Starboard (Anchored 1)

“That was really fun,” Christina tells me, snuggling against me. I run my hands through her hair, which is messy and crazy and wild, but I love it.

“It was amazing,” I agree, and I kiss her on the forehead.

I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. I don’t know what’s going to happen between us, but I meant what I said. I want to date this woman. I want to Top her. I want to make her happy and make her smile and make her laugh.

I want to take care of her because she’s incredible.

She’s wonderful.

She’s wild.

And she makes my heart soar.

Epilogue

Christina

Six Months Later

When I walk through the doors of Anchored, I’m not alone. Not tonight. Not ever again. I walk through the doors and I cling to my Dom, my boyfriend, my partner-in-crime. I cling to the man who pulled me from the darkness, to the man who helped me see that with a little bit of bravery, everything is going to be all right.

“You look beautiful tonig

ht,” he whispers as we walk into the club. It’s a theme night and everyone is dressed to the nines in tuxedos and gowns. Of course, it is a dungeon, so most of the gowns are slit either high or low. A couple of them don’t have backs at all. A couple of them don’t have fronts.

Still, everyone is wearing their very best, and it’s a fancy sort of night.

“And you look handsome as fuck,” I tell Zack. He just laughs and takes my hand, leading me to the center of the room.

Tonight, there are several performances and several demonstrations. There are a couple of out-of-town guests who will be doing special shows for the regular members of the club. There’s a lot going on, but I only have eyes for Zack, and I can tell that he only has eyes for me.

“Before we watch the shows,” he says, “let’s go somewhere quiet to talk.” I’m surprised when he leads me to one of the private rooms. Usually, we stay away from these rooms because they’re expensive to book and you have to go get special permission to use them. After all, it’s a sex dungeon: not a hotel.

Zack swipes a keycard that enables him to open one of the doors, and we walk into the room together.

And I gasp.

The bed in the center of the room is covered in flowers and there’s a box sitting at the foot of the bed.

And oh, I think I know exactly what’s in that box.

He closes the door behind us and I turn back around to see him, but Zack is on one knee, and he’s reaching for my hand.

I give it to him, but I’m already close to tears.

“Christina,” he says. “When I met you, you were scared. You were shy. You were brave. You were going through so many different things, but you were bold in the face of adversity. I admired your dedication and your drive right away. Those are two of the things that drew me to you first. You know, besides your amazing body and your dazzling eyes.”

“Zack,” I whisper, but he keeps talking.

“In the box is a collar,” he says. “I chose it just for you. I’ve never done this for anyone before, Christina, and I never want to do it for anyone again. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my submissive?”

“Yes,” I don’t even have to think about it. I reach for him to kiss him, but he’s not done yet, and Zack doesn’t move.

“I have another question, Christina.”

“Another question?”

“I love you. Over these past few months, I’ve fallen in love with everything about you, princess. I love Bennett. I love the way she looks like you, acts like you. I love watching you take care of her and be a mom. I love how dedicated you are to your job. I love how sweet you are, how kind you are. I love the way you dance when you think I’m not looking, and baby, I love how you sing in the shower.”