Page 30 of Dare to Love Again

“As for you, Esmerelda. I thought you might need my help and have arranged a suitable dominant for you. Be in the dungeon promptly at seven on Friday.” He reached in his pocket and extended a phone to his wife, which, from the glittery aqua case, Esme assumed wasn’t his. “Valerie will schedule your first counseling appointment, preferably her first available.”

“Eric! You can’t force her to see me.”

“I think she just agreed.” His ice-blue eyes turned Esme’s way when he asked, “Isn’t that so?”

With the opportunity to stay in her grasp, she took it. And Val, a widow herself had to know some of what she was going through. Considering her devastatingly handsome husband, she’d done well for herself this second time around. And despite their teasing banter, perhaps not all of it tongue-in-cheek, both looked happy, and very much in love.

Nodding at her soon-to-be therapist, she gave her a tentative smile. “I suppose I just did.”

The little blonde glared at her scary dom and snatched up the phone. “This is coercion, and can in no way be construed as ethical, but I’ll discuss it with you in the privacy of my office away from pushy doms.” Her fingers flew across the screen. “I assume you work, so late afternoon? How does next Thursday at four o’clock sound to you?”

“I’m a paralegal, but my schedule is flexible when needed. My boss doesn’t mind as long as I get done what I need to do.”

Master Eric retrieved and pocketed the phone. “Excellent. Now that we have that all settled, you’ll have to excuse us. I have a misbehaving submissive to punish.”

“Me?” Val exclaimed. “What did I do?”

“Glaring at me in my own club, playing me with that innocent look in those big blue eyes—as if you could—and not two seconds ago, you called me Eric and pushy.” He shook his head as he stepped behind her and hooked her white cuffs together low at her back. “You’d think after nearly two years together, you would have learned such behavior earns you a stinging red bottom.” He slid his big hand up her back, his fingers threading into her loose curls. “Or perhaps this is your way of getting me to pay more attention to you. Let’s find an available bench or cross and see to it, in either case.”

Val put up no resistance when he lifted her from her stool and set her on her feet.

He eyed the empty gimlet glass in front of Esme. “You’re not driving.”

This wasn’t a question.

“She Ubers,” Samson grumbled as he sidled up and leaned his forearms on the bar once again.

“Which I’m going to call right now,” Esme assured him.

“Since you have an arrangement...” Eric conceded. “We’ll see you Friday, but not before.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And I’ll see you next week,” Val clarified. “I’m listed in the Long Beach directory under Valerie Thornton. Call if you need directions.”

“Thornton,” Master Eric echoed with a grunt of irritation. “When can we expect a licensure change to come through? Our first anniversary was last month.”

With her hands restrained, she leaned her body into his and looked up sweetly. “You know how it is with government red tape, master. I have submitted all the paperwork. I’m afraid we’ll just have to be patient.”

“You have me mistaken with Keiran, evidently.” The inside joke, which made Val smile, went clear over Esme’s head. “A year to process a name change is unacceptable. Who do I know in Sacramento?”

“The governor?” Val suggested helpfully.

A grin once again transformed her dom’s face. Esme noticed several female heads turn, as they noticed as well.

“So I do,” Eric exclaimed, sounding quite pleased.

“What? I was kidding. How do you know the governor?”

“Baby...” he drawled tellingly.

“Really? He’s a member?” She started looking around the bar with wide eyes.

Eric laughed, caught her chin in his hand, and dipped his head to claim another searing kiss. It required bending at the waist to accomplish this feat since he loomed at least a foot over his petite wife, but the gentle caress earned him a beatific smile in return.

“He’ll hear from me first thing in the morning,” the powerful master dom declared then moved them toward the massive double doors of the dungeon.

What a delightful couple. Val could easily be a friend, which meant being her therapist was out, and Master Eric wasn’t nearly as scary as everyone thought, or as he wanted them to believe.

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