by Amber Heart
Dante’ went over to the window, right over the kitchen sink, and pulled back its curtain. “This is the perfect day for a picnic!” he said, peering outside and catching a few sunrays across his face in turn.
“It really is!” Kennedy agreed, craning her neck to share Dante’s view. “I’m just so excited to be spending this time with you! We’ve both been so busy here lately.”
“I know, this was a great idea!” Dante said. “Especially since…”
“Since?” Kennedi asked, annoyed with the dramatic pause.
“Since you can finally try my world famous tuna fish,” he said to an unamused Kennedi who was quick to deliver a serious glare.
“Alrighty, let’s get this show on the road!” Kennedi said, grabbing her sunshades from off of the kitchen table and placing them on her forehead. “Ready to go?” she asked, as she walked over to the living room couch and tucked a blanket under her arm.
“Ready!” Dante confirmed. “I’ll get the basket,” he added, walking over to the counter and grabbing the tote full of goodies by its handle.
As they stepped outside of Kennedi’s apartment and made their way to the car, Kennedi took in a deep breath and flipped her sunshades over her eyes. “It really is beautiful out today,” she remarked, approaching the passenger’s side of the car and waiting for Dante’ to unlock it.
After hearing the locks disengage, Kennedi immediately loaded the blanket into the back seat and herself in the front. On the other side, Dante’ was doing the same thing but, in his case, with the picnic basket. As soon as the couple had themselves and all of their accoutrements set to go, Dante’ wasted no time getting them to the park. Once there, they set up under their favorite tree, and got busy making the most out of their time together.
“Lay back, babe!” Kelsey invited, “let me feed you grapes.”
Dante’ was happy to oblige her but had more of a taste for Kennedi than anything else. He leaned over and kissed her, passionately, interlocking his lips with hers. After a second kiss for good measure, he adjusted his body so that it was perpendicular to hers and slowly lowered his head until it rested safely across her thighs. Kennedi reached over to the basket and pulled out a small bunch of grapes. She carefully plucked one and instructed Dante’ to, “Open wide!”
As he closed his eyes, followed her directions, and brandished his pink tongue in the process, Kennedi slowly lowered a green, round grape into his mouth. Feeling the sensation of something cool and smooth on his tongue, he promptly brought his lips together, entrapping Kennedi’ fingers along the way, and causing her to giggle. As he chewed the succulent berry and enjoyed its mellow taste, Kennedi stroked his eyebrows and rubbed the top of his head.
“I missed you,” she whispered. “I missed this,” she revealed, stroking Dante’s cheek and seeing a look of pure bliss spread across his face. “Ready for the next one?” she asked, already reaching toward her small bouquet.
“You know I am,” he replied, preparing his mouth for another grape.
As the afternoon wore on, Kennedi and Dante’ enjoyed the rest of their picnic and more of each other. The moment of truth came when they got down to, what Kennedi described to herself as the “tuna fish challenge”. Though she originally thought she’d have to grin and bear it, Dante was right: his tuna fish was a hit! Kennedi happily ate her words along with her sandwich.
Epilogue
After four blissful but, at times, bumpy months together, Kennedi and Dante’ were still bumbling through the process of learning and appreciating each other. Their love isn’t perfect, but neither of them expects it to be. Besides, both feel more complete than they ever have after meeting one another and are willing to do whatever it takes to keep that feeling, and their relationship, fresh. Even though Dante’ is a hot commodity, sparking the antennae of just about every red-blooded woman on campus, he only has eyes for Kennedi. He genuinely feels that she is the only person who wants him for the right reasons and that there is something that innately connects them together. Kennedi finds Dante’ to be a complex, fascinating character capable of doing what no other man could: continuously igniting her intrigue and maintaining her interests.
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, the budding couple had already agreed that it may be too early to spend it together. As a compromise, they decide to have a pre-holiday celebration, for just the two of them. Although Kennedi originally proposed it as a joke, in the end, they settled on the Sunshine Café as the place to commemorate Dante’s favorite holiday. In the interest of irony, Kennedi and Dante’ decided to dress up in their finest and head out on the Tuesday immediately prior to the big day, eager to sink their teeth in the Sunshine Café’s take on Thanksgiving fare.
“You know, I was joking about coming here earlier,” Kennedi conceded, “but I think this might actually end up being a good look.” After staring at the dinner menu, and trying to figure out if she wanted turkey, ham, or both, Kennedi continued, “Everything smells amazing – as always!”
“I thought it was a genius idea when you first mentioned it,” Dante’ said with a chuckle. “I couldn’t figure out why you tried to pull it back.”
Kennedi looked around the dining room and noticed that it was much more lively (and populated) than it was on their first morning there. “Wonder if Gladys’ is working tonight,” she asked, laughing and inviting an extra level of nostalgia to the conversation.
“HA! Gladys,” Dante’ said, remembering the first time he had breakfast with Kennedi. “She just refused to let us get through a full sentence, didn’t she?”
Kennedi and Dante’ chuckled heartily.
“What did you think about that first breakfast?” Dante’ asked. “Did you know we were on a date?”
“I don’t think either one of us did,” Kennedi said, staring attentively at her menu. “Think I’m going to have the Gobble, Gobble Skillet with turkey,” she mumbled, somewhat out of turn.
“I’m almost sure I knew,” Dante’ said, still thinking it through.
“What do you mea-,” Kennedi started, before she was interrupted.
“You folks ready to order?” Brad, the waiter asked, looking like he was completely over the pre-Thanksgiving crowd and ready to go home.
“Yeah, we’re going to have two Gobble, Gobble Skillets,” Dante’ responded. “Hers will have turkey, mine will have ham.”
“Two GG’s coming right up,” Brad said, without writing it down.
“Thanks, man” Dante’ said, before switching his attention back to Kennedi. “You were saying?”
“Yes – I was saying something – what was I saying, babe?” Kennedi asked, distracted by visions of Gobble, Gobble Skillets dancing around in her head.
“You were asking me something about our first date here a few weeks ago.”
“Right!” she said, snapping her fingers in time. “Yeah, how did you even know we were on the date that morning? I, initially, didn’t read it that way at all!”
“Well,” Dante’ said, pausing, “I can remember how impressed I was that you made the effort to meet me on the track at 5:00 AM, keep up with me while I was running, and ask me interesting – out of the box – questions. I realized that I liked something about you – no, I realized that I liked you – while we were still on the track.”
Kennedi narrowed her eyes, “I don’t remember feeling anything like that! I just thought you were crazy!”
Dante’ laughed. “I’m glad you changed your mind,” he added with a chuckle.
“Who said I changed my mind?” Kennedi asked, smiling jovially.
“Ah, touché,” Dante’ said. “Well, how about this?” he added, attempting to modify his statement from earlier, “I’m glad you decided to hang in there with me.”
“Well, I don’t know if I told you,” Kennedi started, “but I actually had a very vivid dream about us right after I got home from breakfast – on what turned out to be our first date.”
“No,” Dante’ said, looking puzzled. “
You never told me about this dream. What were we doing in it?” he asked, giving Kennedi a randy look.
“Not that!” she said, rolling her eyes to the sky and igniting a chorus of laughter.
“OK, OK,” he said, conceding the point. “But seriously,” he followed, looking sheepish, “what were we doing?”
“It was a lot! Very dramatic,” Kennedi said, flailing her fingers.
“OK,” Dante’ followed.
“Let’s just say: we had dinner on a football field, I wore a ballroom gown and a tiara…”
“A tiara?” Dante’ said, barely containing his laughter. “I can’t even see you wearing….actually, I can’t see you wearing anything like, babe.”
“Who are you telling?” Kennedi said, agreeing with Dante’s point. “I was just confused as you are!”
Kennedi and Dante’ giggled incessantly.
Kennedi continued. “…but outside of what we had on, and maybe where we met, everything else about my dream was pretty straightforward. Good insight, a healthy flow of conversation, just a lot of fun.”
“Oh yeah?” Dante’ asked, please to hear Kennedi’s thoughts – and gain a new awareness about her initial thoughts of him.
“Yeah!” Kennedi confirmed.
“Well, I think that’s – ,” Dante’ started to reply before he was interrupted.
“OK, I’ve got two hot, fresh Gobble, Gobble Skillets here,” Brad said, toting a platter in each hand. “Which one of you had the ham?”
“That would be me,” Dante’ said, pointing to his placemat.
“..and that leaves the lady,” Brad said, placing the turkey skillet in front of Kennedi.
“Thank you!” Dante’ and Kennedi replied, almost at the same time.
“My pleasure,” Brad said, nonchalantly. “Can I get you guys anything else? Ketchup? More water?”
“Uh, I think we’re good,” Dante’ answered, hoping to minimize future distractions.
As dinner continued to progress, Dante’ and Kennedi reminisced about the past four months, their perceptions of key interactions, and secrets that had yet to be discussed. The more they shared, the more they realized why they liked each other, and why they should always fight to stay in each other’s lives.
With the majority of their Skillets in digestion mode, Dante’ and Kennedi, sat across from each other, waxing poetic.
“You know,” Dante’ interjected, “I don’t know if we’ve ever talked about marriage.”
“What do you mean?” Kennedi asked.
“Well, I’m just saying, we talk about a lot. I don’t think we’ve ever shared our views on that step.” Dante’ explained.
“OK,” Kennedi countered, unsure of the angle Dante’ was aiming for or what she should say next.
“Do you want to get married? Do you have an idea about when? You know, that kind of thing.
“So, yes I see marriage in my future, but I don’t have any hard and fast rules about when.”
“Ah, I see!” Dante’ said, sitting up in his chair and leaning toward Kennedi. “I want to get married, too. I think marriage is still important – although some of my friends don’t agree.”
“Oh, OK,” Kennedi replied, thinking that the line of questioning was odd.
“I’ve been thinking about marriage a lot, recently,” Dante’ said, “my life is about to change drastically. It’s going to get a lot more stressful, possibly more unstable. I’ll be under a constant microscope. I’m going to need a partner on my side who can hold me together in all of that.”
“I hear that,” Kennedi said.
“And,” Dante’ started, “the more I think about it, Kennedi, the more I want that person to be you.”
Kennedi’s eyes got wide and then she gasped. “You’re saying you think you want to marry me?” she asked.
“I’m saying, Kennedi Kincaid,” Dante’ began reaching into his jacket pocket. He fished around earnestly and then produced a burgundy velvet box.
Kennedi grabbed her mouth as her hand trembled and her mind raced.
“I’m a firm believer,” Dante’ continued, on another train of thought, “ – I’m a firm believer that when you know, you know. We haven’t been together for years and years but Kennedi, I know you’re my wife and I want to make it official. “
Kennedi watched in disbelief as Dante’ scooted out of the booth, got on one knee, and opened up the burgundy ring box. “Kennedi Alana Kincaid, will you marry me?” He said, looking as nervous as he ever has.
Wiping tears away from her eyes, Kennedi clasped her hands together and drew them to her heart. “Of course I’ll marry you, Dante’” she said, to a round of applause in the restaurant.
Dante sprang to his feet and joined Kennedi on her side of the booth. He then slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her passionately.
“You know this means forever, right?” He said looking deeply into her eyes.
“It better,” she smiled, stroking his cheek, “it better!”
The Perfect Slave
Billionaire BDSM Erotica
By Amber Heart
I don’t do dishes. I mean, I would do dishes if my Master told me to but I would definitely consider it a punishment. Right now, I have a very cushy life. Maybe it’s a little on the boring side but… well, no one should complain about that, especially a slave like me.
I live with my Master Eric, his wife Lynn, and their pet Nina. She’s not a real animal just like I’m not an actual slave. It’s more like a title that signifies our lifestyle choice. Think “I Dream of Jeannie” if Darren actually had some balls. I do whatever my Master asks of me. My only complaint is that he doesn’t ask much anymore. When he first collared me there was a lot of excitement and we went out a lot. He would push me to the limits while fellow fans of the lifestyle watched. But that’s old news. Master Eric likes to spend his time at home these days. Nina is thrilled. She spends her time curled up his feet with not a care in the world. Lynn pets her head while they watch “Billionaire Matchmaker”. As for me, I find most of my lessons are in patience. I try not to pace or huff as another Friday night slides by and the cane stripes from my last whipping have faded ages ago.
Then, one day Master Eric came home late. Automatically I got down into my waiting pose; kneeling, hands on thighs, head lowered. It’s a beautiful pose; subservient and difficult for me because I’m naturally impatient. I envy Nina’s freedom to rub against Master’s legs, begging for dinner and attention. I can hear her excited shuffling and Lynn getting up from the sofa to give him a welcome home kiss. It’s such a happy family scene and I feel left out. All I could do was wait and listen.
“Welcome home, love! How did it go?”
“It was great. The money hasn’t changed him; same old Garrison. Did you feed Nina already?” Nina whined.
“Not yet. Does that mean he stuck you with the bill like back in college?”
“Ha no. Okay maybe the money has changed him - for the better. Have you seen Nina’s dinner bowl?”
“I think it’s in the dishwasher. Did you tell him what I said?”
“That he should go on Billionaire Matchmaker? No. Come one, what would they do with him?”
“It would be hilarious!”
Master chuckled, “True. What are you looking for in a mate? Someone to stay naked and chained at my feet.” Almost as an afterthought he called to me. “You may welcome me now, slave.” I crawled over to him on hands and knees and kissed his feet. “Welcome home, Master. How may I serve you?” It’s our customary greeting. “A martini, Eve. Then coffee table.”
I missed a part of the conversation as I ran to the kitchen and mixed a dry martini. Making martinis are a ritual in of themselves. It seems whenever I try to hurry it up, Master can taste the difference. And although I long for attention, it hurts my pride to be punished for lessons I’ve learned a long time ago. Once the cocktail was perfect, I took it to Master in the living room. He accepted it without thanks. I assumed coffee table position and f
elt the cool bottom of the glass as he set I down on my back. Steady, I whispered to myself. Being living furniture takes a lot of concentration. It’s even harder with tippy items like martini and champagne glasses. I’m very proud of this skill and I’m happy that Master chose to challenge me today. I stared down at the carpet and focused on breathing evenly. Master was talking to Lynn again.
“He’s having a party next week to celebrate.”
“What kind of party? Is it something we can bring Eve to? She hasn’t been out in ages.”
My concentration waivered as I started to listen to their conversation. Count down from ten and stay focused, I counseled myself.
“No.”
Ugh how disappointing.
“but I’ve been thinking. What do you thinking of giving him Eve?
Cold gin splashed onto my back and rolled down my sides. I braced myself for punishment. Master, leaned over casually and pinched my left nipple hard. It stung and throbbed. Focusing on the pain. I steadied myself.
“Really, Eric? We’ve had her forever…”
“She’s a show slave. And we hardly go out anymore. Besides, what else do you get a billionaire for his birthday?”
I felt her hand on my head stroking my hair. Her kind touch broke me and tears started to fall down on to the carpet. Yes, life had been boring lately, but I loved Master and Lynn and even Nina.
“Think it over, Lynn. No need to rush the decision.”
Of course, it wasn’t my decision to make and I was glad of that. How could I possibly choose to leave? And could I stay, knowing that something exciting could be happening out there? I would just have to wait and see.
On the evening of the eighteenth, it seemed like everything had been decided. Nina whined more often than usual and Lynn was teary eyed while she had me change from outfit to outfit and back again. So I would be going then… Lynn finally settled on a red dress that zipped straight down the front and a matching decorative collar. She put my hair up and gave me costume eyeglasses for “that naughty secretary look”. She squeezed me in a tight hug and said, “You are so beautiful. I’ll miss you terribly.” There was nothing more to do. There was no need to pack. I owned nothing. Instead, we sat on the couch and she held my hand in her lap until Master came home.