by Ivy Nelson
“Feels a bit heavy, doesn’t it?” Patrick asked from the doorway.
“How would you know?” She winced at the tone of voice she’d used. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like a bitch. I’m just curious.”
He smiled as he crossed the threshold and sat on the bed next to her. “There’s a heaviness that comes with a dynamic like ours. As your Dom, I feel it too. I may not be sporting a pretty new piece of jewelry, but I am carrying a considerable amount of responsibility to make sure I don’t fuck up the trust you’ve given me by wearing my bracelet.”
Austin nodded. “You have to trust me too, though. And yes, it feels a bit heavy for being such a light piece of metal.” She laid her head on his shoulder. Was that OK? She honestly didn’t know.
“Do I…” she paused. “Do I need to have permission to show affection?”
Patrick turned her head to face him. “Never. The middle of a punishment might not be the best time, but then again, if I’m blistering your bottom, affection is probably the last thing you’ll want to show me,” he said with a wink.
“OK. That’s good. I just don’t know how all of this works still.”
“We’re learning together. Speaking of learning, here’s your next lesson. When you’re in my bedroom, clothes are not allowed, so lose them now.”
Austin lifted her blouse above her head. She was still braless from the club and Patrick leaned his head in and captured a nipple in his mouth. Her breathing hitched as he suckled hard.
When he lifted his head, he motioned for her to continue.
Standing, she slipped off her shoes and lowered her skirt. As she lowered herself back onto the bed, Patrick stopped her and lifted her back into a standing position.
“Let’s review an important lesson before we go to sleep,” he said as he stood and moved behind her. His arms slid slowly around her until his hands came to capture her breasts, one in each hand.
“Who do these belong to?” he asked, kneading gently.
Austin whimpered as wetness gathered between her legs. “You, Sir,” she said on a gulp of air.
“Good.” One hand left her breast and came to rest on her hip before moving behind her. He gripped an ass cheek.
“And this perfectly grabbable ass? Who decides what happens to it?”
“You do, Sir.”
“That’s right. We’ll work up to anal, but I’ll own your ass in every way.”
His hand trailed around her front and rested above her pubic bone, his other hand still kneading at her breast. She knew what his next question would be as his fingers trailed between her legs and gripped her pussy.
“Your cunt is soaked. Who owns it?”
She gasped and sank against him as he slid one finger inside.
“You do, Sir,” she said again.
“I what?” he asked, sliding a second finger into her.
“You own my cunt, Sir. Agh!” she cried as he pinched one nipple roughly.
“Good girl. You passed your review.” He pressed a searing kiss to the tender spot where her neck and shoulders met and gave her a gentle pat on the ass.
“Into bed with you. We can get a good nap in before we land in New York.”
Was he seriously going to leave her this worked up? He did say he liked orgasm denial. She had no idea how she was supposed to sleep in this state, but she obediently moved to the head of the bed and pulled back the covers.
To her delight, Patrick lifted his shirt over his head, revealing tight, smooth abs. She’d been too lost in their scene to appreciate his shirtlessness earlier.
As his hand drifted to the button of his jeans, she realized she was standing, mouth agape with the comforter in her hand.
“Bed,” he said, lifting one eyebrow.
She pressed her lips together and crawled into bed, still watching mesmerized as he lowered his jeans. He wore tight boxer briefs and she could tell he was hard. To her disappointment, he left the underwear in place and crawled under the covers with her.
“Lights out,” he said. The room went dark. He must have had the lights connected to some sort of smart speaker.
“Are you a spooner or do you like your space when you sleep?”
Austin rolled on her side so she faced him. “I’ve never had a partner ask me that before. Thank you. I like to snuggle, but at some point, I’ll need to pull away to sleep.”
Patrick nudged her, indicating she should roll over. He snuggled close to her when she did. She could feel his erection pressing into her back.
“Can I help you with that?” she said, reaching behind her to stroke at his hardness over his briefs.
He nuzzled her neck as he gently pulled her hand away. “Sleep, Austin. There will be plenty of time for you to play with my cock later.”
“Oh goodie,” she said on a yawn. Sleep overtook her much quicker than she expected.
When the plane began its descent into New York a few hours later, Patrick shook her gently awake. “Wake up sleepyhead. We’re here.”
Austin swatted his hand away, still half asleep.
“Well, that was the wrong thing to do,” Patrick chided. The covers left her body and a bare palm connected hard with her naked ass.
“Up.”
She yelped and reached back to rub the soreness out. When Patrick raised his hand as if to spank her again, she rolled off the bed. “I’m up, I’m up.”
Patrick tossed her some clothes and tugged on his own jeans and t-shirt.
“Can I have my underwear back yet?”
Patrick shook his head. “Nope. You can have them back when you go to work.”
Austin huffed but pulled on her discarded clothes.
“Am I staying with you or do I need to reserve a hotel room?” he asked.
Austin quickly took a mental tour of her apartment. She’d left it pretty clean, but she couldn’t remember the state of her bedroom.
“You can stay with me as long as you promise not to judge me for the pile of laundry on the floor.”
Patrick grinned and pulled her to him, his hands resting on her hips. “What if I want to spank you for it?”
Austin squirmed in his arms. “That’s mean but also kinda hot.”
He chuckled and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “You’re safe. It’s almost four. What time do you need to be up?” he asked as he tugged her out of the bedroom and back to their seats to get ready for landing.
“I don’t think I can get in to see my client until nine which means I need to leave by eight, so I’ll need to be up by seven.”
“We’ll go straight to bed then. I can occupy myself in the city while you’re working.”
There was no argument from her. She definitely needed more sleep. Soon they were in the back of a car that Patrick had somehow magically arranged, flying through the streets of New York City to her small apartment.
“If you would be more comfortable in a hotel, I understand,” she said as she let him into her apartment a little while later.
“Stop,” he said, looking around. “It’s a great little place. I like that I get to see where you live. Now let’s see this pile of laundry,” he teased.
Austin giggled and pointed him to the bedroom. Once there, she winced. The laundry pile was worse than she thought. Patrick just laughed.
“You could always hire a housekeeper to help you with that you know.”
Austin shrugged. “I’ve thought about it. Just feels weird to have a stranger going through my underwear.”
Patrick leaned against her dresser and crossed his arms. “You’re a busy woman and I know you make enough. Hire someone. It won’t kill you.”
Austin was stripping out of her clothes as he spoke.
“Is that an order?” she asked as she dropped her skirt and blouse into the pile.
Patrick shook his head. “I don’t think my dominance of you extends to how you handle your laundry. It’s just a suggestion. Come here,” he ordered, his gaze heated.
Naked, she walked to where he s
tood and let him pull her into his arms. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”
Her face warmed and she leaned closer to him, hiding her face against his chest.
“You have an early morning and haven’t slept enough,” he murmured into her hair. “I had every intention of fucking you to sleep last night at the hotel but that will have to wait for another time. To bed with you, baby girl.” He pushed her gently away from him and turned her towards the bed. Together, they crawled under the blankets and Austin switched the bedside lamp off.
As she drifted off to sleep in his arms, she realized this was the first time she’d had a man spend the night in this apartment with her.
Chapter Nine
Patrick woke with a start. Reaching out, he realized the bed was empty. The alarm clock on Austin’s nightstand told him it was barely six in the morning. Silly girl hadn’t even slept two hours. Stretching, he let his mind drift to last night.
His cock hardened as he remembered the sounds she made as he fucked her with the dildo on the floor of the dungeon. He’d wanted desperately to bury himself in her, but that could happen when they weren’t so exhausted.
Knowing he wasn’t going to fall back to sleep, he rolled out of bed, still wearing just his boxer briefs. He went in search of Austin, not bothering to dig clothes out of his duffle bag.
He found her in the living room-kitchen combo area sitting on the couch cross-legged reading a stack of papers. She’d dressed in yoga pants and a tight tank top. The outline of her nipples taunted him as he approached.
The coffee pot on the nearby kitchen counter was half empty, and he had a feeling it had started out full.
“Got a second mug?” he asked as he leaned against the counter watching her.
“Shit. Did I wake you?” she asked as her head jerked up.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. How long have you been up?”
Austin shrugged and chewed on her bottom lip as she picked up her coffee cup.
“Austin.” His voice held warning and he knew it would awaken the submissive in her.
With a sigh she said, “About an hour. I had a bad dream about this case and had to get up and get to work. Are you upset with me?”
Patrick gave her a smile. ‘No, baby girl. I do wish you had slept more, though.”
She leaned back against the couch and smirked at him. “I could get used to you hanging out in your underwear in my apartment.”
He chuckled and nodded his head to the coffee pot.
“Right,” she said. “There’s a clean mug in the dishwasher. Cream’s in the fridge if you want it.”
Patrick was already pulling the dishwasher door down. “Black is good.”
He watched her straighten an already tidy stack of papers as he poured his coffee. Was she nervous?
“I don’t really cook, but there’s a great little breakfast spot around the corner if you’re hungry.”
“Maybe after I shower,” he said. “I need to touch base with the museum about the diamond collection, so don’t worry about me, OK? I’m going to stay out of your hair and let you work.”
Austin blew out a breath and moved the stack of papers again. Twisting her fingers in front of her she said, “This is weird. I’m sorry. I’m being weird. Is this weird for you?”
Patrick laughed at her nervous chatter. “It’s not weird, baby girl. It’s new. Neither of us were expecting this, but speaking for myself, I’m glad to be here. It won’t feel so weird when we’re not sleep deprived and running on endorphins.”
Austin nodded and cleared her throat. “I hope so. I really enjoyed last night. I’m just not sure how I’m supposed to act right now. I don’t want to disappoint you.”
Ah. There it was. He knew Austin well enough to know she always wanted to impress. It’s why she was up at six in the morning getting ready for a case she was probably already prepared for.
“I’ll be right back,” Patrick said. He placed his mug on the coffee table next to hers and jogged the short distance to the bedroom. There, he rummaged through his bag until he found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
When he came back, Austin was still fidgeting. Her head lifted at the sound of his return and she frowned. “I mean, you didn’t have to take away my eye candy.”
Patrick chuckled and sat on the couch next to her. “I couldn’t have you eye-fucking me when I’m trying to make you feel better.”
Her blush was instant, and he traced a line down her cheek. “Listen to me. You’re not my slave. You don’t have to act any differently than you would on a normal day at home. We’re exploring a new kind of relationship, but neither of us are unfamiliar with kink and D/s. Yes, I’m asking for your obedience and your respect, but I’m not asking you to be any different than who you are.” One corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk.
“I’m not saying your sass won’t be the source of a few spankings, but you like spanking, so I think we’re safe there. Just don’t blatantly disrespect the dynamic we’re trying to build, and we’ll be fine. This is supposed to be fun for both of us.”
Austin blew out a breath. “OK. I can work with that. Thank you for making me feel better. I’ll try not to fuck this up.”
“And I’ll make the same promise.” He dropped a kiss on her nose and brushed her hair behind her ear. “Let’s go get that breakfast, I can shower later.”
Two hours later, Patrick stepped out of Austin’s shower and dried off with one of her fluffy yellow towels. It turned out she couldn’t get into the detention center to see her client until closer to ten, so she was just now getting ready to leave.
When he stepped out of the bathroom, she was buttoning a blazer that hugged her form. Her slacks and high heels made her legs look a mile long, and she had pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail. She looked ready to take on the world. Patrick just wanted to take her to bed.
“You’re giving me a fantasy I’ve never had before, Austin.”
She turned and grinned at him. “And what would that be?”
“I’m suddenly imagining fucking my attorney in the prison visitor’s center.”
Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head. “That is seriously fucked up. Though if I didn’t know how gross visitor’s centers could be, I might say it’s kinda hot.” She picked up a sleek leather briefcase and crossed to her bedroom doorway. “I gotta run, or I’ll be late. I left a key for you on the kitchen counter. The doorman has your name, so he shouldn’t give you any grief if he sees you coming and going. I’ll text you when I’m done.”
When she was gone, he eyed her bed and thought about climbing in for a nap. He was sleep deprived, but he had some work to catch up on.
He called a car to take him to the building that housed the New York branch of Eastman Enterprises. Patrick and David didn’t stop in here often, but a surprise visit was in order.
He called Lydia, his assistant, as he rode through the streets of New York.
“Good morning, Mr. Sutton. You should know you’re making my life very difficult with your little impromptu vacation. You’ve been gone since Wednesday and the press still won’t leave us alone.”
Patrick laughed. “Good morning to you too, Lydia. I’m sure you’ll get your payback when I return home. Hopefully my trip to New York will help with the media. I’m doing an appearance at the unveiling of my father’s diamond collection. Might even drum up some investment in the labs so we can pump out more man-made diamonds.”
“Very good, Mr. Sutton. Was there something I could help you with this morning?”
“Yes, I’m making a surprise visit to the New York office while I’m here. After I get there, will you send me everything you need me to sign? I’m sure you have a stack a mile high.”
“Maybe just half a mile,” she teased.
“I’ll be there most of the day, so I am at your disposal.”
To the outsider, people would think Lydia was rude and disrespectful, but she was David’s assistant before Patrick took over and he
had been told her job was to remain intact so Patrick put up with it and had even grown to like the older woman’s mama bear demeanor. She ran a tight ship and kept the office operating smoothly, which allowed him to keep his fingers in multiple other pies.
He ended the call and dialed Grant Sterling next.
“Patrick, thanks for calling. When do you arrive in New York?”
“I’m here now, actually. Had some business to take care of, so I’ve turned it into a work trip. I was calling to get a contact for the museum. I want to touch base on the details.”
“I’ll text you the info. Any luck getting your sister to join us?”
Shit, in the rush to leave Colorado and get Austin home, he’d forgotten to ask her.
“Not yet. I’ll make that call next.”
“I hope she’s able to join us. I’ll be in town late tonight.”
“Fine. We can get together for drinks tomorrow evening if you’d like. I’ll let you know what Holly says.”
When Patrick ended the call, they were almost to the Eastman Enterprises offices. It wasn’t like the building in California where David owned the entire thing. Here, they just rented a few floors from a skyscraper office complex.
As he rode to the fourteenth floor, he knew the office was already abuzz with news of his arrival thanks to Lydia. While it gave him a little thrill to wield that kind of power, he tried not to abuse it. That didn’t stop him from a smirk as the elevator came to a stop.
Sure enough, the vice president of the New York office, Angela Canmore, was waiting for him when the doors slid open.
“Mr. Sutton, what a lovely surprise,” the woman said, shaking his hand.
Patrick gave her a broad smile and looked around. “I apologize for the unannounced visit, but I found myself in town for a few days and wondered if an office could be set up for me to work out of.”
“Of course, Mr. Eastman’s office is available for your use. He made that clear when you took over.”
“Excellent. I don’t want to interrupt your day, but a meeting when you’re free to discuss how things are going here would be great. I’ll be here through Wednesday.”
