"You've got the best lines... "

Donovan shrugged, "I've only used the same ones a few times."

Delilah smiled,"Doesn't bother me. I'm a big girl. I know it comes with the territory."

Donovan grinned,"I meant what I said. I might be here to do a job, but that doesn't mean I can't get to make you happy somehow."

"Is that why you're still touching me?"

Delilah looked down at his hands, caressing her. He didn't want to stop and she didn't want him to, either.

"Sorry..." Donovan grinned,"Perhaps outside of the bedroom I'm not as suave as I thought. "

Delilah stared up at him with curiosity.

"How did you get into this business? "

"It was either this or adult films. "

Delilah stifled a giggle.

"That's... wow... and your ex?"

"We were fine with our lifestyle until we simply grew apart," he took himself away from her and backed up to the counter to lean against it, "If you sign on, you'll be my last client. I'm retiring."

"Sign on? Retiring?"

"For the night you'll be with me," he said,"It's not absolute. I don't think it matters if you show up or not, but it's an agreement to prom I'm not going to hurt you unless you ask for it, but even then, I might not.. "

"Oh, like BDSM?"

"Yes," Donovan told her, "It's not a waiver. I don't own you and I will always stop no matter what."

Donovan pushed off of the counter again and became flush with her body. Delilah strained her neck to gaze up at him.

"Something about you makes me tick."

"What makes you tick? "

"Perhaps it's this magnificent red hair."

Delilah licked her lips and dared to press her hand against his chest, putting a small space between them.

"Would you like to go to dinner?" She asked, suddenly.

This wasn't her speaking. She could barely recognize her own voice.

Donovan nodded, "I'm buying. "

She hadn't the slightest clue what motivated her to ask him this. A date? With a dom? And not for sex?

"I've never been in a car like this before," Delilah said as Donovan helped her into his Lamborghini, "It's nice."

"Thank you," Donovan said as he slipped into the driver's side, "I wasn't too into cars as a kid, but my dad was a mechanic. Crazy, right?"

Delilah laughed, "Yeah, I like to paint, but no one in my family seems to know where I got the talent from. Not to say I have any.."

Donovan smiled, "I bet you've got plenty of talent. You're very hard on yourself, Miss Delilah. Have you always been?"

Delilah sighed, "I don't know. Maybe a part of me always wanted to be perfect like my sister, Dawn, but.."

She trailed off as Donovan allowed the car to idle in her driveway.

"But I guess no one's really perfect, right?"

"What is perfection?" Donovan asked, "People think Picasso's paintings are, but I'm sure some are absolutely mortified by his work."

Delilah smiled, her eyes dancing into his gaze as he pulled out of the driveway and turned to face her.

"Best place to eat?"

"You want fast or slow?"

Donovan chuckled,"Darlin', I'm good with either one of those options."

"I like it slow.." Delilah said, feeding into the nastiness of the conversation, "I like to get to know what I'm in for... "

Donovan couldn't help but breathe in deeply. Delilah was certainly a breath of fresh air and he was already smitten with her.

But he couldn't mix business up with his feelings. That's not how it was supposed to be.

"Castaway's. It's a little expensive, but if you like seafood, it's the best in town."

"Lead the way," Donovan said.

At Castaway's, they were quickly seated out on the pier which was fine with Delilah. The looks she was getting from her townsfolk told her she'd be the talk of the community before Donovan even went back to Boston.

"Are you staying the night in Salem? "

"Yes," Donovan said,"I didn't know how long our meeting would be so I got a hotel. "

"Thank you for coming out here, even if I don't accept the offer," Delilah said,"My friends mean well, but I'm.. I'm... I don't know. I'm all over the place."

"You can take your time to think about it," Donovan said, "Perhaps I came on too strong in your kitchen."

"I enjoyed it."

Donovan grinned, "Did you?"

"A little more than I should have."

"Don't feel bad about wanting to feel good, Delilah. If I'm not the one who'll make you feel the way you deserve, then someone out there is missing out on you."

"Missing out on me?" Delilah giggled,"No, I don't think there's anyone out there for me."

Donovan reached across the table and took her hand in his,"Your ex was a fool to treat you the way he did. Don't allow him to break you."

Delilah swallowed hard before the server got to their table with the dinner rolls. She was already broken and no one was out there to put her back together.

What would one night with Donovan hurt? She couldn't get pregnant –Brett had seen to that and Millie said the doms got checked routinely.

She wasn't getting any younger and she wanted to live a little. She'd been so happy and carefree before Brett ripped it all away from her and she wanted to take it back.

"You've got a deal, Mr. Dixon. For one night, I'm all yours."