Something about him seemed nervous. Less self-assured than yesterday when he’d come in. She still enjoyed seeing him, even if it was harder for her to forget he actually partially owned the building.

Then again, maybe that was part of the fun? There was some small part of her that wanted to dominate him in his own space. If this space wasn’t also her job, she wouldn’t have hesitated to make that particular fantasy come true.

“How are you feeling today?” she asked, studying him back just as intently as he was her. The little break in his usual confident personality had her a bit concerned. While she liked making him a little uneasy, she didn’t want him to actually be uncomfortable with her... although, if he was, better to find out now rather than later.

He only hesitated a moment before answering, but she still saw it. “Fine.”

Olivia raised her eyebrow at him.

Shrugging uncomfortably, he leaned back against his seat. “Still processing a little.”

“That’s pretty normal,” she said sympathetically. As attracted as she was to Luke, that didn’t mean he was going to be the right kind of submissive for her and she had to do what was best for him. All of her usual teaching instincts kicked right. “You’re completely new to all of this and it’s going to take some time to learn what you do and don’t like. The important thing is you feel comfortable telling the dominant you’re working with if they’re pushing you too far or you don’t like something they’re doing and that you take the time to learn your boundaries.”

“Trust me, Scarlet, not liking it is not the problem,” he said with a wry grin.

Ah. So they were at that point in the process. Olivia kept her amusement under wraps. Luke was so cocky, so self-assured, she’d wondered when—and if—he’d even hit this point. Even with his struggle to submit his will to hers, it would have been entirely possible for him to never feel any doubt about his desires.

“Also very normal,” she reassured him, and didn’t miss the quick expression of relief that flitted across his face. Satisfaction curled through her. If liking it wasn’t the problem, that meant he just needed to get his head around it. Which meant she’d done a damn good job. Still, she hoped he’d be able to work through it mentally. Not everyone could.

“Really?” Luke asked, unable to keep his relief out of his voice.