by Julie Kenner
“I simply think it’s best that we keep our relationship private.” Maybe he shouldn’t have sent her for her paralegal certification. He doubted the sweet office manager would have boldly marked out his clauses.
“Babe, there’s no such thing. Maybe if we were having an affair that we intended to keep brief and unemotional we could, but I’m going to give this thing a go. I want to see if we can make it work, and that means I’ll talk to my sisters and my friends and you should definitely talk to yours. You don’t have to be an island, Mitch.”
It was one clause and they were negotiating. “All right. I’ll agree to lose that requirement. Do you agree to the communication protocols?”
“Yes, I will text you if I’m going to be out of pocket for more than thirty minutes. I will make every attempt to return your call within an hour and will allow you to track my phone because you’re a paranoid weirdo.”
“That’s five smacks. Did you not read the clause where you’re forbidden from calling me a paranoid weirdo?”
She started combing through the contract. “No. I didn’t see that.”
He chuckled. “I was kidding, Laurel. I can joke, too. I need the comfort of routine, but I’m not so insecure I can’t handle your smart mouth. All big decisions that concern both of us have to be discussed. I’ve got a schedule that we can also discuss and agree upon. If it helps, you can track my phone, too. I’ll leave you a list of my passwords.”
“I already have those. I was your office manager for six months. I take it when you say decisions that concern both of us, you’re talking about me making changes to the house. Because I already want to do that.”
She always wanted to change things. “No. I’m not moving on that. This is my house. Maybe if we get married we can discuss certain renovations to rooms that are yours, but I think it’s best we have our own spaces.”
“You don’t want to sleep with me?”
That was not going to happen. “What? No. That’s totally in there. We share a bedroom. We sleep together and you can’t kick me out without good cause. I was talking about my office and my media room. I like them the way they are. You can have the living room and the kitchen and the guestroom. If we get married. I don’t know. We’ll have to negotiate again.”
Laurel huffed, an irritated sound, and then signed the document. “Fine. Here is your contract. I can see we have a lot of negotiating to do. I want a pretty collar. One I can wear during the day. I’ll wear a more pronounced one when we’re at Sanctum, but I want pretty and delicate for daywear.”
She placed the contract on the table between them. She was demanding a collar. Of course, he’d covered that in the contract. He’d actually stated that she was to wear any collar he deemed fit for her, but shouldn’t she like it? He wanted to please her.
“I’ll let you pick your day collar. I get to pick your club collar and all your clothes for Sanctum.”
“Agreed.”
Fuck, he was hard. The idea that she was going to be with him at Sanctum made his cock pulse against his slacks. She would wear his collar, live in his home, let him take care of her.
She would devastate him when she left.
He shoved that thought aside. The truth was he couldn’t push her away. They were having a baby and that baby would be a more permanent tie than any contract. He wasn’t going to walk out on his kid. He wasn’t going to toss money the kid’s way and hope Laurel took care of him.
“How much have you learned?” He had to get out of that dangerous headspace. Thoughts like that could send him into dark places, and he wasn’t going there with her. She was his responsibility now and he had the paperwork to prove it. He had to be in the moment with her. That was what he would do. He would live in the here and now and not worry about the future or brood over the past. Now was truly all the time they had anyway.
“About D/s? I’ve been reading a lot. Mostly Bridget’s and Serena’s and Chris’s books, but they’re all in the lifestyle.”
“Yes, but they write a highly romanticized version of the lifestyle. How much real training have you had?”
“I’ve been to the classes Eve and Grace teach to new submissives and I’ve done some work with the married Doms, but nothing serious since someone decided he didn’t want me working with Master T.”
What the hell had Tag been thinking? The idea of her working with that dangerous Southerner…no. He wasn’t going there. He was being in the present. “So most of what you know is intellectual.”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you show me how the submissives in Bridget’s books greet their Doms. I think it would be a nice ritual after being apart for long periods. Something for me to look forward to.”
“You would, wouldn’t you? You would look forward to me greeting you at the end of the day.”
Maybe that made him a pervert, but it was true. It would be the best part of his day. “Yes.”
She stood up, setting the contract down beside her mug. She moved from behind the coffee table and sank down to her knees, her head dropping forward. Her knees spread and she placed her palms flat on her thighs. “Welcome home, Sir.”
That wouldn’t do. “I hardly think that’s how Bridget wrote it. I know Will allows her to run wild, but he has his rules, too, and he would never allow Bridget to greet him like that.”
Her head came up. “This is exactly how…” She turned a sweet shade of pink. “You’re talking about the fact that I’m dressed. You want me to greet you naked. Mitch, you know that might not be possible with a kid.”
“The kid is in utero. He doesn’t care and can’t be embarrassed at this point, so I’ll have my naked time with his mom. He’s just renting. According to that contract, I own.” He owned her body. That gorgeous form was his to please, to hold, to lick and suck and fuck as he liked. He was plain about that in the contract.
He hadn’t actually seen her naked. They’d made a baby, but he didn’t know what her breasts looked like. It had been so quick, and now he wanted to take his time. They had months before they were going to become parents, before they had to figure everything out. He was going to use that time to memorize her body, to teach her to expect pleasure from him. He wanted her to associate him with long nights in bed spent worshipping her body.
She took a deep breath and seemed to come to some kind of decision.
Before she could rise, he held out a hand.
She looked up at him. “I thought you were a hardcore Dom. Shouldn’t I rise gracefully at your command?”
“I’m the Dom who wants to make sure you’re safe, Laurel. I’m the Dom who will never watch as you struggle without lending you a hand. I like ritual, but I like being there for you more, so when you get up, I will always be there to help you.”
“You know sometimes you’re really good at this.” She placed her hand in his.
“Remember it because there will also be times I’m really bad at it. Laurel, I’m not very romantic. I forget things. I try to remember, but they slip away and I get caught up in work. I’m going to try to hold up my end of the bargain.”
“Can you sum up your end of the bargain for me, counselor? In layman’s terms, please.”
“To make sure you’re safe and happy and taken care of.”
“That is a very good deal for me.” There was a sheen of tears to her eyes, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t sad because she moved toward him, placing her hands on his waist as she looked up at him. “And I’ll do the same.”
She went on her toes and lightly kissed his cheek before stepping back. Her hands worked the back of her skirt.
He sat back down because this was his time. He was the Dom and his sub was undressing for him. She needed to understand that she had his complete and undivided attention.
Her skirt slipped to the floor and she started on the buttons of her blouse, undoing each with care and precision and possibly the knowledge that she was driving him insane. It was a good insane. Or maybe she was like him. Maybe she wante
d to slow down this time and make it last in a way it hadn’t before. This time they’d set down the ground rules.
This time it could work.
“Take off the bra,” he commanded after she’d divested herself of the blouse and was standing there in her white cotton underwear. It wasn’t plain though. She had something on her panties. “Are those flamingos?”
She winced. “I probably would have worn something pretty if I’d realized I was going to get hauled to the hospital and then undress for my Dom. You should know that most of my underwear has cute stuff on it.”
Then he would be buying her a whole lot of new underwear. He wasn’t a Dom who wanted her to toss out the underwear completely. He liked unwrapping his present, but he wanted her in something that fit her beauty. She should be in silk and satin and lace. He was pretty sure the flamingos were wearing party hats. “Take those off, too. They’re distracting.”
He hadn’t even looked at her breasts. He was too horrified by the underwear.
She stepped out of the offensive panties and he got his first look at Laurel in her glory. He had to catch his breath because she was even more beautiful than he’d imagined her. She was a fucking fertility goddess with her curvy hips and full breasts. There was a slight curve to her belly that made him wonder what she was going to look like when she was full and ripe with child. His child. “Come here, Laurel.”
Her golden brown hair was loose around her shoulders, her eyes slightly suspicious. Did she think he was about to reject her? Was she worried she wasn’t pretty enough? Because he thought he’d already shown her how much he wanted her.
“Grip your wrists behind your back,” he ordered when she moved close enough.
She took a deep breath and complied, the position causing her breasts to thrust out.
Fuck those were gorgeous. She had full breasts, likely a large C cup, maybe even a D, with big pink and brown nipples he could suck on for days. “How sensitive are they?”
“They’re sensitive, but they don’t hurt.”
He reached out and let his fingers trace a line from her collarbone to her right nipple. The minute he brushed the top of her breast, the skin underneath flushed, the nipple hardened. Like a flower blooming to his touch.
Because he was sitting down, those pretty nipples were almost at the level of his mouth. He leaned over and placed a very chaste kiss on one and then the other. “Do you know what I’m going to do to you tonight?”
“I’m kinda hoping you’re planning on fooling around.”
He traced the areole of her nipple with his fingertip, utterly fascinated with her beauty. “Don’t be ridiculous. Fooling around is for high school kids. I’m going to make love to you. Properly this time, and with complete control. I acted like an idiot that night.”
“You were passionate.”
“Passion tends to get us into trouble. I’m going to be thoughtful this time. I’m going to make you scream for me. I’m going to teach you what it means to be my sub. Tell me something and be honest with me. I’ll know if you’re not honest. I might not be in the courtroom a lot, but I can tell when a witness is lying.”
“You’re quite good at it,” she agreed in a breathless voice.
“Why did you join Sanctum?”
She hesitated and he worried that she wouldn’t answer. He filled in the time by moving his hands down to her hips and kissing his way to her belly. He breathed in the sweet scent of her arousal.
Finally, she replied. “To try to get close to you.”
“So you were hoping to make me jealous.” Her pussy was perfect, but he couldn’t truly see it. “Sit down on the coffee table and spread your legs for me.”
“Mitch, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I’m going to be patient with you because you’re new and we’re learning together, so let me make this plain. You have ten seconds to sit on the coffee table, spread your legs, and show me your pussy, or I’ll put you over my lap and we’ll start with a count of fifteen.” He reached around her and grabbed her mug and the contract. Now the coffee table was perfectly clutter free and ready for her. He held a hand out to help her sit down.
Her lips had firmed, her jawline becoming harder than normal. Ah, she was chafing at the confines. He intended to push her a bit harder.
“I wasn’t trying to make you jealous.” Even as she was arguing, she let him help her down. She placed herself on the coffee table he’d bought because it had a sturdy feel to it. He’d bought nothing for simple beauty, preferring function over form.
Now he had to think that having a naked Laurel totally brought the décor up. He sat back down and couldn’t help the smile that threatened. “I was jealous, Laurel. I was blindingly jealous. God, you’re lovely. Lean back a little. I want to look at your pussy.”
“Mitch, this is bordering on the weird,” she began, but did as he asked. “I’m sorry I made you jealous. I won’t do it again. I suppose if I’m honest, I was willing to do just about anything to have you see me. Though I wasn’t thinking of a gynecological exam at the time.”
He waved her off and got down on his knees. He let his hands find the skin at her ankles and started to work his way up those sweet legs that would eventually get propped on his shoulders while he fucked her hard and long. “If your gynecologist does what I’m about to do, let me know because we’re going to sue the motherfucker for all he’s worth. So tell me what you had hoped would happen when I found you playing with Master T? I suspect I was being set up to find you playing with him. Was I supposed to start a fight?”
“Absolutely not,” she began and likely would have continued had he not leaned over and put his nose right up against her pussy. “Oh my god.”
It was good to know he could put her off balance. Laurel almost seemed too competent half the time. She would stand there in her prim little outfits and tell him what she thought he should do. It was usually the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. She liked to change things. He liked things to stay the same. It wasn’t that he couldn’t accept something new. He was definitely liking his new decoration. And he knew damn straight he wouldn’t want to let her go. Ever.
He breathed her in, memorizing the spicy, deeply feminine scent of her arousal. And there was no doubt she was aroused. He could see her gorgeous labia. Her pussy was perfectly shaved and a lovely cream coated her pink flesh. He could see the pearl of her clit. It was poking out of its hood, begging for a lick, a suck, some sweet attention. But he had a couple of questions first. “Would you have let him fuck you?”
Her whole body tensed. “My contract didn’t even allow nudity until three weeks in. I was kind of hoping you would wake up in three weeks. And no. I wouldn’t have slept with him. I was desperate. I only wanted you. I would never have accepted another Master but you, you jerk.”
He had been a jerk. He’d overreacted and taken something from her. Yes, she’d put him in a corner, but he wasn’t a child. He hadn’t had to fight his way out. He should have made the choice. He should have decided to be her Master or to let her go. Now he had no choice. He would be her Master. “I like to think I would have made a proper decision and that would be to take over and make you realize that you need me. I think I can still do that. But if you even look that cowboy’s way, we’ll have problems, you and I.”
He was sure she would have argued on her own behalf. She would have told him that she wouldn’t ever play with Master T, but he didn’t give her a chance. He would rather let her know what she would be missing if she did.
He licked her, a long, slow drag of his tongue over her pussy. This was what he’d missed. He’d missed her taste and smell. God, he loved her smell and he fucking needed to know how she tasted when he could really take his time to enjoy her. He wasn’t sure how he’d lived without that taste on his tongue. He put his hands on her knees, gently pressing out as he very tenderly ate that sweet pussy. He was careful. Despite what Will had said, he was still nervous about hurting her or the baby. He needed
to read up. Research was something he was good at. He would read all he could about pregnancy and sex, but for now he simply licked and sucked at her.
She gasped and wiggled, but he had a good firm hold on her. She wasn’t trying to get away, but he would bet she also wasn’t completely comfortable with having a man spend this much time at her pussy.
“Relax, Laurel. There’s nothing for you to do except let me have my way.”
“Mitch, I want you.”
“And I want you.” He sucked one side of her labia as his thumb started circling her clitoris. Not enough to make her come. He didn’t want to do that yet.
“Mitch, I want to have sex.”
She was taking a deeply Clintonian definition of sex. “We are having sex.”
She’d shaved and her skin was baby smooth and god, she was so wet. He delved inside, fucking her with his tongue, gathering all her cream for himself.
“Mitch, I want your cock. I think we should have intercourse. Penetrative intercourse.”
He pulled away. “Then you should have found a different lover, Laurel. I told you how this would go.” He hated leaving her. He hated the fact that he wasn’t going to get what he wanted, but he couldn’t let her move him on this. He’d already given in to her. He knew what he needed and if he allowed her to, she would walk all over him.
Again. God, he was a perverse son of a bitch to need control and always be attracted to women who wouldn’t give it to him.
“I think I’ll go take a shower. Lisa should be here soon. Do you mind waiting for her?”
Her eyes were wide. Her whole body flushed a nice pink and he wanted nothing more than to give her exactly what she wanted, but he’d played that way before and it didn’t work out. “You’re leaving?”
His dick was protesting, but he knew what he wanted and it wasn’t to be pushed around and told what to do. Definitely not during sex. “You should have read the contract more closely, Laurel. I’m in charge in the bedroom, and you obey me there or you use your safe word if you get frightened or find yourself in pain. You weren’t scared and what I was doing couldn’t have caused you pain, so you were trying to take control. I’m ending the session. I don’t play like that and I’ve explained that to you on numerous occasions. I’ve never lied to you about what I wanted.”