And Evangeline had some surprises in store for Leo this week and next. Charlotte had decided to go away for the weekend to see a friend in San Francisco. Leo was still adamant that he didn’t need to do anything all day. That he didn’t need a job or something to occupy him other than taking care of the manor, and her, and Charlotte. But she was determined to show him otherwise. This weekend, though, was about embracing their kinky sides, and playing to their hearts’ content without having to worry about being quiet or leaving Charlotte alone at the house.
Next week, she had tickets to take them all to see Phantom of the Opera which was traveling through Spartan’s local theater. Even though Spartan was a small city, occasionally, big productions still came through. She was going to remind Leo what he gave up by coming out here. Charlotte was doing well. She had a job she was starting, and Evangeline was more than happy and capable to help her find her own place once she could afford to do so. Until then, she and Charlotte could live together. Without Leo there as a buffer between them, it might get a little awkward, but Evangeline was dead set against keeping Leo from his life any longer than absolutely necessary. Nearly six months of him being here was enough.
She wasn’t ready to do what they were doing full-time. She couldn’t allow herself to hide in her submission any longer. When she was twenty, it was one thing. She’d needed Benson in order to survive. The pain of his loss was still a dark cloud over her every day, but the grief was not as sharp now. She was healing. Counseling was helping her with that. And though she hadn’t admitted it, when Dr. Reichenbach mentioned just how easily she could develop feelings for Leo because of the situation they were in, Evangeline hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it.
Did she have feelings for him?
No. She couldn’t. It was too soon. She should still be in mourning for Benson. You are still in mourning. Only, some days she forgot. Some days, when she and Leo were deeply connected, when she was following his every whim, his every order, sometimes, she forgot entirely how much pain she should be in. And the guilt that followed was almost unbearable.
So, she was going to let him go. Very, very soon. She didn’t know exactly how she was going to convince him to go home, but next week’s trip to the theater was certainly intended as a way to remind him what he was giving up. To remind him that he missed his old life. He’d been here long enough. She couldn’t hold him hostage any longer.
Her eating was back to normal. Her weight steady at a healthy level. She was no longer forcing herself to eat every day, no longer doing it only because he ordered her to do so.
It was time.
Leo called from the front of the house as he came in, “Honey, I’m home!” It was the ironic greeting she’d thrown at him for weeks when they’d first embarked on this whole thing. Chuckling, she pulled the chicken roast from the oven.
He pushed his way through the swinging door.
“Perfect timing. Dinner’s ready.”
He startled. “Oh. You cooked!”
She grinned. “I cooked. I figured you’d be tired from your three hours of driving Charlotte to the airport. Besides, I was hungry.” She pulled the chicken out of the Dutch oven and slid it onto the cutting board. The potatoes and stuffing inside the pan looked divine, and the chicken was a beautiful golden brown, if she did say so herself. She’d never been a big cook, but she could manage in the kitchen.
“And I think you’ll need your strength. Maybe a nap, too.”
“Oh, boy, minx. Are you telling me now that we have the house to ourselves, we’re going to run around having crazy kinky sex for the next three days straight?” He raised his brows and tilted his head to the side. “I mean, I think I should be the one to tell you that, don’t you?”
She laughed. “Maybe technically. But there’s a club I want to take you to. A special club.” She’d already told him about it, months ago, but they hadn’t really talked about it much since.
“Really?” he drew the word out. “And what kind of club would that be?”
“The kind where we can get into all sorts of trouble and I don’t have to worry about being too loud. In fact, being vocal is encouraged.”
“Sounds like my kind of place,” his voice held interest.
“I thought so.” She served up their plates and carried them to the table. He got them drinks and they sat, just watching each other for a minute.
“This is... odd.”
“I know. It’s strange having dinner without your sister here with us. It’s... quiet.” Not that Charlotte was loud. But having her living with them, it helped Evangeline keep this building feeling of intimacy between her and Leo at a distance. The buffer of having Charlotte in the house meant that Evangeline couldn’t entirely pretend that she and Leo were really together. And this is why it’s time to break things off. It wasn’t fair to him. She couldn’t let him stay with her out of obligation. And if they really tried to make this a real relationship, living nearly 24/7 as his submissive, she would probably kill him anyway. If the guilt didn’t eat her alive first.
“So, food, and maybe a nap, huh?” he asked.
“Yup.”
“And then what?”
“Then we go to K Club. There are spanking benches, and St. Andrews crosses. Private playrooms, and public ones. Rigging equipment. All kinds of fun stuff. And you’ll get to do just about anything to me there.”
“Just about anything?” he challenged. “I don’t know about that, minx. I think that gets to be my decision too, doesn’t it?”
She shivered at the thought of him doing any fucking thing he wanted to her. “Well, yes, but there’s no sex allowed in The K Club.”
“Oh, my, does that mean I get to take you out to play all night long and you’re not allowed to come... the entire night? Sounds delectable.” His dark eyes looked like he would slide a hand across the table, sending all the dishes and food clattering to the floor and spread her out on the table to have his way with her.
“I said there was no sex. I didn’t say I couldn’t orgasm.”
He shook his head slowly. “Tsk. Tsk. Minx. Saying if you can or cannot orgasm is definitely up to me to decide,” he promised. “Now eat up. You’re going to need your strength.”
She shivered. And ate her dinner.
***
Leo glanced at Evangeline’s barely-there purple skirt and skin-tight black top. Her outfit left absolutely nothing to the imagination, and much as he enjoyed watching her in it, he wasn’t so sure he wanted anyone else to see her like this.
She smiled in the foyer. After dinner, they’d both gone upstairs to change, and he’d been sitting in the front room, waiting for her to come back downstairs for going on half an hour. Now that he saw her, he realized that it had been worth every second of waiting.
“I don’t know that you’re allowed to go out in public like that,” he finally blurted.
She laughed. “Oh, really? And now you’re policing what I wear?”
He shook his head. “I mean, yeah. That’s literally what I’ve been doing for months now.” Picking out her clothes for the next day had become his nightly routine. Something he’d never thought of as related to kink or sex or anything like that, this small routine, along with the myriad of other things he dictated to her, had become as natural as breathing. As integral to their relationship as providing her orgasms, or spending time snuggling together, or the feel of her ass against his hand as he spanked her. All of these things were puzzle pieces of their arrangement.
“Well, okay, yes, that’s true. I suppose I should have requested that you pick out what I would wear tonight. But I thought it might be nice to choose something I thought you’d like. But... I can change. If you want me to, Mister.” She bit her bottom lip in the most adorable little gesture. He hated seeing her uncertain.
“It is something I like. That’s the problem. I mean, I want to bend you over the side table, hike that skirt up and have my way with you right now. That’s the problem. You look too goo
d in that short skirt and tight top. I mean the fabric is barely covering your ass.”
She smiled and a gorgeous blush colored her cheeks. “I mean, that’s kind of the point. Easy access.” Her eyes sparkled at him and he suppressed a groan. He would never make it through the night if she kept that mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Come here,” he ordered, proffering his hand. She took it and he tugged her closer, then spun her around and bent her over the side table, right in the middle of the foyer. He was going to enjoy the fact that they were here alone while he could.
She held herself up with her hands flat on the table, and he inched the skirt up over her ass. He lifted his hand and smacked it down on her lace-clad right cheek. She groaned and he rubbed the sting away. He spanked the other cheek and she leaned deeper into her pose, offering her ass to him like a good girl.
“That’s for being impertinent enough to try to entice me with your saucy little attire, minx.”
“Yes, Mister.”
He gave her one more gentle swat on each cheek, and then pulled her skirt back down the couple of inches to cover her ass. “I’ll expect you to at least put a jacket or sweater on over that until we’re inside the club.”
“Yes, Mister.” She stood up and walked to the coat closet. She opened it and turned to him expectantly, waiting for him to choose for her. He selected a long, but lightweight sweater and she spun so he could help her into it.
“Let’s go.” He grabbed the small bag of toys he’d packed and led her out of the house. When they got to the car, he held open the door for her, like a proper gentleman. Even though he was taking her to a club where he would engage in distinctly ungentlemanlike behavior.
He’d elected to let her drive, since she knew exactly where they were going. Pity that there hadn’t been a kink club in town all those years ago when he’d been learning the ropes so to speak. Benson had taken him to a couple of private parties, and obviously, they’d had some equipment at Benson’s house back then, but that had been nothing compared to the clubs he’d seen in New York.
He was looking forward to seeing what The K Club had to offer. “So, what shall I do with you tonight, minx, huh?”
She smiled but didn’t take her attention from the road.
“I suppose we can do some impact play, hmm? What else?”
“Whatever you’d like, Mister.”
Good girl. “That’s right, isn’t it? What Mister Leo wants is what will happen, huh minx?” He couldn’t resist the urge to tease her. Making her squirm was officially his new favorite pastime, and he relished the blush coloring her face now. He loved that he’d put that look there. He wanted to do it again. And again.
His mind had been whirling since she’d told him of her devious little plan. It was the last thing he’d expected when he got home from the airport. The last few months, the routine he and Evangeline and Charlotte had settled into had been calming. He spent his early morning taking care of Evangeline, and when she went to work, he spent the day showing Charlotte how to fight, helping her feel like herself again, and rebuilding her life. He would make them dinner, and spend the evening hanging out, and the night reminding Evangeline of his constant control.
Now, she was taking him to a kink club, and he couldn’t wait. A St. Andrew’s Cross? A spanking bench? Personal playrooms? Oh, yes, he wanted to use all of those things, and more. Even if there was no sex allowed in the club. That was true in most places he’d played before. And he could play within those limits. He just had to figure out how much to tease her, just how long she could go without coming tonight. Just how cruel he was going to be.
He continued to taunt her on the drive, though it was shorter than he’d hoped. Soon, they were in the lot beside a huge warehouse. “Do they have coat check?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then you can wear that sweater inside and check it.”
“Yes, Mister.”
“Good girl. Let the games begin.”
He again got out and opened her door for her. She let him help her up out of the car, and kept her arm looped in his as they walked to the front doors. Two bouncers didn’t move to open the door at first, merely looking Evangeline up and down.
Leo was about to pound the asshole’s face in and then the guy whistled, and Leo started to lunge.
“Hey!” Evangeline yanked him back, just as the bouncer smiled and said, “Damn, girl! It’s been too long!”
“Leo, this is Kane. Who’s as straight as a circle, and absolutely wants nothing to do with my lady bits, so relax!” Evangeline whacked him on the back. Leo blinked and looked between the bouncer and Evangeline, then back again.
She sighed. “Maybe this is a bad idea. There are rules, obviously, inside, and no one is going to bother us, but people will look. And they may approach to ask about playing.”
He knew that. He’d done this before. Get a grip!
“Shit. Sorry,” Kane said. He was watching Leo carefully. But not like a man who was afraid he was about to get his lights knocked out. Which made sense as the guy had probably a good sixty pounds on Leo. Not that that was enough to stop Leo’s rage-meter from going to inferno in an instant.
“Leo is Benson’s brother,” Evangeline supplied.
“Yeah. I can see the resemblance. I kept trying to figure out how I knew him. You know I’m good with faces.”
“I do.” Evangeline spun Leo to look at her. “Are you going to try to beat everyone who looks at me?”
“No. I’m not. I can behave.” He hoped. He would. He’d just never felt this level of possession over anyone else before. He’d never cared if his play partners wanted other people or if other people wanted them. But with Evangeline, suddenly that mattered. It mattered a lot.
“I’m here with you, only you, and most people will get that just by virtue of us coming in together.” How was it she knew exactly what to tell him to talk him off the ledge?
He leaned down and kissed her behind the ear. “I’m sorry. That won’t happen again,” he whispered. Tonight was about them. It was a chance for them to explore additional types of play they didn’t get to do at home. He wasn’t going to let jealousy ruin that. He wasn’t the possessive asshole he was showing her.
He straightened, and Kane gave him a hard stare. “You know I have to tell you now, if anything like that goes down inside, you won’t be asked to leave, you’ll just be removed from the premises. Understood?”
Leo nodded.
“Alright, then. Enjoy your evening. Evangeline.” Kane dipped his head and pulled open the door.
With a little wave at each of the bouncers, Evangeline tugged Leo inside. The entrance to the club was more open than he would have thought, with a small counter to one side where you could stop to check coats. Evangeline slipped out of her sweater without being told to do so and handed it over to the woman behind the counter. She pulled out a small card, showed it to the woman behind the counter, and then slipped it back into a small zipped pocket on her skirt. How did a skirt that small and tight have a pocket in it? That was some serious engineering.
He was stalling. He knew it. He knew that’s why he had also reacted so badly to the bouncer. Something about being in a place like this with Evangeline just helped show him how different his former relationships with play partners were from what he had with her. The stark difference was sobering. He was no longer falling in love with Evangeline. He was now utterly and completely in love with her. And there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.
But she only wanted him because of what he could offer for her. His dominance, his control. He could have been any Dom. Any Master. And Evangeline would have the same results. It wasn’t Leo she wanted. Shake it off, jerk. You are not going to ruin what could be an amazing evening with that kind of doubting.
She turned and the small, sly smile she gave him chased away any doubtful thoughts he had. “Ready?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah.” He took her by her hand and let his Dom side fully take ov
er. This was his domain. She was his minx, and for tonight, his submissive. And he was going to show her a hell of a good time. He led her into the main area of the club and surveyed the surroundings as they walked. The room thumped with loud electronica music, and the dance floor was half-full, people wearing far less than Evangeline writhing against one another. A bar was in the center of the room, and a stage off to the front had three stripping hula-hoopers on it. He smiled. That took some serious coordination.
He led Evangeline to the bar and ordered them both some water. He wanted her nice and hydrated for what he had in store for her tonight. She sipped quietly beside him, and he wondered if her thoughts were plagued with memories of his brother. Of course they were. She’d been here with Benson.
Leo leaned down, holding Evangeline at the small of her back, through the thinnest fabric ever made, and whispered. “I wonder what’s behind those doors over there. I’m sure we could find something to hold our interest, hmm?” he teased. She quivered against him. He felt every movement in her body, close as they were together. The two doors in question were labeled Heaven and Hell. He grinned.
“What do you say, minx? I’m thinking Heaven. Let’s start at the top and work our way down.” He made it a statement, not a question. Because that’s what it was, after all. The choice was his. She wanted it to be his. He took her hand and led her through the dancers and toward the door marked Heaven.
Even if she’d been here with Benson. Even if this was ground they had tread before. Tonight, she was here with him. Tonight, she belonged to Leo. And he was to take full advantage of it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Evangeline let Leo lead her up the stairs at The K Club, letting the pulse of this place seep into her. It had been almost two years since she’d been here with Benson. While the club hadn’t changed much in that time, she had. The look in Leo’s eyes when she came downstairs wearing almost nothing, had told her she’d made the right decision surprising Leo with a night out. Even though it was rather impertinent of her to plan something instead of letting him do it.
From Sir, With Love Page 21