“Don’t be ashamed of crying, Kate. He’s like family to you. You have every right to be concerned, and allowing yourself to feel those emotions is better than stuffing them and having them explode on you later.”
She squeezed his hand and blinked rapidly to try to dispel the moisture in her eyes before she met his gaze. “Thanks, Dex.”
He noticed she didn’t use the honorific, and he was fine with that. They weren’t in a scene; they were out together as regular people, not as a D/s pair.
“Are you finished?” He pointed toward her plate. “Would you like a latte or anything?” He remembered she’d ordered a vanilla latte at the VIP lounge before their scene. “I’m not sure if they have them here, but we could find one somewhere if you’d like.”
She took a breath and let it out slowly before her lips curved in a forced approximation of a smile. “No. Thanks. It sounds good right now, but I think I’m more in the mood for hot chocolate heavily dosed with Kahlua or Frangelico. I can get those at home with Rusty curled on my lap.”
Dex motioned for the waitress to bring the bill, wishing the night hadn’t ended as it had. His gut reaction once again told him Kate didn’t have anything to do with his case. He shoved that feeling aside and reminded himself that even if she was involved, she could still be devastated by having a close family friend caught up in the events she was embroiled in. But it didn’t ring true.
He draped his arm protectively across Kate’s shoulders as he guided her to his car. She immediately winced away and sucked in a harsh breath before relaxing and stepping close again. Dex studied her critically and took her hand instead, worried about her reaction. The first few days after a good flogging, the area would be sore as it healed, but she shouldn’t be in as much pain as she had just shown him so soon.
“How bad are you hurting?”
She turned to look at him, as she seemed to think about his question. “I’m usually a little sore for a few days afterwards. No big deal.”
He stopped, his grip on her hand keeping her by his side. He raised her chin with his finger until she met his gaze. “Kate. I need to know the truth. How bad is it?”
She glanced away and then slowly back to meet his gaze. “It’s only two areas, and those have gotten worse over the last few hours. All the pain endorphins have probably flushed out of my system faster than I’m used to. But then, I’ve never had such an amazing flogging.” She swallowed hard, her gaze intense. “And it was amazing. I don’t want you to think I’m some fragile flower and never do it again.”
He caressed her cheek and then leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips. “You’re definitely not a fragile flower. Let’s get you home and I can take a look at your back.”
She allowed him to help her into the car and close the door behind her before he went around to the driver’s side.
When they pulled up outside Kate’s building, Dex got out and walked around the back of his car to pop the trunk and grab a jar of liniment he’d had specially made for Club Desire, and kept on hand. He closed the trunk and opened the passenger-side door to help Kate out.
She remained quiet on the way to the entrance, and then upstairs to her door, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. As soon as they walked into her penthouse, Rusty made a beeline for Kate. When he skidded to a stop in front of her, she scooped him up, holding him close. The cat purred loudly enough for Dex to hear.
Kate stepped into the kitchen and punched in the code to turn off the alarm before returning to the entryway where Dex waited.
A genuine smile bloomed across her face for the first time since she had heard about the shooting. “Rusty always knows when I need cheering up, or when I don’t feel well.”
Dex ran his hand across the tabby’s soft side. “Animals can usually sense when their humans need them.”
He brushed his fingers over her full bottom lip and then cupped her cheek in his palm. “I know you agreed in the car, but I just want to make sure. Are you all right with me taking a look at the marks? We’re not at the club. This is your personal territory, and I won’t intrude if it’s not welcome. But I’m concerned about your level of pain.”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “The bedroom is this way.” The sinful smile she flashed before turning to head deeper into the penthouse made Dex’s cock ache. He hadn’t planned on coming inside tonight, but he needed to make sure she was all right.
He had flogged many women during his time as a Dom, and they all reacted to it differently. He had learned early on to watch for those reactions, and to make sure the women were okay and healing well. Even though impact play was highly pleasurable for them, the aftermath was still an action of the body healing itself.