The uneasiness didn’t start to return until night drew in and she knew they would soon be going to the club. He laid out the clothes he’d bought for her, enjoyed watching her don them, so much that her body, in a pleasurable languor most of the afternoon, began to stir again. He was already dressed when he told her to finish her makeup and left her for a few minutes, saying he needed to check on something in his workshop.
Nervous enough already, she didn’t dare speculate on what he needed from there, but she finished her makeup and hair, straightened up the bathroom, folded his jeans and T-shirt and left them on the dresser before coming downstairs to the main room. She’d only wandered among the Japanese maples for a few minutes, enjoying the artwork on the walls, when he returned. While she didn’t see him carrying anything, she noted he hadn’t yet tied his tie, the strips of silk lying on his starched shirt front. For all that he looked handsome in anything he wore, she found his suit was like a knight’s armor in truth, reinforcing and underscoring his authority, that sexy confidence.
It made her smile, thinking of his earlier exasperation with the Knights of the Board Room moniker. When she came to him, her pulse elevated again as she noted the approving way he took in her appearance, the way her body moved in what he’d bought her.
She’d loved the dress she was wearing at first sight, but of course she’d tried to choose something more conservative, a moderately sexy black cocktail dress. Jon had simply taken the black dress out of her hands, pointed to the one on the display that Rachel had truly liked. He’d had her try it on, but had forbidden her to look at herself in the mirror in the dressing room. It had been difficult to obey the directive, enough that she’d closed her eyes and turned her back to the mirror as she was dressing. When she stepped out, it had been worth it. One look at his face had been a hundred times better than any mirror. That, and the fact that the young assistant manager, doing inventory at the blouse rack, had almost dropped his jaw on the ground.
It was the color that had caught her eye. Midnight blue and black, a swirling pattern that looked like brushstrokes and splatters of paint across the extremely snug fabric. All those toned yoga muscles were clear to see under the mini dress that stopped so high on her thighs that bending over would reveal she wore absolutely nothing under it. The top was a straight neckline barely above the line of her nipples, with a long two-part sash. One pulled up from the outside of her right breast, framing it, the other coming from behind, both threaded into a ring on her shoulder. The tail draped down her bare back all the way to her thigh, a floating, dream-patterned scarf.
Her hair was piled high on her head, held with a pair of polished sticks that had whimsical onyx gemstones shaped like cat heads. She’d loved them, not surprised that Jon bought them, but surprised that he wanted them as part of the outfit. It seemed to be a message, that this night was about her, who she was, both as a woman and submissive, as much as it was about his desires as her Master.
She’d dusted powder blue glitter over her arms and back. Her skin beneath it emanated scents of lavender and vanilla, from a new lotion Jon had picked out for her specifically, tasting it on her flesh right there in the store. She was pretty sure that the salesgirls’ toes had curled, watching him. She knew hers had, feeling it.
More than a little self-conscious at the memory, what it did to her body and mind, she took the two silk ends of his tie and began to knot it for him. Doing the domestic task shifted her focus, but not so much in a good way. She remembered how much she’d anticipated being a wife, taking care of a loving husband. Believing in so many things that had turned out not to be true, she’d clung to the fantasy so desperately, for so long. That jagged feeling in her stomach bloomed, but then Jon bent his head, gripping her wrist as she finished the knot.
He spent a good five minutes teasing, nibbling and suckling her wrist until her knees were weak and her thighs were damp. The seesaw of her emotions slammed her back down into the dream she never wanted to end.
He glanced out the window as the limo pulled into view. “I figured we’d have Max drive us. I assume you have no objections?” He gave her a look. “You’re blushing a little bit, sweet girl. I think from now on, I better keep you and Dana apart. She’s a bad influence.”
“Terribly bad,” she agreed, with a shy smile. “She’s wonderful. I’ll have to invite her over more often.”
Jon affected a resigned sigh, but caressed her lower back, giving her ass an unexpected but thrilling smack before he guided her to the front door, held it for her. Max let out a wolf whistle as she came down the steps, and she blushed even harder. Her legs trembled, somewhat because of nerves and residual weakness from her earlier shattering experience, but Jon’s hand was on her elbow, the other around her waist, guiding her down the steep wooden stairs in her dark blue stiletto heels. She also noted Max moved to the bottom and held out a hand as she took the last step. It made her remember something else Dana had said during her visit, while they were busy making the salad for that memorable dinner.
I think they got dubbed the Knights by that columnist for a whole different reason. You spend any time around these guys, you’ll find they act like you read about in old poems. If a woman comes into a room, they all stand up. Every one of them is solicitous of her needs, her comfort, her safety. Dominating a woman isn’t just about sex for them. It’s about protection, cherishing, guiding. If they think something’s bad for you, you may win the point, but you’ll have to fight tooth and nail over it. It’s way deep into sexist territory, but they don’t apologize a bit for it.
And truth, it really overwhelms you. The whole time you’re trying to stand your ground and tell them you’re not going to be treated like an egg, it’s like struggling out of a Godiva chocolate fudge bath.
“Come on, Max,” Jon drawled. “You’ve seen me in a suit plenty of times. No need to get all hot and bothered over it.”
It made her laugh, helped ease that tension in her lower belly, especially when she saw Max grin. She felt included in something, content, excited… Dare she say it? Happy?
Max led her to the open door of the limo, offering her a warm, reassuring smile that told her she still looked a little keyed up. Jon underscored it when he got in, drawing her close to his side. A slight tap on her knee and meaningful glance from those steady blue eyes reminded her, and she parted them, the gesture helping to draw her mind to other things, though things no less capable of putting butterflies in her stomach. Especially when he curved his warm palm high on her bare thigh.
This dress was far shorter than the one she’d wore to the coffee shop. If Max adjusted his mirror, it was entirely possible he could see there were no panties beneath that scant covering. He didn’t, but the idea that he could, that she’d parted her knees specifically to give Jon access to that part of her, whenever he desired it, made her restless in a primal way. It all swamped her senses—her appearance, where they were going, everything they’d done so far leading up to this moment. Trying to calm herself, she took her mind back to the balcony, when she and he had done the sun salutations, side by side, everything synchronized.
As they drove to the club, Max and Jon spoke, not excluding her but not requiring her participation, and she was grateful for that. She couldn’t help getting a little more nervous, remembering Club More, but from the moment they pulled up to Surreal, the club the K&A men preferred, the worry ended. The club was a large, attractive structure of white stucco, clean blue and silver lights bathing a front awning that showed doormen who looked like Secret Service professionals, in suits cut well over their broad shoulders. They wore hands-free radios and watched the arrivals and departures through the valet parking area with careful eyes.