She"d only wandered among the Japanese maples for a few minutes, enjoying the artwork on the walls, when he returned. While she didn"t see him carrying anything, she noted he hadn"t yet tied his tie, the strips of silk lying on his starched shirt front. For all that he looked handsome in anything he wore, she found his suit was like a knight"s armor in truth, reinforcing and underscoring his authority, that sexy confidence.

It made her smile, thinking of his earlier exasperation with the Knights of the Board Room moniker. When she came to him, her pulse elevated again as she noted the approving way he took in her appearance, the way her body moved in what he"d bought her.

She"d loved the dress she was wearing at first sight, but of course she"d tried to choose something more conservative, a moderately sexy black cocktail dress. Jon had simply taken the black dress out of her hands, pointed to the one on the display that Rachel had truly liked. He"d had her try it on, but had forbidden her to look at herself in the mirror in the dressing room. It had been difficult to obey the directive, enough that she"d closed her eyes and turned her back to the mirror as she was dressing. When she stepped out, it had been worth it. One look at his face had been a hundred times better than any mirror. That, and the fact that the young assistant manager, doing inventory at the blouse rack, had almost dropped his jaw on the ground.

It was the color that had caught her eye. Midnight blue and black, a swirling pattern that looked like brushstrokes and splatters of paint across the extremely snug fabric. All those toned yoga muscles were clear to see under the mini dress that stopped so high on her thighs that bending over would reveal she wore absolutely nothing under it. The top was a straight neckline barely above the line of her nipples, with a long two-part sash. One pulled up from the outside of her right breast, framing it, the other coming from behind, both threaded into a ring on her shoulder. The tail draped down her bare back all the way to her thigh, a floating, dream-patterned scarf.

Her hair was piled high on her head, held with a pair of polished sticks that had whimsical onyx gemstones shaped like cat heads. She"d loved them, not surprised that Jon bought them, but surprised that he wanted them as part of the outfit. It seemed to be a message, that this night was about her, who she was, both as a woman and submissive, as much as it was about his desires as her Master.

She"d dusted powder blue glitter over her arms and back. Her skin beneath it emanated scents of lavender and vanilla, from a new lotion Jon had picked out for her specifically, tasting it on her flesh right there in the store. She was pretty sure that the salesgirls" toes had curled, watching him. She knew hers had, feeling it.

More than a little self-conscious at the memory, what it did to her body and mind, she took the two silk ends of his tie and began to knot it for him. Doing the domestic task shifted her focus, but not so much in a good way. She remembered how much she"d anticipated being a wife, taking care of a loving husband. Believing in so many things that had turned out not to be true, she"d clung to the fantasy so desperately, for so long. That jagged feeling in her stomach bloomed, but then Jon bent his head, gripping her wrist as she finished the knot.

He spent a good five minutes teasing, nibbling and suckling her wrist until her knees were weak and her thighs were damp. The seesaw of her emotions slammed her back down into the dream she never wanted to end.

He glanced out the window as the limo pulled into view. “I figured we"d have Max drive us. I assume you have no objections?” He gave her a look. “You"re blushing a little bit, sweet girl. I think from now on, I better keep you and Dana apart. She"s a bad influence.”

“Terribly bad,” she agreed, with a shy smile. “She"s wonderful. I"ll have to invite her over more often.”

Jon affected a resigned sigh, but caressed her lower back, giving her ass an unexpected but thrilling smack before he guided her to the front door, held it for her.

Max let out a wolf whistle as she came down the steps, and she blushed even harder.

Her legs trembled, somewhat because of nerves and residual weakness from her earlier shattering experience, but Jon"s hand was on her elbow, the other around her waist, guiding her down the steep wooden stairs in her dark blue stiletto heels. She also noted Max moved to the bottom and held out a hand as she took the last step. It made her remember something else Dana had said during her visit, while they were busy making the salad for that memorable dinner.

I think they got dubbed the Knights by that columnist for a whole different reason. You spend any time around these guys, you’ll find they act like you read about in old poems. If a woman comes into a room, they all stand up. Every one of them is solicitous of her needs, her comfort, her safety. Dominating a woman isn’t just about sex for them. It’s about protection, cherishing, guiding. If they think something’s bad for you, you may win the point, but you’ll have to fight tooth and nail over it. It’s way deep into sexist territory, but they don’t apologize a bit for it.

And truth, it really overwhelms you. The whole time you’re trying to stand your ground and tell them you’re not going to be treated like an egg, it’s like struggling out of a Godiva chocolate fudge bath.

“Come on, Max,” Jon drawled. “You"ve seen me in a suit plenty of times. No need to get all hot and bothered over it.”

It made her laugh, helped ease that tension in her lower belly, especially when she saw Max grin. She felt included in something, content, excited… Dare she say it?

Happy?

Max led her to the open door of the limo, offering her a warm, reassuring smile that told her she still looked a little keyed up. Jon underscored it when he got in, drawing her close to his side. A slight tap on her knee and meaningful glance from those steady blue eyes reminded her, and she parted them, the gesture helping to draw her mind to other things, though things no less capable of putting butterflies in her stomach.

Especially when he curved his warm palm high on her bare thigh.

This dress was far shorter than the one she"d wore to the coffee shop. If Max adjusted his mirror, it was entirely possible he could see there were no panties beneath that scant covering. He didn"t, but the idea that he could, that she"d parted her knees specifically to give Jon access to that part of her, whenever he desired it, made her restless in a primal way. It all swamped her senses—her appearance, where they were going, everything they"d done so far leading up to this moment. Trying to calm herself, she took her mind back to the balcony, when she and he had done the sun salutations, side by side, everything synchronized.

As they drove to the club, Max and Jon spoke, not excluding her but not requiring her participation, and she was grateful for that. She couldn"t help getting a little more nervous, remembering Club More, but from the moment they pulled up to Surreal, the club the K&A men preferred, the worry ended. The club was a large, attractive structure of white stucco, clean blue and silver lights bathing a front awning that showed doormen who looked like Secret Service professionals, in suits cut well over their broad shoulders. They wore hands-free radios and watched the arrivals and departures through the valet parking area with careful eyes.

Unlike Club More"s seedy surroundings, the nearby businesses were respectable establishments. She recognized the name of the steakhouse that Cole liked for his beers and nachos after playing eighteen holes, though he"d never taken her there. She pushed that out of her mind. Tonight wasn"t about any of that. Though it did give her a twinge to realize that he"d been close to a place like this so often, known of her longings, and yet never tried to take her there. Like Club More, she hadn"t known much about Surreal except that it was far more exclusive, an expensive membership or hefty guest fee needed to grace its doors. Still, that hefty guest fee could have been a nice anniversary present or birthday or…

Stop it, Rachel. What’s the matter with you?

Jon"s hand closed on hers again, rubbing her palm, obviously picking up the distress that had appeared in her body language. She made herself relax. This was another once-in-a-lifetime experience. She wasn"t going to lose a minute of it because of old resentments or hurts. Instead, she focused on their destination as they pulled into the parking lot.

Those who chose to park their own vehicles and walk up to the club entrance were mostly couples or groups. While some sported sexy fashions she might see outside any nightclub, she noted some were likely wearing more blatant fetish wear, evidenced by the fact they approached the door in velvet cloaks or light wraps. No blatant BDSM

attire outside the club walls. Others were carrying travel bags, suggesting there was a changing area.

“Lucas, Peter and Ben will be here tonight,” Jon said as Max pulled into the lane opposite the main entrance. “I"m looking forward to introducing you.”

He squeezed her thigh, an unspoken message that could mean a variety of things.

She wondered if Dana would be there as well, but she simply nodded, trying to hold onto that earlier euphoria with both hands.

As he helped her out of the car and gave Max some instructions, she studied the people passing her in the parking lot. This was a world on whose outskirts she"d stood for a long time, looking in, so she admitted the curiosity was competing with nerves. It was easy to pick out Masters or Mistresses, because those were the ones that, when their direct gazes turned to her, she automatically shifted hers, an instinct that she supposed told them clearly what she was.

The submissives gazed back at her with as much interest, most of it openly friendly, sometimes downright appraising. As if they knew they might come into intimate contact within the walls of the club, suggesting such shared play was part of their relationship with their Master or Mistress. She still wasn"t entirely sure where Jon stood on such boundaries, though he was obviously okay with hints of it to drive her to distraction. But the actuality of it? She wasn"t even sure how she felt about that tonight.

However, when she"d looked up at him from the cushioned sanctuary of his bed, felt him release inside of her, it had formed a bond. Right now, despite her excited nervousness in this wholly new but achingly familiar environment, she felt safe with Jon, able and willing to explore or be curious about anything without fear of misstep.