Page 23 of Liberating Lena

I held her hand, the one touch she’d allowed since the beginning, and gave it a little squeeze of encouragement. We were seated at a private table in the corner by the window, the same one as our first time here. There was a huge bouquet of flowers in an even larger crystal vase in the center and petals strewn over the table.

“Oh, Ethan, this is lovely. Thank you.”

I waved off Paulo, our server, and pulled back Lena’s chair, helping her to settle and then tucking her into the table. I took my seat and nodded at Paulo. He already knew what to bring which is why there were no menus on the table.

He returned with a glass of wine for each of us. That was all I allowed before a scene. “To a memorable evening.” I held my glass aloft.

Lena clicked hers against mine. “To a memorable evening,” she repeated.

We took a sip of the rich, buttery flavor. Lena’s eyes almost rolled back in her head. “This is very good.”

I’d purchased the bottle and whatever we didn’t consume with dinner, along with another bottle, would to be delivered to my cabin while we were in the Dungeon. I was investing in an evening that I hoped would continue long into the night.

“You are truly a vision. I was surprised to see you so… so?—”

“White?” Lena added with a giggle.

“Exposed. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Her pink flush spread down her chest. Paulo arrived with dinner, a mix of everything Lena had eaten to date and loved: mac and cheese, linguine with salmon and prawns in a white wine sauce, a tiny portion of spaghetti with two meatballs, a skewer of Bocconcini with tomatoes and basil with a drizzle of marinade. I kept the portion size in check as no one wished to play on a full stomach, so it was a sampler size that we split between us, just with her favorites.

Paulo put a helping of each dish on our plates and left us. “Ethan, how did you manage all this? The flowers, the wine, the food? It’s all so beautiful and completely unexpected. I feel spoiled.”

“Good. I want you to feel spoiled. You deserve it. As for the other, nothing a little planning can’t do.”

“You are a planner, but you’re other things too.”

Her statement caught me by surprise. Where was she going with this? “Does that bother you?”

“No. I understand that control is a large part of who you are, and planning is part of controlling.”

She couldn’t have been more accurate. Was I trying to control the scene? I thought I’d been strategically planning a perfect night for her, but maybe I’d made a mistake and overplayed my hand because it felt like what she’d just said.

“Just to be clear. I have no expectations for tonight, only that the space will be created for you to simplybe. Sure, I’d be lying if I didn’t have an ending in mind, but that is me putting in control where it is not needed or wanted. You’re right, Lena, it is a part of me that I enjoy, but you know what I like more?”

She shook her head.

“You calling me on it. Thank you for reminding me what tonight is really about.”

Her eyes softened and became dreamy.

Neither of us ate much after that. I didn’t know about her, but the anticipation was killing me. I had Paulo pack up the rest and added two slices of tiramisu to be added to the wine order and delivered to the cabin and then I escorted Lena to the Dungeon.

CHAPTER 13

Lena

My heart was hammering so hard I wondered if Ethan could hear it. Not out of anxiety, but out of anticipation. Carrie hadn’t given anything away except to say she felt I’d be pleased with what Ethan had set up.

When we’d agreed to this scene it was to be sensory only. Taste, touch, smell, vision, hearing but inside of those were many varying interpretations as to how to make each sensation come alive in a scene, and it truly varied from Dom to Dom.

At the entrance, one of the security staff I recognized as Drake Oliver smiled and told us to have a wonderful evening. Did everyone know we were in a private room tonight? There was a hush as we entered the Dungeon, all eyes swung our way, eyes filled with warmth and light. My sixth sense kicked in, my gut telling me that Ethan and I had a lot of support from everyone here and I knew everything would be okay.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Ethan.” He gazed down at me, his expression unreadable. “In case I forget, you know how easy it is for me to go into subspace, I want you toknow I had a great time.” His smile pulled on those sexy lips of his and even his eyes looked happy.

“Thank you, Lena. I will always cherish those words from you.”

Ethan had me close my eyes before he opened the door to the room. I heard the lighting hum to life. He guided me in and closed the door. “I’m escorting you to a seat, Lena, I will give you instructions once seated. I want your eyes to remain closed until I’m finished, then we can engage and firm our directions for our scene. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

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