His Submissive (Boston Doms Book 2)

by Jane Henry

  "So… what did she do?" Hillary asked softly, leaning closer to Matteo.

  "Nana sent the girl to the village market to buy bread," he said, his eyes dancing.

  Hillary and Heidi exchanged amused glances.

  "Bread?" Tess asked, the first word she'd spoken since they sat down.

  "Mm-hmm. And then Nana took the girl's parents into her living room to negotiate terms. She promised them that the girl would find her dream man, and be married by the end of the week."

  "And was she?" Tess demanded.

  "You know it." Tony nodded then smiled, first at Matteo and then at Dom. "You see, our dad worked in the bakery. And Nana knew her son. She knew if he took one look at Teresa, he'd need to talk to her, and that if he spent one minute talking to her, he'd get down on his knees and propose. And yeah," he said to Tess, who had opened her mouth to interrupt. "That's exactly how it happened."

  "My Nana was not a witch," he continued, looking up and down the table. "But she was a really smart lady. She knew that people could sometimes be blind to the most obvious things, and have grand and misguided ideas and expectations about what's proper and best—for themselves and everyone around them. But she also knew that if you put the right two people in a room, they would orient themselves to one another… the way a compass always finds true north." He looked at Hillary… and then at Dom. "Because that's how true love works."

  Dom looked away and frowned.

  "What happened with her parents?" Heidi asked, enthralled in the story.

  Tony smiled. "Well… you might notice I haven't mentioned my Nana or Papa Puliafico?" he said, and Heidi burst out laughing. "It's because I've never met them. My mom's parents were pissed. My dad wasn't rich or even well-educated. And, uh… frankly, he had a hell of a reputation with the ladies," Tony admitted, scratching his head and giving Matteo a wry look. "They disowned her."

  "That's terrible! It should've been her choice!" Heidi said.

  "Yeah," Tony agreed. "But, you know, in their defense, they were really worried. They genuinely believed that a certain type of guy would make her happy."

  "Ridiculous!" Hillary exclaimed. "She knew her own mind!"

  Tony nodded and looked at Dom once more.

  "Yeah," he said softly. "She did."

  Dom pursed his lips and said nothing.

  "So," Tony continued, "that was where it all started. They came to Boston, because my Aunt Lina lived here with her husband. They had two practice children, before finally having me a few years later…"

  "Accidentally!" Dom and Matteo interrupted at the same time, then looked at each other and smiled as the table erupted in laughter.

  "You mean unexpectedly," Tony corrected them with a grin. "Like a blessing from Heaven, as Mom used to say…"

  Matteo rolled his eyes.

  "Now, my dad was this big guy. Bigger than Matteo," he said, gesturing to Matt with one hand. "And my mom, she was even smaller than Hillary."

  "Is that possible?" Paul asked, winking at her across the table.

  Hillary narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, before Matteo put a hand on her chair and hauled her closer to him.

  "And my dad was the loud one of the two of them—the man had an opinion about everything and didn't hesitate to share it… I'm trying to think which of us inherited that trait," he said, glancing at Dom, who scowled while Matteo chuckled.

  "But anyone who knew them knew that my mom was the heart of our family, and that my dad thought the sun rose and set for her. We come from a line of really strong women," he said softly, looking around the table. "And, fortunately for you, Heidi, from a line of men who are smart enough to pick strong women and do whatever it takes, whatever it takes, to keep them happy."

  When Tony looked at Dom this time, Dom nodded. Then he slowly turned his head and nodded at Matteo and Hillary. He understood and he approved. Beside her, Hillary felt Matteo's chin lift, and felt his body relax. Hillary moved closer to his side, relief and gladness making her dizzy.

  "You all know that my Dad died back when I was in high school," Tony continued, and she saw him pause and take a deep breath before continuing. "My mom… she was devastated. But she was never bitter, not for one minute. Because she knew how lucky she was to have had him, how lucky they were to have found each other. She told me… ah…" He swallowed hard before continuing. "She told me she was grateful for every day she'd gotten to wake up beside him. And that's always stuck with me, you know?"

  He looked up and down the table once more.

  "Relationships are not easy," he said. "There will always be give and take. And there will be times when you mess up and let each other down." His gaze found Tess, who stared back at him intently. "When you try to do the right thing, and fail. But I think, maybe, as long as you're committed, as long as you're willing to pick up where you are and try again, as long as you can wake up every day next to the person you love and feel grateful, then you've got… well… everything."

  "So… I propose a toast," he continued, and everyone obligingly raised their glasses. "To Dom and Heidi… who have each other, and so… have everything."

  Dom and Heidi looked at one another. Hillary saw tears fall down her sister's cheeks, and Dom brushed them off with his thumb before he leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

  God, Hillary thought, sniffling. She was ready to cry already, and it was only the freakin' rehearsal dinner. What kind of a mess would she be at the wedding?

  As the other guests broke off and began talking amongst themselves, Matteo leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Tears, Tink? I can't say I blame you."

  Hillary leaned her head against his. "It's just so beautiful, you know? I can't help it. Seeing Heidi so happy. Knowing that Dom is okay with us being together. I'm kind of a mess." She gave a watery laugh.

  "Ohhh," Matt said, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Is that what you're crying over?"

  She turned to look at him. "Of course! What else would it be?"

  Matt answered in a low voice. "Well, if I were sitting on a bottom as sore as yours must be after this morning…"

  Hillary squirmed. It seemed to ache even more now that he mentioned it.

  "And if I'd earned myself as serious a punishment as you did tonight…" Matt shrugged. "I might succumb to a few tears, too."

  Oh. Oh, shit.

  Matteo looked at her face and chuckled, the rat.

  "Ah, poor Tink! So much for being a 'perfect angel', hmm?" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.

  Hillary sighed and leaned into his hand. "Yeah, that… may have been aiming a bit high, in retrospect."

  He laughed again. "That's okay, baby. I've never had a thing for angels anyway."

  "No?" That was fortunate, given her track record.

  "Nah. I prefer women who are smart and strong and sassy. When a capable, resilient woman chooses to submit, baby, that's a priceless gift."

  "You think I am all those things?" she asked in surprise.

  "Of course. You're my Tinker Bell. Feisty, fearless, loyal…" He leaned closer to whisper in her ear and make her shiver. "Cute as hell."

  "So… all this time that I've been hating that stupid name… it was a compliment? Gosh, Matt, I totally misjudged you," she said, smiling and shaking her head. "I thought it was just because I was, you know… short."

  "Well, yeah! I mean, that's definitely true, too," he agreed, his eyes glinting when he saw her outraged expression.

  Hillary's eyes narrowed. He liked her feisty? Good.

  A waitress put a plate of gooey chocolate cake in front of each guest, and Hillary waited until Matt had taken a large bite before leaning over and asking casually, "So, is, um… Slay coming tonight?"

  Matteo choked on his cake and turned to glare at her. "No. Why would he? He's not in the wedding party."

  Hillary adopted her most innocent expression… Heidi could totally learn from her example.

  "Oh, right! Of course. Duh!" she said brightly, and applied hers
elf to savoring the chocolate cake. She pretended not to notice that Matt had stopped eating and was looking at her with a frown on his face.

  "Mmm," she said. "Wow. This cake is so—"

  "Why did you ask about Slay?" Matteo interrupted.

  "Pardon? Oh," Hillary said, licking the back of her spoon dreamily. "Well, it's just that memory is a funny thing, isn't it?"

  Matteo's eyes flared. "Are you remembering him kissing you?" he demanded.

  Gotcha, Hillary thought.

  She widened her eyes dramatically. "What! No! I mean, not on purpose, Matt. I just can't help it!"

  "Oh, you can help it," he growled, and she could barely suppress her instinctive shiver. "Stop it this instant."

  She shrugged helplessly and toyed with her spoon. "It's just that when he kissed me, I…"

  "What?" he demanded, taking the spoon from her fingers and forcing her to look at him.

  "I felt, um…" she faltered.

  "What?" he insisted. "What did you feel with him that you don't feel with me?"

  "I felt so very…" She lifted her eyes to his. "Tall," she deadpanned.

  "Tall?" he repeated blankly.

  Hillary saw his face change the instant he realized what she'd done, and she couldn't hold back her giggle. She grabbed her spoon and took another bite of chocolate cake.

  "Oh, Tinker Bell," he said sadly, leaning back to fold his arms across his chest. "Enjoy your time in that chair, baby. Pretty sure you'll be standing all day tomorrow."

  She winked at him. "Worth it!" she said saucily.

  "'Though she be but little, she is fierce,'" he quoted, shaking his head. "Shakespeare could've been talking about my girl when he wrote that." He reached over and tugged on a strand of her hair. "Love you, baby."

  Hillary looked down at the table and smiled to herself. Was she fierce and strong and all those other things he'd called her? She didn't know, and it didn't matter. She was loved. And she was his.

  Epilogue

  The sun shone brightly the next day, the day of Dom and Heidi's wedding. It was a gorgeous fall day in New England. Sunny and warm, the leaves on the large oaks and maples rustling in the breeze, fully emblazoned with colors of rust, auburn, gold and crimson so picturesque, guests were busily snapping photos of the front lawn of the church even before the limo arrived with the girls. But when it did arrive, and the bridesmaids and bride stepped out of the limo, Matteo only had eyes for one.

  Her eyes found his immediately, and warmed. It seemed so long ago that he'd first laid eyes on the dress she wore now. They'd come so far. She was wearing the soft, shimmery, strapless dress the color of spun gold, with a silky brown band around her waist, and gold heeled sandals that were so damn sexy he'd taken her right over his lap the night before wearing nothing but those. The memory made him shift with arousal. God, what that girl did to him. She was even more gorgeous than she'd been when he'd first laid eyes on her in that dress, and now he knew why. He felt a pang in his chest, a stab of joy. She was more lovely than ever because now she was his.

  His eyes trailed over her body, down to her ankles, and he remembered how he'd held her in bed and softly massaged the red marks from her wrists and ankles, after a night of dark, passionate, erotic pleasure. He was getting hard just looking at her. He was a total goner.

  "Jesus, man, wipe the drool from your mouth, will ya?" muttered Slay's deep voice in Matteo's ear.

  "Oh shut the fuck up," Matteo hissed, ignoring Slay's teasing chuckle.

  "You're fucking incorrigible," Slay countered.

  "Will you two behave yourselves," chided a female voice to Matteo's left, and Matteo looked up to see Alice holding onto Slay's arm, standing a good head below him, shaking her head while her eyes twinkled.

  "Hey, Alice," Matteo greeted with a nod, as Hillary turned with the group of girls and scooped up Heidi's train, flicking it so that it fell gracefully as they entered the quaint church. Matteo caught Hillary's eye and gave her a raucous wink. She nearly tripped, and he shook his head at her as she gave him a sheepish look. Good to know he could affect her like that, even from a distance.

  He'd tied her up and had his way with her until she screamed in ecstasy. He'd spanked her, not as punishment but a deliciously slow spanking that heightened her senses and turned him on, until she fairly begged for him to allow her to climax. They'd sat in bed and watched chick flicks—not his thing, but he was happy to oblige her, happy just to eat the popcorn and have her lying next to him. He'd tucked her in when she was ready to sleep, whispering to her how much he loved her and how beautiful she was to him.

  Beautiful. Lovely. And next week, when Dom and Heidi were on their honeymoon, she would sit atop the chair in his studio and he would give her a new tattoo. He'd tried to talk her into getting a Tinker Bell tat, but she'd only smacked his arm and poked him, which landed her belly-down over his lap and screaming with laughter as he smacked her cute little ass. Instead, he'd ink the words they'd chosen in script on her shoulder. A tat had never held so much meaning for him.

  Though she be but little, she is fierce.

  Fierce. Fiercely loyal. Fiercely strong. Fiercely loving.

  They entered the church and Matteo went to Dom, giving him a quick pep talk, and Dom was pumped. They'd waited a long time for this day, and now the day had come.

  "You're almost there. Heidi's beautiful, man," Matteo muttered to Dom, giving him a fist bump right before they took their places in the church. And she was. But as the organ played and a hush fell over the church, Matteo watched as Hillary began the walk down the aisle, a cluster of white and red roses held close, but her eyes trained on him. He smiled, and she smiled back, her face lighting up, radiant and lovely. She was his.

  His friend.

  His girl.

  His lover.

  His submissive.

  The End

  Coming soon—Book Three in the Boston Doms series: The Reluctant Dom

  Tony Angelico thinks he knows all about dominants and submissives. After all, his two brothers are unapologetic dominants with long-term submissive partners. Tony also knows that Tessa, the woman who works for him—the one girl he can't get out of his mind—is interested in the lifestyle. But he wants no part of bossing women around, let alone dominating them.

  Tessa Damon craves the attention and discipline of a strong, dominant, alpha male, but she's not been able to find what she's looking for. She's attracted to Tony, and can't help fantasizing about being taken over his knee for a sound spanking. She longs for the release and comfort of submitting to a man she can trust.

  The night Tony decides to give it a shot, everything changes. But can Tessa be healed from her abusive past, and find that she's worthy of love? Can they find a path that works for both of them? Can Tony overcome his own reticence… or will he always be The Reluctant Dom?

  Jane Henry

  Jane has been writing since her early teens, dabbling in short stories and poetry. When she married and began having children, her pen was laid to rest for several years, until the National Novel Writing Challenge (NaNoWriMo) in 2010 awakened in her the desire to write again. That year, she wrote her first novel, and has been writing ever since. In 2012, she became interested in the D/s lifestyle, and has discovered her love for writing romance with a D/s twist. With a houseful of children, she finds time to write in the early hours of the morning, squirreled away with a laptop, blanket, and cup of hot coffee. Years ago, she heard the wise advice, “Write the book you want to read,” and has taken it to heart. She sincerely hopes you also enjoy the books she likes to read.

  Visit her blog here:

  http://janehenrywriter.blogspot.com

  And her co-blog with Maisy Archer here: https://janeandmaisy.com/

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  Please contact her via email:

  janehenrywriter@gmail.com

>   Don’t miss these exciting titles by Jane Henry and Blushing Books!

  A Thousand Yesses

  Begin Again: Bound To You Book 1

  Come Back To Me: Bound To You Book 2

  By Jane Henry and Maisy Archer:

  My Dom: Boston Doms Book 1

  His Submissive: Boston Doms Book 2

  Available Soon:

  The Reluctant Dom: Boston Doms Book 3

  Anthologies:

  Sunstrokes

  Maisy Archer

  Maisy is an unabashed book nerd who has been in love with romance since reading her first Julie Garwood novel at the tender age of 12. After a decade as a technical writer, she finally made the leap into writing fiction several years ago and has never looked back. Like her other great loves - coffee, caramel, beach vacations, yoga pants, and her amazing family - her love of words has only continued to grow... in a manner inversely proportional to her love of exercise, house cleaning, and large social gatherings. She loves to hear from fellow romance lovers, and is always on the hunt for her next great read.

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  Visit her blog here: https://janeandmaisy.com/

  Don't miss these exciting titles by Jane Henry and Maisy Archer with Blushing Books!

  My Dom: Boston Doms Book 1

  His Submissive: Boston Doms Book 2

  Available soon:

  The Reluctant Dom: Boston Doms Book 3

  Anthologies:

  Sunstrokes

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