Page 78 of Disciplining Dana

Dana. He’d never called her anything other than Ms. Aziz before.

Until now.

“We beat your odds,” she answered, beaming with pride for not only what she and Kurt had done, but also for how Master Derek had just addressed her.

His brow furrowed before slipping back up as recollection turned his puzzlement into a chuckle. “If that’s the case, seems like I should be the one buying you a drink.”

Dana grinned. “We’ll get to that, but first, I wanted to thank you.”

He gave a dip of his head in acknowledgment. “You’re welcome. I take it things are working out?”

“He’s an asshole, and stubborn, and he won’t give in when he really should…”

“So, things are working out.”

Dana smiled. “Yes.”

“Are you happy?”

“Yes.”

“And is he happy?”

Dana glanced over her shoulder. “Well, you can ask him yourself when he gets here, but…” She bobbed her head, her eyes glowing as she turned to look at Derek. “Yes.”

“Then nothing else matters.” Derek’s sincerity was an embrace that sent warmth coursing through her.

“You’re right about that.”

“Always am.”

She laughed as he grinned back with a look of affection. A friend happy for a friend.

Derek tilted his head. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.”

“You two still just friends with benefits?”

Dana paused before answering. “For now,” she replied quietly.

“For now.”

“We’re in no rush. We’re taking our time.”

Derek nodded. “Fair enough. Nothing wrong with that.”

Which was so true. There was nothing wrong with the way the relationship between her and Kurt had grown over the past year and a half since they’d been at Rawhide. Early on, there had been more than a few occasions when Dana had questioned whether it would last another five minutes. But it had, every time, and the thing was, it’d not only grown stronger, but it had thrived. Dana had once said everything Kurt had proposed at Rawhide seemed like a one-way street. She’d been wrong; it wasn’t. On some days it was an axle-busting, back country dirt road that seemed headed nowhere except straight over a cliff. But those days were honestly rare, and fewer and fewer as time went on. Dana had come to recognize what had evolved between her and Kurt was a mutual give and take. Conversations and discussions that were resolved in compromise, as frequently in her favor as his. And the compromises never felt forced, because neither of them ever truly tried to skew things that way. Sure, there were arguments pro and con, but in the end, there was always agreement, even if sometimes begrudgingly.

Like any healthy relationship.

Someone approaching pulled Dana from her reverie, and both she and Derek turned in that direction.

“Mr. Ellery.” Derek stretched out his hand to Kurt.

“I thought we agreed on first names the last time I was here, Mr. Hawkins.” Kurt shook the man’s hand.

“My apologies; you’re right, we did.”

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