Free Control Me by Shanora Williams

kitchen to make a quick cup of coffee, and then I was headed out… to see Mr. Montero.
    ***
    The building was quite busy as I entered. My heart thumped like a jackrabbit as I boarded the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. I was nervous. There were so many questions running through my head. How would he react to seeing me? What would he say? What would his excuse be for leaving last night? Would he even make up an excuse, or would he be blunt about it? As always, I feared the unknown—the unanswered questions.
    As the elevator chimed and the doors shot open though, all fear and anxiety vanished. Only a few feet away stood Carlos, talking with an older man in a white button-down shirt and khakis. As always, Carlos looked stunning in his tailored suit. The suit was all black and sleek with a vest to match and a chocolate brown tie as smooth as his eyes. As the doors sealed behind me, Carlos’s head turned only a fraction. His eyes glued to mine, and he stopped talking for a brief moment, running his gaze up and down the length of my body. I fidgeted as he and the man he spoke with looked in my direction. Then Carlos turned away and said something to the man. The man nodded, walking away from him and past me. I watched as the man passed by me, pressing the button for the elevator. Once he entered the cart and the doors closed, I turned in Carlos’s direction again.
    He was staring right at me, his eyes shimmering from the filter of sunlight that bounced off the glossy marble floors. “Didn’t expect you to arrive so early,” he murmured.
    I swallowed before speaking. “But you were expecting me…”
    A hint of a smile graced his lips. “I knew you would show up soon.” He turned his head. “Jane,” he called from a distance.
    “Yes, Mr. Montero?” Jane responded.
    “Hold everyone and everything off until I’m finished with Ms. Sterling, please.”
    “Yes sir.” I glanced at Jane, and she sat back down in her seat, fighting a smile.
    Carlos looked me over again then turned around, motioning with two flicks of his finger for me to follow him. I followed him down the hallway almost immediately, way too eager to be around this man and too embarrassed to remain standing in Jane’s sight.
    He stood by the door and ushered me inside his office. Trailing closely behind, he pushed the door closed. I wasn’t sure whether to remain standing or to sit, but without hesitation, Carlos walked around me and took the chair behind his desk, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. His gaze was hard, and I fidgeted on my heels, lowering my line of vision. I had to speak. It was obvious that’s what he was waiting for.
    “Carlos… about last night—”
    He cleared his throat, shaking his head and interrupting me. “No need to explain yourself. I got the message loud and clear.”
    My eyebrows stitched. “What do you mean?”
    He looked at me briefly before pushing from his chair and walking around his desk. When he met at my side, his chest pressed against my arm. Lifting a hand, he twirled a lock of my black hair around his finger and then he leaned forward. Gooseflesh climbed up my arms as he whispered, “It’s simple. I just have to tame you.”
    “Tame me?”
    “Yes,” he breathed.
    “W-what do you mean?”
    “Get you in order. Control you. Make you understand what this truly is.” The back of his hand ran down my jawline. I shut my eyes briefly as his warm, earthy cologne filled my lungs.
    I blinked. “I’ve just… I’ve never done anything like this before.”
    “I know.”
    I could feel his smirk. “So why me?”
    Carlos chuckled low and deep, causing my core to clench. Then, before I knew it, the back of my dress was unzipped, and a gush of cool air ran down my spine. I shivered, but not in an uncomfortable way. The fingers of one of his hands trailed down my back, the other lowering the shoulder strap of my dress.
    “The answer is simple, Mya,” he murmured into my ear. Once my straps were