Unrestrained (Unrestrained 3)

"What did he say?"

"He called me ma petite chérie like you did while we were in scene at the dungeon."

Drake closed his eyes. "Christ…"

"So, that means we were in a public room," I said it as a statement more than a question, my heart rate increasing at the thought.

He shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry you had to find out like that. I wanted to wait until I felt you were ready to know. What a bastard he is… Now, there's no doubt he's a Dom and sees you as a potential conquest. He's a jerk, though, because as soon as he saw the collar and heard you were engaged, he should have backed off and been totally polite and respectful. And letting you know he saw you? You don't ask people if they're in the lifestyle. They tell you if they want you to know. You don't let on that you saw them at a function. Their careers may depend on anonymity. That's why I didn't pursue you when I first met you, despite being absolutely smitten."

"You didn't want to try to tempt me with beguiling tales of bondage and dominance?"

"Not on your life. Trying went disastrously wrong the first time I tried with Maureen."

I nodded, thinking of Maureen and how she'd responded so negatively to his attempts to add kink into their relationship. I thought about Kurt as well.

"It's lucky for us both that I was already interested."

"If I had any idea you were…" He laughed. "I would have been on the case even sooner."

"On the case…" I smiled and snuggled into his arms for a few more moments. "The shrimp," I said and hopped up. I went to the oven and checked. It was time to turn them over and so I did, flipping them and pouring more fresh lemon juice over them. They'd be ready in a few moments.

"You were a project," he said as he watched me prepare a salad. "I had to plan for you, plot my way into your mind and between your thighs."

"Were you so Machiavellian?"

"Completely." He poured some more wine. "I intended to have you. I intended to take you off the market. I couldn’t stand the idea that some other Dom, someone who wasn’t quite as gentle as I am, might snag you first."

"I wouldn’t be with someone who was a sadist," I said. "Only someone like you."

"You'd be surprised how far someone can take you, Kate, if they're skilled enough. What if I had wanted to do more than we do now? Did you ever think you'd have sex in public, that you’d be on display for every kinkster in the place to see?"

I shook my head. "I never imagined it."

"What if I wanted to flog you?" he added. "What if I wanted to gag you and do nipple torture or use clothespins on your labia? Would you run?"

I stopped what I was doing and glanced away. Would I try those things with Drake if he really wanted them? An unsettling feeling filled me. I might.

"I probably would let you try, because I trust you enough that you'd stop if I didn't enjoy them."

"But you'd do it at least once," he said. "With someone who is really charismatic, you might do more than you would think, to please him and take the pain, especially if you were really submissive."

"I'd like to think I'd run screaming the other way."

"So would I," he said, his brow furrowed. "But getting back to Sefton, try to ignore him as much as possible."

"I'll try."

I took the shrimp out of the oven and placed them on a serving dish and we were ready for our meal.

The dinner was nice and once we were done eating, we went to the living room to finish our wine.

"Come here," Drake said and motioned to the couch. He sat down in the center, his arms outstretched on the back. "On my lap."

I smiled and complied willingly, sitting on his lap, my legs on one side, my arms around his neck. We remained in that position for a moment, both of us smiling, remembering.

"I remember the first time you sat on my lap," he said. "I was so hard that night, hoping that you'd fall. Worried that you wouldn't."

"I'd already fallen," I said, "but I hadn't hit solid ground yet. It wasn't until you kissed me that I did. It was game over at that point."