Page 4 of Tell Me Your Desires
“It’s my birthday. I wish to go as far as you want to take me, Lady A.”
Lady A cracked the whip gently on Maisie’s thigh. Instincts born of years of experience told her that Maisie was less about the pain and more about the pleasure. Lady A could certainly accommodate those desires. She stood in front of Maisie and leaned in again, allowing her lips to tease Maisie’s this time.
“Are you sure this is what you desire?”
Maisie’s entire body shivered, causing the chains to rattle slightly. “Yes.”
“And you realize that this is a one-time thing? There will be no repeat and no relationship. Outside of this room, our roles remain as they always were.”
“Y-yes. My desire is for one magical hour. With you.”
Anastasia Grant pulledher Lexus into her garage and cut the engine. With a sigh, she pressed her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. She should have been in her pajamas by now, relaxing with Derek. In an ideal world, she would have already been in bed and asleep by three a.m. at the latest. That deadline had long passed. The best Anya could hope for now was a quick snack, a quick cuddle, and a long nap before she had to get up and start all over. Unfortunately, her mind was racing. She rarely regretted the things she did in her chambers. But now she had to analyze why tonight was different.
Anya released her seatbelt and climbed out of her car. Her joints ached, and she stretched, bending to the left and right, working out the kinks.
“I’m getting too old to be out this late,” Anya muttered. It wasn’t just the late nights for Anya anymore. It was the feeling of being… unfulfilled. Life as Lady A had given Anya her ‘second wind’ in life. But at fifty-three, Anya wondered if there was more for her out there. She punched in the code to unlock her door, simultaneously closing the garage door. She went inside when she heard the securethudof the door hitting the concrete. Anya stood there momentarily, waiting for the lock to engage automatically. Some would probably call Anya paranoid. But she knew the world beyond those doors well enough not to give a damn what anyone thought.
“Derek?” she called out. “I’m sorry I’m late!”
Anya kicked off her shoes, sliding her feet into her cozy slippers before padding into the kitchen. Her movements were automatic. She had done this routine almost every night for the past four years. No matter what time she came in, it remained the same. She filled the kettle with fresh water, listened to the click of the stove as the burner ignited, and grabbed a yogurt out of the fridge while she waited for the water to boil. The only thing missing at the moment was Derek. He was usually rightthere, being very vocal about having to wait for Anya to get home.
“Derek?” she called out again. “Are you not speaking to me? I’ve already apologized for being late. I know I promised I’d be home early tonight and that we’d watch a movie, but….” Anya sighed. “It was her birthday. What was I supposed to do? Say no?”Ugh. You should have said no,Anya silently scolded herself.
“Meow.” A black cat jumped up onto the counter, looking up at Anya. “Meow, meow, mmmeow.”
Anya chuckled. Derek’s trilled meows always made her smile, as did his need to be petted. “Oh, you’re ready for your attention now?” Anya tsked.
“Meow.” Derek purred as he rubbed against Anya, and she stood there spooning yogurt into her mouth. “Meow?”
Anya dangled the yogurt in front of Derek’s face. “Want some? I’m pretty sure you’ve already had dinner.Thisis mine.”
“Meow, meow.”
Anya made a show of sighing dramatically before scraping the last of the yogurt out of the container. There was a fair amount on the end of the spoon, and she held it out for her spoiled brat of a cat.
“You owe me for that. No knocking anything off the mantle for at least a week.”
“Meow.” Derek finished the yogurt and went back to nudging Anya for pets. “Mowwww.”
Anya sighed. “I know. I shouldn’t have let things with Maisie go that far.”
“Meow.”
“Don’t judge me. She’s a beautiful young woman. She wanted to experience a night with me. I merely gave her what she paid for.”
“Mmmeow. Mew…meow.”
“Oh, sure. Focus on theyoungpart. You’re so judgmental. You know,Ididn’t judge you when you had ringworm and lost patches of fur. In fact, I helped you.”
Derek bumped Anya’s hand with his head, purring loudly as she scratched the back of his ear. He gave her little mews, lifting his butt high when her fingernails scratched the length of his shiny coat.
“You think I should apologize, don’t you?” Derek stretched languidly before flopping onto his back and rolling around on the counter. “Fine. If it makes you feel better, I will call and apologize. Then I’m taking a shower, getting into comfy PJs, and we’re going to watch whatIwant to watch tonight. You always pick crime dramas. Yes, the women detectives are hot, but I think we need something a little more lighthearted tonight.”
Anya took out her phone and found Maisie in her contacts. With any luck, the call wouldn’t be answered.I could just text.Anya glanced at Derek, who was currently licking himself. He stopped briefly to stare at her, then began licking again. Anya rolled her eyes. She’d never hear the end of it if she didn’t call. So she pressed the call button and held her breath.
“Voicemail,” she told an uninterested Derek. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be interested either if I could do that to myself.”
Beep. “Maisie? It’s…Lady A. I wanted to apologize for tonight. I should never have allowed things to go as far as they did. I crossed the line.” Anya took a breath. “It’s something that will never happen again.”
