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Authors: B. B. Roman

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"I want to make you an offer," he said.

Is he going to pay me to keep quiet?
It was the first thing that came to mind.

He seemed to read my mind. "No, I assure you it's not like that.
There are two choices.
I want you to leave with the information I've provided
to
you, and I want you to parade it everywh
ere. I want you to bring the truth forward, no matter what comes with it. You are a reporter and so that is what you will do. It will be the story of a lifetime, I assure you of that."

"And what's my other choice?"

"Give it up, Marisa—and stay here with me. There's something very special about you, something I've never seen before in a woman. Stay for any amount of time that you like, but I would love to spend at least a fair amount of time with you. Your expenses will be paid and your personal finances will be plentiful, far more plentiful than journalism
could ever make them
. Allow me to take care of you, Marisa
.
Be my little
pet
.
"

He held out a collar, one that was encrusted with diamonds. In the center was a red diamond, one more beautiful than any piece of jewelry I'd ever seen in my life. Off to the side there was a gold emblem with my name on it

"Whoa," I said, totally taken aback. "You want me to
stay with you
?
And wear that?
"

"I want you to go for it all—or I want you to stay with me. You're a woman of extremes, so I know you couldn't half-ass it if you tried.
The collar means you're exclusive to me
, unless I say otherwise
. It would mean so much to me if you wore it.
"

"But Roland, I have my job, and my apartment—"
This was crazy. It was like I was
already
trying
to make this work
.

"You're a free woman, Marisa. You actually have nothing holding you ba
ck—and
I know that you're lonely. You're going to fly back to that huge city that doesn't give a shit about you and continue to work your ass off
until you die. You'll miss some of the best years
of your life. I know because I did."

I didn't know what the hell to think. I wouldn't have expected this in a million years.
I felt woozy and lightheaded, my mind spinning like a carousel.

"You don't need to decide right now," he said. "Go back to your hotel and think about it."

Whew
. I feared he was putting me on the spot. I guess not.

"Okay," I said. I stood up and put clothes back on my body, pausing for a moment to straighten them out.
I didn't really want to leave, but I also didn't want to make a decision like that right in front of him. There was no way I was going to slow down my mind at this point.
I was moving automatically, like I had been programmed to
escape and obsess over the details
.

He guided me back out of that dungeon and today, he kissed me goodbye before I got in my car. It was a kiss that seemed both bittersweet and dominating, one that was somehow perfectly reflective of his demeanor.

"Goodbye, Marisa. I'll see you soon."

"B-b-bye," I stammered, still overwhelmed by the kiss. I was still a little shaky, so I drove slowly.

***

I didn't get in the shower when I got home, and I didn't eat that evening. In fact, I couldn't sleep that night either. I did nothing but think about Roland and his offer.

Why was I so concerned about the biggest story of my career? Was it for the money? The fame? If it were for the money, I realized that staying with Roland made a lot more sense. Was it really that simple though? Just
money
or
fame
? There was truth to set free
, but what good would it do now anyway? StarChem had totally changed all of its practices and had become the closest thing to a
green chemical
company
possible. After the spills that led Roland to resign, they had been under intense public scrutiny—and they had buckled to it, going above and beyond to make their practices more ethical.

Roland also made me feel something like I'd never felt before, something so new and unique. New York City was nothing but numbness for me, just doing what I had to do to get by, not really connecting with anyone aside from sharing a few laughs now and then. I had been so busy that I never even considered trying to find a man. Yet, here was one now, offering himself and his resources to me, asking me to offer myself back. This wasn't any old
guy
either. This was an attractive, kind, rich, and powerful man—that wanted me just as badly as I wanted him.

I began sobbing, realizing that Roland was absolutely right. The best years of my life were slipping away as my professional career stole every available minute of every day. No, I hadn't actually been happy in years. I was hiding behind my persona as a
journalist
, using it to avoid having to do the things that humans normally did.
It was a crutch.

I deliberated long and hard after realizing
Roland's apparent wisdom
. Was staying with him really the best way to fix my problems? Technically
,
I had all of the time in the world to make my decision—Roland would
apparently
just give me all the information I needed for the perfect story if I made that choice—but I really wanted to get it over with. I didn't want to agonize, to obsess. For the first time in years, I wanted a
break
worse than anything, a
break long enough
that I'd forget about my career for at least a little while.

Morning was already in full swing, so I headed down to the lobby and got all the coffee I could drink. Amped up, hungry, and a mess, I headed back out to Roland's house, no
t
concerned with the
beautiful
landscape today
. I pulled in and parked my car. Totally unlike every other visit thus far, I just jumped out of the car and headed to the house. I
knew
why I was here and I
knew
what was about to happen.

I walked up the steps to the front porch and pounded on the door until I noticed the doorbell. I pressed it once and waited. The door swung open.

"Marisa! How lovely to see you!"

"Roland," I said, barely able to contain my excitement. "I want to stay."

His face lit up. As much as I would have assumed that he already knew how this was all going to end, he genuinely looked surprised. "Marisa, I simply can't believe it!" He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. I desperately hugged him back, so
grateful to be here
with him again.
"Let's have a celebration," he said.

I followed him inside and sat down on the couch where things had fir
st started. Everything was
different now—but I felt good, relieved that I was finally about to get a break from my regular life.

"Welcome to the Starland Resort," Roland said. "We're open for business year round. Stay as long as you please." He grinned at me, his eyes lighting up in a way that was the very antithesis of the burning seriousness I had gotten used to.
I didn't know if I was witnessing pure joy or just a hollow emotional attempt. Roland was not a black and white sort of guy.

I smiled back.
This felt
good
.
Things were g
oing to turn out great after all.
I had made the right decision and now I'd never look back.
Those were probably the darkest secrets he had, right?

Well, I certainly hoped
that was case
...

TO BE CONTINUED...

###

The
next part of
Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire)
is available now
!
Thanks for reading!

A Word from the Author:

If you’re here reading this, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you so much for purchasing and reading my work. Leave a review if you feel so inclined; it will help others discover whether or not my stories are for them and help me to learn and grow as an author. These stories are enjoyable for me to write, and if you get something out of them—no matter how large or small that something may be—I’ve done my job. See, erotica is definitely a creative art, and sometimes that creative spark is lost in routine, boring creations. I set out to make erotica that people could feel in a variety of ways, and I’m always glad to learn that people are truly experiencing/sharing my vision. If you have any requests or comments, don’t hesitate to email me at the address on the contact page.

Once again, thank you for supporting me, and a special thanks for supporting independent writers and publishers in general.

-B.B. Roman

About B.B. Roman:

B.B. Roman is devoted to sexuality that is felt with both mind and body, writing to appeal to the full sexual imagination—both inside and outside of the
traditional
realm and limits of erotica. There's no holding back in Roman's worlds; the stories are allowed to flourish in any way they so choose. It's an always-changing world of emotional highs and lows, pleasure and pain, certainty and uncertainty.

Roman writes from a remote cabin, allowing that feeling of seclusion to feed into the stories. When not writing, Roman enjoys composing music for films and attempting to make the best cup of coffee possible at home, using a variety of contraptions and methods—and very dark, chocolatey beans. Oh, and also chasing around two very curious
Weimaraner
s that never seem to tire out!

Discover other titles by
B.B. Roman
at
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.com:

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Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire)

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 2: Full Submission

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 3: The Offer

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 4: New Life

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 5: Sweet Temptation

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 6: Paradigm Shift

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 7: Changing Places

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