Just A Bit Ruthless

He felt quite uneasy to be stared at by the psychiatrist with that indomitable look.

Luke twisted and immediately regretted his action again.The feeling of last night's sex still lingered in him.

"Why did you come, Luke?" Miranda finally said. "You came to me, what problem do you want to solve?"

"I..." He licked his lips. "I've already told you. I want you to help me cure—cure my Stockholm syndrome. I want to get that person out of my head."

She shook her head and looked at him over the edge of the glasses frame. "You're having sex with that man again."

Luke bit his knuckles, not looking him in the eye. "Anyway, you just need to cure me, so what difference does it make if it doesn't happen?"

"Luke," Miranda said peacefully, but there was a hint of reproach in her tone. "I'm not a magician. If you don't work hard, I can't. Your attitude is no different from those women who have unprotected sex because they can take emergency contraception. In fact, you are worse than them, because you There is no medicine for this condition.”

Luke covered his face with his hands, his head dropped, and his shoulders slumped.

"I know," he said. "But it's... so difficult." He sighed and looked up at the psychiatrist sadly. "It's such a good feeling to be with him. Ma'am."

Miranda showed an unsurprised expression. "What do you mean by 'good'? Can you explain?"

Luke thought back to how he felt when he woke up in Roman's arms this morning.

"Excited," he said. "It's safe," the voice trailed off, and he felt that he was quite abnormal-Roman was the last person who should make him feel safe. "I need help," he said, somehow becoming urgent.

"No matter what kind of BDSM relationship you have, you need a high level of trust in your partner," says Miranda. “Trust in your own safety, trust in the other person to take care of you, trust the other person to read your mood correctly and give you what you need. This can create a deep connection between two people that goes beyond sex. "

"But we're not—we don't always…do that kind of stuff," Luke said, feeling his cheeks burn. "I don't even like pain at all. I don't like whips and that sort of thing. I just like being..." His voice trailed off, and he wasn't sure what to say as the first line in his head The word is "possessed by him".

"To be taken care of and loved?" Miranda gestured. "As if you were someone's property?"

Luke nodded hesitantly.She was right, but he didn't really want to talk about it.Let's be honest, it's only when the object is Roman that he doesn't feel uncomfortable saying such a thing—doing this kind of thing.

"BDSM relationships don't have to have bondage or sadomasochistic elements," she said, though, as if sensing his discomfort with the topic, she changed it. "Now that you are free, would you say that you feel less dependent on him?"

Luke thought about this morning—how reluctantly he had to leave Roman's wide, comfortable chest because he had to get up; In the parking lot, when the two of them were about to split up to drive their respective cars, how he let Roman kiss a bruise on his neck; remembering how he kept checking his phone as if he had been poisoned all day, barely Can't focus on work.

Luke cleared his throat and said, "No."

By the time he left the therapist's office, he had more questions than answers.

Halfway back to the apartment, his attention was attracted by other things, and finally he was no longer obsessed with the problems in his head and the unresponsive phone in his pocket.

A black van was following his car.When he left Miranda's office earlier, he was sure he saw the car parked downstairs.

With his heart racing in his throat, Luke glanced in the rearview mirror again, then pulled out his phone, waving his thumb over Roman's number.This number was deposited by him this morning.

"In case of emergency," Roman told him, with an incomprehensible look on his face.His performance gave Luke no reason to believe that what happened last night wasn't a one-off.Luke wanted to ask Roman if he was coming tonight, but didn't want to be clingy.He doesn't want to be clingy.It was bad enough being forced to ask Roman for help; it was bad enough last night because he was so horny and cummed like a high school student getting a cock for the first time.

But this one definitely counts as an "emergency" this time, right?If a suspicious car had followed him home, he'd have every reason to call Roman, right?Especially in light of some recent events.

"Demidov," Roman answered the phone.

"Someone's following my car," Luke cuts to the chase, trying to ignore the silly feeling of a deer bumping in his chest when he hears Roman's voice.He's not doing you any favors, he told himself.Wrong, wrong, he is not some kind of Prince Charming, if he had to give him a title, he would be the villain in a fairy tale.

There was silence on the phone for a while.

Then Roman said, "Drive home as usual, and I'll take care of this."

He hung up the phone.

Luke exhaled the breath he had been suffocating for a long time, and a warmth rose from his chest, and finally fell into his heart. "Don't be stupid, Luke," he said to himself.When he said, "I'll take care of this," it's not the same thing as "I'll take care of you."The Romans are there whenever they are needed, and Luke has this sour, sweet feeling every time, which is so silly a reaction.It doesn't mean anything okay.For a man like Roman Demidov, that meant nothing at all.

Not to mention, Luke shouldn't have expected that to mean anything at all—shouldn't expect that from someone like Roman.

"Stupid," he muttered, forcing himself to focus on the van in the rearview mirror.After reporting the matter to Roman, he calmed down completely. He didn't know if he should be surprised by such a reaction.He didn't want to hope that Roman would drop from the sky all day long to save himself from danger.He is not a girl in distress, and Roman is not a prince riding a white horse to rescue him.Maybe he should hire some bodyguards, at least for the time being.Maybe.

The van followed him all the way home.

After Luke parked the car in the underground parking lot, he didn't know what to do.He didn't see Roman's figure.The van also stopped.The entire parking lot was eerily silent.

Luke swallowed, got out of the car and headed straight for the elevator.His footsteps echoed in the dimly lit parking lot.

Why is there no one here?Where did that gossiping Mrs. Bell, who lives on the tenth floor, go?At the moment Luke didn't mind having a little chat with her.

There were several pairs of footsteps behind him.

Luke quickened his pace, and a sense of disappointment was pressing on his heart, getting heavier and heavier.How silly.He'd be too stupid to trust Roman.

"Scream and you're dead," said a hoarse voice, with a gun pointed at Luke's back.

Luke didn't bark.He didn't resist, and let the men grab his arms and push him into the van—what's the point of resisting?Meaningless.He was shoved in hard, staggered, and almost fell face down, if he hadn't been supported by two hands.A pair of hands that feel very familiar.

Luke stared at Roman dumbfounded, confusion and anger fighting one after another in his heart. "what the hell?"

The door of the van was closed, and there were only the two of them left in the semi-dark car.

Roman let go of his arms and sat back in his seat, examining him with an expression of obvious displeasure. "I'll return this question to you unchanged. This is the second time my men have tied you up without any effort, you careless little fool. Where's your bodyguard?"

Luke plopped into the seat opposite, arms crossed over his chest. "I don't have bodyguards. Also, I'd appreciate it if you could stop calling me a fool and explain to me why you kidnapped me—for the second time—."

"This is a test, you failed." A muscle on Roman's jaw twitched. "I've seen the file you gave me. Do you know how dangerous some of the characters in that gang are?"

The disappointment that was pressing in my heart was relieved all of a sudden, and it was gone.Luke covers his mouth with one hand so that the other party cannot see that he is smiling. "You're worried about me."

Roman's blue eyes were piercing.He took Luke's arm, pulling him toward him and pinching his throat. "Do you know the meaning of the word 'dangerous', you ignorant fool? If you fall into the hands of those people, you will feel that life is worse than death."

Luke sticks out his tongue and moistens his lips. "But I noticed the van, didn't I? And I called you."

Roman pursed his lips.

"You know I'm telling the truth," Luke said, meeting his eyes. "If these people are not your subordinates, you will really come to save me."

If one had to describe his expression at the moment, Roman looked even angrier. "Don't look at me with that look," he said, grinding his teeth, the expression on his face somehow manages to look both angry and hungry.

"what expression?"

"Looks like I'm some kind of hero," Roman said through gritted teeth, before suddenly sticking his tongue down Luke's throat.

Luke sighed happily, his mind stopped thinking.

A few minutes later, after Roman let him go and he regained his ability to think, Luke found himself curled up on the lap of the older man, his hand under Roman's shirt, and his lips were kissed thoroughly. Swollen.He smiled at Roman, and despite Roman's scowling expression, Luke didn't think there was anything wrong.

"I'll arrange some bodyguards for you, and you'll take them with you wherever you go," Roman said, wrapping his arms around Luke's waist and rubbing his thumbs on his stomach, causing Luke to shudder all over. A string of comforting goosebumps. "It's only temporary," Roman said. "Before I clean up the mess Whitford left behind."

Then what?Luke almost asked, then cursed himself.Of course he knew what was coming: Roman would go.

Luke looked down and nodded.

"Well, if that's the case..." he said, letting his hands slide down to caress Roman's warm, muscular chest.He looked at Roman through the drooping eyelashes and licked his lips. "Would you like to come upstairs with me?"

Roman stared at him, jaw clenched.It looked so angry that Luke thought he would say no.

He was wrong.