16 Present - 7

Regina eyed their joined hands but didn't react. A minute passed before she looked out the window again, her hand still tucked into his. Soon, her thumb brushed across his knuckles, feeling the hard and callused skin.

The touch soothed him. But that realization made his body tense in irritation. Affection was hard for him to give and even harder for him to receive. He had choked those emotions way back in past for turning himself into the person he was today.

"I can do it." He murmured to himself as he remembered the things he had done to her. 'If this what she wanted, if this was her fantasy, I can do it. She needed to be my slave for as long as possible and if holding her hand would make that happen then I will definitely do it.'

After an hour or two of driving, they were at the restaurant. There she sat across from him at the dinner table and stared at the menu. Her eyes scanned back and forth the menu.

Paul eyed her with interest. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to understand these names."

He put out his hand and gestured to her to give it to her. "Let me see and tell you which one is good."

"No," she said quickly. "I can do it on my own."

She waved off his hand and kept looking at her menu and figuring out what she wanted to order. "I want to order this." Even though she said that she still showed him the name on the menu as if asking if she is making a good choice.

The corners of his lip upturned in a smile. "Try something else."

"Oh…What is wrong with this one?" She ran her fingers through her hair absentmindedly, and she had no idea how sexy she looked as she did it. She was the most gorgeous woman in the room. When he first laid eyes on her, he did not find her impressive. But he felt differently now.

He had been with many beautiful and exotic women. He noticed the small freckles on her cheeks when she did not wear makeup. He noticed the way one side of her mouth would lift slightly higher than the opposite side when she smiled. He noticed how long and lean her perfect legs were. Every scar attested to her strength, making her invincible. And even when she used to cry with blotchy cheeks and red-eye she looked stunning.

He had never been more obsessed in his life. But now he felt attached to her. Even when she fell into the worst nightmare of her life, he thought, she was still stronger than he was ever been. Even though she had gone through hell, she still sailed through it without blinking. She stood up for herself. She made a life for herself, starting with nothing and becoming an independent and powerful woman.

Suddenly, Paul found himself lost in his thoughts while thinking of her.

"Okay, I think I found what I want."

He came back from his thoughts, he did not realize how far his mind had drifted. He sat there and kept thinking how different she was from all the women he had known earlier. His internal thoughts were raging when he normally didn't think about anything at all.

"And what did you decide on?"

"The lasagna." She said with a quiet chuckle. "Now about the wine, let me see your choice."

He looked at the menu. "Which one do you like? Red or white?"

Her fingers moved to her hair again, pulling a strand free of her ear. "I'm not sure. You're the expert here."

"Okay, then leave it to me."

The waitress approached their table and looked towards him. She probably recognized him. She exchanged a few pleasantries with him, ignoring Regina for a few minutes. He quickly redirected the conversation to the food. He ordered for both of them and handed the menus over.

She gave a false smile. When they were alone again, he watched her across the table. A hint of irritation was in her eyes, but she tried her best to hid her unease.

"Something happened?"

"I thought we are not supposed to lie to each other." Her voice turned ice-cold, putting her right on the spot.

"She was coming on to you, assuming I am a stupid woman, who could not even figure out

what to order Are all the waitresses in this restaurant that disrespectful?"

The fire in her voice made his cock come to life in his trousers. Hearing her anger and possessiveness was a turn on even though it should have irritated him.

"I'm going home with you tonight. So let it go."

"Still annoying…" She grabbed a piece of bread from the basket and tore off a few pieces before she popped them into her mouth.

He did not go out to dinner very often. The only time he did was when he was seeing someone or he had a meeting. While he loved the food, he preferred the meals Sam prepared because there was no social interaction required.

"Do you date often?" She looked down at her hands and pulled the bread apart.

"Right now?"

"No. Before me."

He did not want to be asked these kinds of questions but he assumed it was part of the agreement. If she did not ask anything, there would not be much to talk about. He was fine with the silence, but she was not. "I have relationships…here and there."

"So, you do not beat them like you do with me?"

"No, I do." That was the best part of the relationship. "When they trust me, they allow me to do the darkest things to them. They always come to adore it and want more."

"Have you ever been with a woman without resorting to that?"

"A few. They would hook up a few times, but I never get satisfied. I need violence to get off and satiate my appetite. But they don't last long."

"Do you ever want to get married? Have children?"

"No." The answer came out harsh, offended she asked the question at all. In his line of work, he could not care for anyone. He could not have a wife or a family. He would always be a target until the end of his days. If someone wanted to target him, all they would have to do was take someone he loved. And he did not want to lose anyone else.

Regina understood she crossed a line with her question and backed off. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Then don't."

"I was just curious. No ill intention."

"Do you want to get married someday?"

"No," she said just as quickly as he did.That surprised him. Since she wanted to have a date, he assumed she still believed in romance. He was wrong.

"May I ask why?"

"I... I can not trust anyone now." A tinge of sadness appeared in her eyes as she finished the slice of bread then picked up another.

He did not touch the basket. He was not a big fan of bread.

"You should not let him ruin your future." Not all men would have done something so horrible. "Even I would not have done that. I am sure someday you will find someone who truly cares for you."

"Even so, my ability to trust is gone. It'll never come back."

"All things come back in time."

She shook her head. "When you've seen what I've seen, that's not possible. I have seen how foul men really are. I have seen how their cocks control their every move. I have seen the real side of them."

He wanted to argue that point, but he could not. He was one of the most disgusting men he had ever encountered. He may not have raped her, but that didn't make him a good person. "I'm sorry this experience has made you lose your faith."

"It has not. It only opened my eyes."

The waitress returned with their meals and placed them between them. Again she was only looking at him and ignoring Regina, probably

assuming she was his one-night stand or a toy he had fancied.

Regina stared at her hard, silently threatening her. She poured the wine then disappeared thankfully.

When she was gone, her sour mood faded.

"You're the jealous type?"

"I'm not jealous." She cut into her lasagna. "I just don't like it when people write me off as insignificant."

"She probably thinks you are someone I had picked up."

"Well, I don't think she's is totally wrong." She took a few bites, still tense.

She never wanted to get married and she didn't trust anyone, but yet, she was jealous. It didn't add up. But then again, if he were to see a man go anywhere near her, he would probably stab a knife through his chest. It had nothing to do with love. It was all about possession.

"Now she'll know." He slid his hand across the table and grabbed hers. He interlocked their fingers together and continued eating.

Her fingers immediately responded to his. They shifted against his skin until they clung to him tightly. She eyed their combined hands, her anger was immediately gone when the affection arrived.