Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“Good, huh?”
“Oh my god, Mason. Better than good.”
The small restaurant was crowded, a line of people waiting patiently outside. When they’d arrived at the place, Mason had gone directly to the back of the building. Predictably, one of the kitchen staff was leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette. Mason had asked if Bella, the chef, was in. She had worked briefly in one of Mason’s restaurants before spreading her wings to open her own place.
They were ushered into the kitchen where Mason introduced Bella and Hannah. Though they’d made incredible love that morning, Mason still wasn’t entirely sure what to call his relationship with Hannah yet—if he could even use that word. So he’d introduced her only as his friend. Bella had found a seat for them at a tiny table for two in the back of the restaurant. The table was so small that their knees were touching beneath it, which suited Mason just fine.
Now their waitress, Becky, reappeared, a carafe of the café’s excellent coffee in hand. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked as she topped their mugs.
Mason glanced at the chalkboard of handwritten specials. “Yeah, actually. Bring us one of those Charleston chicken biscuits to share. Oh, and a side of the country ham.”
“Where are we going to put that?” Hannah asked as the waitress left to fill the order. “I’m not sure I can even finish this.”
“I just want you to try it. The bacon gravy is topnotch, and Bella's biscuits are almost as good as yours.”
Hannah beamed, her adorable dimples melting his heart. “When you put it that way,” she replied.
The biscuits arrived in short order. They continued to eat and drink until both pushed their plates away. Mason glanced around for the waitress, suddenly eager to leave.
They’d taken a long, sexy shower together after their lovemaking. To his surprise, Hannah had dropped to her knees of her own accord, towel in hand, to dry Mason’s body before her own.
He had been startled by the gesture, given how she’d balked during her brief slave training. Though he’d never precisely thought of it this way before, being a Master was sometimes a lonely business. You were always in control, calling all the shots, managing both your slave’s reactions and your own.
A fledgling thought, almost heretical in nature, had entered Mason’s head as the lovely woman knelt at his feet. Maybe this new dynamic that Hannah and he were just beginning to explore might be even better than a pure Master/slave connection. Maybe the difference was precisely that he hadn’t commanded her to submit. She’d instead offered her submission freely. It was oddly exciting in a way that was new to him. It felt less like a Master/slave situation and more like a…relationship.
He looked now across the small table that separated them. Hannah was licking a bit of blueberry compote from her lip in a way he found extremely sensual. She met his gaze with just the hint of a smile, as if she knew precisely her effect on him.
The waitress chose that moment to reappear, and Mason, his wallet already on the table, asked for the check.
“Chef says no charge,” she said with a smile.
Mason reached into his wallet and pulled out two twenties. “Please thank her for me,” he said, handing her the bills. “And thank you, Becky, for the excellent service.”
Becky smiled broadly as she slipped the money into her apron. “Thanks. Y’all come back soon.”
“That was nice of Bella,” Hannah said as they got to their feet. “And nice of you to tip the waitress so well.”
Mason shrugged. “I used to wait tables while I was in school. It’s a tough gig.”
They stepped outside into the sunshine. “Want to walk a little?” Hannah suggested. “It’s such a nice day.”
“Sure.”
Hannah reached for Mason’s hand as they walked down the sidewalk toward a small nearby park. He gripped it gently, his heart again flooding with that tenderness that was so new, and so sweet.
As they made a slow loop around the park, Mason pondered how to approach what he wanted to say. He wanted to express his feelings—his real feelings—without freaking Hannah out with too much, too soon.
Fuck that, a voice inside him said. Just speak your heart.
“I love whatever it is that’s happening between us, Hannah,” he said.
Hannah gave his hand a squeeze. “Me, too.”
“I meant what I said earlier,” he added. “I’m really excited about exploring our D/s connection, on our terms—yours and mine. Not as Master and slave. Not even necessarily as Dom and sub. But as partners creating something that works for both of us.”
“I want that, too,” Hannah said. “We’re still so new and feeling our way. But I’m ready now. Truly ready for this next adventure with you, wherever it takes us.”
Mason smiled, happiness suffusing every pore of his being. But he wasn’t done with what he wanted to say. What he needed to say.