“No, Master,” I said as soft jazz filled the car’s interior. “Thank you.”
An hour later, I stood in the backyard talking with Linda and Elaina while Todd, Jackson, Nathaniel, and Felicia played an unevenly matched game of basketball. I’d gracefully declined joining in, especially since I had a dress on. Sports were not my favorite pastime, though playing with the ropes around my body would have made things interesting.
“Nathaniel told us you’re going to Florida next month?” Linda asked.
“Orlando, yes,” I said. “I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t had a real vacation in years.”
“Neither has Nathaniel,” Elaina said.
“I’m afraid this won’t be much of one,” I said. “It’s a finance conference, and he’s the keynote speaker.” We would check in on a Saturday and stay until the following Friday. I was looking forward to the trip as it would offer new ways to play.
“Just promise me you’ll get him out of his suit for a few hours,” Linda said. “He could do with a little rest and relaxation.”
Elaina leaned in and whispered, “I’m sure you’ll get him out of his suit for more than a few hours.”
I laughed. “I’m sure I will.” We’d be in Florida for weekday time as well as weekend time, and if I had my way, he wouldn’t be wearing his suit outside of the conference. He wouldn’t be wearing much of anything.
Linda shot her what was supposed to be a stern look, but she succeeding only in making us laugh louder. I loved the closeness of everyone. Loved how they’d welcomed both Felicia and me with open arms.
True to Nathaniel’s word, no one had been able to tell what I had on under my dress. I liked to think Linda didn’t know of our lifestyle. She’d never given either of us any indication she did, after all. Regardless, the two of us had grown close over the last few months, and I very much considered her a second mother.
Elaina was the sister I never had. Though she knew about my and Nathaniel’s relationship on a high level, she never spoke of it with me and, truthfully, that was the way I wanted it.
Jackson, I didn’t know about. Nathaniel told me he didn’t think he knew, so for the time being, I’d pretend he didn’t know. Felicia may have told him, but even if she had, he never treated me any differently than before.
I didn’t know the basketball game was over until I was surrounded by two very strong, very warm arms.
“Ugh,” Elaina said from beside me, pushing Todd away. He’d captured her in the same type of hug Nathaniel had me in. “You’re sweating.”
Mmm. Nathaniel.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
“Yes,” I said, not adding the Master. We were too close to his family and they might overhear.
His arms pressed tighter around me, hitting the ropes just right. “Are you sure?”
I closed my eyes and leaned against him as a wave of desire swept through me. “Very.”
“You’ll let me know if anything becomes uncomfortable?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“You’re doing great,” he whispered. He pulled away before I could respond. “Can I help you do something for lunch?” he asked his aunt.
“No,” she said. “Everything’s ready.”
Jackson walked up beside us and took the drink Felicia handed him. “Missed you playing with us today, Elaina.”
Elaina brushed imaginary lint from Todd’s shirt. “Apparently, they didn’t teach Todd in medical school that pregnant women could exercise.”
It took about four seconds for what she said to sink in, and then everyone spoke at once.
“You’re pregnant?”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“How long?”
Through it all, Elaina and Todd stood there, looking around at their family and smiling.
“I’m ten weeks,” Elaina said, once we all shut up long enough for her to get a word in. “We heard the heartbeat yesterday.”
Before Nathaniel and I could join the rest of the family in congratulating the parents-to-be with hugs, he slipped an arm around my waist.
“The tree house will be a lot more fun with nieces and nephews joining in, won’t it?” he whispered to me.
I turned my head to him, and our lips met in a soft kiss.
When we made it back to our house (it was still something of a shock to view the imposing mansion as ours), he told me to go upstairs and prepare his shower. It was a new type of command, but not an altogether unexpected one. He was still sweaty, after all, and in need of a shower.
By the time he took Apollo outside and made it up the stairs, I’d started his shower and set towels on the warmer bar. Because it just seemed like the right thing to do, I also stripped out of the dress. I couldn’t decide whether to kneel or stand, so when he walked in, I was still standing.
He glanced at the dress on the floor. “Everything okay, Abigail?”
“Yes, Master,” I said. He still had his clothes on. He looked delicious.
“Do you need to use the bathroom?”
Well, yes. Now that he mentioned it, I did.
“Please, Master.”
He walked across the floor and quickly undid the rope between my legs. Not before taking the time to play with my exposed nipples, of course.
I moaned at the press of his thumb.
He laughed and gave me a swift smack on the ass. “Hurry up and make your way back here. I need your help.”
His bathroom was huge. During the weekend, I thought of it as his bathroom, even though evidence of my cohabitation was scattered around one of the vanities. On weekends, I usually used the bathroom connected to the submissive bedroom.
When I made it back to the main portion of the bathroom, he had undressed. I tried not to think about how he looked even more delicious undressed but failed miserably. He smiled as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
Damn.
“Later, Abigail.”
Right. He’d said no release until he permitted.
Double damn.
He trailed his hands down my body, teasing and tickling as he worked the rope back between my legs. Standing so close to him, both of us naked, was a challenge in remaining still, but I managed to pull it off.
He hooked the rope back, gave my clit one last, soft caress, and whispered, “You’re doing such a great job.”
I shifted my legs, accustomed now to the pull against my body and the constant low-level tormenting tease of the ropes. “Thank you, Master.”
He smiled. “I’m ready for my shower.”
Oh, right. Shower.
I opened the door to the huge shower, checked the water to make sure it was the right temperature, and stepped back to let him enter. He breezed past me, and I wondered for a second if I should follow. I wasn’t sure. Surely I could get the ropes wet? It wouldn’t hurt anything, would it?
“Abigail?” he asked, standing just to the side of one of his overhead showerheads.
“Yes, Master?”
“I require your assistance,” he said. His voice was low and held just a hint of gruffness. The tease of the ropes increased a notch or two, but when I stepped into the shower, I forced myself to focus on him instead of my body.
It wasn’t that hard to do. He stood under a showerhead while I adjusted the side nozzles, and then he sat down on one of the tile benches.
During the week, we often showered or bathed together. Showering together was one of our favorite ways to wake up. On evenings, we sometimes shared a bottle of wine while relaxing in his huge bathtub.
But, I reminded myself, this wasn’t Nathaniel. This was my Master.
I took his shampoo and squeezed some into my palm. I worked my fingers into his hair, gently scratching his scalp the way I knew he liked.