Page 16 of At Her Will

Grief vibrated from him, still strong when called to the surface. Vera turned toward him, resting her hand against his neck.

Under her touch, his eyes closed, but then opened, his gaze meeting hers. “I know you not God, Veracity. It not like that. I see you as a woman, and desire you like that. I won’t put you up on the wrong kind of pedestal.”

Most men new to a relationship, trying to secure the affections of a woman, would go the opposite way to build her up. He understood the mistake that would be. A woman needed to be seen as human and fallible, to know the love she was being offered was real and true.

Though he’d moved her, she kept her tone light. “Good. Because that would be a lot to live up to, and while pleasure can be sacred, I also like the kind that keeps us close to the earth.” She curled her fingers around his tie to tug on it again. “Primal and needy, the heat of the storm.”

He gripped her wrist, telegraphing the need she was spurring. When she gave the hand a significant glance, he let hergo, fingers slipping away reluctantly. She propelled them into a walk again.

“Rev, are you familiar with BDSM? Dominant, submissive? You called me Mistress without prompting.”

His lips tugged. “When I was a boy, other boys showed me things. Magazines and videos on their computers, but most of it just worried me. So, yes ma’am, I know some of it. I feel the words, in the way you say them. And there’s a lot about surrender in the Bible. Submission and surrender.”

So he recognized it when it was in front of him. The magazine and video reaction made sense. Porn didn’t usually offer the spiritual side of the relationship, and he’d made it clear that he needed that.

“There’s a place here in New Orleans, Progeny. It’s a club for people who embrace domination and submission in their relationships. I’d like you to join me there one night, as my guest, if you’re interested in going. What do you think?”

She walked with him without saying anything further, letting him have time to make his decision. Even so, she was amused to discover she’d been holding her breath until he did.

“I think I’d like that. But may I take you out first, and then you can ask me again, if you still want that?”

He wanted to get to know her before they went down that road. She had mixed feelings about it. He was asking up front for their relationship to be more than that. She would have preferred to start them inside that boundary. But it was a fair request. And, since she could tell how much their talk about the club intrigued him, it said good things, that he wasn’t rushing toward more intense levels of Dom/sub play without getting to know her better.

“Where will we go?”

“Wherever you want. Where do you want to go?”

“Surprise me, based on what you know of me so far. I’m not trying to trip you up, Rev. What you choose will tell me more about you.” She flashed him a half-smile. “Dommes love information.”

“Like if I tried to take you somewhere expensive and fancy, thinking that’s what you want, I’d be sticking to your surface. Not seeing you.”

“I already knew you wouldn’t do that.” She cocked her head, considering him. “Your confidence is tied to a curious lack of ego. Ego is what causes that kind of mistake.”

“I might make other mistakes.” He looked down at her. “I want to please you, Mistress. It unsettles me.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Deciding she wanted another taste of that desire, she turned toward him, bringing them to a halt again. She loosened his tie, slid it free and unhooked the top button of his shirt so she could caress the valley between his collar bones. A deliberate and proprietary act, saying she could handle him as she wished.

His reaction to it was another unforgettable first. The heat and pulsing life against her fingertips was a match for what she could sense lower down, for both of them. She wanted to press herself against him, but restricted herself to this one intimate contact. The earthy scent of his aftershave would linger on her fingers. She liked knowing that.

He wore a silver cross on a slim chain under his shirt, and she remembered she’d seen the hint of it under the collar of his coveralls. She was surprised he didn’t wear it over his tie for the service, but sometimes a faith talisman was a personal message to oneself. She lifted her gaze to him.

“That’s the good kind of unsettled, Rev. A Mistress likes to have her man off balance sometimes, so he learns he can rely on her to right his world. What should I wear for my surprise date?”

With his eyes holding hers, her body resisted her brain’s order to step back. But she managed it. “Rev,” she prompted, with a smile for both of them. He cleared his throat.

“Wear shoes good for walking. I know you’ll need to drive, since I don’t, but I’ll come to you. Is Thursday afternoon okay? I have a half day off.”

“Yes. Pick me up at work. We can go from there.” She removed her cell from her purse. “Let’s exchange numbers in case anything changes.”

“I don’t carry one, but I usually here or at school. If you call either place, they’ll find me. Can you tell me where you work, what it near?”

“Thomas Rose Associates, in the Garden District, near Coliseum Square Park. The address is on the card I gave you.”

“Okay. I know the area.”

She studied him. “Part of being with a Mistress includes telling her what might inhibit your ability to serve her needs and desires. Do you understand that?”

His gaze remained steady on hers. “You asking me something, but you haven’t gotten to it yet.”

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