Page 7 of The Queen's Knights

I open my mouth to respond, but find no words. Is he? Is that what this has been all along, with him tailing me like a puppy to ward off potential threats? To give me peace of mind?

Despite my monthly night of pleasure on the throne of Queen Justine, despite being trained for that role by a Dom, I have never thought of myself as one, but maybe that’s exactly what I am.

“If you are, does the role extend outside of Whitewood?”

“This is a twenty-four-seven job for me. That’s what we agreed on. I will doanythingyou ask, anything you need, anytime, day or night. So tell me what you need right now.”

My mind spins. I’m afraid to voice the thing Iwant, opting to keep it tame for now and simply ask the question that’s been plaguing me all evening.

“Do you want more from me than what we’ve had so far? More of a … physical … connection? After tonight, I couldn’t stop wondering. I got the sense that you might have wanted it all along. That maybe you wanted to be wherehewas tonight.”

His jaw clenches, his eyes going dark, then he takes a deep breath as if bracing himself.

“I need you to understand that my commitment to you involves putting your needs first, always. Asserting myself for my own pleasure isn’t an option for me… not to mention it would wind up unsatisfying for us both if I did that. You did read my file, right?”

I nod, my stomach clenched at the unexpected honesty. He nods in return.

“Then you should know that at first, I didn’t want anything more than to do my job. I enjoyed watching you come out of your shell more and more each month, but I was very aware when you hit your limit and it started to become routine. In all that time… in all the time we’ve spent together outside of Whitewood… I’ve grown to care for you very deeply. To the point that all it takes is to see you smile for me to get turned on.”

My eyebrows rise at that. “Really? It’s that easy?”

He chuckles. “It’s fucking difficult as hell, because being aroused around you is distracting. It’s safer at the club because I know nobody can get in who doesn’t belong there. But when you invited me to participate tonight, there was no way I was going to turn you down.

“And to answer your question, yes, I’d have loved to be in your subject’s place tonight. But watching you watch me pleasure him was almost as fun. Besides, he was doing such a good job I didn’t want to make him stop just so we could share the honor.”

Something inside me clenches tight at the very idea ofbothof them pleasuring me at the same time.

I catch another, more wicked smile stretch his lips, and he says, “I’m getting the impression you would have liked that, wouldn’t you? Next time, don’t hesitate to demand what you wish. The worst we could do is say no.”

“Ifhe ever returns, I’ll try to remember that. We don’t even know who he is,” I say, forcing a smile through my bewilderment. I’m turned on now just thinking about it and pull my robe a little tighter, painfully aware of how hard my nipples are.

“I have a feeling he won’t be able to stay away after that kiss. I don’t think he was prepared to get sucked off by another man, if that says anything about how much he wanted to be there with his face buried in your pussy.”

Another rush of endorphins floods me. “My word, you’re always so buttoned up. How did I never know you had this side to you?”

“I’m just like you. It takes me a long time to trust someone enough to show them who I am. With you, I figured it was important to hold back until I thought you were ready for me to open up. Some people find it difficult to swallow exactly how I tick.”

“Well, I for one really like how you tick. You’re kind of perfect.”

“As perfect as your masked lover tonight?” he asks with an arched eyebrow.

It’s my turn to smile, because I can’t quite believe how much he’s revealed in only a few moments. But like he says, it takes time to trust, and I guess my coming to him today was what he needed to prove I was ready to see the real him.

“I really couldn’t say who was more perfect. I’ve never spent time with him, obviously. And I’ve never been that intimate with you.”

I’m dying for him to respond, but he merely nods. When the silence stretches, our gazes remain locked, and my heart beats so hard I can barely breathe.

He finally leans a little closer. “I’m not going to press. I will never initiate, because that would presume too much of someone I know isn’t comfortable being on the receiving end of such assertiveness. Tell me what you want, Gwen.”

This is so much harder than I expected, so I decide to start small, to test how just a tiny step toward intimacy will feel with him.

“I want what he asked for at the end. I want a kiss.”

His eyes light up as if I’ve just offered him everything. “I think I can accommodate that,” he says, then stretches out his legs and pats his flannel-covered thighs. “Take your time.”

It’s the closest to a command I think I’ve ever heard him give me. Even his instructions involving my security are always worded as suggestions, rather than orders, but I always defer to him when it comes to my safety.

I crawl farther up the bed and swing a leg over his, realizing too late how very wet I am. Even worse, I’m not wearing panties; the day after a Masquerade, my flesh is usually too sensitive to have anything rubbing against it.

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