Remind Me, Master [The Martinis and Chocolate Book Club 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Lara Valentine

  “Yes. I know the roses are hard to find. They’re not something many people order. It may take you awhile.”

  She waved his concern away. “I’ve ordered them for you before, although it’s been years. It will take a couple of days, but we’ll get them here. Are they special?”

  Conor smiled. “They’re Lisa’s favorite. If you can’t tell, I’m trying to crawl out of the doghouse.”

  Naomi laughed. “I wasn’t sure you were even aware you’d crawled in and made a nest. I’m glad to hear you’re not taking up permanent residence.”

  “Let’s just say Lisa let me know in her own inimitable way.”

  “I adore your wife,” Naomi chuckled. “She’s got balls.”

  Conor choked on his coffee. “I guess she does. Oh, and no more late nights and weekends. I’ll be leaving the office by six every night from now on.”

  Naomi’s laughter trailed behind her as she waltzed out of the office. “Best news I’ve heard in a long time. Conor’s back!”

  It was interesting to hear other people’s impressions of his beautiful wife. He’d always known she was strong, even formidable when she needed to be. It was a contrast to the woman who was his pet and submissive. She was always soft and loving with him, deferring to his wishes. It just proved the old adage it took a strong woman to submit.

  He settled down into his leather chair and frowned at the files on his desk. He needed to hand some of this work off to his junior attorneys. There were several cases they could handle, and it would give them good experience. He’d been remiss in trusting them and hoarding the work for himself. He wasn’t the only good attorney at the firm.

  He was working through the pile of cases when Carrie, one of his newer associates, came in to his office.

  “Naomi said you wanted to see me.”

  She didn’t sit in the chairs across from his desk but came around to his side and perched on the edge, crossing her legs so her skirt rode up her thigh. A flash of annoyance ran through him. He liked Carrie and she was a good attorney, but she also liked to flirt with him. She wasn’t going to make partner on her back with him. He didn’t work that way. Even if he did, Lisa would neuter him in a second. It appeared she wasn’t going to be taking any of his shit ever again.

  He liked his wife’s confidence, even if he didn’t know how it would affect their marriage. It was something he was going to have to get used to whether he liked it or not.

  He rolled his chair back to put some space between them. “I’m going to turn some cases over to you and Mike. I think these will give you some good experience.”

  He handed her the case files and started packing up his briefcase. She laid her hand on his arm. “Wait, maybe we can go over these cases tonight? Dinner’s on me.”

  She leaned forward so her cleavage was on display. He turned away and grabbed his suit coat. “No. Look through them and we’ll meet day after tomorrow. I’m heading home now.”

  Carrie stood, smoothing her skirt over her hips. “Isn’t it early for you? I thought you liked to work into the night.”

  “I used to, now I don’t. I have a wife and kids to go home to. You should go home, too.”

  She shrugged. “All I have is a cat who doesn’t like me.”

  “Go home and make friends with it.” He headed for the office door. “Good night, Carrie.”

  “Night, Conor.” Carrie’s expression was anything but happy.

  Conor headed for his car, looking up at the sky. It was still daylight. He had plans for his beautiful slave tonight. It had been too long.

  Far too long.

  Chapter Three

  Conor handed her a glass of wine with a smile. “I’m working on this whole egalitarian thing, so I thought I’d start by bringing you some wine. I want you relaxed and in a good mood tonight.”

  Lisa’s body responded to his sensuous but playful tone immediately. Her pussy was already damp, and her nipples rubbed against the lace of her bra. She could feel the blood humming through her veins. It had been so long since they’d last been intimate. She was anxious to be with him, wanting his hard, hot body pressing against hers, feeling his cock pistoning in and out of her body.

  Her heart melted a little as she thought of Conor trying to make their relationship better. She was still scared it wasn’t going to work. They’d been married a long time and their behavior patterns were deeply ingrained.

  Even if they both could change, it was no guarantee of success. They could end up apart anyway.

  He ran a finger down her neck and chest to where her shirt covered her breasts. “You’re flushed. I think you’re aroused, slave.”

  She peeked up at him through her lashes. “I am, and I’m not a slave until we’re in the bedroom, remember?”

  He chuckled, the sound deep and throaty. “That’s something I’m going to have to get used to. The wine was a good start, wasn’t it?”

  She sipped the Pinot Grigio. It was thoughtful of him. Usually, it was her trying to please him. “It is. I don’t expect perfection from day one. This is something we can work at. I’m as unsure as you are. We’ve really only lived one way.”

  “Did I mention we have a date Saturday night?”

  “We do?” He was really going all out.

  “Bern’s. Wear something sexy. I want to show you off.”

  “We’ve never been there except for business.” Who was this man standing there smiling? He looked like Conor but sure as hell wasn’t acting like him.

  “Then it’s past time. You’ve been handling everything here at home. You deserve a special night out. I’ve already talked to Mom about the kids spending the night at her place. Then, Sunday morning, I’ll take Tyler on the fishing charter for his late birthday.”

  “Technically, you already got him a present. We got him an iPad for school.”

  Conor shook his head. “You got him an iPad. It’s a great gift, but I need to do something myself. He’ll only turn thirteen once. He’s wanted to do this fishing thing for a long time.”

  The look on Tyler’s face at dinner when he’d found out what Conor had planned had been precious. All three children had been surprised to see their father for dinner, and Conor had taken their gentle ribbing well. His cheekbones sported streaks of red when their youngest, Ethan, had asked why he was home, as if he wasn’t allowed to have dinner with them.

  She placed her hand on his cheek, the day’s beard rough under her fingers.

  “I love you for trying so hard.”

  Conor leaned forward and was just about to kiss her when Ethan raced into the kitchen with only a towel to cover his modesty. At nine years old, he wasn’t as secretive as their other two children. Ethan was still, and always would be, her baby. She grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

  “What’s up, sweetheart? You’re dripping water all through the house.”

  “Emily says I have to go to put on my pajamas and go to bed. She’s not the boss of me. It’s not my bedtime yet.”

  Lisa hid her smile. Emily was eleven going on thirty. She was also a great deal like Conor. She liked to be in command, ordering people around like servants. Lisa found herself intervening more often these days than she liked. Her daughter needed to understand everything wasn’t always going to be done her way.

  “You’re right she’s not the boss of you. Put on your pajamas and get one of your books to read. It’s after eight thirty and you know what that means. Oh, and tell Emily to come see me.”

  Ethan sighed. “Quiet time.” He trooped back toward the stairs. “I don’t like quiet time very much.”

  She turned back to Conor, his brow arched in question. “What’s quiet time? This is new.”

  She shrugged. “Being home alone with three kids over the summer was tiring. And loud. Now we have quiet time. They can stay up, but they need to do quiet activities.”

  Conor nodded approvingly. “Good idea. I like it.”

  It was out of her mouth before she could stop it. “Good, then we can
keep it with your approval.”

  It sounded nasty and sarcastic and she regretted it immediately. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I guess I still have a few things to work through.”

  “I’m sure I deserved it.” He didn’t look happy though. He looked like he wanted to spank her, which was good and bad. She wanted to be spanked, she just didn’t want to be spanked because she’d been sarcastic.

  “What, Mom?” Emily stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot. She looked bored and irritated as only a preteen girl could. Lisa could only imagine the nightmare they had ahead of them. Emily was headstrong and stubborn, to go with her control-freak tendencies.

  Lisa forgot about Conor, giving her daughter a stern look. She needed a strong hand these days. “Why are you giving Ethan orders? He doesn’t have to go to bed until nine.”

  Emily let out a long-suffering sigh. “I was talking to a friend on the phone, and he was making noise. He’s loud and obnoxious.”

  Lisa invaded her daughter’s personal space. “Tough. He’s your brother and part of this family. You don’t give the orders around here. I do. Stop being so hateful to everyone. Everything isn’t always about you.”

  “But I was on the phone!” Emily wailed.

  “Whose phone were you on? The house phone isn’t in use.” Lisa nodded toward their one and only landline in the kitchen. “Were you using my phone without permission again?”

  Her daughter’s face went red. “I was just borrowing it. It has a conference feature so I can talk to all my friends at once.”

  She couldn’t let Emily get away with it. “We’ve talked about this. You’re grounded from the phone for a week.”

  “No! Mom, it’s not fair! Why can’t you get me my own phone? All my friends have their own phones!”

  “Want to go for two weeks? When I was your age I didn’t have a color television, a computer, and cable. You know what I had? A black-and-white portable television and books.”

  Lisa came from a decidedly blue-collar family. It had been another mark against her in the eyes of Conor’s father.

  Emily rolled her eyes. “Oh God, Mom. That was the stone age. Everybody has a phone now.”

  “Well, you don’t. You won’t either, until you start showing a little more maturity.”

  “Dad!” Emily had apparently decided her father was a better bet. “You know how important a phone is. You’re always on yours. Am I really grounded?”

  Lisa didn’t look at Conor. He had a habit of undermining her with the children to be the good guy. She held her breath, waiting for his decree.

  “If your mother says you’re grounded, you’re grounded.” Conor was using his Dom voice, and Emily’s eyes had gone wide in astonishment. She usually had her daddy wrapped around her little finger. “Do not ever, ever question your mother’s rules. She is the boss. We will not be played off of one another, young lady. Apologize to your mother. Now.”

  Emily swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  Lisa nodded. “Thank you. Now go upstairs and get ready for bed. I want everyone in bed by nine tonight.”

  Emily fled upstairs, and Lisa pressed herself to Conor’s warm body. “You are so getting lucky tonight. Thank you.”

  His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. “If I’m getting lucky, I want you naked on your knees in the office. I want to remind you who the Master is in the bedroom.”

  His voice was soft, close to her ear. It sent shivers down her spine and honey dripping from her pussy. She pressed her face to his chest, hearing his heartbeat.

  “Remind me, Master.”

  * * * *

  Conor’s office was located in the bonus room over the garage. It was separated into the office area, which was the first third of the room, and the playroom, which was the back two thirds. It was as far away from his sleeping children as possible, but he’d soundproofed the room anyway.

  The kids had always heard them refer to it as his storage room, where he kept files and law books. They’d never questioned anything, blithely uncaring about dusty files and legal tomes. Every now and then, he would go into the room and pretend to bring out work to keep up the fiction. Seeing how his kids were growing up, he wondered how long this bliss would last. Even if the kids got curious, they’d have to get past the locked door with the keypad for entry.

  He keyed in the code, one-zero-three-one-nine-one, October 31st, 1991. It was the day he and Lisa had met at college. It had been one of those crazy college Halloween parties. Lisa had been dressed as a Playboy Bunny. Conor’s life had never been the same. Lisa was his woman, his wife, his mate. From that day forward, he’d barely looked at anyone else. She’d been all he needed.

  He pushed the door open and quickly shut it behind him, taking in the scene his beautiful woman had set. She’d turned on the small lights in the room so it looked like candles lit everywhere, but much safer than actual flames. She was kneeling in the center of the room on a cushion. Her knees were spread wide, her hands at the small of her back, her eyes down. Conor could feel his cock harden inside his black silk pajama pants. He walked around her and chuckled. She was completely naked except for a pair of red fuck-me heels.

  She looked so sexy, her long golden hair and skin glowing in the soft light. He tipped her chin up so she was looking up at him, her blue eyes dark with desire. This was the best time between them, when nothing stood in their way but how they felt about one another. It never failed to bring them closer, bonding them more intimately than most married couples would ever know. He must have been crazy these last months to have given this up for work.

  His fingertips caressed her jaw, her skin like satin. He brushed her silky hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear, taking a moment to tease her earlobe.

  “Who owns this body, pet?” He was careful not to call her slave. She was his submissive in the bedroom only, so he used a less inciting endearment.

  Her eyes widened slightly, but her expression didn’t betray any surprise.

  “You, Master. I belong to you.”

  “All of it?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Master. Every inch of me is owned by you.”

  “Then why aren’t you wearing your collar? Have you lost it?”

  She didn’t wear a collar for everyday, only when they played at a party so he could proclaim his ownership.

  She smiled playfully. “I do think I have lost it, Master. I don’t know where it is.”

  He shook his head and tut-tutted, walking to the oak cabinets along the wall where he’d stowed everything after the last play party. He scanned the shelves looking for the items he wanted tonight, and a few more that caught his eye. It was going to be a long night for the two of them.

  “When did you wear it last, pet?”

  “At The Estate. About nine or ten months ago, Master.”

  He grabbed the collar and turned back to her. “Ah, yes, I remember that night. I believe you were being punished for talking back to your Master, were you not? You acted up after Tori’s collaring ceremony. As usual.”

  “Yes, Master. I was very naughty that night.”

  “Did I let you come that night?”

  “No, Master.”

  He gazed down at her, an exaggerated frown on his face. “It’s been far too long since you’ve worn your collar and also far too long since you’ve been able to orgasm. We’ll remedy that tonight.”

  Her face turned bright red and he chuckled. “Perhaps it’s been far too long for only one of those things? Is that one of the rules you broke?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Master.”

  He wrapped the gold chain around her neck and snapped the lock shut. If they were only going to play in the bedroom, it would be important to help her get into a submissive mindset after a day of non D/s behavior. The collar would help with that. He’d let her go without structure and rules for too long, and he expected some bad behavior tonight.

  He wasn’t angry she’d orgasmed without hi
m. It was a clear defiance of their set rules, but he hadn’t been taking care of business for months. How could he expect a sensual woman such as Lisa to go without pleasure for months? If he was honest, he’d rubbed one out on occasion, although he was the Master and it was his right to do so. He tried to remember, and he was pretty sure they hadn’t had sex in about six months.

  I’m the dumbest fuck on the planet.

  “How many other rules have you broken in the last months?”

  She was chewing her lower lip. “A few.”

  “Which ones?” He kept walking around her, trying to get her into a submissive state of mind.

  She pressed her lips together. “I orgasmed without permission. I made decisions you normally make. I’ve talked back to you and have gone against your wishes.”

  He thought about it for a moment. “Did you make good decisions? When you went against my wishes, was it the right course of action?”

  Her delicate chin went up. “Yes, Master, I did. I took care of things.”

  “I can see that you did. We’ll let those transgressions go. You did, however, come without permission. Who is your sole source of pleasure, pet?”

  “You are, Master.”

  “What do you think I should do about this? Should I let this go also?”

  She shook her head. “No, Master. I should be punished. That was the rule and I broke it.”

  He nodded. “Very well. Over the spanking bench, pet. Now.”

  * * * *

  Lisa rose from her kneeling position, almost shaking with excitement and trepidation. It had been months since they’d last played together, but she needed this desperately. It was only when she submitted to Conor that she could clear the mental junk from her mind. She always felt serene and peaceful after a scene. She’d missed the feeling, but her bottom hadn’t been punished in quite a while. It was like starting all over again.

  He wrapped padded cuffs around her wrists and ankles and fastened her to the leather bench. She scooted as much as she was able, until she was comfortable, her head down, ass in the air. Conor ran a finger between the cuffs and her wrists, then repeated with her ankles.