. It was all a little too close to home.

‘I find you utterly intriguing … perplexing, but intriguing.’

Stephan’s mind was racing. The entire premise of a relationship like this presented endless possibilities. The constant arguments he had with Ava, his current girlfriend, were monotonous and exhausting. Stunning as she was, her jealousy added a dimension to his life he didn’t need, and over the last few months she had become like a noose around his neck. Complaining about all the travel and never being able to see each other, telling him he wasn’t being sensitive to her needs and didn’t respect her career as a model. He still couldn’t believe she could even compare her job with his, but never even bothered getting into that argument, so futile would it be. He rolled his eyes in frustration just thinking about it.

Ava hadn’t even managed to make it back from her exotic photo shoot in the Maldives to witness his grand-slam victory yesterday. It was the US Open, for Christ’s sake, but she’d somehow managed to miss her connecting flight. Did she honestly expect him to sit idly around waiting for her when his career had just placed him on top of the world? What was he supposed to do when women threw themselves at him at the glamorous events he attended? Their persuasiveness could be intense, and he couldn’t help it if his eyes, and libido, led him astray on occasion. And now that he was Number One, he certainly had no intention of settling down with just one person. The world was his oyster, and it seemed as if he had just discovered the perfect pearl!

Here in front of him sat this delicate peach of such serene beauty, who was willing for him to be her Master – in all ways – and who wanted nothing but to be of service to him as he continued his all-important journey towards grand-slam domination.

It was unbelievable! Nothing excited him more than ultimate control; he thrived on it. And she was giving herself to him on a platter – and then some!

‘I suppose the main thing you have to decide is whether you want me and in what capacity,’ she said.

‘There is no doubt that I want you, Eloise. That decision has already been made.’

She was surprised at how his words roused deep feelings within her. To be wanted by someone meant more to her than anything else. It touched her to the core. It felt different from being wanted by Noah, who respected and accepted the friendship she’d enforced. She felt Stephan would never accept such a compromise; he was such a powerful force he would always demand more, and this realisation stirred strong and unexpected emotions within her psyche.

Stephan, meanwhile, could barely believe that a woman like Eloise existed. He made a mental note to check with his lawyers that the contract between them was rock-solid. He knew what doing business with Caesar could be like and he didn’t want her slipping between the cracks.

‘If that is your wish –’

He interrupted her at once. ‘It most certainly is my wish – and then some.’ His grin broadened to a full-blown smile at the thought that from this moment on, she was his.

She continued, ‘Then within the terms of the contract and the role we agree together, I am yours.’ She returned his smile with shy yet mischievous eyes.

‘But if I don’t retain the Number One ranking?’ He could never bring himself to say ‘lose’; it just wasn’t part of his mindset.

‘Then I am no longer yours. My contract with you would terminate and my involvement would be negotiated with the new Number One, just as it was with you yesterday.’

It dawned on Stephan that this was where she held some of the power.

‘Luckily for me I don’t have any desire to change my status.’

He looked down at the notes he’d scribbled when he reviewed the contract before she arrived. ‘It says in the contract that I may give you a new name, to protect your identity, given my profile.’