Mastering Lexie (Stronghold Book 4)

by Golden Angel

  Still, he didn't regret it.

  Now that he could have her, now that he was fairly sure they would work together, he didn't want to wait. Doing her training, getting a small taste of what a relationship between them would be like, had only made him more impatient.

  "Thank you for making breakfast."

  Patrick turned to see Lexie standing there, hair still on end and coffee cup in hand. His t-shirt hung loosely on her small frame, the same one that she'd worn home last night. As much as he would have liked to see her naked, he knew that completely naked with a hot cup of coffee was not always the best idea. Hence, the boxers he was currently wearing. Small protection, but something was better than nothing, just in case.

  "You're welcome."

  A little smile played across her face as he dished her eggs onto a plate. "You keep making me food. I'm starting to feel like a slacker submissive."

  "There will be plenty of time for you to cook for me," he said, handing her the plate and a fork. Putting his hands on her hips, he turned her around and gently pulled her back against him. With a little sigh, she softened and leaned into his body as he slid his hands around her waist so that she could eat while in the circle of his arms.

  Resting his chin on top of her head, he relished the feel of her against him, the curve of her ass against his thighs, and the softness of her body under his hands. Part of him wanted to keep her there with him all day. Now that she was his, he didn't want to let her out of his sight, but he knew that wasn't possible. She needed to go to work, and he had things to do, including a bit of shopping that he'd rather do on his own.

  "Are you on birth control, Pixie?" he asked. He was fairly certain she was, but it would affect his shopping trip if she wasn't. There were a few condoms in his bedside table at home, but not nearly enough for what he'd need this week.

  "Yeah, I'm on the shot."

  "Good."

  Twisting slightly, she looked up at him. "Does this mean we can have sex now?" she asked, teasing.

  Patrick kissed her forehead. "No." She let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to her half-full plate of food. "You'd better not be rolling your eyes again."

  He'd given her two hard spanks last night, laying her across his lap before bed. Something which had frustrated her, because afterwards he'd just slid back into the bed, pulling her with them and, after a soft goodnight kiss, told her to go to sleep. Even though she’d been exhausted, she’d been more than willing to stay awake to further their physical relationship, to phrase it nicely.

  However, he hadn't been kidding when he'd said he wanted more time to plan the scene. He wanted it to be special. Besides, even though he wanted her to become his submissive immediately, that didn't mean he thought they should have sex immediately. Anticipation made the pleasure sweeter, and Lexie needed to know that she couldn't push him into doing everything she wanted, when she wanted it.

  "Of course not, Sir," she sassed. Patrick smacked her thigh, making her jump a bit.

  "Ow!"

  "That didn't actually hurt."

  "It stung."

  "Then don't sass me."

  Lexie grumbled under her breath. "Like that's ever going to happen."

  Since she couldn't see his expression, he grinned. Bending his head down to whisper in her ear, he could feel her tensing slightly beneath his hands. "Why do you think I like you so much, sweetheart? Now finish your breakfast."

  To his satisfaction, she did without protest, and he got to hold her while she ate. This was what he wanted. A soft, submissive woman in his arms in the morning, doing exactly what he told her to, with an occasional side of sass that would end in punishment. They'd probably have their differences on occasion, with Lexie it was practically a guarantee, but at least now he could spank any brattiness out of her when the situation called for it.

  It didn't take them long to get ready to go. He could tell that Lexie was a bit nervous about having him there, moving around in her space, but she liked it too. They both took every opportunity to touch each other, although some of her touches were intentionally seductive. As if they had time for anything when she had to get to work. Patrick ended up giving her ass a sharp smack so that she would concentrate on brushing her teeth instead of pressing her butt against his growing erection.

  "When you get home, pack an overnight bag and then come over," he said as they got ready to leave, hefting his own bag onto his shoulder. "Pack something to wear to Stronghold tomorrow too, so that you can come right over after work."

  "I'm not scheduled for tomorrow," she said, looking stubborn.

  "You're not scheduled at all, you quit remember? You won't be there to work, you'll be there as my submissive. I'm not going to be re-hiring you, but I want you at Stronghold whenever I'm there, unless you have something else to do."

  "Oh..." A little light dawned behind her eyes, and a pink blush spread through her cheeks. "So everyone's going to know?"

  "Everyone's going to know."

  She beamed up at him, her smile radiant.

  Reaching out, Patrick stroked his fingers over her cheek and into her hair, unable to resist the temptation to lean down and kiss her when she looked like that. Their tongues tangled, heat surged, and he fought back the impulse to say fuck responsibility, pick her up and carry her back to the bed. Instead, he reluctantly pulled away.

  "Come on, Pixie. You need to get to work, and I have things to do today."

  "What things?"

  "Dom things." This time the smack he gave her ass was completely playful as he propelled her out the door. She bounced out in front of him like an energetic puppy. Amazing the change a couple cups of coffee could make.

  Or maybe it wasn't the coffee at all. Just having spent his morning with her, even though it was far earlier than he usually woke up, he had a hell of a lot more energy than he usually did. Happiness could energize a person even better than coffee.

  ******

  Lexie hated her job.

  Okay, that wasn't true. Yes, it was occasionally tedious. Yes, there were occasionally patients that drove her up the wall. Yes, sometimes the doctors or nurses were rude if they were in a hurry. But usually she liked her job. She liked that it was different every day and yet the tasks were always the same, something that she could count on, and she liked seeing different people. Sometimes the regular patients would chat with her, and that was nice too.

  However, today she hated her job, because it was keeping her from Patrick. Every second that she wasn't busy doing something felt like it was hours long. In between her tasks, she was texting her friends. First thing she'd done, after leaving her house, at the very first red light she came to, was send out the same text to all of them.

  Patrick and I made up... and we're a couple!

  She hadn't quite known how to phrase it, really. Patrick wasn't the kind of guy that looked like a 'boyfriend.' The word was too immature for him, and not at all descriptive of the kind of relationship he wanted. Demanded, really. Saying that she was his submissive didn't seem to quite encompass everything that she felt about him. Calling them a couple seemed to be the best way to put it.

  Telling her friends made it feel a bit more real. Not that she thought she was dreaming anymore, but it did feel like she was in a kind of dreamland. All morning, since she'd woken up, she'd been floating on air. Being with him had felt completely natural and wonderful.

  Although now she couldn't stop worrying that he was suddenly going to change his mind, or that she was somehow going to mess everything up. Getting what she wanted made her more anxious than wanting what she couldn't have! Now there was always the chance that she could lose it, and that would be so much worse. Logically, she knew that her worries weren't entirely rational, but she had trouble letting them go.

  Fortunately, work and the texts that were now coming back from her friends were helping distract her, but what she really wanted to do was get back to Patrick. When she'd been with him this morning, there had been no question that he'd
been happy to be with her. Texting with her friends helped though, renewing her sense of excitement and happiness as she gave each of them a quick synopsis of last night.

  Maria's text had been filled with happiness for her, while Hilary and Angel were both supportive but a little more wary. Poor Leigh had been confused, and Lexie had had to back track to tell her everything that had happened. Which had resulted in Leigh apologizing for not knowing in the first place, even though it wasn't her fault. Lexie just hadn't wanted to pile on to the drama that Leigh was already dealing with. Hilary and Jessica both demanded to get together in person, which resulted in a round of group texting finding out when everyone was available. They ended up settling on Happy Hour on Wednesday, which gave Lexie something to look forward to.

  Also, she had a feeling it was a good idea to make plans with her girlfriends quickly, because part of her wanted to devote every minute of the week to Patrick. He wanted a full-time submissive, not a clinging vine, and she didn't want to lose her friends just because she finally had the man that she wanted. Besides, she was spending the night tonight, seeing him tomorrow night (and she was going to pack an outfit for Wednesday, since she had a feeling that he would insist on her spending the night tomorrow night too) so going out Wednesday night was for the best. Give them a break after two nights together.

  She also dashed off a quick email to Jake, giving him a very brief and not too informative update on what had happened between her and Patrick. Hmm... she'd need to tell her parents at some point too. Definitely before Patrick talked to them. While she was pretty sure that they'd be okay with it, although possibly a little worried about the age difference, she didn't want Patrick to see any initial doubts or anything. They were more his family than his own parents in a lot of ways, and she knew how much their opinion meant to him. Definitely better if she prepped them.

  So she called them that night, while she was packing up her bag. Two days’ worth of work clothes, just in case, an outfit for Stronghold, some pajamas (if Patrick even let her wear them), underwear, socks, toiletries...

  "Lexie! Hello, sweetheart," her mother trilled, as soon as she picked up the phone. The excitement in her voice made Lexie cringe a little. She really needed to call her parents more often. See them more often too. It was just that days went by so quickly and the next thing she knew, a month had passed. Although, her mom stalked her Facebook and left comments on everything, so it's not like they didn't know what was going on in her life for the most part.

  "Hey mom, how are you?"

  "Good, good. I just got home from my book club." Lexie's mom had been an event planner before she'd had kids, even though Jake and Lexie were both out of the house, she seemed happier doing her own thing rather than going back to work. Luckily, since Lexie's dad made good money as an engineering consultant for the government, she didn't need to. Plus, it made it easier when they had to go overseas for her husband's job.

  "Reading anything good?"

  "Mmm, a biography about Marilyn Monroe. It's not really my thing, but it's interesting."

  "That's good."

  "Mmm hmm... So what do you need, sweetheart?"

  "Need? Who says I need anything? I don't just call you because I need something," Lexie said, partly teasing but also a little disgruntled. She didn't do that, did she? A little bit, she supposed. But she did also like knowing what was going on with her parents. She really did need to call and get over there more often.

  "You're just calling to chat?" Her mother definitely sounded a little surprised. Dammit. Lexie vowed to herself that she was going to call more often. Just to chat. Be a better daughter. Geez.

  "Well, I'm calling with news... of a sort."

  "You got a new job?!"

  Lexie rolled her eyes. "No. I like my job, remember?"

  "You can't blame me for trying."

  "Sure I can. I'm not quitting my job. I love my job." Except for today, but that was different.

  "So what's the news then?" her mother asked, sounding even more curious now.

  Huh... this was harder than she thought. Lexie hesitated for just a moment, gathering her courage and then blurted it out. "Patrick and I are dating."

  Which made it sound so much less than it actually was, but it was better to put it in terms her parents could understand. Although, they did know what kind of club he owned, but it was one thing to know and another to know. For them, knowing was more an academic exercise than anything else. Jake's knowledge was a little more involved, and it still wouldn't encompass everything.

  "Brandon! Brandon!" Lexie groaned as her mother excitedly called her father's name. "They're doing it!"

  "Phrasing, mom..."

  "Who's doing what?" Her dad asked, his voice sounding faraway since he wasn't right up next to the phone. Closing her eyes, Lexie stifled another groan, along with the impulse to bang her head on the wall. Well, she hadn't wanted them to be upset.

  "Lexie's dating Patrick! Finally!" Her mother had moved the phone away from her mouth, but Lexie could still hear every word perfectly clearly.

  "Isn't he a little old for her?"

  "Oh hush, don't ruin this for me." Mom suddenly spoke into the phone again, her voice much louder. "This is so sweet! I just knew you two would end up together."

  "Geez Mom, slow down, it's not like we're getting married!" Lexie said, with sudden wariness. The last thing she needed was her parents putting pressure on their newly-budded relationship. Good grief, at least her dad sounded a little cautious. Her mom was sounded alarmingly like Hilary's mother. "We just started dating."

  "Yes, but you've had a crush on him forever, I remember when you used to follow him and Jake around everywhere..."

  Great, just what she needed, childhood reminiscences about how much she'd embarrassed herself mooning over Patrick. Still, she couldn't help but smile at her mother's enthusiasm. In the background she could hear her dad grumbling about how there was no rush. At least one of her parents wasn't going full steam ahead.

  It occurred to Lexie that she took after her mom a bit more than her dad, and she suddenly had more sympathy for Patrick's position. It was a good thing he was such a strong Dom or she'd probably end up steam-rolling him. Not that her own father was a pushover, but he did have a tendency to just do his own thing while letting his wife do hers.

  "Does Jake know? Or are you telling him when he gets home?" Not that her mom seemed to really care either way, she sounded like she was just asking because she wanted to make sure she could talk to him about it too. Probably because Lexie's dad wasn't giving her the enthusiastic response she desired and she was hoping for something more from Jake. Poor mom.

  "Patrick talked to him." Which she was really, really trying not to be bugged about. Yeah, it irked a bit that Patrick had wanted to talk to Jake first... but her own conversation with Andrew had helped a lot of her irritation over that. Besides, the point was that now Patrick was being wonderful and possessive and all the things that she'd wanted in the first place.

  If he'd needed to work out his friendship stuff with Jake first, then she needed to accept that and just be happy with the outcome.

  "You two should come over for dinner sometime this week, so that we can catch up with both of you. We haven't seen Patrick in a while. How long have you two been dating?"

  "Not long mom... officially, since last night. I'll talk to him about coming over, but no interrogating okay?" Even as she said it, she knew that the plea was probably useless. On the other hand, it was probably going to be pretty entertaining watching the ever suave Patrick dealing with her mom in matchmaker mode. It was something he'd always managed to avoid before, by pushing her attention onto Jake instead.

  Her mom sighed, that awful guilt-tripping sigh that only a mother could do. "Goodness Lexie, you make me sound like the Inquisition."

  "Just leave the thumb screws in their drawer, okay?" she teased. "So... how are you and Dad?"

  It was actually really nice chatting with her mom while she packed
up her stuff. When she'd been living at home, she'd always kind of dreaded the nightly 'how was your day' conversation over dinner. Trying to find something to say that would placate her mother's need to know what was going on in her children's lives, while still maintaining her growing desire for privacy hadn't always been easy. Mostly she'd gotten around it by asking her mom a lot of questions about her own day. Now, she realized she kind of missed listening to her mom prattle on about whatever she'd been up to. After all, most of Lexie’s current dinners were eaten in front of the television, unless she was visiting her parents (which she was definitely going to do more often) or was eating with friends.

  Of course, now her evenings were going to be filled with Patrick. She had no doubt that he was going to have dinner ready for her tonight. One of these days, she was really going to need to cook for him, instead of the other way around.

  ******

  Wanting to spank Lexie for sharing her happiness with her friends wasn't entirely fair, but he was considering it anyway. He'd fielded calls from Olivia and Andrew first thing that morning, who had been supportive, if a bit wary. Adam's phone call had been more along the lines of 'what the hell are you thinking?' - mostly because of the debacles Thursday and Saturday night, so Patrick couldn't really blame him for that. Not that Adam had anything against Patrick and Lexie as a couple at this point, he just didn't believe in rewarding her bad behavior. Neither did Patrick, but he did believe that she hadn't quite realized what she was doing; her apology had been sincere. Besides, now he had the right to punish her.

  Justin and Chris had called mostly for confirmation, while Liam, Rick and Jared had settled for texting. They seemed more amused than anything else. From the first call - Olivia - to the last text - Jared, it had only taken five hours for the news to get around their entire group of friends. In some ways, Patrick was surprised it had taken that long. Although, at least everyone had their information right; he supposed it could have been worse if he'd been correcting them.