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  “Got a beer in hand, and soon I’m off to shower then to bed. It’s been a long week.” He picked up his beer, taking a sip before he asked, “What are your plans for this fine Thursday night?”

  “Oh . . .” Her voice took on a husky edge, and he knew well enough that she remembered their time in the shower, considering those thoughts were vivid in his mind, too. In fact, his hard cock ached at the memory. She finally sighed, so deep. “Cora has burned some popcorn in the kitchen, and we’re going to watch a cheesy romantic comedy.”

  “Glad I’m not there.” Dmitri laughed, understanding her unhappiness, and couldn’t have agreed more. Burned popcorn smelled wretched.

  “You should be glad. Cora will make me eat it, too.”

  Dmitri looked down at the bulge in his pants. He had to do something about that, or he’d never sleep. “Sounds like you have a great night ahead. If the popcorn is really that bad, tell Cora I said you don’t have to eat it.”

  “Ha!” she exclaimed. “I’m totally going to use that one.”

  He smiled. “All right, love. I’ll let you get to your movie and your bad popcorn. Tomorrow I’ll be there around five to get you for dinner; sound good?”

  “Sounds great.” She hesitated as if she didn’t want to let him go; he wanted to keep her on the line, too. After another long few seconds ticked by, she said, “Thanks for the calls this week, Dmitri. I’ve really enjoyed our talks.”

  Once again, she humbled him with her soft heart, but her lack of confidence bothered him, as if she hadn’t expected him to keep his word and call her, or he hadn’t loved their calls, too. He wanted to cause bodily harm to her ex-boyfriend for creating such deep-rooted insecurity, but perhaps the damage had come well before him. “I’ve appreciated them as well, doll. Have a good night.”

  “Sweet dreams.”

  After she ended the call, he turned off the TV, downed the rest of his beer, and took the empty bottle to the kitchen. He made his way to his bedroom, unbuttoned his dress shirt, and tossed it on the bed, along with his phone and the remainder of his clothes.

  Tomorrow he needed to be in control for their date. Right now his cock led the way, and he wasn’t even in her presence.

  On his way to the bathroom, he glanced down at his erection, which stood straight up, hard as a fucking rod. He hadn’t masturbated as much in one week as when he was a teenager and his hard-ons were uncontrollable. Christ, he’d almost jerked off in the grocery store parking lot while Presley got herself off on the phone last night.

  Once he entered the bathroom, he headed straight for the shower, turned it on, and tested the water until it warmed. He stepped right under the showerhead and let the hot water rush down his body and over his cock. Not wasting time with soap first, he fisted his hand over his hefty erection, sliding his touch down to the base.

  He allowed his thoughts to return to when Presley was in this shower, on her knees, and sucked his cock like an expert. Steven was a damned idiot. That mouth of hers could keep a man satisfied, though he liked to think she gave him better head because she was motivated to please him.

  That night in the shower, he’d seen that she wanted to suck his cock to take care of him, and that, for a Dom, was pure heaven. She wasn’t pleasing him out of duty or simple gratitude; she’d made him come because she wanted to ensure that he was happy, comfortable, and well, and that pleased him more than an outstanding blow job.

  Those thoughts stayed on his mind as he rubbed his cock in long fluid strokes. The water provided perfect lubrication for his hand to move like a wet, hot woman, and when he reached the tip of his dick, he squeezed and thrust his hips forward. Pressing his free hand against the shower wall supporting his weight, he was tempted to draw this out and simmer in thoughts of Presley while he stroked his cock. But tiredness and urgency made him quicken his strokes.

  Pleasure swept over him to pool weight into his testicles, and he gritted his teeth as the image of Presley’s mouth on his cock drove him, increasing the speed of his hand. Each play of her lips and bob of her head, while she offered herself so freely to him, made him tighten his grip until he stroked himself in a fast demand to blow.

  Impelled into the exact moment when Presley finished him off, his balls drew up close to his body, and an intense burn rocked low in his stomach and flared through his veins. Heat soared up his spine as his muscles tightened, and his semen burst from his cock, washing down the drain with the water.

  His loud pants, hard jerks of his body, relaxed muscles, and satisfied groan were enough to placate him. But as he stared down at the shower floor, he was struck hard in the chest, as he found himself longing for the submissive with the sweet grin at his feet.

  Chapter Sixteen

  On Friday evening, the sound of the doorbell had Presley hurry her butt through the house to get there. She took a final look in the mirror next to the door, fluffing up her hair and making sure her makeup was perfect.

  Tonight she wore blue jeans, tan suede knee-high boots, and a pink blouse showing off a little cleavage, which she hoped didn’t look too dressed down next to Dmitri. But at Mickey’s, if she wore a dress or anything fancy, she’d look too dressed up.

  Wrapping her hand around the door handle, she whisked it open, and her breath caught in her throat. Dmitri had always worn black slacks and dress shirts; the only time she’d seen him dressed down was when he’d shown up at the dental clinic, when she was a bit preoccupied to pay attention to his clothing.

  Now he had on dark blue jeans with a baby blue T-shirt that did wonders for his eyes, and his hair was a little messy, as if windblown. The lower half of his body looked nice packaged in a pair of jeans, and she suspected his ass looked even better.

  She scanned over his muscular arms, and in the daylight, the tattoo on his forearm was sexier than she had ever thought in the dungeon—perhaps because she knew what his tattoo stood for, while strangers would simply see it as a triple dragon tattoo and nothing more.

  When she looked into his face, he was looking her over from head to toe. “Doll, I like this look on you.” A slow smile spread across his face. “Very beautiful.”

  Her cheeks warmed, not only at his compliment but also at the memory of their seriously good phone sex. “Thank you.” Maybe she meant that for the spectacular orgasm, too, and because it had worked to settle her, taking off the edge. The last two nights, she’d slept better than she had all week.

  Dmitri leaned in and kissed her lips in a whisper of a touch, even if his mouth rushed heat into her body. “Ready?”

  “Yep, let me grab my purse.” Presley reached in and took her clutch off the table by the door. She hurried out, locked the door behind her, and with a smile stepped into stride with him down the front walkway. At his BMW, Dmitri opened the door for her, and Presley sank into the black leather seat. Once again, as she’d felt last weekend when Dmitri had driven her home, she was almost afraid to touch the expensive car, but she managed to put her seat belt on.

  The sports car appeared lived in, with a pack of gum in the cup holder and sunglasses in the compartment above, but it was obvious that Dmitri took care of his car like he’d taken care of her, with exquisite appreciation.

  After she settled into her seat, he shut her door, and she watched him stride in front of the hood, a little beside herself that this was happening. Was this powerful, influential man seriously taking her out on a date?

  The driver’s-side door opened and snapped her out of her insecurities, and as he joined her in the car, he asked, “How was your day?”

  “Busy but good, you?”

  Turning on the ignition, he gave her his smile. “My day exactly.” He put the car in first gear and lowered the parking brake. Then he booked it down the road.

  As she glanced sideways at him, Dmitri impressed her. Fancy things made men appear more powerful, or so she thought, which only made her regret her choice of restaurant. He would hate the sports bar, she assumed; surely he ate at five-star establishments,
not noisy pubs with greasy burgers.

  Dmitri shifted to second gear, and the car jerked forward with force. When Presley laughed, he looked at her with a devilish grin. “Ah, she likes speed.”

  Leaning her head against the headrest, she nodded. “The car’s powerful, huh?”

  A slow darkness reached Dmitri’s features before he took a hard right. After a few more turns, the city faded away to a dead street. A few large factories were up ahead, but other than that, the world was quiet in this area. He turned to her and arched an eyebrow. “Seat belt all tight, doll?”

  She tested it, giving it a firm yank. “Yes. Why?”

  With the smile still on his face, he turned his attention to the straight road and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. He shifted gears so fast. The view around her became a blur, and the engine purred as if it relished being pushed to high speeds, though Dmitri, as always, appeared in control.

  Near the fork in the road, he downshifted and the engine hummed as the car slowed, returning her heartbeat to an appropriate speed.

  “How was that for you, love?” He grinned.

  Excitement fluttered through her veins. “Do it again.”

  “Incorrigible.” Dmitri chuckled, but he turned the car around and pointed the hood toward the long street. This time he went even faster.

  When they arrived at Mickey’s, Presley’s adrenaline was bursting at the seams, which only increased when they sat down and ordered their meal. No man—or woman, for that matter—had ever paid her so much attention, as if he simply wanted to be with her and time meant nothing to him.

  Even now, as Presley sat across from Dmitri at the table, and they were surrounded by music, multiple television screens airing the football games, plus the loud banter from customers in the bar, his focus stayed entirely on her. He always looked at her or touched her in some way. Instead of eating some fancy dinner, he had ordered the largest hamburger, and she couldn’t restrain her laughter.

  One sleek eyebrow lifted. “Do I amuse you, doll?”

  “Kinda.” She shrugged and fought off her amusement. “I didn’t expect you to fit in here, and well, you do.”

  He placed his burger on the plate and frowned. “I should be insulted, you think I’m so stiff.”

  “Not stiff,” she countered. “Just fancy.”

  He studied her for a moment before his features relaxed. “First off, I prefer places like this over fancy restaurants.” He picked up his burger, holding it over his plate. “I might have worked hard for my money, and I enjoy some of the material things it offers, but I’m only thirty-three. I like to kick back as much as anyone. Believe me, this place is more me than anything over the top.”

  “Yeah, I see that,” she agreed.

  How complex a man was Dmitri? Powerful CEO, a Dom with poise, and now an everyday guy who ate his burger and watched football. She realized she liked his complicated layers. More so, she loved that he seemed to enjoy the same things she did. It made her feel on the same level and not worlds apart.

  He took a bite of his burger then said, “In fact, I come here with the guys every Wednesday.” She blinked in surprise. The side of his mouth curved. “I wasn’t always wealthy. When I received the promotion to president and came into more money, it didn’t change who I was or what I enjoyed.”

  “Okay, well, you’re full of surprises.” She laughed, and after she took a nibble of her french fry, she wondered if she’d misjudged even more. “Can I ask you some personal questions?”

  He took another bite of his burger and nodded her on. “Hit me with them.”

  “Why aren’t you married?” This had been capturing her thoughts all week. The more she’d gotten to know the man behind the Dom, she couldn’t understand why Dmitri remained a bachelor. “You meet a lot of women, and you’re handsome and sexy.” He winked at her, and she laughed. “I just don’t get it.”

  He placed his burger back on the plate and wiped the napkin over his mouth. “You’re right, I do meet a lot of women, but I’ve never met the right woman.” Reaching for her, he ran his finger down the front of her neck, and a spark ignited through her veins, her body easily awakened under his touch. “Either in the lifestyle or out of it.”

  “You’re kidding.” She shivered at his slow gentle finger brushing over her neck, but she fought to remain focused, too curious about his life. “You’ve dated a woman who wasn’t—” She waved over herself. “Into all this?”

  He smirked then nodded. “I’ve tried on two occasions, and neither worked out.” He gave her a pointed look. “I can’t do vanilla.”

  She tried to imagine Dmitri not being bossy Dmitri. Impossible. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, she continued, “So, what happened?” She picked up another fry and swirled it in the ketchup. “You tried to keep the dungeon a secret and had the other life on the side?”

  “Much like that.” He hesitated as a round of claps erupted from a score in the game. “Both relationships developed from meeting through business at the casino. As you can imagine, I wasn’t forthcoming about my lifestyle.” He sipped his cola. “I did try for a while to see if it could work, but it can’t.” His expression hardened. “Or what I should say is, it made me miserable. It’s hard to sleep with a woman and not command her submission. I always ended up more frustrated at the end than satisfied.”

  She ate her fry, considering him. “When was your last relationship, then?”

  His eyebrows rose, playfulness filling his features. “You’re full of questions tonight, aren’t you?” Her discomfort at digging into his life must’ve shown on her face, because he added, “But they’re valid questions, and I don’t mind answering them. My last D/s relationship was six years ago.”

  “What happened?” she blurted out.

  He chuckled and leaned back in his seat. “Nothing negative ended the relationship. Simply that my ex, Katherine, needed more than I could give her.”

  “Which was?”

  “A Master/slave relationship.”

  Presley didn’t need him to explain further. She’d read about that type of relationship in her erotic novels, and she’d never found the idea sexy. To be dominated sometimes was hot as hell, but full servitude, where she’d have no voice all the time, didn’t appeal to her. Even now, she realized she enjoyed this. Tonight and all week, she’d been on equal ground with Dmitri, and she preferred that out of the bedroom or the dungeon. There was something freeing in giving up control to someone for a little while, even something rewarding in hearing Dmitri’s approval.

  Sometimes life could be so complicated and confusing; she’d found the dungeon’s order and rules, and not needing to make a single decision, gave her a peace. But to give up that control in everyday life wasn’t for her. “That lifestyle didn’t appeal to you?”

  He shook his head. “It made Katherine incredibly needy, and no, I didn’t enjoy it. It’s a great responsibility to handle someone’s submission twenty-four/seven.” He sipped his cola again. “Besides, as you’ve seen in the rules of Club Sin, I like sexual domination, I enjoy the power exchange, and I need the kink, but I don’t want a slave. Once I realized that I couldn’t give Katherine what she needed, I found someone who could.”

  Presley’s nose scrunched up. “She didn’t mind being handed off like that?”

  He picked up his burger again but didn’t take a bite and simply stared at her. “Of course there was some sadness, on both our parts. I cared for her, and she did me as well, but she wasn’t content with our relationship, and trying to force something became a strain.”

  Presley understood. Sometimes, even if you cared for someone, it didn’t work out. She wished her relationship with Steven had ended on better terms, so it didn’t leave such a sour taste in her mouth. However, it also didn’t surprise her to hear that when Dmitri ended a relationship, it was done with the upmost respect. “Does Katherine belong to the dungeon?”

  He took a bite of his burger, chewed a moment. “No. I ended our relationship
a week after Charles died. Katherine has never been to the dungeon.”

  Presley hesitated at his admission; was that a coincidence? Dmitri had made some huge changes in his life in a very short time. His friend and mentor died, he broke it off with his submissive, and he bought the land to open the dungeon.

  Dmitri’s eyes searched hers before he gave her a sad smile. “Ah, I see what you’re thinking, doll, and you’d be right. Charles’s death changed a lot for me.”

  Changed how, though? she wondered. For the better? For the worse? Something about hearing this made her uncomfortable, even if she didn’t understand why. Watching him intently, she asked, “So, you haven’t had a relationship since Katherine, and you’ve only played with submissives in the dungeon?” At his nod, she added, “Is there a reason for that?”

  He finished the last bite of his burger and glanced down at his plate. She witnessed his exhale. “Meshing my two worlds has proved difficult.”

  “Why?”

  The side of his mouth curved. “Pushy tonight, aren’t you?”

  Now that she had him talking, she didn’t want him to stop. All week he’d been careful to discuss anything too personal about himself, but she wanted to know more about him and about his past. Most important, she wanted to understand what made Dmitri tick and fill in the little gaps she didn’t know about his life. “Well, we’ve only talked about me on the phone, and if I drilled you like this in the dungeon, you’d get all growly.”

  He chuckled. “Well said.” He sat back in his seat then folded his arms. “Before Katherine, I made the decision not to date vanilla women, because it simply didn’t work out. After Katherine, I gave up on the idea that I could mesh the two worlds. From then on, the submissives I met in the lifestyle, I kept casual. I found contentment in acting as their Dom and nothing more.”

  While his rationale made sense in a very cold and distant way, it seemed too firm. After she pondered, she realized it made no sense at all. “So, you just told yourself you weren’t going to date anymore because of what had happened with Katherine?” At his nod, she snorted. “Seems like a silly thing to do.”