Free At His Mercy by Tawny Taylor

another large gift box. “Another present? Oh God, Kyler. I don’t know if I can accept it. ”
    Okay, so maybe it was over-compensation on his part — the dress, jewelry, shoes, flowers, and no w yet another gift — but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t appreciating the effort he was making. No man had ever treated her this way.
    “This is vintage. I hope you like it. ” He lifted the box’s lid , pulling out a full - length white fur coat. It was gorgeous. Soft. Luxurious. Real.
    “Oh my God. Kyler?” she said as he helped her into it.
    “I didn’t want you to be cold.” He led her outside to a waiting limo. The vehicle’s inside was dark and cozy. She sat down and Kyler sat next to her. He stretched an arm out, resting it behind her shoulders , and she found herself leaning toward him, wanting to be closer. During the ride, they talked about insignificant things, typical first date stuff. T heir education, hobbies, friends.
    About a half-hour later, the car stopped in front of a gorgeous old building of some kind. Elena leaned forward to read the sign as the driver opened the door. Maplewood Country Club. Looked very elegant and exclusive.
    They were led through a gorgeous lobby to a cozy room that housed a few tables, a fireplace, and nobody but them. The table in front of the fireplace was set for two. Kyler helped Elena into a chair and then sat next to her.
    “Pinch me, will you?” she asked, lifting a glass of water. “This is unbelievable.”
    Kyler’s eyes glittered as he looked around. “You like? I’ve been a member here since I was old enough to crawl. Never reserved a room like this before. This place has a very nice dining room for the members, but I wanted tonight to be special. Just you and me.”
    “Again, just pinch me.”
    “I might. Later.” H is smile turned wicked .
    “Is that a promise?” With him like this, so charming and attentive and romantic, it was easy to forget about all the crap he’d done to her. Ninety-nine percent of her believed this was the real Kyler — the genuinely nice man with eyes that twinkled with laughter and a smile that made her heart skip beats. But there was that one percent that wouldn’t allow her to believe this was real, that he honest-to-God liked her, wanted to get closer.
    They enjoyed some easy conversation during the meal, and lots of glances across the table. By dessert, she was not only totally stuffed but also much more at ease.
    His expression turned just a little serious as he pushed the empty dessert plate away and stretched his arms. “Now that we’ve eaten, I wan t to talk to you about some serious issues .”
    Oh boy, was this the end of the fantasy? She tried to look cheerful, but her stomach took a dive. So did her mood. And yet, a small part of her was relieved. Hopefully, they’d finally talk about that day at his house. Finally, she’d have some answers. “Sure.”
    “First, about that day , why I snapped…”
    “Hey, we were both confused and stressed. You apologized already . And I see you’re trying to make up for it.”
    His expression darkened. “Nothing will make up for the way I treated you. There’s no excuse. But I want to at least tell you what happened.”
    “Okay.” Her insides felt like they were being stretched uber tight. It was hard to breathe, and her head felt a little swimmy, but she concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths and listened.
    “You know Stacy Beautfort? From work?”
    “Sure.” She knew Stacy, although not very well. Stacy was secretary to the company’s CFO, while Elena was the office manager for the sales department. They worked in the same five-story building but on different floors.
    “She was the one who called me that day and told me about you and Becker . Some of what she said was true, and some wasn’ t.”
    “ You believed her? ”
    “ Sure. She is — correction, was — an old friend of mine, and I didn’t think she had any reason to lie to me.” He