BOOK III –
YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME
ONE
Ooh, I like that one... and that one... ooh, that one is pretty saucy... I might need to come back to look at that one.
Zerrin D’Amato perused the very expensive lingerie store, La Perla, while she waited for her sister-in-law to try on pieces. While some of the pieces were very nice and Zerrin could easily afford any and all of them, she couldn’t bring herself to spend upwards of a thousand dollars for something that was going to be ripped off her body by her husband’s teeth, becoming a very expensive dishrag for their kitchen.
Maybe I should look... at least at one…
She was never the type to wear lingerie, feeling that her bra and up-the-booty panties were sufficient for her suitors to have any interest in her. Zerrin learned from when she dated that men only liked lingerie on women after it was off their bodies and on the floor.
Besides, her husband had very exquisite taste, and at any given time, he wanted her naked like the day she was born, with a pair of heels and maybe some jewelry. Anything else would’ve gotten in the way of rope and other restraints.
“Zerrin?” Tiana called out from one of the fitting rooms. “Can you come here for a moment?”
Zerrin put the nude teddy back on the rack and headed towards the fitting rooms. She arrived at Tiana’s fitting room and knocked on the door. “Okay, show me what you got.”
Tiana opened the door and revealed a red lacy slip. “Well? What do you think?”
“What are you trying to go for?” Zerrin leaned against the doorway. “Your first time having sex and you’re ashamed of your body or ‘I want you to f*ck me so hard I won’t be able to breathe normally’?”
An uneasy look appeared on Tiana’s face and she turned around to look at herself in the mirror. “That bad?”
“You revealed to me just a short while ago that you wanted to put some spice back into your sex life since Gianna’s arrival,” Zerrin pointed out, “how often are you two having sex?”
Tiana thought long and hard. Between going back to her investment firm, raising their young son and daughter, and Kieran running Fits and Giggles, they were lucky if they made love even once during the month. “How long ago was Christmas?”
“Wow,” Zerrin nodded, “you really need to get laid.”
“I need to show him that I’m still sexy and I still got it,” Tiana walked back inside the dressing room and Zerrin followed her. Insecurities about what happened during her first marriage naturally arose in Tiana, and she was afraid lack of intimacy would make Kieran’s eyes wander before he finally strayed. “Two small children in three years really did mess up my body.”
“So you’re playing it safe by looking like a virginal teenager on prom night?” Zerrin put two and two together.
“I guess,” Tiana shrugged, “My stretch marks have stretch marks.”
“Tee, a piece of advice, if I may?”
“Please, do!”
“A man doesn’t care about your stretch marks,” Zerrin cocked her head to the side, “he only cares if you can give head and you can do it well. When you come out of the clothes, he wants you to own it like a pro.”
“I should go for something a little sexier, huh?”
“Um, that would be a positive.”
Tiana stripped off the lingerie and hurriedly put her clothing back on before she and Zerrin headed back out to the front of the store. “I do want to try something a little different tonight. Maybe it would pique Kieran’s interest again.”
“I’m listening,” Zerrin replied.
“Well, I read this book...” Tiana looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation. “...and it got me thinking.”
“Oh?” Zerrin took a sip of water. “And what is tickling your fancy?”
“Have you heard of that thing... it’s called BSDM?”
Zerrin’s eyes grew wide and she almost choked on her water. “Um, BSDM?”
“I think that’s what it’s called. BSDM? BDSM?”
“BDSM,” Zerrin blurted before she covered her mouth, “so I’ve heard.”
“Yeah, I think that’s it!” Tiana looked around again before she began talking. “I want to see if Kieran is going to spank me.”
“Well,” Zerrin let out a light sigh and became a little uncomfortable thinking of her brother-in-law as a Dom, though he would be perfect for the role, “have you both tried BDSM before?”
“He’s spanked me a little and pulled my hair some,” Tiana giggled, “I really liked it. I mean, Kieran has always been pretty dominant in the bedroom and we’ve tried a few things but I really want to put it on him tonight.”
“Okay,” Zerrin glanced around the store and walked over to a rack that had very revealing lingerie, “try this on, and tell me if you feel empowered.”
“Empowered?” Tiana grabbed the lingerie from Zerrin and eyeballed it. It left hardly anything to the imagination and Tiana wasn’t quite sure how she would be able to put it on. “Shouldn’t I feel sexy?”
“Being empowered is very sexy,” Zerrin cooed, “though he’ll be the one... ” she cleared her throat, “...dominating you, you’ll be the one in control.”
Tiana’s smile grew wide like a small child’s and she rushed to the dressing room to try on the new piece. “I knew you were the right choice to take shopping! If I took Erin, she would’ve made wise cracks about how I probably wouldn’t remember how to have sex and if my plumbing was still working down there. But you’re mature, Zerrin! You’re the sex doctor!”
Ah, yes. Sex doctor. That was what all of the D’Amatos knew her as. The moment it became knowledge that she switched fields from English to Sexual Health, she became the Black braided version of Dr. Ruth. Zerrin had to laugh at how her title had evolved throughout the years from Nick’s Imaginary Girlfriend to Nick’s Shiny New Toy to Nick’s Wife Who’s Also as Smart and Serious as He Is to Zerrin the Sex Doctor.
Maybe becoming the sex doctor was the final nail to give her an identity of her own.
As much of a champion as she was for women’s sexuality and the freedom to express it however they chose, the unfortunate side effect was being the sex therapist for each of the D’Amatos. She knew more about their sex lives than she was comfortable knowing, and Zerrin hated that she had a strong memory. She would much rather forget the time Tony came to her with advice about a night he had with one of his paramours that involved a tub of butter, saran wrap, and ten phone books. She shuddered at the thought. There was kinky and then there was f*cked up.
“So, what are you and Mr. Man planning for your Valentine’s?” Tiana asked.
“Well, I have a guest lecture tonight at USC and by the time that gets out, just about every restaurant will be booked to capacity,” Zerrin shrugged. One of her colleagues wanted her to speak to her class about female sexuality and Zerrin jumped at the chance for a free trip to L.A. but not at the expense of her personal life. It was the first time in a long while she and Nick had a weekend alone since the birth of their son, Pietro, and Zerrin cringed at the thought Nick was riding shotgun on her professional trip when he could’ve stayed home.
But Nick was insistent in traveling with her and Nicola and Art were gracious enough to watch Pietro so they could have a private weekend with just the two of them. Zerrin missed their son terribly but she was also craving some alone time with her husband. Their D/s relationship took a small (really, it was large) backseat when Pietro arrived and it seemed that they were still trying to find their groove. Mentally, everything went off without a hitch, with Zerrin still completing her tasks and written assignments.
Sexually, however, things crept slowly. When they resumed lovemaking, it was long after the suggested six-week waiting period and there were often times Zerrin was too exhausted to even entertain the thought of sex. Between raising Pietro, pursuing her doctorate, and resuming her submissive duties after she and Nick agreed to put them on hold during her pregnancy, sex was the last thing on her mind.
Not that she didn’t want to make love anymore. It was a difficult balance—being a mother and a professor. Late nights nursing Pietro combined with grading papers and preparing lectures made her a little batty. She found her dreams becoming increasingly erotic and it seemed the only time she was able to give herself some relief was during the quick showers she’d learned to master since Pietro’s arrival. Nick was very understanding and would wait as long as he needed to in order for his wife to be comfortable, but Zerrin herself was becoming impatient.
She wanted her husband. She wanted to be spanked by him. She wanted to be bound and gagged by him. She wanted him to demand that he f*ck her mouth with his cock. She wanted him to bring her to the edge, only to pull back and then push her over it.
Damn, I need to get laid! “So honestly, I’m not sure what the plans are for us tonight.” She finished.
“Isn’t Nick planning something?” Tiana asked. “He hardly seems like the type to wait until the last minute to plan something on the most romantic day of the year!”
If Nick had been planning something, he surely didn’t tell his wife of said plans. In fact, he didn’t even hint to Zerrin that they were going to do something after her lecture. She’d briefly mentioned how she wanted to go to the ocean and Nick only replied with, ‘That sounds lovely’ with a tone that indicated neither acceptance nor denial.
It was a quality of Nick Zerrin both admired and loathed—he played his cards very close to the chest and his poker face never gave away what he could’ve been holding. For all Zerrin knew, Nick was probably playing with a couple of Jacks when he was up against a pair of Aces.
“I don’t know,” Zerrin covered and hoped her husband would have at least something up his sleeve. She hated the thought of them escaping three thousand miles from home and their son just for it to be a sexless and unromantic weekend. “I certainly hope he has something planned.”
He’d better.