Free A Dominant Man by Lena Black

at my desk , since the flow of the morning shows no signs of stopping. I get a few minutes of peace and decide to check my emails. I sift through all the junk, hitting upon one from my mom, reminding me of the function, and the plus one on the invite. I reply to let her know I received it. I go through the rest, uncovering one from Hunt. It reads.
     
    From: Damian N. Hunt
    T o: Gabrielle Hyde
    Received : Tues, Jan 22, 2014 at 5:45 AM
    S ubject: About Yesterday
     
    Gabrielle,
    I am extremely disappointed I did not hear from you. I understand you are upset, and you have a right to be. At this point, I do not have th e right to dominate what you do or whom you see. I hope to hear from you today. I will be expecting your correspondence.
     
    Damian Hunt
     
    P.S. I can’t stop thinking of sweltering lips and sumptuous gartered thighs.
     
    I stare at my screen confused by his formality and then sudden change in direction. His delicious words make me quiver as they gently stroke me. I can’t deny I want him avidly, but I’m still hurt by his behavior, and I see no real sign of an apology. I won’t be pushed around, told what to do and when to do it.
    I gawk at the sentence stating rights to domina te and wonder what he means when he writes, ‘ At this point’ . He will never have the right to control what I do now or down the road.
    I want to respond, but I decide to ignore him instead as punishment for his infantile behavior.
    The rest of the day is as chaotic as the morning rush. I notice Olivia’s in good spirits. She asks me to get her a table at this place called Rush. I manage a reservation at six for two. I think it’s a hot date because she seems excited.
    At five, I ask Olivia, “Is there’s anything you need before I leave?”
    “Did you get me a table at Rush?”
    “Yes, your reservation’s at six.”
    “Wonderful. Can I ask you one more thing?”
    “Of course.”
    “How do I look?”
    She rises from behind her desk and does a little spin for me. She is dressed in a hot pink, knee-length dress with black patent leather heels.
    “You look perfect. Big date?”
    “Yes, hoping to make it official. It’s been a long time coming. I think he wants the same.”
    “How can you tell?”
    “He did something that hinted toward it.”
    “Well, good luck. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Have a good night.”
    “Will do,” I say as I leave her office.
    I’m thrilled when I break free through the lobby doors into the crisp air of dusk, and I inhale acutely. I walk toward my apartment letting the fresh, chilly air blow against my face, cooling my nose and cheeks. I absorb the smells and sounds of the city around me, and my stress spills away. I hear my name and turn to see Chase catching up with me.
    “Hey. How was work?” he asks as he arrives at my side.
    “Hey. Shitty. You?”
    “It had its moments, but I survived. I thought I would walk you home since it ’s getting dark. I wouldn’t want something to happen to you.”
    “Ok. Th anks, I appreciate it.”
    We walk in silence for a bit until Chase asks, “What happened with Hunt last night? Did you get any?”
    “Oh god!”
    My hand flies at his arm, aiming to smack him a good one, and he gracefully sidesteps out of my line of fire, laughing at me. I shoot him a mocking look of annoyance and childishly stick my tongue out at him. He comes back to my side and offers me an arm, which I gladly take, and we continue our stroll back to my place. “I didn’t call him. I went to bed instead. He was being immature, and I don’t condone petty conduct.”
    “Says the girl who onl y just tried to slap me and immaturely pouts when she fumbled her attempt at petty conduct. You show him who wears the pants!” he exclaims.
    “Yeah, still him. I’m going to call, but I want him to stew in it first.”
    Chase sees me to the front door of my building, and we hug goodbye and go our separate ways.
    I’m anxi ous to get upstairs and call Hunt. I get my cell