Seconds pass like hours. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. I wait. I wait while emotion hurricanes through me in a mass of anger, sadness, and fear. I wait for Braden to continue. To say what he has to say. To end our relationship—a relationship that perhaps should never have begun. I could be content right now. Who needs Susanne Cosmetics? I could still be working for Addison Ames. She paid me pretty well, and yeah, she’s a narcissistic bitch, but I was making contacts. And Tessa. I’d still have Tessa. My best friend forever, except that forever apparently has an end after all. Maybe I’d be dating that Peter guy. He’s not a billionaire, but he’s an architect at a major firm. He does all right. Who needs a private jet anyway? Or a private driver? I’ll settle for a guy with a decent car. Who needs to be tied up? Spanked? Choked? I never did. I was content before. Except that I wasn’t. I was never challenged. And Braden? He challenges me. Not just in everyday, run-of-the-mill ways, either. He challenges my very way of thinking. He challenges my concept of myself. He dares me to try new things. Things…