He left the little velvet box at home. It wasn’t that he was having second thoughts, it was just that he knew he needed to be truthful with Abby before he popped the question. Telling her about his past was going to be hard, probably the hardest thing he ever had to do and he needed to find the right moment to do it. He never talked about his past, only his four best friends knew the full truth and he was happy for it to stay that way. Every few years some enterprising young reporter would try and do a piece on him. He was a reclusive, eccentric billionaire game designer and they thought the public had a right to know who he was In Real Life. No one had yet managed to get his whole story and he refused to talk to the reporters even though they hounded him for days on end until the story lost it’s legs. He valued his privacy more than anything and was in no way inclined to share his past, his present or his future with the media, besides the fact that it was painful to talk about. The last thing he wanted was for his horrific childhood to become newspaper fodder or some midday movie special.

It might be said that he had obviously never dealt with what had happened to him, and he knew it was true, but he liked his life even if it was a bit off centre. He’d learned to live with his own quirks and he didn’t see the need to change anything about it now. Especially now that he’d met someone who accepted him, quirks and all.

He shot a look across the car to Abby and felt a warmth spread through his chest at the sight of her. She was gorgeous in her wrap dress and it had taken every ounce of self control not to strip her naked and lose himself in her beautiful body. He would do that later, it was a promise to both of them, but for now he wanted to take her out. He wanted to see other men’s eyes track her as she walked through the restaurant and know that she only had eyes for him.

He reached over and laid a hand on her leg and she smiled at him. He toyed with the fabric of her dress, hitching it up to find the bare skin underneath. He loved the feel of her skin under his hands and he especially loved the small hitch in her breathing as he moved his hand higher to brush over the lace of her panties which were already damp. His cock strained in his pants and he slowly dragged his hand away. If he didn’t, he knew that they wouldn’t make it to the restaurant.

He found an empty parking space and parked the car smoothly. He jumped out, his body like a live wire, and raced around to open the door for Abby. He slid his hand through her elbow and helped her out before brushing a light kiss on her lips. He could see the high colour in her cheeks and the darkness of her eyes and he wanted nothing more than to push her against the car and slide inside her, even though they were on the street where anyone could see them. But he restrained, he had a plan and he was going to stick to it.

So, instead, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “When we get inside and are seated, you are going to excuse yourself and go to the bathroom and remove your panties. Then I want you to come back to the table and give them to me.” He smiled against her neck as she shivered. “You understand me, poppet?”

She hesitated for a second, her body taut with uncertainty, and he thought he might have pushed her too far, but then her body relaxed, the tension leaving it as she whispered, “Yes, Sir.”

He kissed her, careful not to muss her makeup or hair and then put his arm around her waist as they walked down the block to the restaurant. She was practically vibrating beside him and it delighted him more than he could say. She always responded so beautifully when he pushed her a little outside her comfort zone. It was almost like she wanted to do these things, but needed someone to give her permission before she could do it. He planned to reward her for her obedience.

The restaurant was dark, lit only by the small battery operated tea-light candles on each table. It was an expensive place hinted at by the soft classical music that played, the haughtiness of the maître d' and the pretentious list of wines he was handed when they were shown to their table. He didn’t mind the cost, especially when the table they were shown to was in the back corner with booth seating and away from prying eyes. He especially didn’t mind when Abby politely excused herself, her cheeks rosy with arousal as she left to do what he’d commanded her.

He watched her walk away, the soft sway of her arse causing his body to tighten in response. With a sigh of…what?…contentment?… he turned to the wine list and picked something that didn’t sound too grandiloquent and then sat back to await Abby’s return. He had to admit to never having enjoyed a date more, and they’d only just arrived.

Abby felt the soft material of her dress brush across her naked bottom as she walked back to the table. It was erotic as hell and she could feel the dampness between her thighs. She worried that it would drip down her legs because she had no panties to mop it up, but the heat of Mason’s eyes on her as she approached the table burned away any of her concerns. She didn’t care about the consequences, not when he looked at her like that.

She slid into the booth and scooted close to him. He watched her, his eyes banked with lust and she felt a tremor of anticipation go through her. This man, God, the way he made her feel and he hadn’t even touched her yet. She reached into her purse to extract the scrap of lace that she’d been wearing and tucked it into the pocket of his suit coat, letting a little bit poke out like a kerchief. His smile turned wolfish at her brazenness and her core tightened in response.

“Very good, poppet,” he growled softly as he leaned down to kiss her.

Before the kiss could get too heated, they were interrupted by the sommelier who presented the chosen wine to Mason. The sommelier poured some into a glass for Mason to taste and at a nod, he poured a glass for her before topping up Mason’s glass. She took a sip, closing her eyes as the rich wine with it’s dark black currant flavour swirled over her tongue. She felt like she’d stepped into an alternate universe, or perhaps one of the romance novels she read where she was the heroine of the story.

Mason’s hand found her thigh and his eyes burned into her as he caressed it, his hand skimming higher until he found her wet folds. He grinned hungrily as he swiped through her curls and her breath hitched. She wanted to lean back, close her eyes and open her legs so that he could have his way with her but they were in a crowded restaurant with people sitting mere feet away from them. The fact that they could be caught heightened her arousal and Mason’s eyes darkened with desire as though he could read her mind.

A waiter approached, but Mason didn’t remove his hand, not even when they were handed leather bound menus to peruse. She opened hers and tried to block out the soft caresses of Mason’s fingers. They weren’t firm enough to bring her to climax but they were enough to have her almost panting with need. He chuckled at her attempt to pretend that nothing untoward was happening and pressed a little firmer on her clit. She had to bite her lip to stop the moan that threatened to escape from her throat, but couldn’t stop her eyes from fluttering shut.

Mason leaned over to place a chaste kiss on her neck, just below her ear as he dragged his fingers through her wetness one last time and then removed them all together. She made a small sound of protest in the back of her throat and felt his smile against her skin as he kissed her a second time.

The waiter approached to take their order and Mason spoke for both of them, which she should have been upset about but was actually relieved by. She’d been looking at the menu but hadn’t been able to read a word of it, not with Mason playing between her legs. She didn’t even hear what he said to the waiter because she was still too fixated on the mild throb in her core and the ache to have his fingers back there.

Abby took a breath and cleared her throat, searching for something to talk about in her lust fogged brain.

“I forgot to tell you,” she said after taking another sip of her wine.

“Hmm?” Mason looked at her, his eyes dark and humorous.

“My publisher loves the early drafts of my novel and have offered me a five book deal.”

His eyes lit with approval and he smiled proudly at her giving her a warm squishy feeling in her stomach. “That’s great,” he said, “When do I get to read it?”

“Oh.” She had never even thought about letting him read it. She’d never had someone in her life that was interested enough in her or who she trusted enough to tell them about her other life and so had never had anyone ask to read her stuff. “I…ah…”

He smiled softly at her. “It’s okay Abby,” he said, “I know you probably don’t want anyone to read it until it’s finished. I get it, I’m like that with the games I design.” He reached up and brushed a finger down her cheek. “But I want you to know how happy I am for you and how proud I am of you. I have been reading your work since the first book and I’m a fan and as a fan, I can’t wait to read your next book. As your boyfriend, I want to read it because you wrote it and I want to support you.”

Her brain stuttered over his use of the word boyfriend. To have him classify himself that way was… unexpected and yet… it felt right. It was also a little weird that she hadn’t thought of him that way despite them both having declared their feelings to one another. She’d told him she loved him, but her brain hadn’t connected that with him being her boyfriend.

“You’re thinking too much, poppet,” he said, his voice dark and sexy.

She watched as he dipped two fingers into his glass of wine. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from those two fingers as they moved, not to his mouth, but under the table.

“Open your legs, poppet.”

She hadn’t realised that she was squeezing her thighs together and at his command, she opened them. She held her breath, waiting for his touch and when it came, her eyes rolled back in her head. She felt the cool wine against her feverish lower lips as his fingers swirled through her folds and she couldn’t stop the soft mewl that she made. But his fingers didn’t stay there for long and her eyes snapped open and found his as he lifted his fingers to his mouth and sucked on them causing a flash of heat to spike through her like lightning.

Mason tasted the wine and the unique flavour of Abby on his fingers and groaned. It was intoxicating. He wanted to crawl under the table and taste her again, no, better yet, he wanted her stretched out on his bed while he dribbled wine on her and lapped it from her cleft. The temptation to cancel their dinner order and drag her back to his apartment was almost too good to resist, but that was not what he’d planned for tonight. He wanted them to have dinner like a normal couple, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his hands off her.

Telling her to remove her panties had been a mistake on his part, a terrible, wonderful, sexy-as-hell mistake. The fact that she’d tucked them into his coat pocket was torture because he could smell her arousal on them and it was driving him crazy. He’d thought the wanting would subside after they’d slept together a few times, but it only increased. He could not be in the same room with her without wanting her and his body was strung tight with need. His cock strained against his pants and begged for the relief of being buried inside her and his brain was barely coherent. This is what she did to him and he loved every minute of it.

One look at Abby and he knew that she felt the same. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes alive as she looked at him like she wanted to devour him. There was so much heat arcing between them that he was surprised that no one in the room noticed. If he’d known taking Abby out on a date would ratchet up the desire between them, he would’ve done it sooner and often. He liked this tension, this anticipation he felt and he was already thinking about the scene he wanted to do when they got home. It was time to introduce her to Shibari.

He shifted in his seat as his cock showed it’s appreciation by swelling uncomfortably. Shibari was an erotic form of bondage that used ropes to bind the sub in artistic and creative ways and he knew that the scarlet nylon rope he had would look particularly good against Abby’s skin. He had practised the intricate knots and was suddenly very keen to try them out on his Sweet Abby. Seeing her bound, the knots and ropes making beautiful patterns across her skin would be a fantasy come true.

Their meals came and they made small talk, but it was patently obvious that their minds were elsewhere. Mason barely tasted the food on his plate, the scent of Abby in his nose and the lingering taste of her on his lips far too distracting to concentrate on the food in front of him. He was sure it was excellent, but he was more interested in his date and what he would do to her when they got home. Abby seemed just as distracted and a quick check with his fingers told him she was just as ready to be done with this date as he was. He was tempted to bring her to her first climax here, in the restaurant, commanding her to be silent as he took her over the edge, but he wasn’t willing to share that with anyone. Maybe some other time, but not tonight, tonight was for them alone.

He refused the dessert menu and called for the cheque. Abby’s eyes were riveted on his and he couldn’t help but run his fingers up the inside of her thigh as they waited for the waiter to bring them their bill. He felt the tremor of her muscles and watched her face as her desire was clearly broadcast. God, he loved this woman and the way she responded to his touch. It was a seduction all itself, her obedience and submission and he chafed to be alone with her.

He signed the bill with a quick scratch and then grabbed her hand to pull her from the booth. It was the first time they’d held hands, he usually held her wrist or her elbow, but he didn’t have the brain capacity to analyse it at that moment. His brain function was seriously depleted as the majority of his blood was heading south and engorging his already thickened cock. He couldn’t think past getting Abby out of the restaurant and home where he could strip her out of her dress and gaze on her wonderful body.

She kept pace with him as he walked fast toward the car. He heard her rapid breaths and felt her hand tighten in his and knew they were on the same page. She wanted him as much as he wanted her and was there anything sweeter than that?