God, he was going to destroy her. But maybe for the first time in her life, she'd found a man worth shattering for.
Chapter Eleven
Having a lover again was...well, it was a good feeling. The toe-curling, silly smiles at odd moments kind of good feeling. She told herself to settle down, slow down, but the truth was she couldn't do it. Especially when Des seemed just as eager to be around her. Hell, she'd waited decades to find someone like him. If all his wonderfulness was a precursor to a crash and burn, she had nothing to lose by getting the most out of it now. And if he ended up being the unicorn...well, life was always too short, so the same answer applied.
He'd talked her into not leaving his house at all that day. He'd put in his half day of work and, when he returned, they spent the evening together, doing dinner, surfing TV together, talking, making love. No Dom/sub stuff this time. Just playful, enjoyable sex with lots of exploration and quiet pillow talk. When they both had to go to work the next day, he'd dropped her off at the theater and kissed her like he was going off to war. She had held onto him the same way, feeling as if some magic spell was about to be broken.
Which was why work was a very good thing, a reminder that she was a mature adult. Every mature adult knew that falling-in-love feeling was an illusion. Well, illusion wasn't the right word. It was wonderfully real, but it required pacing oneself. Which kind of contradicted her unicorn versus crash-and-burn theory, but there could be moderation in overindulgence.
She could just imagine Des chuckling at the inconsistencies in that statement, but he'd totally get it. His mind worked as weirdly as hers did.
A few days later she didn't feel as fond about work's balancing properties. Tying up loose ends on the Consent opener, getting ready for the showings they'd scheduled the following week, staying on top of social media and other promotional outlets, and working with Harris on planning the next production, the play Madison had mentioned at the reception, took up all her time.
For Des's part, he had several jobs to juggle, and one of them took him a couple hours outside the city limits, requiring him to stay overnight to meet a developer's deadline.
So that going off to war kiss hadn't been misplaced, because after only a day she missed him intensely, though they exchanged some texts. He called her one night at bedtime and, while she loved hearing his voice, she could hear how tired he was and hadn't made him stay on the phone too long.
Her week wasn't as physically grueling, but she worked a lot of late hours. She anticipated seeing him by the weekend, but figured they'd both need a mega-nap like a couple toddlers before attempting more adult activities. Madison, however, had a different plan.
Julie was sitting in on a script review and casting discussion with Harris and Lila, their playwright, when her phone buzzed. Glancing down and seeing Madison's number, Julie excused herself from the table and stepped away.
"My God, I was wondering when I'd hear from you. We haven't talked in over an hour."
"I knew I was running late." Madison chuckled. "Hey, want to have some fun and promote our baby? We've had this fancy BDSM to-do on the calendar for a while and I wasn't sure I was going to go until Logan pointed out it's being sponsored by five of the tri-state area BDSM groups. We could drop off some of our snazzy theater brochures at their vendor table and then enjoy the party ourselves. Logan and I can do it on our own, but I happened to mention it to Des the other day and he said if you'd like to go, he'd take you."
"Oh really? Said it that way, did he?"
There was laughter in Madison's voice. "Just like that. Translation: You're not going without him. I think he's a little taken with my theater manager. Is the feeling mutual?"
"You know the answer to that, ho. Stop picking on me or I'll sabotage this freaking sound system that we just had the electrician rewire and still isn't behaving the way we need it to do. I was tempted to put it through the wall twelve times since yesterday. The only thing that saved it was I didn't pay for it."
"Good thing I wasn't there. I would have done it for you. Nothing frustrates me like technology gremlins. So will you go? It's Friday."
While a part of her longed for a hot bath and an early-to-bed scenario with Des, hearing he was interested in taking her to a party summoned energy reserves. They made her nerves tingle, and not just from excitement about going. If she and Des did this, they'd be pursuing the Dom-sub thing in a public way, even if merely as voyeurs. Those same nerves pushed her to stay in her comfort zone, but...
"Let me call Des and talk to him about it. I'll call you right back."
"Good deal."
He picked up on the third ring. From the lack of background noise, she realized he wasn't at a job site. He sounded as if he'd been asleep.
"Sorry," she said, instantly chagrined. "Didn't mean to wake you."
"No worries, love. You'd enjoy my view right now. Our hotel backs up to a couple farms. You have your choice of watching cows or the wind rippling patterns through young corn stalks. A bunch of the cows have calves, playing like they haven't a care in the world."
"I think I hate you. I've been working like a dog all day." But she brightened at her subsequent thought. "Is your job done and you're sleeping in this morning before you head back?"
"I wish. We've got some more to do, but I'm getting a late start. I'll be heading out soon."
She hesitated. Something sounded off in his voice, but before she could pursue it, he continued. "Once we hit the summer heat, I'll call you out to a job so you can see how I earn my lazy times."
Today was already hinting at those temps. They'd experienced a warm front early in the week, spring temperatures climbing into the eighties. While that didn't sound too hot for normal labor, up on a roof against asphalt shingles and black tar paper, she expected it could be more strenuous.
"All right, I retract my hatred and restore my adoration for your virile self."
"Appreciate it. What's up? Did Madison call you about the party?"
"She did. I understand I have an escort."
"You do. Would you like to go? I know you've had a hellish schedule lately."
"I have. But..."
"But you'd like to go."
"I would," she said. "With you."
Maybe she was getting better at reading his silences, but in his pause she sensed some of the sparks of excitement she herself was experiencing. Knowing he wanted to go to the party with her heated them into flame.
"You take this step forward, I'm probably not going to want to take any more steps back, Julie." His voice was low. "Fair warning. I've missed you."
It was clear what he meant. Her whole body certainly got the message, the reaction swirling in her core. "I've missed you, too. I haven't been to anything like this before. We just watch, right? We don't have to do anything?"
"Absolutely. We play only if that's what you want to do. If you don't, that's completely fine with me. I'm looking forward to getting you alone afterward."
She wasn't a public sex kind of girl, but she could get excited about watching others. And even more excited from the promise she heard in his voice. She imagined what could happen after they were both stimulated by a visual cornucopia of BDSM offerings. It made her wish he was here right now.
Restraint, girl, she admonished herself. "Hey, Marcus and Thomas will be coming into town, week after next. Marcus suggested we do dinner."
"Sounds good. Too bad they're not coming in sooner. They could go to the party with us."
"That's okay. I think I'd be a little embarrassed, you know. In front of them."
"Hmm. I bet I could get you over that hang up." His voice had that deep purr that made her toes curl.
"I bet you could. Which is why I'm hanging up before I'm tempted to have phone sex with you. I have work to do."
"I'm far more interested in keeping you on the line for phone sex."
"Not in front of the cows. That's illegal in most states."
He chuckled, his voice still throaty, sen
ding more tingles through her. "Besides," she added. "I'll bet you already had your morning treats. Milk and cookies before you laid down on your mat for your midmorning nap."
"You can be spanked. Just saying."
"I thought that wasn't your thing."
"I'm rethinking it with you and that mouth of yours."
She grinned, happy to be teasing with him. "Go back to sleep. You're grumpy."
"Only because I've been denied phone sex. And milk and cookies." He paused. A peculiar heat filled that significant silence and surrounded her. "I'll see you in a couple days, love."
"Are you all right?" she asked softly, not sure why she was asking, but there was a great deal in that stillness she wasn't sure about.
"Better than. You've got my attention, love. In every way. Talk to you soon."
When he disconnected, she tapped the phone against her lips thoughtfully. He'd sounded tired, but very pleased to talk to her. He wanted the same thing she did, to be together right now. Maybe it was best she had a million things to do. Otherwise she'd drive two hours to watch cows and corn with him. But anticipation could be a wonderful thing.
She had a meet in a few moments with the volunteer who'd served as their house manager, to go over some front-of-house improvements for the next show. Time enough to text Madison, since Harris and Lila were well on top of the cast and script discussion.
We're going. Any dress code?
Madison's cheerleading emoticons were infectious. Her enthusiasm only stoked those sparks that were still warming Julie's insides. Inside the party, naked, fetish wear, or club wear is all fine. No T-shirts and jeans. If you wear street clothes, host wants people to dress up. Sets a party mood and reinforces standards of good behavior.
Julie honestly couldn't picture Des in slacks or a suit, and wondered if she'd be intrigued by the results. She had a sexy little black dress she could wear. Nothing out of the ordinary, but she could razzle-dazzle it up with some accessories.
Touch base with me tomorrow on the marketing end. Look forward to seeing you.
You too. Madison's response was accompanied by a few more cheerleading emojis. Julie pocketed the phone and went back to work. However, a part of her mind remained two hours away, thinking about a lean man stretched out on a bed in a hotel room, dozing and watching calves cavort in the sunshine.
The day before the event, she was surprised to get a call directly from Logan.
"Des called and asked if I'd escort you to the party with Madison. He says the job is running behind and isn't going to finish up until early afternoon tomorrow. He doesn't plan to be late, but he said it makes more sense for us to meet him there, since he's going to have to go by his place first to get changed."
"No problem." But she was curious. There was an interesting formality to the call, Logan calling her personally, rather than Des texting her. "I know this sounds strange, but is this an etiquette thing? A Dom calling another Dom to escort...his sub?" She tried to act as if she was talking generally, not specifically about her and Des.
Logan's pause suggested she wasn't altogether successful, but at least he didn't call her on it. "There's no official etiquette written in stone. But a Master or Mistress picks up cues from their sub and responds to them. Or intentionally sends the sub a message to add to what they're building between each other."
She was standing in the middle of the spacious audience area, normally quite cool when not filled with people, but that wasn't the way it felt right now. Message received loud and clear.
"It's so weird. I look at him sometimes and still don't expect him to be like that. But he so is."
"We all go through our learning stages before we gain confidence in power exchange and taking the reins," Logan said. "But Des is far past that. I've never seen him handle a sub where I didn't feel he was completely in control of the situation and solidly in tune with her needs. He's a through and through Dom."
"But no one's Master."
"I don't think that's true anymore." Logan's voice held amusement. Julie changed the subject fast.
"Hey, do you know what Madison will be wearing?"
"Whatever I tell her to wear," Logan said pleasantly.
Logan's simple statement, spoken so matter-of-factly, spiked anxiety and thrills through Julie. The reaction was so strong it was a startling reveal of what her subconscious was feeling about this party.
When Logan chuckled at her speechless pause, she narrowed her eyes.
"Okay, it's just mean to tease the newbie sub," she accused. "You're as bad as Marcus."
"But getting a sub worked up is way too tempting to a Dom. You're an easy and very pleasurable target. Are you blushing?"
"Shut up."
He laughed outright, which stroked the nerves up and down her spine. The man was like crack. No wonder Madison was gone over him. "Seriously, I'm sorry to tease you," he said. "But sometimes a Dom can't help himself. We're sadists, after all."
She thought of the day in the orchid garden, when Des had held her wrist in that peculiar grip. The light in his eyes, the energy gathering around them both as she found the edge of pleasure and pain.
"You are evil and will be destroyed. I'll see you soon."
She heard more chuckling as she cut the line. But it made her think. She guessed she was a newbie sub. She'd been doing a lot of follow-the-leader--or follow-the-Dom--on this. While that was instinctive to both sides of the relationship, she hadn't, until now, had her feet under her enough to start exploring the boundaries of that world as it meshed with her own way of doing things.
Uncoding her phone once more, she decided not to think too much about what she was about to do. She didn't want to worry that he might misinterpret it, or worse, consider it a foolish lead in. Des had said he didn't really care about the more formal Dom/sub rituals, while at the same time proving he could answer those desires for her in a different, entirely satisfying way. Was that because they were so unexpectedly compatible as Dom and sub, or had he recognized that a sub's fantasies could look different in reality?
She typed her text quickly. Thanks for arranging for Logan to escort me. Second best Master I know to take a girl to a party. Hope the first best won't be too late. What would you like me to wear? She almost typed "No wrong answer", but that was a way to protect herself, something he'd warned her about. Pocketing the phone, she went back to what she was doing. If he was on a job, it might be an hour before he saw it.
Sure enough, forty-five minutes later, when her meet with the house manager was over and the woman was on her way back to her secretarial day job, the phone chirped.
Something that makes you as hot and bothered when you're wearing it as when I have my mouth between your legs. Something that tells me you want me to do whatever I want to do to you that night.
And people thought driving while texting was dangerous. Hell, she shouldn't be standing when reading his. She refused to be worried by his meaning. He wouldn't do anything with her in front of a bunch of people that she wouldn't feel comfortable doing. Of course, if he did certain things to her, she'd forget they were even there. She wasn't sure if that was a bad thing.
She punched in the autodial for Naughty Bits. Could she afford to end her work day a couple hours earlier tomorrow? Yes, she could. She worked 24/7. She'd attend one of her internal workaholic support meetings and make it happen without too much guilt.
Madison was ringing up a customer. She bid them good-bye and "have a wonderful day" before she greeted Julie. They'd talked so much these past few weeks, Julie anticipated it, waiting with a lightly tapping foot. As she looked up, she noted one of the lights on stage appeared to be sagging and made a note to bring it to Harris's attention for the techs.
"Hey, girlfriend." Madison came on the line. "Excited about tomorrow?"
"Your husband was picking on me. You need to keep that man's pheromones in check. Or bottle them to make yourself a millionaire."
"Believe me, I know. But he's been invaluable at increasing o
ur ticket sales. I think he's persuaded every female patron in his hardware store to invite their garden clubs to Consent."
"He told them Troy would be out front, handing out programs in a really tiny Speedo, didn't he?"
"No, he didn't. But maybe we should talk to Shale about that." Madison snickered. "Okay, I have a couple more customers coming in. Tell me what you need."
"I need a personal shopper. I'm going to be like Cinderella today and tomorrow, running up to the wire, but here's what I'm looking for. I'm hoping you might have it." She rattled off the specs and grinned at Madison's squeal.
"I have just the thing. You are going to look so fabulous. Oh my God, I'll give you the best customer discount. Or you could wear it for free and return it next day." She paused. "No, nix that. We'll call it a bonus to your already exorbitant salary."
"I can give it back to you. That's not a problem."
"Nope. If he reacts to it the way I bet he will, it will be in tatters. I promise."
The image expanded the ball of lust in her stomach. "You're so demented."
"Which is why you love me. Come over as early as you can manage tomorrow and we'll get you gorgeous. I haven't played dress up with another girl since Alice died." Madison's voice softened as she recalled her sister, the former proprietress of Naughty Bits.
"I'll probably look like Cinderella coming straight from the ashbin, since I'm going to clean out that last classroom so we can start storing things there for Lila's show. You'll have your work cut out for you."
"Isn't a managing director supposed to delegate, direct, represent and stay pristine and professional?"
"Yes, that's what a Broadway theater manager does. The manager of a community theater being built from scratch with a volunteer staff is a whole different ball of wax. I seem to recall the owner down here more than once these past few weeks getting herself covered in paint and sawdust."
"It's more fun that way, isn't it? When it succeeds, it will mean all the more."
"From your mouth to God's ear." And Julie meant it. Succeeding was a matter of professional pride, but with a good friend involved, she wanted to see this theater thrive as much for Madison as for her own sense of satisfaction. "See you soon."