Page 36 of The Dom

I doubted we’d ever be close, but at least we could patch things up to the point where we could stand to be around each other for family events. Dad and David would hold their tongues if Joshua and I didn’t butt heads, at least for Mom’s sake. She could have all of her kids together and not have to worry about one of us blowing up at the other.

I could have a family again. Finley had been my only family for so long that the thought of having everyone in my life again was almost dizzying. I needed something to ground me.

No, not something. Someone.

I reached for my phone and tapped out a message.

Would you be interested in dinner tonight? I can pick you up after work.

I drummed my fingers on the desk while I waited for a response. Technically, I could’ve called her or gone to see her, but I was trying hard to keep professional and personal separated. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t only the sex aspect of it. The time I’d spent with Ashlee when we weren’t having sex had been great too. She was genuinely enjoyable to be around.

My phone dinged, and I picked it up.

I can’t tonight. If I don’t do laundry, I’ll have to come to work…never mind. My boss’s boss might not mind that ;) Is the invitation valid tomorrow evening?

I was disappointed that I’d need to wait, but the fact that she was teasing me made me smile. She was only half-right. Her boss’s boss wouldn’t have minded her not having anything to wear, but only if no one else saw her.

Half the time, I wanted to wrap her head-to-toe so others couldn’t see what a gorgeous body she had, and the other half, I wanted to put her into something slinky and sexy to show off what only I was allowed to enjoy.

The invitation is indeed valid tomorrow evening. I’ll pick you up at your place at six o’clock. Will you have clothes to wear? I’m certain I can find somewhere we could go where they’re optional.

I was only half-joking about that last bit. Club Privé, the hottest BDSM club in the entire northeastern part of the country, allowed members such as me to more or less create their own dress code. At any point in time, members could be dressed in a full latex bodysuit or nothing but a collar.

I intended to take her there at some point, but she wasn’t ready for it yet.

My phone dinged again, and her reply hit me with a wave of desire.

Six is great. Yes, I will. As to exactly what those clothes will look like, I’ll leave that to your vivid imagination.

Twenty-Four

Ashlee

I’d spent the entire night before trying to figure out something to wear for my date, and I’d come to a conclusion.

I needed more fancy clothes.

I’d bought a few when I’d gotten my promotion since I knew there would always be the possibility of attending events, and I hadn’t wanted to make the label look bad. I’d never once thought I’d use them on dates with Nate Lexington, or that I’d need to buy new ones, so it wasn’t the same three all the time.

The one I wore now was a rich, mossy green velvet, with three-quarter sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. It reached to mid-calf and was form-fitting enough that I had to take smaller steps than usual. I doubted Nate would mind needing to shorten his stride since he seemed to like my curves, and this dress enhanced every inch of them.

The weather had taken a turn this week, reminding us that even though, technically, spring was here, New York was among the places that didn’t relinquish its grip on winter easily. That was how it seemed at times, that winter had tried to leave, but the city wouldn’t let it.

I tried looking at the positive side of the brisk wind and dropping temperatures: I could wear velvet without having heat stroke.

As I waited for Nate by the door, I pressed my hands against my stomach and forced myself to take slow, deep breaths. I wondered if there’d ever be a day when I didn’t get these butterflies at the thought of going out in public with him. They weren’t as bad as before, but they were still there, the nervous ones lurking among the excited ones. I hoped the excited ones never went away.

He knocked, and I answered immediately, eagerly drinking in the sight of him in another suit. I’d always thought men pretty much wore the exact same suit all the time. Not the actual suit but the same style, cut, etc. It had only been since I’d come to work at Manhattan Records and had the opportunity to see men in suits more often that I realized the truth of the matter.

Some did have identical suits but rotated different-colored dress shirts and ties, and some had similar suits with small differences. Nate must’ve had an entire closet of suits, ties, and shirts that he could mix and match because I had yet to notice a repeat. He must have repeated combinations eventually, but always far enough apart that no one could remember.

“Keep looking at me like that, and we won’t make it to the car,” he said, his eyes dark and full of all sorts of depraved secrets.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” I asked, not at all surprised by how breathless my voice was.

He caught me around the waist and yanked me to him so that we were standing in the doorway to my apartment, bodies pressed together, and completely oblivious to whether or not my neighbors were watching.

“Don’t tempt me, le soleil,” he growled.

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