Page 19 of Lisa's Unexpected Valentine's Day

Rick regarded her for another long moment, then nodded firmly. “Goodnight, Lisa.” He pulled the door shut behind him as he left, not waiting for her to say it back.

The second the door shut all the breath rushed out of her in a whoosh. Adrenaline surged through her body and left her hands chilled. It was at odds with her face, which was still beaming with heat. Maya was even luckier than Lisa had realized.

Rick was dominant but also kind and thoughtful. Nothing like the men she’d run into before. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to actually submit to him. That last… threat? Warning? Whatever it was, it had her shaking.

But it was a tease. He was only telling her what she couldn’t have. Maybe he meant it as a deterrent, but it was even more frustrating than hearing from Maya.

CHAPTER 6

Maya remained on the bed but made herself comfortable under the covers. She wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen when her Daddy came back. She had a feeling the hot sex they’d been about to enjoy, was now off the table. The sweet romantic mood had passed.

Which didn’t mean she wasn’t still dripping with excitement. Being in trouble, knowing she was going to be punished, often had that effect on her… right up until the punishment started. And then she’d dry up like the Sahara and there’d be nothing left to cushion the ouchiness of Rick’s stern hand.

But that would be later. For now she was still squirmy, slippery, and very tempted to take matters into her own hand, so to speak. She wouldn’t, but only because her Daddy would consider that extremely naughty behavior, and she was already in enough trouble.

She remembered making the conscious decision to put off telling him, and she wouldn’t lie about that, even to save her butt. But with the lovely evening out, she really had pushed Lisa’s presence to the back of her mind. If she’d been thinking, she’d have at least made sure the bedroom door was closed.

There should have been some embarrassment over knowing her best friend had seen them like that, in such an intimate moment. The truth was, she honestly wasn’t really upset about it. Because of Rick’s position they didn’t go to clubs locally, but once or twice while on vacation, they’d visited BDSM clubs to play.

It had been exciting, knowing all those eyes were on her. Maya liked the attention. It was possible she was just a little bit of an exhibitionist. Not enough to seek it out, but enough that she wasn’t too embarrassed at Lisa stealing a secret peek.

Besides, maybe the sight of them would finally encourage the girl to go and find a Dom of her own. She so obviously needed and wanted one. Maya didn’t really get why Lisa made no effort to find someone.

But then, Maya wasn’t the type to ignore her feelings and needs. When she knew what she wanted, she did her best to get it. Without that agency, she might never have ended up with Rick at all.

He certainly would never have come down from his bench to hit on her. And even with her doing the initial work, he’d been very hesitant to take her up on what she was blatantly offering. She’d practically had to insist, and in the end she’d trapped him in his office and thrown all her cards on the table.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I’m too old for you, Maya. You don’t want someone old enough to be your father.”

She snorted. “You’renotas old as my father, Rick.”

“Maybe not, but it’s close enough.”

“I don’t care about your age, and I’ve always preferred older men anyway. I’m not interested in guys who are still growing up and finding themselves.” As usual when she was excited or emotional her hands tended to wave and gesture.

He ignored the dramatics. “That’s not exactly the only issue here. We work together. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Maya was hard-pressed not to roll her eyes, and rolling your eyes at a judge, even one who was off duty, was never a good idea. “I’m sure we can work around that. HR probably has forms to cover the situation.”

He was silent for a long moment, and the weight of his gaze made her want to squirm, but that would look weak. She straightened and looked right back at him.

“You really want to try this?” he asked finally.

“Yes.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure if I were you. I like certain things that aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. You might find that you’ve made the wrong choice here.”

She shrugged. “If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work. We can both be professionals and not let it cause problems. But if you’re talking about the fact that you’re a bossy, dominant kind of guy… yeah, I guessed. What do you think got me so interested? It’s one of the reasons I like older men. I find it easier to obey someone who looks like an authority figure.”

He seemed shocked into silence, both eyebrows high on his forehead. She saw a spark in his eyes though, and knew he was going to give in. It took a bit more talking, but he did eventually agree.

Neither of them had regretted it.

Six months of dating was all it had taken to be sure they wanted to spend their lives together, and by their first anniversary they were planning their wedding. After five years he still made her tingle in all the right places. He was every inch the Dominant Daddy she’d known he was too.

She loved it and she loved him. Lisa deserved to have that too. Maya could tell her friend wanted it. She could see the envyin her eyes at times, the hunger to experience, but it didn’t seem to motivate her to do anything about it.

But maybe, having seen Maya and Rick together, it would encourage her to get out there and shop around for a good Dominant of her own. That was a nice thought. She’d have to try to push it a little.

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