What? Why? she replied.
Are you questioning me?
She couldn’t help the snark that came without her thinking. I believe that’s what the punctuation I used meant.
Oh sweetheart. You’ll never learn, will you?
That didn’t sound good, but she replied anyway. Probably not.
Now it’s time for you to go to bed.
But what about, she started typing. Before she could finish her sentence, he wrote back.
Do not come. Do not ask. Go straight to bed.
Her fingers hovered over the a. Ass, she wanted to write. She decided not to, though, thinking maybe he would change his mind if she followed directions.
Yes, Sir, she wrote instead.
Good night, Meagan.
Good night.
Though she had been tired before texting with Luke, she found after they ended their conversation she wasn’t tired at all. Not only that, but she needed release badly. She debated what she should do. Going to sleep would be her best option. That didn’t seem likely, though. She could get herself off, even though he told her not to. Yes, she decided, that was actually the best option. After all, how would he know?
She lay back on the bed, letting her knees fall open wide. Her fingers drifted to exactly where she wanted them. This time she didn’t think of Luke. How could she, when she was doing what he commanded her not to? With her eyes shut tight, she quickly brought herself to completion. And though she felt relief, it was not a satisfactory orgasm.
Afterward, she was wide-awake. Eventually, she heard Abby and Nathaniel in the hallway. There were soft murmurs at the opening and closing of a door and finally, silence.
Sleep didn’t come easily, and it was well after one a.m. before she drifted off.
She still felt guilty the next morning. It wasn’t like her. Guilt was a new emotion. The last time she remembered feeling guilty was the debacle with Abby at the club. She was glad she wouldn’t see Luke today, because she didn’t think she could hide what she’d done the night before.
Nathaniel cooked breakfast for everybody. Apparently, this was not a common weekend occurrence. Meagan remembered Abby had told her once that she normally wore his collar on the weekends. She supposed that meant Abby normally cooked. But this morning, Abby’s neck was bare.
Abby and Nathaniel’s two children, Elizabeth and Henry, joined them for breakfast. They were both precious. Meagan had never spent too much time with them, but they were so much fun to be around. In fact, they had her rethinking her stance on being childless. Perhaps, maybe, she did want children one day.
Lynne came down to the kitchen right as Nathaniel was plating the French toast. He wished her good morning and made her a plate as well. Once again, Meagan thought Abby was a very lucky woman.
“How did you sleep?” Abby asked.
Meagan decided to be honest. “Not too well, but I blame that on Luke.”
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. “Luke?”
“We sent some texts back and forth last night.”
“Ah, texts,” Abby said. “Done that before.”
“And it wasn’t the most relaxing ending.” Meagan didn’t want to say any more, since there were children present. Hopefully, the adults would understand what she was trying to say.
Nathaniel chuckled in understanding. “Done that before,” he said, copying his wife.
“Done what, Daddy?” Elizabeth asked.
“Teased your mother,” he said.
“Not nice, Daddy,” Henry said.
Nathaniel ruffled his hair. “I know. And your mother was quick to tell me the same thing.”
“That I was,” Abby said. “For all the good it did me.”
Nathaniel winked at her.
Yes, Meagan thought. Abby was a fortunate woman.
* * *
When they pulled up to the Parkses’ house a few hours later, Meagan was surprised to see a familiar car. What the fuck was Luke doing here?
“I didn’t know Luke was invited.” She asked Abby, “Since when do men come to baby showers?”
“I know Nathaniel was invited to this one,” Abby said. “But since Lynne was also coming, he decided to stay home with the kids.”
“Okay, but since when do Luke and Jeff know each other?”
“I think Jeff is working with Luke on security.”
Right. Luke had mentioned hiring someone to revamp the security system at the club. And, while she knew Jeff was into security, she had no idea he knew Luke. This could be trouble.
But there was nothing she could do about it now. She would just try to act normal, like nothing happened last night, and most certainly that she did not have an orgasm without his permission.
Her resolve lasted as long as it took to open the door, step into the house, and take one look at Luke. Because the truth was, she couldn’t actually look at Luke. She looked everywhere except Luke: the couch, the exposed wooden beams of the ceiling, the wrapped baby presents on the table.
“Meagan?” Luke asked. “How are you? Sleep well?”
“No, I didn’t actually,” Meagan said. “I just had the same conversation at Nathaniel and Abby’s house.”
“And what was the general consensus?”
“That Nathaniel was a meanie to tease Abby.”
Luke gave her a knowing smile. With slow measured footsteps, he kept her in his sights, as he walked toward her. Once again, Meagan found she couldn’t look him in the eye.
When he finally stood before her, he lowered his head toward her ear, and whispered so that only she could hear, “You came last night, didn’t you?”
She didn’t answer the question; instead she asked, “What makes you say that?”
“Avoiding the question, I see.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Look me in the eye, Meagan.” Luke’s voice was very serious. “And tell me you didn’t come.”
She looked him in the eye, but she knew she couldn’t lie to him. “I came.”
“Someone was a very bad girl.”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“Be that as it may, sorry just isn’t good enough.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Meagan said. “I mean, you’re not actually my Dom.”
“Oh, Meagan, Meagan, Meagan.” Luke pulled back, took her chin in his hands, and forced her to look him in the eyes. “It would have been much better had you not said that.”
She figured as much, but that didn’t stop her from saying it. “It’s the truth.”
“No, the truth is, I gave you a command last night. To which you replied, Yes, Sir.”
“But that doesn’t mean—”
“Hush. The best thing you can do right now is be quiet.”
Why did his forcefulness turn her on so much? His hands were not gentle against her skin. There was a strength he rarely showed in his touch and that strength made her shiver.
“Good girl,” he said when she didn’t argue any further. “Now