by Maggie Ryan
“Grace, I was an idiot…”
“No!” she said, attempting to push away. “This is all my fault. You told me, and I… I swear, I tried not to, but… shit!” She wiped at her eyes and then yelped when his hand landed on her ass.
“Seems like my girl forgets her promises fairly quickly,” he said, “or perhaps her Dominant didn’t give her bottom enough of a burn to impress the fact that cussing will cause her to be spanked.”
He watched as the light in her eyes returned and then watched as it began to instantly dim.
“Don’t. I can’t—”
Quentin didn’t give her a chance to state what she couldn’t do. All he wanted was to tell her what he could do. What he had already done.
“Grace, forgive me. I never meant…” When she attempted to pull away again, he realized he was making an even bigger mess. Enough with this shit. Keeping hold of her hand, he pulled her towards the class.
“Quentin, I don’t want…”
“Just a minute, babe, please.” Opening the door, he barked out Trent’s name. The man came to the door immediately. “Go ahead and run the women through the first positions and then teach the next. They can practice in their clothing.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Trent said, not asking why, or when Quentin would return.
His class taken care of, it was now time to properly take care of Grace. He moved to the elevator, and when it opened, it was on their floor. Another minute and they were back in his apartment.
Only then did he release her hand but kept his arms around her as he took a seat on the couch and pulled her down onto his lap. When her mouth opened, he shook his head.
“I’m not through talking,” he said, pleased to see a tiny spark of anger flare in her eyes. It was far better than seeing the blankness he’d seen earlier. “As I said, I was an idiot. Though I really thought I had no interest in a relationship, and was rude enough to make sure you understood that, I was not only wrong, I was a fool. Grace, in case you don’t realize it, you have not only changed my mind, you’ve opened my heart. Yes, I did fuck you that first time, and then felt like an ass afterwards. What we shared today was not fucking…” When her eyes widened and her lips quirked, he shook his head. “Okay, it was fucking… but, hell, you know it was more than that.” Suddenly he realized that it did indeed take two to enter a meaningful relationship. What if he’d misinterpreted the little he’d heard of her conversation with Gretchen? Well, now was the time to find out.
“At least, I hope to God that you know it meant more to me than just a… well, a quick fuck.”
“I-I… it really was? I mean, to you?”
“God, yes. I’ve never felt this way before.” Seeing the doubt in her expression as her tentative smile slid away and her head tilted in that questioning way, he continued. “I know that everyone thinks that Beth and I were… well, deeply in love. The truth is that while I thought I loved her, I also knew there was something missing, and to be honest, she knew it as well. I loved her for who she was but even if it makes me sound like the biggest bastard in the universe, I admit I was not in love with her. Though I finally understand that I wasn’t responsible for what happened and I won’t stop until we find who took her from this world, I can’t let her death keep me from living any longer.
“I was here physically, but Grace, meeting you, talking with you, holding you and making love to you is what has really brought me home. I know that this whole submissive thing is new to you, but I also know that I’ve never felt the need to be someone’s Dominant as well as their… well, their chosen partner, their…”
“Love?” Grace asked quietly, the light beginning to shine in her eyes again.
“Yes, their love as well as their lover.”
“Oh, Quentin, are you sure? I mean, this has been so fast and maybe… maybe you are simply coming back to life and feel this way because you’ve been alone for so long.”
“I may have been alone but this isn’t because of that. I’m not some teenager looking for a rebound, Grace. I’m a grown man, an experienced Dominant and I promise, this is nothing except what I stated. I’ll let you in on a little secret.” At her smile, he grinned and bent forward until his forehead rested against hers. “I know Doms are supposed to be stoic, strong, alpha males all the time but, babe, right now, my heart is about to pound from my chest waiting to hear if the woman I’m falling in love with might be falling a bit in love with me as well.”
Tears began to stream down her cheeks and his heart stopped pounding. Instead it simply seemed to stop. “Oh, honey, please don’t cry. It’s—”
“I-I cry wh-when I’m too hap-happy to talk,” she stuttered.
“Then let’s not talk,” he said, his heart beating again as he cupped her face and captured her mouth with his. The feel of her body relaxing into his, her tongue sliding against his own, was the most amazing feeling he’d ever experienced. He felt about a hundred pounds lighter as the sorrows of the past slipped away. His future was the brightest he’d ever be able to imagine simply because he’d met this wonderful woman. When he pulled back, she was no longer crying but smiling, and then she giggled as she ran a fingertip over her lips.
“Too hard?” he asked.
“Oh, no, sir, just right. I was just thinking that when I entered class tonight, Gretchen guessed that… well, that I might have just… um…”
“Come from being fucked?” he provided. At her blush, he chuckled. “Babe, not to sound like an arrogant asshole, but I gotta admit, you were practically glowing, and I don’t mean just your red little ass.”
“Quentin!”
“That was a compliment, honey.”
“What-what are we going to do about class?”
“What do you want to do?” He knew what he’d prefer but this wasn’t about his needs. It was about her having chosen to take the step into submission.
“You’re not going to fail me, are you?”
“Hell, if I even tried that, I’d have the other men calling Brody regardless of the fact that I’m the boss. No, you are doing exceptionally well, and it is up to you what you want to do.”
She snuggled into him for a few minutes before she sat up again. “There are only two more classes after tonight. I don’t want you to be mad, but I’d like to finish…”
“I’m not going to be mad,” he said, making a mental note to remind himself of that promise every time he felt his blood pressure increase, which he knew it would the moment anyone dared touch her. Still, he forced himself to reassure her. “From what you’ve told me, this is your first entry into D/s or BDSM clubs. I won’t keep you from exploring what brought you here in the first place.” He paused and shook his head. All right, he was a selfish son-of-a-bitch, but he had to qualify that statement. “That is not to say that it will be easy for me to see you with someone else, but…”
Her fingertip on his lips had him quieting. “Thank you but I wasn’t finished speaking,” she said, throwing his earlier words back at him but doing so with a soft smile. “I meant that I’d like to finish tonight’s class. Correct me if I’m wrong, but even with us being in a relationship, you aren’t going to stop playing in the club, right? I mean, I know that Laurie and Brody still play, and Keith and Jessica do as well. So do you plan on playing—um, with me upstairs?”
“Babe, I plan on playing with you everywhere, but yes, I would definitely enjoy playing upstairs. After all, I did promise to make you come the next time I put you over that barrel you seem to love.”
“I do love it,” she admitted. “What I’m saying is that while it didn’t take me but a second to be comfortable being naked in front of you, we were in this room and alone. I need to see if I can feel comfortable in a room full of strangers. I know my lingerie didn’t cover all that much but, well, it did cover the important bits.”
“Hon, there were several important bits quite exposed when you were over that barrel.”
“Um, I guess, but I think that stripping with the other stud
ents, facing that unknown together, would be the only way I wouldn’t bolt for the nearest door. Does that make any sense?”
“It makes perfect sense,” he said, bending to kiss the tip of her nose. “I can appreciate your desire to be with your friends.” He sighed and knew he needed to wrap this up before he had a mutiny on his hands. “Can you appreciate the fact that if you see me looking a bit pissed, it isn’t because of anything you need or are doing, but because I’ve realized that I’m just a jealous shit who will want to kick the crap out of anyone who touches what is mine?”
Her head tilted again as her lashes batted. “Really? Hmmm, from what Laurie said, I believed you to be a man who believed in not only sharing but in ensuring that his submissive wasn’t denied the pleasures that said sharing could deliver.”
“Well, well—so little Laurie didn’t just teach you the Nadu position, did she?” At the shake of her head, he grinned. “I’m not stating that I will never share, nor that I don’t want to show you exactly how different experiences can make a willing sub fly, but I only share with my closest friends, and only when you’d be comfortable doing so.”
“Oh, I’m so glad,” she said, her lashes stilling as she gave a deep sigh. “I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about that.”
“Trust me, I have a feeling you’re going to adore it, but only when the time is right. We’ll take it a step at a time.”
“Thank you, Quentin. I do trust you.”
After kissing her deeply again, he forced himself to stand and set her onto her feet. “As much as I’d like to stay here, we’ve got to get back.”
“I know, but first, may I use your bathroom? Gretchen and I never got a chance.” At his nod, she ran down the hall. Her flight had him smiling. Since he and Brody had stated the women were not to be left alone, and since Laurie was conveniently pulling a double shift today, he knew that his guest bath wasn’t the only room his Grace would be seeing for the first time. Nope, she would definitely be seeing his bedroom and, more importantly, be seeing that he had meant every word he’d confessed. He was hers, and he just prayed she wanted him to always be hers.
When she returned, he was adjusting his cock that always seemed to be uncomfortable when he even thought of her. Seeing her smile, he said, “Not funny,” although he grinned as he did so.
“But very ego enhancing,” she quipped, twisting sideways as if knowing his hand would be swatting at her backside. Instead, he waited until they had stepped onto the elevator before giving her that swat. She yelped and then giggled, shaking her head. “Are you going to be swatting me all the time?”
“Every chance I get,” he confirmed. Once at the door to the classroom, she seemed to hesitate.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
She nodded, taking a deep breath as he opened the door.
Instead of releasing her hand, he led her into the room proudly, instantly understanding that Conner was pissed. He led Grace to her normal position next to Gretchen and only then let her hand go, bending to press his lips to hers quickly.
***
“Thank God,” Gretchen whispered from beside her.
Grace didn’t speak but moved to the proper attention position, grateful that evidently her classmates had been instructed to keep their eyes up. Doing so allowed her to watch Quentin as he moved to speak to his staff, not missing the fact that Master Conner was not only speaking, he wasn’t bothering to attempt to keep his conversation quiet.
“What the hell, Doucet? First you ditch the class and then Trent starts acting like he’s the lead instructor, and to top it all off, you did so because what? You needed to have a private tête-à-tête with your little pet? That’s bullshit!”
Grace felt her face heat but not in shame. She didn’t care what Conner—or anyone, for that matter—thought. But she did care that this man was disrespecting her Dominant. When Conner’s head turned towards her, she didn’t drop her eyes nor make any moves at all, which seemed to tick him off further… until Quentin spoke.
“Don’t you ever question my decisions again. The only time you may question my actions is if you are sure that they might negatively affect a student…”
“They have! Every woman here is affected when their instructor ditches them so he can…”
“Enough! Get yourself under control, or leave. Your choice, but make it now.” Quentin didn’t even bother to wait for Conner to make his choice. He turned his attention to the line of women.
“Ladies, I apologize. Yes, I am your instructor and yes, I am a Dominant, but I am also a man who has fallen in love with one of your classmates.”
Grace felt her eyes fill at the public profession and the soft “oohs and ahhs” she could hear being muttered along the line. This time when Gretchen whispered, “Hot damn!” she whispered back, “Amen.”
Quentin had given them a moment to digest his words. “That being said, Master Trent informed me that you have been instructed in the ‘Present’ position, and are ready to go forward. As I said earlier, normally we would be splitting you up under new instructors. However, I’ve decided to mix things up further. Instead of my making the assignments, I’m going to ask you to choose among Masters Trent, Sloan and…” Turning his head as if to ascertain if Conner was still in the room, he turned back to the women, “Master Conner. I will be moving among the groups. Tonight is a big night for you…” He didn’t even bother to hide his grin when Gretchen’s voice rang out.
“Not as big as for you, sir!”
“You’re correct, Miss Kennedy, and thank you. However, I promise it shall be for all of you, as well. If at any time you need to ask questions or if you feel you can’t continue, please don’t hesitate to speak to any one of us. Tomorrow night, it will be our pleasure to host a dinner for you and open the floor for any questions before your first night as guest members of Plaisir on Friday. While you’ve begun your journey, there is so much more that only time and participation can teach you. I sincerely urge you to give thought to all you’ve learned, think about what you’ve experienced, and what you wish to experience.” His eyes roamed the line and when they reached her, Grace saw the small nod of his head. as if reminding either himself or perhaps her that he was all right with her need to finish what she’d started.
“All right, ladies, please come forward and choose the Master you’d like to take you upstairs.”
Gretchen grabbed Grace’s hand. “I knew it! Oh, Grace, I am so freaking happy for you!”
“Thanks, I’m rather happy myself,” Grace said.
“He’s not only hot as hell, but when he said he was falling in love with you…”
“Ladies, need I remind you that you are still in class?” The two turned towards the voice and both realized that they were the only two remaining in what had been the line of women. They both also gave soft moans when it became clear that taking a moment of celebration had caused them to be the only ones left to be under Master Conner.
“I’m sorry, Master Conner…” Gretchen began, only to have him interrupting.
“As I’ve told you before, Miss Kennedy, I don’t wish to hear you speak. We’ll discuss what happens to submissives who don’t give Dominants even the most basic respect once we are upstairs.”
Feeling Gretchen’s grip squeezing her hand much tighter, Grace said, “Master Quentin said to mix it up, and Gretchen has already been with you.”
“Let me remind you that despite the fact that you are fucking the teacher, you, Miss Hensley, are still nothing more than a wannabe submissive in this class. If Miss Kennedy isn’t happy, perhaps she should have been paying attention instead of jumping about like some two-year-old, trying to suck up to the teacher’s pet. And if she isn’t prepared to pay the consequences for her actions, the door is right over there.”
“It’s all right,” Gretchen said softly.
“No, Miss Kennedy, I’m afraid I disagree.” The trio turned to see Quentin behind them. Grace instantly noted the vein pulsing in his neck. “
Please go join Master Sloan’s group and, Miss Hensley, if you’ll join Master Trent’s, please.”
“Now wait a minute…”
Grace didn’t wait to hear what Conner said next. She pulled Gretchen with her, only letting her hand go once they’d reached the other groups. That didn’t keep her from turning to see Quentin shaking his head, nor from seeing Conner sending him a scathing look before storming from the room.
As if nothing untoward had happened, Quentin turned to address the class. “Last night you weren’t required to sign in at the hostess desk. Tonight, and every time from now on, you will have to do so. With your completion of this class, you will have earned the status of guest members for six months without further charges. Remember, keep your eyes open and observe all that is going on around you, but also keep your attention on your instructor. Again, the only stupid questions are those left unasked.” Grace noted he took the time to meet the gaze of every woman. “You are doing well, ladies, but it’s time to take that next step. Any questions?”
“Yes, sir, I have one,” Grace said, finally realizing the only thing that truly mattered.
“Yes, Miss Hensley?”
“What would the consequences be if I confessed I’d made a huge mistake when I told my Dominant that I needed to complete the class to make sure I was a true submissive?”
She heard a few of her fellow classmates giggle and yet the only person she was looking at was the incredible man standing before them all.
“Well, Miss Hensley, that’s easy to answer,” Quentin said stepping forward until he was right in front of her. “If you are positive that your Dominant can teach you all you wish to learn and provide you with the infinite possibilities you wish to experience, then, babe, I’d say the consequences are that the two of us will explore together. Is that suitable?”
“Absolutely,” Grace said, throwing herself into his opened arms and hearing cheers behind her.
“Master Trent and Master Sloan, I turn the class over to you tonight. Ladies, if you’ll excuse us?”
Grace turned and looking at Gretchen, gave her a smile and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Come early and we’ll catch up, okay?”