Page 314 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

She stood on her tiptoes to try to look past him to see Stella or Dom or anyone else who would vouch for her. Not seeing anyone, she pulled out her cell phone and tried Dom's number. He didn't answer. Of course, he probably couldn't hear it with the end of night bustle. “Just let me go grab Dom and he'll vouch for me, okay? He's my ride,” she wheedled.

The bouncer looked unsure at that, like he didn't know whether to believe her. She didn't blame him. Every customer at No Return claimed to be a personal friend of Dom's to try to get out of paying cover, or get a free drink, or be able to stay past closing. She probably just seemed like another one of them.

“Dom!” she called out, spotting him as the doors opened and more customers filed out. She saw his head jerk up before the doors closed, and a moment later he plowed through them with a purpose.

“Matt!” he snapped. Matt—the bouncer—turned around and stood at attention. Dom held out his hand toward Kate and Matt stood back so she could walk past him and take it. “This is Kate. She's my girl. I should have introduced you last night. I want you to take very good care of her. If she says 'jump', you say 'how high?' Got it?”

Matt nodded. “Sorry, Kate,” he said to her.

Still reeling from the fact that Dom had just called her his girl, she beamed at him. “It's okay, you didn't know. Thanks.”

Dom wrapped an arm around her and led her into the club. “How did it go?”

The happiness he'd just given her completely washed away the remains of the hurt she'd felt earlier. “It went well. You were right,” she admitted.

He stopped and took her into his arms. “I don't care about being right,” he said, looking at her with that wistful sadness she'd seen before. “I just want you to know your own power.”

She stared up at him, arrested. Whatever she'd thought he might say, it wasn't that. “I don't have any power,” she mumbled. “You're the you-know-what.” She was reluctant to say the word vampire out loud in case anyone happened to hear.

“It is your mind that knows what to do with a suggestion. And knowing you can control your own mind is more power than you’ll ever need.” He looked around the club. “Do you want a drink, or are you ready to head out?”

“I'm ready.”

“Okay, let me just tell Stella. Give me one sec.”

She leaned against the stairwell wall and waited for him.

“Hey Kate. What's happening?” A drunken customer wasted no time in moving in on her. Standing alone after closing was an invitation to every boy who hadn't found a girl to leave with yet.

“Just waiting for my man,” she said with a little smile.

The guy scowled at her as if she'd just insulted him and moved off out the door.

Dom reappeared. “You're getting good at that,” he observed.

“Well… I don't know if it counts when I give you as my excuse?” She scuffed her toes a little and then peeked up at him and he laughed.

“Maybe not, but it's your attitude toward it that's changed. You didn't look the least bit uncomfortable.”

She was surprised. She considered his words and realized that he was right. And it wasn't because she knew Dom would return any moment and could rescue her if she needed him to. It was because she had confidence that her words would send the fellow away. And she was surprised to realize that she hadn't cared if they hurt his feelings—even after he'd looked like she had.

Dom took her home and made love to her without any spanking, which may not have been as hot as usual, but actually was just what she needed. He held her until she fell asleep, and then must have left the bed, because she remembered waking to him crawling in again around 5 AM.

When she woke the next morning around 10 AM, she found that her motivation and focus for her proposal was still sharp, and she sat down without even showering or eating and worked for two hours straight. It was only the thought of Dom waking and finding her with stinky breath and bedhead that made her tear herself away and get herself cleaned up and fed.

She heard the bathroom door open while she was in the shower, and then Dom came in, naked and erect, his fangs extended. She smiled her welcome and he reached for her, stroking his hands all over her, running a sharp fang along her ear, down her neck.

“Buon giorno,” he murmured in her ear.

“Buon giorno.” The accent sounded flat in her voice and she giggled. He kissed her deeply with his hands still roaming, then crouched down to apply his experienced tongue between her legs. She gasped, taking hold of his head with her hands. It felt amazing, but she was slow to orgasm in the mornings—her body was just too relaxed from sleeping or something.

Dom didn't seem impatient, though. He used his fingers and his tongue until she was backed up against the shower wall, gasping. When she finally came, he struck her femoral artery with his fangs and drank, still working his fingers deep inside her, on her g-spot. The bite shocked her, sending a jolt of adrenaline through her body as she watched him with wide eyes. He licked the wounds closed and came up, a little of her blood still on his lips. She swallowed, closing her eyes for a moment. She really wasn't that good with seeing blood.

“I'm sorry that frightened you, cara mia,” Dom said, stroking her cheek.

She opened her eyes. The blood had washed off his lips. She started to deny that it had scared her, but remembered that he could sense her feelings. She shrugged instead. “I didn't know you could bite there,” she said lamely.

“I won't if you don't like it. I just thought your neck might be getting tired of my fangs.”

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