"I trust you," he said in a calmer tone, "but I was afraid you'd been hurt or mugged. Cora, I don't like you living in New York. I just realized that. You're so far away, and it can be dangerous in that city. I worry for your safety."
"You just realized that?"
"You know what I mean. It's not safe there."
"Dale, I've lived here for three years, going on four. I'm fine. If you're so damned worried about me, then get your ass out here."
"I will do just that, and it will be when you least expect it. I have to get some sleep." Click. He had hung up!
She looked at the phone again. What is eating him?
She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. When she couldn't, she got up, made a pot of coffee, and finally got ready for work, going in at an ungodly hour.
Dragging herself though the day, she went home early with a splitting headache and went back to bed, putting the ringer on her phone on the loudest ring possible, in case Dale tried to call.
He didn't call, and in fact, she didn't hear from him the rest of the week.
Well this is just great. My birthday is next week, and my boyfriend is pissed at me. A fine thirtieth birthday I'll have.
The days passed in a fog for Cora. She still hadn't heard from Dale, and it was her birthday. Sadly, she walked into the office and was greeted by her coworkers with bagels, her favorite cream cheese, and flavored coffee.
"Cheer up, Cora, it's not the end of the world because you turned thirty," Kayla teased.
There were well wishes from the other departments, and everyone had signed a card for her. There were also small gifts from Audrey and Kayla, and Camille gave her two tickets to a Broadway musical for the following night. She thanked them all as she attempted to be cheery and went into her office as soon as she could break away, shutting the door behind her.
Looking at her cell, the phone on her desk, and the computer and seeing that there was no missed call, no voicemail, no text message and no email from Dale, she put her head down on her desk. Oh, Dale, why are you still mad at me? It was a silly misunderstanding. I can't believe you would let this ruin our plans for you to visit or that you would ignore my birthday. What is going on with you?
A few hours later, Audrey buzzed her on the intercom. "Cora, I need you to come out here for a minute."
Now what? She checked her makeup and hair in the mirror she kept in her desk drawer before going out to see what the crisis was that Audrey couldn't handle on her own.
She let out a loud gasp as she entered the lobby. A delivery boy was standing next to Audrey's desk holding a very large vase of flowers. There had to be at least two dozen yellow roses and two dozen lilies in the arrangement. In fact, it was so large that she couldn't see his face.
"Set these on the desk, and I'll get a tip for you," she said as she walked to the drawer Audrey kept the petty cash in.
As he set the flowers down, he grabbed her. "The only tip I want from you, lady, is this." He kissed her soundly, not caring that Audrey, Kayla, and Camille were watching.
When he finally released her, she looked up. "Dale, I thought you had forgotten my birthday."
"I would never, ever forget your birthday, Cora Beth. I've been working night and day like a madman to get everything done so I could get here today."
"That's why you haven't called? I thought you were still mad."
"I wasn't too happy with you, but no, baby, I could never stay mad at you."
"Oh, Dale, I've been so miserable all week." She buried her face in his chest as he held her.
"Are you going to introduce me to your friends? In case you haven't noticed, we've had an audience since I walked in the door."
She looked up and grinned. "Oops."
"They were in on the surprise. Tori arranged it for me when she was here. The phone call from your mom, asking if you were going to be here for your birthday, was made because I asked her to do it."
"That explains the strange phone call from Mom and the fact that Tori and Kayla had their heads together at dinner that night we all went out."
"Hello, I'm Dale," he said to the group.
"I'm sorry. This is Kayla, another of our editors, Audrey, my assistant, and Camille, my boss."
"I'm pleased to meet all of you. Cora has spoken highly of you."
"And we've heard all about you, too, Dale. It's nice to put a face with the name," Kayla told him.
"Nice to finally meet you," Audrey added with a smile.
Camille walked over to him and shook his hand. "Welcome to New York, Dale. We're happy that you're here."
"Oh, you were in on it, too, weren't you? That's why you gave me two tickets for the show tomorrow night." Cora shook her finger at Camille.
Camille grinned. "Of course, I was. Now, go shut down your computer and get your purse. I'm giving you the rest of the day off. I wouldn't get any work out of you, anyway."
"Come and see my office, Dale. You said you wanted to see my life here."
"I'm right behind you." He turned to the three women watching them and gave them the thumbs up sign.
"Whew, we pulled that off," Kayla said after Cora and Dale had shut the door to her office.
"She was a mess when she thought he'd forgotten. She really has it bad for him," Audrey noted, looking from Kayla to Camille.
"We've all known for a long time that Cora is in love and she's been torn between New York and Texas. Now that you've seen Dale, what would you do if you were in her shoes, girls?" Camille challenged them as she walked toward her office.
"She's got a point. One of these days, we're going to lose our Cora to the gorgeous Texas lawyer." Kayla shook her head.
"She's one lucky girl, is all I can say," Audrey added.
"Come here, baby." He pulled her to him as soon as she shut the office door.
She tilted her face up for his kiss but pulled away before she got carried away. "Honey, we've been apart way too long, and I've been way too upset the past week to do this here. We'll lose control too fast. Let's go to my loft."
"You're right. I want you all to myself with no distractions for at least the next three hours. We also have something to discuss—the night you didn't answer the phone and worried me half to death."
"I thought you weren't mad. And did you say three hours? Let's go."
"Whoa, not so fast. I'm not mad; I never was mad. But we still need to make some rules about that sort of thing. You could have called me before you went to sleep to let me know you were having an early night. Even a text message would have done the trick."
"I see. So, I'm going to be punished for that oversight?" she asked.
"Wait and see," he said. "We'll talk at your place." He kissed her again. "Let's get out of here."
She giggled as she reached over to shut down her computer. "Yes, Sir." Grabbing her purse, she beckoned for him to follow her out, turned to lock her office door, and told Audrey goodbye on their way out.
Dale winked at Cora's assistant and mouthed the words "thank you" as he followed his girl out the door.
"Did you take an Uber or a cab, or do you have a rental car?" Cora asked as they stepped outside.
"I took a cab. Did you drive?"
"We can grab a cab," she told him as she hailed the first one to arrive.
They piled into the car, and she gave the driver directions to her loft.
"You forgot your flowers," he said as he looked at her.
"I'll leave them at the office to remind me of you. I'll have you at the loft. I won't need the flowers."
"Oh, yes, you'll have me, baby," he whispered. Then he asked, "So we really pulled off the surprise? You had no idea?"
"None whatsoever, I thought you were royally pissed at me." She laughed as she caressed his cheek with her hand.
"Like I said, I was never really pissed at you. Watch the language, by the way. I was worried sick."
"I'm sorry."
"I know you are. I also know it was an innocent mistake. But it's one we
're not going to repeat."
The cab pulled up in front of her building. Dale paid the driver, grabbed his leather duffel bag and helped her out of the back seat.
She led him to her loft, and once inside, she said, "I'll show you around."
"Later, Cora; the only thing I want to see right now is that cozy little bed you were telling me about."
"Right this way, lover boy," she teased as she pulled his tie and led him to her small bedroom.
She turned around and loosened the tie, removed it from around his neck and threw it to the floor. As he pulled her to him, she stood on her tiptoes, and he finally claimed her lips in a scorching kiss that lit the fire that had lain dormant for the past two months.
She moved closer to him, feeling his apparent arousal, and began grinding her hips.
"Whoa, baby, let me at least get you to the bed first," he said huskily as he unzipped her dress and let it slide to her feet. She stepped out of it, and he carried her to the bed. She kicked off her heels and seductively removed her stockings as he watched. As he leaned over her, she began to unbutton his shirt, and as he shrugged out of it, it fell to the floor. He kissed her again, passionately, as he slid a hand inside her lace bra.
She reached for his zipper and pulled his slacks down, freeing him from the constraints of his shorts as he continued to caress her body.
"Oh, Cora, I've missed you so much. You have no idea," he murmured as he kissed her neck.
By the time she'd shed her bra and panties, he was inside her. As the flames of desire burned, and the flames grew hotter between them, she was teetering on the edge of oblivion when he whispered, "I love you, Cora."
Tears pricked her eyelids as she went over the edge, pulling him with her into a whirlpool of sensations that neither of them could have controlled if they'd wanted to.
As he wiped the tears from her cheeks, he repeated the words, "I love you, Cora Beth."
She looked into his dark brown eyes. "I love you, Dale."
He pulled her into an embrace. "You love me?"
"Yes, Dale, I love you."
"Oh, baby, what am I going to do about you? You've turned my world upside-down since you came back into it."
She nestled in his arms. "You don't have to do anything about me, Dale. Just love me."
"I'm ready for the tour now," he whispered as he kissed her again.
"You really want to get up?"
"No, but I think we need to, at least long enough to have dinner."
"Okay, but the tour won't take long." She got up and slipped her panties back on and then picked his shirt up off the floor and shrugged into it, buttoning it part of the way up.
"Lead the way, and by the way, I kind of like this cozy little bed," he said as he pulled on his khakis.
"Yeah, whatever, Dale," she teased as she led him back into the living room, then the kitchen and finally the bathroom. "See, that's all there is to it. Now, you know why I liked your condo so well. This is just a typical small New York loft."
"But it's all you really need. You're probably not home much, are you?"
"Evenings, most of the weekend, now let me see what I can scrounge up for dinner."
"Do you have eggs, veggies, ham?"
"I have eggs, ham, green peppers, onions, tomatoes. Are you going to make omelets?"
"Yes, do you have bread for toast or English muffins?"
"I have bread, English muffins, and bagels; take your pick."
"English muffins. You take care of those, set the table, and make some coffee. I'll do the omelets."
"Yes, Sir," she said as she started gathering all the ingredients.
When he'd prepared two perfect omelets, he sat down with her, and they enjoyed a leisurely meal together as they caught up on the past two months' worth of news.
Afterward, she cleaned up the dishes while he went to his bag, found two small packages, and carried them out to the kitchen.
She turned around. "What's this?"
"The rest of your birthday gifts," he explained patiently.
"Flowers and you were quite enough. You didn't have to get me anything else, Dale."
"Come back into the bedroom and open them," he urged with a twinkle in his eye.
"Okay, okay," she giggled as she followed him and sat on her bed.
"Open this one first." He handed her the smallest one.
She tore into the paper and found a small jeweler's box. She gingerly opened it and revealed a locket. Taking it out of the box carefully, she opened it. There was a picture of her on the night of their prom on one side and a picture of him from the same night on the other. Inscribed on the back of the intricately designed heart were their initials.
"Oh, Dale, this is so sweet. I love it." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
"Now this one." He chuckled, watching her face as she opened it.
As she tore the paper from the second box, she opened it and burst out laughing. She pulled out a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs and looked at him.
"I thought you might like these better." He gave her a devilish grin.
"I think you want to use them."
"Oh, you got that right, baby."
"Where's the key?" She found it and put it in the pocket of his shirt, which she was wearing. "By the way, you never said how long you can stay."
"This is Thursday. I don't fly back until next Wednesday. Can you put up with me for that long?"
She threw herself on him. "Oh, Dale, I can't believe we get a whole week instead of a measly little weekend. Thank you. That's the best birthday present of all."
"Even better than the handcuffs?" he teased as he caressed her hair.
"Even better than the handcuffs."
"Now, little lady, we need to have a discussion. Remember that night, when I tried until three-thirty in the morning to phone you?"
"Oh, I thought you'd forgotten about that."
"No way. I get that you were worn out and turned in early. But don't you think I deserved the courtesy of, at the very least, a text message before you went to sleep?"
"I suppose so. I just didn't think."
"I know. And what if something bad really had happened to you? I was in Texas, not knowing if you were hurt, if something had happened to you, if you were even alive. Do you know how that made me feel? What if the situation had been reversed?"
Cora hung her head. "I get it now."
"Sweetheart, your safety is of the utmost importance to me. I just got you back; I don't want to lose you to some New York thug."
"I'm always very cautious. I am aware of my surroundings at all times. Living in a city will do that to you."
"Still, how was I to know that then? I think the rule, from now on, will be that you will let me know if you aren't going to be able to answer your phone in the evenings, when you know I am most likely to call. I'll, in turn, give you that same consideration. But, you need a lesson here, Cora. I want you to know exactly what will happen if you are careless with your safety and disrespectful to my concerns again."
"You're going to give me my first punishment spanking, aren't you?" she asked as she looked up at him. His face was serious.
"Yes, I am. It's going to be a mild one, however, this time. Since so much time has passed and it was an innocent oversight. But I want you to know that if it happens again, I will not go as easy on you. If we are going to have a D/s relationship, this is how it works. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Do you consent?"
"Yes, Sir." Well, she had said she was willing to give it a shot, hadn't she? She had indicated to him that she was not opposed to experimenting with the lifestyle. If they were going to have a future and she expected him to give up his clubs, she had to be willing to compromise. And she was. She was not turned off by his preferences. So far, everything they had done had only made her want to try more. So, now it was time for the pain, rather than the pleasure. It had to happen sometime. May as well get it over with.
; "Come here, baby," he said gently. He had seated himself on one of the kitchen chairs.
Cora slowly walked toward him, her head down. She knew what was coming. She wasn't naïve. After all, she had heard all the stories from Audrey and Kayla about spankings they'd been on the receiving end of. She'd read and edited many books.
He pulled her over his lap and proceeded to pull the long shirt up and then shucked down her panties. "I don't know why you even put these back on," he said with a chuckle. "You should have known that one way or the other, they weren't going to stay on."
He reached under his shirt that she wore so well and rubbed her back. Then he moved his hand to her buttocks and caressed each of them before the first hard smack of his hand connected with her creamy skin.
"Ow," she said as she jumped. She hadn't been expecting that one to follow so soon after the gentle caresses.
He didn't comment, just started raining down on her bottom, left to right, back and forth, several times before starting on her sit spots. After each set of six, he stopped to rub out some of the sting before beginning again. She barely had time to catch her breath before a sharp smack landed on the top of one thigh and then the other.
What was she feeling right now? It could only be described as a combination of pain, remorse, and—no, it couldn't be—arousal. But it was. She was getting the most erotic feelings mixed in with the pain. She could feel the moisture pooling in her lady parts. Lady parts? She'd been reading way too many books. She almost laughed but caught herself as she didn't think her Dom would appreciate that. But it was true. She'd heard that some women were turned on by spankings. She recalled the night he'd had her self-spank. She'd been aroused, but she had chalked that up to the fact they were playing on the phone, which was a new experience for her. She hadn't really tied it to the actual spanking.
But this? This was an honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned, over-the-knee hand-spanking, and she most definitely was horny as hell right now. Did he know?
Then, she felt it. The hard proof of his own desire. So, he was turned on too. What now? Would he make love to her? Or was that a no-no with a punishment? Was that part of the pain, not letting her unleash her desires? She would soon find out.
Her Promised Dom (Dominant Men Book 3) Page 17
