Roman was long gone when Eve made her way to the hot tub on the deck at the back of the house. The weather was perfect for being outdoors for a change. A long soak was what she needed to relieve her aching muscles, and there was no better place to do that than the backyard. The view was so green and untouched that it was hard to believe she was on the outskirts of London.  She used to sit here and pretend Roman had taken her to some romantic island for a weekend getaway, but holidays weren’t part of the contract. That was something someone did with a wife or girlfriend.  She put the tray with her bottle of wine, snacks and phone on the side and then slowly lowered herself into the bubbling water. It was still early, not even noon yet, so it was probably too early for the wine. And crisps and cookies weren’t prop

It was Friday.  Evelyn was fuming as she sat in the sitting room, watching as the clock slowly inched its way to seven o’clock. Roman had left her stranded here when he knew bloody well that it was a nightmare to find on a map. She had given him the benefit of a doubt because maybe for a change he'd experienced the same problems the rest of the mere mortals like herself faced when businesses closed for the weekend. Maybe he’d had to wait for the towing company to open back up for business. But now it was bloody Friday.  A whole week had gone by since the day he picked her up in town and then used her body’s responses to him to show her he was the boss. 

Evelyn was shaky as she pulled a chair out and carefully lowered herself onto it. She heard the front door close and felt her tears start to sting her eyes but she blinked them back. She had done it again. She’d given in without much of a fight and let him use her body as he always did. She’d wanted him to do it. How could she have reacted so strongly to him when she had been so angry with him? What was that? It had been almost violent, nothing at all like how it usually was between them, even the times she wanted it a little rough. It had been terrifying how she had gone from one strong emotion to another so seamlessly until she had been unable to distinguish between love and hate. Because she was sure she felt a little bit of that for him now.  A little bi

It was past tea time when Evelyn paid the taxi driver and then got out slowly.  She’d woken up at lunchtime in Brendan's spare bedroom with a massive headache. She hadn’t meant to sleep over, but after sharing the pizza and the drink while binging on her favourite television shows, she had realised how lonely she was in Roman’s house. She missed just being free and stupid with her friends. In Roman’s house, she always felt like she had to be careful with everything because it was all so expensive. Maybe it was a good thing that Roman had laughed off her declaration of love. She didn’t fit in his world at all.  She dug her keys out of her bag as she walked to the door. Her mother would probably be making her dad comfortable in bed so sh

“Tell me what you need. What can I do to make you want to stay?” Eve looked up at him, eyes wide. Was he saying she could ask for anything?  She’d already told him she loved him and he’d laughed in her face. What else could she possibly need from him that wasn’t about how she felt? “Anything within reason,” Roman added. “We still have to follow the rules.” He was looking at her so intently as if he had read her mind. She looked away from his probing gaze and sighed. “Then I guess there’s nothing you can give me. Your rules don’t give me much freedom in this arrangement.” She