Quinn was miffed that she chose to remain silent still, but the pink hue rising on her cheeks and the flicker of lust dancing in her eyes told Quinn that Ava was both mortified and turned on. While he had no idea if Brice had spied or not, Quinn honestly didn’t care. Ava’s conflicted reaction divulged how deep her exhibitionist streak truly ran. He arched his brows and held Ava’s gaze while Brice refilled their glasses with champagne, waiting for her response. But she said nothing, only blushed a deeper shade of crimson.

Quinn waited until the waiter turned and walked away before issuing a heavy sigh. “Your submission shouldn’t embarrass you, love. The desire to please shouldn’t be hidden away like a dirty little secret, but worn proudly for the whole word to see. Hopefully before dinner is through, I can somehow convince you of that.”

Ava nodded, nervously eying Brice until he was out of sight. “I know, I’m just afraid of what—”

“Of what people think?”

Quinn knew what insecurities lurked in her psyche. Over the years, he’d managed to vanquish many of her fears—most of them unrelated to the lifestyle—but now he wanted to eradicate the ones that held her prisoner from basking in their power exchange. He had to be certain she was with him for the long haul before the rest of his plans could be carried out.

“I’m not afraid of what people will think of me, Master,” she declared, lifting her chin. “I’m afraid to inadvertently embarrass you and fail you in public. We’ve gone to great lengths to keep our relationship under wraps. I’d hate to do or say something to reveal our secret.”

“Have you let it slip yet, girl?” he asked, ready to erase the worries she offered. “Have I ever once had to reprimand you for your behavior or comments?” She softly shook her head. “No. Have you ever failed me? Absolutely not. Do I think you might someday? Maybe, but I seriously doubt it. Do you want to know why?”

A glimmer of hope sprang over her face. “Why, Master?”

“Because the first night I saw you at Club Genesis—which, by the way, we are going to start visiting again, weekly—I saw the deep level of submission glowing inside you. Even when that prick, Kerr, tried to coerce you into scening with him and Mika stepped in, you held yourself with poise and grace,” Quinn praised as he forked a shrimp from the plate and bit it in half.

A wry chuckle slid from her lips. “I wasn’t exactly poised or graceful when I stepped into your office that following week, thinking I was interviewing with a stranger. The minute I realized it was you, I turned nearly turned tail and ran out of your building.”

Quinn threw back his head and laughed. “That was one of the biggest oh my god moments of my entire life. I nearly swallowed my damn tongue when you came through my door. But when I saw how flustered and nervous you became, I could only focus on taking control and calming your fears.”

She flashed him a wide, sexy smile. “And you’ve never stopped, Master. I think I fell in love with you a little bit that very day,” she confessed shyly.

“It took you that long?” he asked in feigned shock. “I fell in love with you the first time I saw you at Genesis, my pet.”

“You did not,” she laughed.

“I did, too,” he protested with a laugh, loving the playful banter between them. “I knew the minute I felt the overwhelming urge to rearrange Kerr’s face that you’d instantly climbed inside my heart.”

A flattered smiled curled her lips, and her eyes sparkled with happiness and pride. All through the scrumptious meal, they laughed and talked the way they used to when their relationship was new. It was a welcome respite for Quinn. He’d set aside all the pressures from work that loomed over his head and simply relaxed. He realized not only how easy it was to love Ava, but also how much he missed spending quality time—like this—with her. Proving even more that he needed to take charge and include this type of freedom to decompress with her each and every day.

When Brice returned with the dessert tray, Quinn watched as Ava’s eyes lit up when she spied a decadent mountain of chocolate-black cherry cake.

“I’ll take a cup of coffee and a slice of the chocolate cake, please,” Quinn ordered.

The waiter turned to Ava. “And for you, ma’am?”

Just as she opened her mouth, Quinn, shook his head, then glanced back at the young man. “She’ll take her dessert under the table, and we wish to not be disturbed, if you please.”

Ava sucked in a tiny gasp, but Brice didn’t even acknowledge her reaction. Instead, the young waiter held Quinn’s gaze and issued a professional nod. But as he turned to leave, the poor lad couldn’t help but smile before striding away.

Quinn could almost feel the wheels spinning in her mind as Ava sat nervously nibbling her bottom lip. Good. He wanted her thinking…but on something other than embarrassment or her own self-confidence. He wanted her to string the meaning he’d intended behind the gloves engulfing her hands and her confinement, soon, beneath the table. She was a smart woman… She’d figure it out. At least he hoped she would.

Quinn cleared his throat. Ava lifted her eyes, leveling him with a pensive stare. His veins filled with the warmth of command knowing he’d ripped all semblance of security out from under her. Yes. That’s what it was going to take for her unequivocal trust in him.

“Leave your gloves on and climb beneath the table. Position yourself on your knees at my feet, then release my zipper. You will take my fat cock into your sweet, hot mouth and worship it with every submissive cell in your body until you suck me dry.”

Her moist, pink tongue slowly slid over her bottom lip. Quinn nearly embarrassed himself before she’d even had the chance to crawl under the table. God help him, the sultry minx would test his resolve to the nth degree, but he’d denied himself the pleasure of her velvety mouth long enough.

Ava stood, her body stiff and filled with apprehension. Quinn flashed her a lurid grin.

“Enjoy your dessert, my love. If you please me…as I have all the faith that you will, I’ll save you some cake.”

She gave him a jerky nod before sweeping a long, nervous glance around the room. Ava sucked in a deep breath. Pride and lust pumped through his veins as he watched his brave and beautiful sub disappear beneath the table.

* * *

If Quinn had told her, while she was getting dressed, that by the end of their meal Ava would be on and her hands and knees beneath the table of a five-star restaurant to give him a blow job, she would have laughed in his face. But now, on her knees with her eyes quickly adjusting to the light filtering in from under the tablecloth, staring at the slab of cock packed within his trousers, Ava didn’t find an ounce of humor in her predicament. Nothing but a calm sense of serenity and purpose filled her.

Quinn spread his legs as she rested her butt on her heels. “You may begin,” he instructed.

She hated the fact that she couldn’t gaze up to see the hunger etched in his face…watch his eyes darken as she slid her tongue over his bulbous crest. He rocked his hips. Yes, Quinn was obviously running out of patience. And why wouldn’t he be? He’d granted her permission to orgasm earlier. Quinn had been suffering now for hours and must be nearly bursting at the balls to come. Ava wanted nothing more than to put him out of his misery.

As she placed her gloved hands on the tops of his knees, his body heat leached through the fabric. She found the barrier between them cold and callous, making her feel almost alienated from him. She didn’t like it. Ignoring her longing to actually feel his calming heat against her fingers, Ava leaned in and gently pressed her lips to the insides of his thighs. She slowly began working her way up both sides of his legs as she savored his heat against her lips.

“Your kisses are sweet, my pet. However, I don’t remember instructing you to dawdle, did I?” Quinn asked in a low, sexy drawl.

“No, Sir,” Ava replied with a smirk, weighing the thought of planting one more kiss before she got down to business. She loved tormenting him whenever she had the chance. Unfortunately with Quinn’s Dominant mien, she rarely got that chance.

Reaching up, she released his leather belt and the top button of his trousers before carefully easing the zipper down. Holding her breath, Ava cupped his shaft in her gloved palm and eased his swollen erection past the metal teeth as his blood-engorged cock burst free. With a soft sigh of appreciation, she sat back on her heels and took several long seconds to simply gaze at his mouth-watering member.

It was hard, thick, and ribbed with copious veins, and his need reflected in the glistening bead poised at the tip of his wide crown. His pungent masculine musk hung so heavy within her shrouded cave Ava could almost taste him on her tongue.

Wrapping a gloved fist around his ready erection, she bit back a growl. The inability to feel his flesh irked her. With an inward groan of disappointment, she lifted her other hand and cupped his heavy sac, easing his balls from their confines as well. Heat rolled from between his parted legs like the summer sun, but it wasn’t enough. Ava ached to feel his hot flesh in her hands.

“Your coffee and a nice thick slice of our trademark Chocolate Sin cake, sir.”

Ava froze when the muffled voice of the waiter seeped under the table. Suddenly Quinn’s words came thundering through her brain: The desire to please shouldn’t be hidden away like a dirty little secret but worn proudly for the whole word to see. A wicked notion popped into her head, and Ava forced down the evil giggle bubbling up inside her. She planned to show him exactly how proud she was to be his submissive.

Opening her mouth wide, she plunged over his wide cock, taking his massive length all the way to the back of her throat in one big gulp. Quinn jolted, and a noise that sounded like a cough mixed with a moan rumbled from deep inside his chest, seemingly strangling in his throat. Ava released his cock with a soft snicker.

“Thank you,” Quinn stated to the waiter, recovering quickly from her surprise attack.

“I’d extend an offer for you to enjoy your dessert, but I have a feeling you already are,” Brice quipped with a chuckle.

“Like you can’t fucking imagine,” Quinn replied wholeheartedly.

Pride suffused Ava all the way to her toes as she opened once more and engulfed his glistening shaft. Quinn reached beneath the table and cupped the back of her neck, pressing her lips to the base of his cock. The cropped pubic hair tickled her nose, and long seconds passed as the breath trapped in her lungs began to burn. Silently alerting him to the fact she was running out of air, she gently rolled his balls in her palm, wishing she could feel his thin, soft skin ripple as it grew taut.

As Brice’s footsteps retreated, Quinn loosened the grip at her nape. Ava slid back and inhaled a great gulp of air before sliding the tip of her tongue up and down his rippled veins. She could feel his thundering heartbeat pulsating on her tongue. Her pussy clutched as if jealous over his attention directed to her mouth. Licking him from stem to tip, Ava marveled not only at his addictive taste but at the power contained beneath the skin of his steely cock.

Flattening her tongue, she curled it around his bulbous crest, pausing to nibble and suck the sensitive spot beneath the heart-shaped flange. His clear, free-flowing emulsion dripped past her lips and onto her tongue. Lost in the velvety slick textures, Ava issued a contented sigh.

“Be aware, the more you toy with me, girl, the longer I’ll make you suffer once I get you back to our room. Trust me. You won’t like it, either,” Quinn warned with a growl.

Several seconds later, a tempting moan vibrated through his body and reverberated over her busy lips.

“This cake is sinful, pet. Of course nothing can compare to your sweet mouth. However, if you don’t stop taunting me and suck the come from my aching balls, I won’t leave you a damn morsel.”

Ava couldn’t care less about cake at that moment. She was too enthralled with pumping her mouth up and down and swirling her tongue over every inch of him. All she wanted to do was feel his hot seed erupt down her throat.

Her pussy wept and her body tingled. Flames of desire licked up her spine and singed her veins while the stupid gloves distracted her more with each passing second. She hated how they stole her connection to Quinn. Yes, the sensation of him on her tongue was euphoric. Still, worshiping his cock this way felt muted and dulled, taking from her enjoyment. Why did he insist she wear the damn things anyway? They were stifling and confining like the veil of linen encasing her in this private tomb.

Ava longed to strip the irritating fabric away, toss the glove aside, and lay her bare hands on him…drink in all his familiar and exotic textures. She wanted to throw back the tablecloth, as well. The fact that she couldn’t watch the pleasure flutter over his face only increased the growing chasm disconnecting her from him. Though disenchanted, she didn’t stop servicing his cock with gusto even while the act felt sterile and void of their loving and sensual bond.

Quinn had spent a great deal of time and money planning their special time together, but why? What did he seek from her? What did he expect to gain from this impersonal, near public display of her submission? As a litany of questions careened through her brain, she dutifully sucked and swirled, determined to bring him all the pleasure she could give.

“Deeper, princess. Take me down that silky throat of yours.” Ava complied as Quinn groaned. “Swallow around me…oh, yes. That’s it.”

His gravelly tone left no doubt in her mind that she was indeed pleasing him, but without seeing the visible rapture on his face, shards of isolation pierced her heart.

The linen cloth separating them felt like a solid wall of marble. If Quinn wanted her to wear her submission proudly, for the whole world to see, why had he hidden her beneath the table? His words and actions clashed, like enemies on a battlefield. How could she openly bask in her submission while keeping their professional reputations free from jeopardy? It couldn’t be done.

So why had Quinn so brazenly splayed her out on the table and devoured her for the whole world to see? Technically there’d only been a skeleton crew to service their meal; still, his actions made no sense. Ava could still feel the cold champagne and Quinn’s warm tongue lapping at her cunt. A shiver of delight tore through her musings, but only for a few short seconds. Her brain engaged once more, trying to analyze the strange Dominance Quinn had displayed over the past several hours. As she split her focus between the task at hand—or rather mouth—and the need to bend to an unfamiliar submission, the puzzle pieces slowly started coming together.

Quinn had purposefully remained silent when he joined her in their hotel room. He’d wanted her to think she was giving a lewd masturbation show to some unknown stranger. Why else would he have remained quiet? But why? Was it all some kind of test to see if she’d freak the hell out? Which she had. Even after failing him, Ava had willingly accepted his punishment—the harshest Quinn had ever doled out. She thought she’d paid her penance. So why did she feel as if he’d extended her sentence?

“You’re not focusing, princess. Do I need to drag you onto the table once more?”

Quinn’s low grumble drew her from her thoughts. Ava directed her attention to his cock, working her mouth up and down with renewed vigor. She was rewarded with his guttural moans of pleasure and soft-spoken praises. Still, her mind continued to search for the meaning behind his peculiar Dominance. Her thoughts spooled once more to him blatantly putting her on display. It wasn’t like him to openly fondle her in a public setting, let alone drink champagne from her pussy on top of the table.

Suddenly, a light bulb illuminated her brain.

Quinn wanted to cast off the cloak of secrecy and expose their relationship.

The blindfold, the gloves, the table linen that concealed her…they were all symbols of their relationship. Exposing her to an imaginary stranger, then doing so again, for real, here in the restaurant, Quinn was asking her if she was ready to reveal not only her submission but their love and commitment to the whole world.

Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes.

Ava’s heart soared. Throwing caution to the wind, she stripped off her gloves. Tossing back the edge of the tablecloth, Ava boldly raised her eyes. Meeting Quinn’s startled gaze, she placed her bare hands on his naked flesh, and her whole world righted itself once more.

A slow, lazy smile spread over his luscious lips as Quinn reached down and caressed the hollow of her cheek with his knuckles. Unadulterated pride etched his face, and Ava felt as if she were melting like a snow cone in August.

Nuzzling into his touch, she savored the heat that engulfed her palms and enveloped her fingers. Staring up at his heavy lids, she drank in the smoldering reflection of love, lust, and need as she cradled his tightly drawn sac. Worshiping his steely cock, Ava strived to convey to him all the love she felt exploding inside her.

The connection she’d desperately longed for beneath the table blossomed like a living electrical current. The energy pulsed between them, igniting every cell in her body and filling her with a renewed warmth and deeper kind of love.

“My beautiful Ava, you’ve figured out my motives, haven’t you?”

“Mmm,” she moaned around his shaft while nodding her head.

“Are you ready for the world to know you’re mine, princess?”

Ava nodded once more while pride and passion swamped her.

“We’ll now have the freedom to be who and what we are from here on out. Is that what you want, as well?”

Ava released him just long enough to whisper a desperate “yes” before drawing his glistening, hot shaft into her mouth once again.

“Thank god,” Quinn exhaled loudly.

Without warning, he gripped his hands into her hair. Ava’s scalp tingled, and her body quivered as Quinn took control. Rapidly pumping past her lips, he drove demandingly all the way to the back of her throat. She felt his shaft swell even larger over her tongue before he jerked free. With a sense of urgency, Quinn shoved away from the table and stood. Ava’s lips and mouth mourned the loss of his hardness, but his familiar taste remained branded on her tongue. With a feral growl, he bent and lifted her from the floor before plopping her onto the table. All the while, she kept her eyes locked with his as he hastily reached beneath her dress. Running his wide, warm hands up her legs, he skimmed his palms up her thighs, dragging her dress along with them. Quinn didn’t stop until he’d uncovered her wet and ready pussy. Only then did he break their gaze to settle a stare on her sex.

With a feral growl, he clutched her thighs and spread her legs wide before gripping a hand on her hip. Fisting his other around his cock, Quinn aligned the dripping tip to her folds. Like a man possessed, he drove into her slick, quivering tunnel as a roar rumbled from his chest.

“Mine,” he bellowed as he began maniacally pumping into her. “My sweet princess… My brave slave… My beautiful, glorious, Ava. Mine…all mine.”

His eyes blazed in a fire of possessiveness she’d never seen before. Quinn resembled an animal, wild and untamed. But Ava wasn’t afraid. No, she was too consumed by the fire rising inside to do anything but cast her inhibitions aside and rut with the beast who owned her heart…her soul.

Pride burst inside her as the air in her lungs constricted. “Yes. Yours. All yours,” she breathlessly cried.

Quinn’s eyes narrowed as he slid his palm to the back of her neck and slanted his mouth over hers in a raw, spine-bending kiss. Ava whimpered and wrapped her legs around his narrow waist, locking her ankles at the small of his back while their tongues dueled in passion and desire.

He ate at her mouth with the same fury that matched his thrusts…as if he wanted to climb inside her soul and stay there for all time. And that’s exactly where she wanted to be, as well.

Ava writhed against his pubic bone as it ground against her clit. The wide crest of his cock stroked the sensitive bundle of nerves buried inside her, fueling her need to a desperate level. Soaring higher and higher, Ava prayed she’d never come back down.

Heat poured off his body, surrounding her in a blanket of warmth and safety. Everything around her fell away except for Quinn and the mounting need to please him. Peeling off the layers that had encased their love felt liberating. All Ava wanted to do was meld herself to him…mesh her body, heart, and soul to Quinn’s for now and forever.