Free OneHundredStrokes by Alexandra Christian Page A

expression in his eyes made Selene
nervous. She could feel the blush rising in her cheeks, so she looked away,
picking up the wooden hairbrush on the dresser.
    “Look, Selene… I know I’ve been distracted lately. My work
takes me away from you.”
    “It’s all right, Jules. I know how busy you are.”
    “Busy is no excuse, Selene. I haven’t been there for you.”
He slid forward on the bed, getting so close that she could feel the heat of
his body resting against her back. Reaching around, he closed his hand over
hers, taking up the brush she clutched lightly. “I realize that I haven’t
attended to your needs as I should have.” As he spoke, he began pulling the
stiff boar-hair bristles through her auburn hair. “You’re such a beautiful
woman, Selene. The thought of losing you is…unbearable.”
    “You shouldn’t worry so much, Jules.” She sighed, relaxing
into his words. “I knew what you were like when we started dating.”
    “Oh? And what am I like?” he asked, continuing the gentle,
rhythmic strokes of the brush through her hair.
    “Just…intense.” Selene shivered as his fingertips found the
cuff of her ear, brushing a strand of hair away from her cheek. “Perhaps a
little obsessive at times.”
    “You think me obsessive?” Julian asked, gathering her hair
into a ponytail at the back of her head and picking at a small tangle.
    “A little,” she replied, biting her lip as the brush tugged
at the small hairs at the base of her skull. “It’s just that sometimes I feel
as if your work comes before me.” She let her eyes stray to the mirror, staring
into his face and searching for some kind of reaction. “Every now and then I’d
like to be first.”
    “Is that what you think?” His lips were set in a hard line.
He gazed at her with a stoic expression. “That I don’t put you first?”
    “I didn’t mean that you don’t love me. It’s just that
sometimes you put me off for work. I don’t feel…you know…like the center of
attention. And sometimes being the center of attention is nice.”
    “I see,” he replied. He said no more but continued brushing
out Selene’s thick locks. Over and over he dragged the bristles through her
hair, smoothing it until the gentle strokes lulled her into a relaxed state of
contentment. After several moments, his voice broke the silence, jerking Selene
from her reverie. “You know, some might say that a need to be the center of
attention all the time is selfish and rude.” Selene glanced into the mirror,
seeing that his mouth was quirked into a playful smile. “Very unbecoming of a
lady.”
    “I’ve never thought of myself as a proper lady. You know
that,” she replied, returning his smile with a spark of mischief in her eyes.
“You of all people should know that.”
    “Despite my tutelage.” He pulled back, standing up and
tossing the hairbrush onto the bed. She started to follow, but Julian laid a
heavy hand on her shoulder, pushing her back onto the seat. “Stay here. I have
something I want to show you.” Selene nodded, watching him as he crossed the
room, disappearing into the enormous bath off of the sitting area. Her stomach,
deep down, lurched and fluttered at the thought of what he might have up his
sleeve. What sort of game was Julian playing at this time? Perhaps a ring? The
thought made her blush clear down to her toes. Of course she’d thought of marrying
him. Who wouldn’t? Julian had it all—a partnership in his law firm, more money
than he could ever spend, a sprawling townhouse right in the center of
Savannah, an intelligence to rival Einstein, an incredible body that could only
be described as godlike. What more could a woman ask for in a potential
husband? But she had always assumed that he’d never ask her. And recently he’d
seemed to lose interest. Could it be that all this mysterious banter was a ploy
to surprise her with an engagement ring? Doubtful, but Selene couldn’t help but
hope.
    When he returned, what