Page 46 of High Roller

“I can’t afford new tires.” She sounds so sad and small, and I realize I haven’t paid enough attention to her since we’ve lived in Las Vegas. She should be better off than she is financially, and I could have been doing something about it this whole time.

Matteo squeezes her shoulder as he stands. “Your tires will be fixed at no cost to you, Gracie. You were technically on the clock when it happened, so the club or the sandwich shop will cover the expense of fixing them for you.”

She blows out a shaky breath. “Thank you, Matteo.”

He stands and shuts her door, and I reach over and squeeze her hand again. “And don’t worry about the food. I thought you might not have gotten it, so I went through the drive through and ordered a few things. Might not be exactly what you wanted, but I think it will do just fine.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry I failed so miserably at getting breakfast.”

My brows come together, and I turn in my seat so I can look at her head on as I pick her hand up and kiss each of her knuckles. “Grace, you didn’t fail. You’re really hard on yourself, you know that?”

She sighs. “I know. But I like pleasing you. I’m a submissive, for crying out loud. And I’m the kind of submissive who likes being good and obedient. I don’t like getting punished for things I’ve done wrong. I like the fun kind of punishments.”

“Gracie? Do you think I would punish you for getting your tires slashed? You didn’t do anything wrong. You followed my instructions and came to get breakfast. And then when something went wrong, you handled it exactly as you should have. You’re an exceptionally good girl, Gracie. I’m appalled you think I would be angry over something like this.”

She sighs. “I know it’s dumb. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just don’t be so hard on yourself. I prefer fun punishments, too. But you and I haven’t had a lot of chances to explore that side of things. And you’ve only been on the receiving end of a handful of proper punishments because you are a very good girl. I’ve always admired the way you conduct yourself at the club and the way you represent me. I’m proud to have you wearing my pin. And I know we haven’t even talked about us yet, but if it ever came to that phase in our relationship, I would be proud to put my collar around your neck.”

It’s not a confession I was prepared to make, but it’s out there now and I’m surprisingly grateful for it.

She gives me a soft smile and her hand goes to her throat, which makes imagining locking my collar around her neck even easier. “Let’s go. I can’t sit here and look at my poor car anymore. I worked so hard to be able to afford her, and she’s just pitiful now.”

Her voice is so sad, that all I want to do is fix it for her. I squeeze her shoulder. “We’re going to get her back to perfect again soon, butterfly.”

We pull out of the parking lot and head back to the club, which is only a couple of blocks away. Inside, we bring breakfast to Lili, and we all sit and eat it.

“I’m sure you were a wonderful demo bottom last night, Gracie. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay to watch.”

Gracie blushes. “Thank you. And I’m sorry you couldn’t stay too. But I understand. Still, you need the opportunity to see needles sometime.

Lili nods. I’ve been thinking about that, and I just have to ask. “What on earth could be sexy about needles?”

I can’t help but laugh at the incredulity of her question.

“What’s so sexy about paddling someone’s ass or leaving scratch marks on a body?” I ask, “Needles cause an entirely unique sensation and there is usually a bit of fear and adrenaline involved as well as trust.”

“I would love to see them done sometime because you make it sound fun.”

“They are also beautiful. Victor did a gorgeous design on me last night. He took a picture on his phone if you want to see it. I’ve only done them a handful of times and I’ve enjoyed it each time.”

“Now I definitely have to see this in action,” she says when I pass Lili the phone with the image pulled up.

“I’ve got a kit here,” I offer. “But only if Gracie is up for it. She’s had kind of a rough morning.”

Gracie smiles. “Thank you. I think I’d like to wait for some other time. Not sure if I’m in the right headspace for any kind of edge play today.”

I squeeze her hand. “I’m proud of you for being honest about that.”

“Well, one of the few times you’ve punished me for real was for not being honest about what I could and couldn’t handle in the dungeon.”

“So, you’re saying punishments are effective for you. Good to know.” I wink and kiss her cheek, so she knows I’m teasing.

It’s been fun to sit and talk with Lili and Gracie, but I have to leave for work soon.

“What was your plan for the day, Gracie?”

She picks up a napkin and wipes her chin. “I was going to go to the university bookstore and get my books and then I was going to meet Bellamy for lunch.”

---