On the tipsy ride back, I'm still digesting what his ex-girlfriend exposed.

Hayden is a freaking Dom.

What?

Shcho? Kya? Ano? Nani?

No wonder I get so flustered when he talks in that calm, deep voice. Why he immediately makes me feel more in touch with my femininity, like I can turn my brain off and chase dandelions in a flowy summer dress.

I'm attracted to it. Always have been. Maybe because my entire life, I've been in a fight-or-flight mode, forced to rely only on myself.

"What happened?" He breaks the silence.

"What? In the country or?"

"She called you a cunt. Why?"

I'm nervous about telling him I know the truth. He's always so strict about his privacy.

"Nothing. She tried to manipulate my opinion about you and got mad that it didn't work."

"What did she tell you, Hazel?"

He knows, doesn't he? If looks could kill, the cars in front of us would catch on fire.

I try to ease the tension. "She thought I'm your new sub! At first, I thought she was asking if I'm soup. I was like what? Then I heard newspaper. I was like, wait a minute, that can't be-"

"And you know what a sub is?"

"Of course. But I told her. I'm not a sub sandwich."

Dead silence. Any hope of me becoming a stand-up comedian is destroyed.

"Or a sub teacher." I drawl. "Or a sexy submarine-"

"Hazel."

"Yes, of course I know what it means! Jesus... I wasn't born yesterday."

He sighs through his nose, the cords down his neck flexing with tension.

Yeah, it was ridiculous of me to think he'd want to get back with her. It's clearly not the case.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but she shouldn't have disrespected your privacy like that. I think she assumed I must be your new sub, because you got upset that I was drinking on an empty stomach."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know. She used it as a way to say that you used to control and abuse her. I think she was trying to 'warn' me."

"I never controlled or abused her." He scoffs, shaking his head. "And you're not my sub! I'd never act like a Dom without consent. That's fucking abuse."

"What? I am deeply offended. I thought when I agreed to be your housekeeper, that automatically enrolled me in a BDSM relationship with you. How. Dare. You."

His lips curve at the edges. I give myself a mental high-five and a kiss on the forehead for lightening the mood. You go, Glen Coco.

"Now that'd give you a reason to sue me," he says.

"Exactly. Then I'd steal your coffee machine. Damn. You found out my plan. There goes my chance of enjoying affogatos for the rest of my life."

He's quiet for a minute. "What'd you say after she told you all that?"

"Basically that she's uneducated and ignorant if she doesn't know the difference between being abusive and a Dom, and that I doubt you don't know the difference. Clearly I was right."

Hayden jaw muscle flexes.

"Then she argued how she knows you better," I add. "I told her to give me three facts about you. She called me a bitch. I told her she should have more water, because clearly she's confusing me with a mirror. Then you rudely interrupted. She burst into tears. The crowd applauded. Harry brought tacos. The end."

Hayden chuckles. It's dry and barely audible, but I consider it victory.

"I can't believe you made her cry."

"I know, right. And I was nice to her in the beginning!"

"Yeah, welcome to my world."

"She deserves it for mentioning your family." I nod at his stunned disbelief. "Oh, yeah. She went there. Apparently, your family knows you abused her."

"They believe it," he says quietly, almost ashamed.

"What? No way. Why?"

"Old-school mentality. She shared things that you never want your parents to know. They jumped to conclusions."

Is that why he's not close with them? "That is so messed up. Why would she do that?"

I can't imagine Hayden doing anything to deserve something so cruel.

"She did it after I broke up with her. So probably to get back at me. Or to look like a victim. I don't know. I don't fucking care. She made my parents believe that I need professional help. That something is wrong with me. I was too pissed to talk to them. Let them believe what they want to believe. I don't owe them an explanation."

I laugh behind my hand. "Sorry, what? There's literally data that people in BDSM are more conscientious and have a healthier self-esteem for being able to express their wants and needs. Not to mention you have to be emotionally intelligent to build that level of trust with someone. Just because it's not talked about and it's misrepresented, doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. That's just ridiculous! And like I said uneducated and ignorant. No offense."

"Why do you know so much about it?" His eyebrows furrow with confusion.

"Oh, I'm a part-time Dominatrix for white-collar executives." I wiggle my brows at his unamused side-eye. "I spank CEOs for money."

"You must suck at it, if you still have to work for me."

I laugh again. "No, I just have a habit of researching my socks off when something interests me. Remember when I said I skip water and food when I'm focused on something? I almost passed out one day from spending ten hours on Reddit, reading everthing about BDSM."

"Wow. Do you know how many times I asked Astrid to do a little research?" He sounds hurt and frustrated. "All she did was watch one shitty movie and act like she knows everything."

"That's great. I don't think there's a single BDSM movie out there that's not toxic."

"Imagine what my parents think of me."

"Your mom thinks you like to hurt women who look just like her, huh?"

He looks like he wants to throw up. "You had to go there, didn't you?"

I snort. "You know which movie-"

"Yes-"

"I read the BDSM community hated it, because it basically implied that if you like inflicting pain, then you're just projecting trauma, which is so not the case."

"I know that-"

"Except in that movie, it probably is. Which is part of the problem. A real Dom would never engage in impact play when he's triggered. He needs to be in a clear state of mind, otherwise, he doesn't have his sub's best interest in mind. A real Dom would never do that. He'd never inflict his 'worst' on someone with zero experience and get off on it, while she's getting traumatized."

Hayden turns to me once again, his eyes a mixture of awe and pure disbelief.

"That's right." I smirk. "I'm a genius. Get used to it."

"Doubt it." Oh my God, he's smiling.

"Don't be intimidated because I'm a better Dom than you."

"Yeah, oookay."

"I could Dom, you bitch. Don't test me."

He laughs, laughs. I should keep insulting him.

I want more tacos.

And I have to pee.

"So...given that I've defended your honor and learned a few inappropriate things about you, is it safe to assume that we are becoming friends?" I ask.

"I feel like I'll regret it if I say yes to that-"

"Too late, we are. I've never been friends with someone who's a part of that lifestyle. I have so many questions. It's nice to finally a trustworthy source. Hey, do you go to play parties and stuff? I've seem them online. Not the gang bang orgy parties, but the classy ones where you watch. Are there some that you recommend? I've always wanted to go."

He pulls into his driveway and shuts the engine off. Harry and Edwin park beside us. They wanted to hang out, since we left the birthday party early.

"We'll talk about this later," Hayden says before opening the door.

That's fine, it's not like I was dying to join a club in my homeless state right now. I'm just excited, still in shock, and frankly nervous. Maybe that's why I can't stop blabbering.

The crickets are chirping as we step out into the night. It's barely 11 PM, I'm semi-drunk and still very hungry.

It's not safe for me to drive yet, but I am worried that the neighbors might get suspicious of my car parked down the street for so long. It doesn't blend in at all with their expensive cars.

I don't want to be alone. I don't want to sleep in my car. I don't want to go back to reality yet.

From the backyard, Milo barks and Hayden shushes him to not disturb the neighbors.

"Let's go say hi to him." Edwin grins for some reason at me, as if he knows I'll be on the same wavelength with him.

I obviously am! We're laughing as Hayden complains quietly for us to be careful as he rush through the gate into his backyard.

"Should I order us food?" Harry asks from the back.

"Yes." Edwin answers. "Wow, look at all those lemons and oranges you got there."

"I know, right? There's so many!" I whisper-shout. "And Hayden is just letting them rot."

"Why don't you make jam?"

"That's what I said!"

"Because I don't fucking like jam." Hadyen snaps behind us.

"Why?" Edwin argues. "With some baked bread and butter? It's delicious."

"Do you know how to make it?" I ask.

"I do, actually."

"He does. It's delicious," Harry says proudly. "He bakes bread too."

My jaw slacks in amazement. "Then let's go pick some oranges, so you can make jam for me!"

I hear Hayden grumble about it behind us and Harry laugh, while Edwin and I run toward the orange trees and start reaching for the branches. The leaves rustle and small particles fall in my eyes. I hope to God that there aren't any bugs or spiders.

Afterwards, we say hi to Milo who is more than excited to see us. Then we go inside and wash some of the oranges, and we eat them. They taste fresh and sweet and incredible.

To my surprise, we end up playing board games and video games. I thought that I'd feel awkward and have nothing to talk about with them, but turns out they're super laid-back.

Except for Hayden. Hayden doesn't hold back. In fact, he is ridiculously competitive.

Unfortunately for him, so am I.

A simple game of being lost in a cake-land where we must earn points to buy stars (whoever has the most starts at the end is the winner), turns into an intense match of swearing at each other.

He has the shameless audiacity to steal all my coins, he even kicks my character in the face, and laughs when I drown to death in the ocean.

I get my revenge though.

We play monopoly. It last three agonizing hours. At the end, Edwin and Harry lose. It's just me and Hayden. He owns one half of the board. I own the other half. We are cranky, exhausted, but neither one of us refuses to give up.

I laugh every time he lands on my properties and every time I get lucky enough to skip over his. At the end, he has no choice but to end his misterable life by admitting defeat.

Then he needs to pace around the house and get fresh air to calm down.

"We'll drop you off," Harry says as they hug me and Hayden goodbye. "Where do you live?"

Oh, crap. I laugh awkwardly. "No, it's okay. I'm calling Uber right now-"

"Uber's not safe at this hour," Hayden says.

Edwin nods in agreement. "A lot of creeps out there, trust me. We don't mind, hun!"

"I don't like people giving me rides. I'd rather Uber. Thank you though, I appreciate the concern." I don't care if it makes me look rude. They can't know that my home is literally a car.

After they leave, I open the Uber app and put the destination address for the nearest Starbucks. I plan to tell the driver to drop me off down the street as soon as I get in his car.

"You know, it's okay to lean on people sometimes," Hayden says. He's watching me with disapproval, almost like he wants to take my phone.

I grip it tighter and walk away to put more distance between us. "I know."

My screen is loading...Uber is searching for a driver nearby. Panic settles. What if there aren't any Uber drivers at this hour?

Found one. Seven minutes away. Thank God.

I wonder where I can park the car tonight that won't cause any attention. I haven't been out this late before.

"Seven minutes," I say to Hayden. Now that it's just the two of us, the energy is different.

Friends, right? Whatever that means. I'm a friend who cleans his house on Saturdays. Yeah.

Hayden's sharp gaze lowers from my face to my shoulders. "It's not really safe for you to go home at this hour, Hazel."

"I always go home at this hour," I lie. "Nothing has ever happened to me."

"Then you've been lucky. You're beautiful, and you're small. You're easy target for predators. Not to mention, you live alone. It's 3 AM."

He thinks I'm beautiful?

"Cancel," he says. "I'll take you."

Beautiful?

I shake my head, my heart racing out of control. "I-I don't want you to take me. I'm not comfortable with people taking me home."

"Why? Are you ashamed of where you live?"

"Yes. I am, actually." At least, this part isn't a lie.

His gaze hardens. "Hazel, I'd never judge you for your living situation. Even if you live in a bad neighborhood or a shitty apartment, it's still something."

Except, it's not even that. That only makes me feel more pathetic.

"You told me that you come from a dysfunctional family, right?" He raises a brow when I stay silent. "Am I right or not?"

"What's your point?"

"You should be proud of yourself for getting out of it. You did what's best for you. Even if you don't live in the nicest place right now, it doesn't matter. You're working two fucking jobs and going to school, Hazel. You're doing your fucking best. You should be proud."

Oh, God. I wasn't expecting his words to hit my chest like arrows. I want to curl up and cry. I feel vulnerable, exposed, and I don't like it. At all.

"My Uber is here," I look at my phone and rush to leave.

"Did I say something wrong?" He follows me, confused.

"No." I force on a smile. "Of course, not. I appreciate the support."

He doesn't believe me. "Hazel-"

"The car is waiting, I should go. Goodnight." I open the front door.

A part of me was anxious and maybe hoping that I would hug him goodbye. I was looking forward to discovering how warm and solid and pleasant his body might feel against me.

But maybe it's a good thing to never find out.

As soon as I get in the Uber, Hayden texts me.

Hayden: Let me know when you're home, please

Hazel: Will do

When I get in my own car, I put on an oversized hoodie to cover my face and drive to a coffee shop that opens at 5 AM. Only an hour and a half to kill. I pray that nothing happens.

I text Hayden: Safe and sound

The text bubbles appear on his end, then disappear a couple of times. Then finally.

Hayden: Thank you

A/N
Thank you guys for reading!
I hope you can tell this isn't going to be a regular dom/bdsm book and I hope you're into that <3