Unwilling Read Online Free Page B

from me as she could. I decided to tease her.
    "Can you feel the gay germs invading yet?"
    She didn't respond. I sighed. "If you're so afraid of me, get out of my bed," I told her harshly. "Thanks for the buzz kill."
    I rolled away from her, ignoring her, expecting her to flee the room. Instead, after about a minute, there was a hand on my arm. "I'm sorry," she said. "Being here with you carries a lot of culture shock for me." She paused. "I've never woken up with another person's arms around me like that, much less a woman's. I've never woken up sharing a bed with someone who I hadn't had to give sex to the night before."
    I rolled over and looked at her. She was sitting up and the covers had fallen down around her waist. I closed my eyes. "Please cover up a little," I requested. I felt the sheets stir and opened my eyes again. She had pulled the sheet up to her chin and was clutching it to her.
    "I'm sorry," she said again. "I agreed to this. You saved my job, and I am doing my best to pay the price you demanded. But it's culture shock, okay?" She paused. "I know being gay isn't a disease, that there aren't gay germs or any of that. I know sharing a bed doesn't turn someone gay. I'm not afraid of any of that. But I don't know what you intend to do with me, and that has me deeply frightened. I've had a few boyfriends who like it a little rough, and not a single one of them had a whip like you do. I didn't like what they wanted to do to me. Do you think I'm going to like what you want to do?"
    I wasn't sure what to say.
    "I know the only reason you demanded this was to get back at me for being such a bitch to you. And I don't think making me kneel or cook dinner is quite what you had in mind. So I'm waiting to find out what your revenge is going to be like, knowing whatever it is, I deserve it, and knowing I'll sit there and let you do whatever it is you decide to do. So yes, I'm afraid of you. But it's not because you're gay. It's because I'm waiting for you to take your revenge. I wish you would just do the worst of it so I know what to expect."
    I stared at her, letting it all sink in.
    Finally I turned away. "Why couldn't you have stayed a bitch? Taking revenge on a bitch would have been a lot easier." I climbed out of bed.
    "I'm sorry," she said. I turned around and she was trying to hide a smile.
    "I'm not ready to forgive you yet. I'm not done being mad at you. You hurt me."
    "I know," she said. "I'm sorry. I was wrong."
    I started at her. "Fuck!"
    "I'm sorry," she said again. "You made me promise to stop being a bitch to you. This is me not being a bitch."
    She seemed earnest, but I was not ready to forgive her. I sighed. "We're not going to work this out this morning," I said eventually. "And we're past your slave time for the morning. There's only one shower."
    "You should go first," Melissa said. "I can make coffee for us."
    I nodded and headed for the shower.
    * * *
    That night, Melissa drove straight from work to my house, arriving  at five thirty still in her office attire. I'd gotten home only a few minutes in front of her. She knocked and I let her in.
    We stared at each other for a while. I was half undressed, as I'd started to change clothes. I almost kissed her, but turned away.
    "I have a key for you," I told her. I kept keys on a set of hooks in the kitchen. I retrieved one, returning in time to see her closing the closet door after hanging up her coat. I handed the key to her.
    She took the key and slipped it into her purse. "I am early."
    I looked away. "You don't have to do anything I order for another half hour."
    "That's not what I was trying to say," she said. "I'm early so I have time to change clothes." She lowered herself to her knees in front of me, still wearing her business clothes.
    God, I wanted her.
    Melissa bowed her head and stared at my feet. I stared at the top of her head.
    "Is there anything in particular you would like to see me wear?" she asked. "And do you want me to make dinner