Chapter 54: I Let Him Go, and She Pulled Me Close
"He left my home with gratitude. She stayed in my bed with fire. And I... I remained exactly who I've always been: a woman who gets what she wants." — Mistress Staci
His last morning was quiet.
He made tea. Pressed my robe. Kissed my wrist before placing the key on the table.
He didn't speak until the very end.
"May I say one more thing, Mistress?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for keeping me. It was the greatest honor of my life."
I touched his cheek.
"You served beautifully. And you leave loved."
Then I turned and walked upstairs.
⸻
She was waiting for me.
In my bed. Naked, except for a silk robe she hadn't bothered to tie.
"He's gone?"
"He is."
She reached out her hand.
And I stepped into it like a current.
⸻
That day, we never left the room.
She touched me as if to claim me. I let her.
She kissed my throat and whispered, "Mine, now."
And I laughed.
"You think I'm yours?"
"No," she said. "But I want to be yours. And I want you to know how that feels without having to manage it."
⸻
There was something different about her hands.
She didn't ask for instruction. She listened with her body.
She made me feel...
Not adored. Not served.
Desired.
⸻
By sundown, I felt brand new.
Or maybe not new. Maybe just... returned.
To heat. To joy. To the kind of intimacy that doesn't need structure to feel strong.
⸻
I stood at the window as the sky turned purple.
She wrapped her arms around me from behind, chin on my shoulder.
"You okay?" she whispered.