by Sophie Stern
“No regrets?” I ask her, realizing that maybe Jennifer and I aren’t so different.
“None,” she says firmly. “Zack knows. He’s listened to me plenty of nights.”
“It’s true,” Zack nods. “Jennifer loves to whine.”
“Come on, now,” she protests with a laugh. “I’m not that bad.”
“Nah, you’ve got a good heart,” he says. “It’s why everyone likes you and this place.”
“I’m getting ready to kick it up a notch,” she says. “Things have been a little slow lately. I’m guessing it’s because there are a few new bars that have opened lately. We’re going to start doing theme nights and maybe even adding a trivia night or something,” she shrugs. “We’ll see.”
“It’s got a great atmosphere,” I tell her. “You’ve done a great job with it.”
“It needs a little something extra,” she says. “And I’m not sure what.”
“Hey,” a woman approaches the bar. “Do you guys have a food menu?”
“No,” Jennifer shakes her hands. “Just drinks. Can I get you another?”
“No thanks,” the brunette says. “I’d like to close my tab. We’re going to go grab some food.”
“Sure thing,” Jennifer heads to the register to get the girl her bill, and that’s when it hits me. After the woman finishes paying and Jennifer comes back, I smile.
“I’ve got it.”
“What’s that?”
“You need food.”
“I know,” she says. “It’s something I’ve been working on for awhile. It just hasn’t come together yet.”
“Yeah, how can you run a bar without food?” Zack complains. “I’m always hungry when I’m here.”
“You sure whine a lot,” she glares at him.
“My girlfriend is a caterer,” I say. “I bet she could help you set something up. If you want to hire full-time kitchen staff, she could help you with recommendations, or if you just want to have food brought in a few times a week, I bet she could do that, too.”
“We don’t have a full kitchen,” Jennifer admits. “It’s one of the reasons I’ve been hesitant to even start dealing with food. It would require a remodel that, unfortunately, I don’t have the cash for right now.”
“You never told me that,” Zack pouts. “I wouldn’t have bitched so much if I’d known.”
“Shut up, Zack,” Jennifer says. “I don’t mind your whining, but I also don’t want to blast my shortcomings to the world, you know?”
“It’s not a shortcoming.”
“It is, but that’s all right.” She turns back to me. “What’s your girlfriend’s number? I’m interested in talking with her. I honestly haven’t considered hiring a caterer, but that’s an amazing idea. Maybe if I had a special food night once a week or so, it would bring in new customers and clients. It would add an entire new element.”
“Plus,” I point out. “You could try a different menu each time, so your customers wouldn’t be eating the same stuff every time they came to visit.”
“Zack, where did you find this guy?” Jennifer smiles at my friend. “He’s a lifesaver.”
“I know,” Zack says. He raises his drink to me. “To an incredible friend.”
“To Drinking Games,” I raise my drink.
Jennifer lifts her water bottle and smiles.
“To the night.”
Chapter 15
Macie
I get home after midnight. I’m covered in sweat and flour and sadness, and I’m completely exhausted. It’s not until after I get out of my car and I’m halfway to the door when I notice the figure sitting on my front stoop.
“Tony?” I ask, surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you,” he says, jumping up and striding over to me. He grabs me and kisses me like he needs me, like he can’t stand another moment without me. “I missed you so much today,” he presses his forehead to mine. “It was a really rough day.”
“Me too,” I admit.
“What happened, sweetheart?” He asks, but I shake my head. “Come inside,” I tell him. “Let’s talk about it in the shower. I’m going to die if I don’t get cleaned off.”
“I’d love to help you with that,” he smiles, and I lead him into the house and upstairs to the bathroom. We both strip down silently, caught up in our own worlds. My shower is barely big enough for one person, let alone two, but somehow, we make it work. We finish quickly, and then we climb into my bed together.
“It was a long day,” I tell him. “I had to fire my manager. I don’t even know what I’m going to do now. She keeps overbooking us or forgetting to write down events she’s scheduled. It’s a huge cluster fuck. I thought I’d be able to train her if I was patient enough, but my business comes first, and she was causing me a lot of problems. My reputation in this community is very important to me, Tony. I want to be great. I want to be the one people come to when they need someone reliable. I don’t want Macie Jones Catering to be associated with flakiness.”
“I want you to hire me,” he says.
“What?”
“I want to be your manager,” Anthony repeats.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m turning in my resignation on Monday,” Tony says. “I was already struggling with being a lawyer. I was already having a hard time with my job and making everything work, but after being with you, Macie, I realized that I deserve more. I want more. I want to be with you. I want to be happy, and I want a job I don’t hate. Please. I’m an excellent manager.”
“I don’t think I can pay you what you’re worth, baby,” I tell him honestly. “I would love to work with you. I think we’d make an incredible team, but there’s no way I can match what you’re making at the law firm.”
“I don’t care about the money.”
“You might once we start looking at the numbers together,” I laugh quietly, but he kisses me.
“Give me a chance, Macie.”
In the dim light of my room, I can see the eagerness on his face, the desire. He wants this. I don’t think I completely understand Tony’s desire to work with me, but I can see he so plainly wants me to give him a chance.
Isn’t that what he’s done for me?
I’m not under any impression that I’m the kind of sub he’s used to. I’m inexperienced and awkward and a little clumsy, but he’s still taking a chance on me. He’s still giving me the opportunity to try, and I think I can do that for Tony.
“The job is yours,” I tell him, and he kisses me, pushing me back on the bed. He covers me with his body and devours me with his mouth. He kisses my mouth, my neck, my chest, and then he pulls away and just looks at me.
“You are incredible, Macie Jones.”
“As are you, Tony Diamond,” I whisper, and suddenly, I realize that this is the moment where everything changes between us. Everything before this was just a dress rehearsal for the real thing.
“Close your eyes,” he says, and I instantly obey him. “I want to make love to you, Macie.”
“Please,” I whisper, and I feel him kissing me. I focus on keeping my eyes shut even though I desperately want to look at him. I want to see what he’s doing to me, how he’s touching me, but I focus on listening, on obeying him.
I focus on submitting to what he wants from me.
Soon I notice that with my eyes closed, every touch feels magnified. Every stroke of his hands, every kiss, every lick feels a thousand times more powerful. Soon I’m wet and wiggling and ready for more.
“Don’t move, sweetheart,” he says. “Hold perfectly still for me or I’ll tie you up.”
“I can’t help it,” I whisper. “It just feels so good.”
“Do you need some help holding still?” He asks, and I think about it for a second, but then I nod. “All right. Hold your hands together in front of you.” Keeping my eyes closed, I offer him my hands. I feel the bed shift as Tony gets off and starts rummaging around my room. He comes back a mi
nute later and then I feel him tying my wrists together.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“Trust me,” he says. “Also, I hope you don’t mind that I’m basically destroying your pink pantyhose. I’ll buy you new ones.” I laugh.
“It’s okay. I only wore them once for a Halloween party.”
He kisses me softly, and then Tony keeps touching me. His hands cover every inch of me, followed by kisses and little bites. When he gets to my nipples, I bite my lip to keep from groaning.
“Oh, that’s all right, sweetheart,” he chuckles. “Be loud if you want to, baby. I’m going to make you scream before we’re all done.”
“Why?”
“Because I adore you, Macie. Every inch of you is fucking fantastic, and I’m going to make your body mine.”
As he moves down my body, he pushes my legs open and begins to lick me lower, lower, lower. And then he’s there, tasting me, eating me like I’m the most fantastic dish he’s ever tried. I can’t see him or touch him, so I just spread my legs even more open and take what he’s offering me, enjoying the way he’s devouring me.
“Come for me, pretty girl,” he whispers, and then I’m there.
I’m coming.
And I scream for him.
Before my orgasm has ended, Tony is inside of me, filling me. I cry out at the intrusion, but it isn’t painful. It feels good, and I feel full.
“Fuck, you feel incredible, baby,” he groans, and he begins thrusting into me. I wiggle a little, unable to move my arms, and he bites my neck before moving up to nibble my ears. The sensations are incredible, and they wash over me, pushing me into a second orgasm.
“Tony,” I groan. “Tony, fuck…”
“You look so damn sexy,” he says. “Tied up like this,” he whispers. “I can’t wait to tie you up at the club, can’t wait to play with you while other people watch.”
“I want that, too,” I admit, wondering what it feels like to be at the center of attention. Before I visited Anchored, before I met Tony, I would have thought playing at a club would be terrifying or something only porn stars could do. Before tonight, I never thought I could be brave enough to try something like that, but now I know I want that.
I want all of it.
I want Tony, and I want the club, and I want to find out just how sexy I really can be.
“Yeah?” He asks, and even though my eyes are closed, I can picture him smiling down at me.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “I want to be your sub at the club, Master Tony. I want to submit to you while the other girls watch, while a crowd gathers around.”
“We can have a lot of fun, you and me.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“I’m so close, baby. You look so incredible. Fuck, Macie.”
“Please,” I beg him, and I realize I’ve been doing a lot of begging lately, but I’m not embarrassed or nervous about that. Tony just brings out this side of me. I’ve never been particularly verbal in bed and I’ve never been great at dirty talk, but he makes me feel like I can do anything.
He makes me believe in myself.
He makes me think that everything is going to be okay.
I know I have a long way to go before I understand everything there is to know about kink and Tony and the club in general, but what I do know is that when I’m with him, I feel like a fucking princess.
I feel like I am a star.
I feel like I can do anything.
And then he comes in me, filling me, marking me as his own. Tony comes hard, whispering my name, and I disobey him to open my eyes when I feel him come. I’m overwhelmed when I see the complete look of peace on his face.
He looks like this is where he belongs, and I know in my heart that it is. Tony and I are meant to be together. In this moment, nothing else matters. It’s just him and me in our own little world.
He opens his eyes and our gazes lock.
“You disobeyed,” he says quietly.
“I’ll accept any punishment you deem appropriate,” I tell him without missing a beat.
“Does that mean you want a spanking, sweetheart?”
“It means I want you, Tony. All of you.”
“I want you, too, Macie.”
He climbs off of me and settles next to me on the bed. Tony unties me slowly, taking his time, and then he covers me with kisses once more. He tosses the pantyhose aside and pulls me into his arms, and it’s the safest and most wonderful I’ve ever felt.
If this is what every moment with Tony is going to feel like, then sign me up. I know we’ll have our fights and our arguments because no relationship is perfect, but something tells me that when it comes to me and Tony, everything is going to be just fine.
I kiss him again, and my hopes soar.
Epilogue
Macie
Three Months Later
“The frosting is almost finished,” Ken says. I peek into the bowl he’s mixing in, and nod.
“The consistency looks great,” I say, and turn back to the ovens. I grab a pan of cupcakes and pull them out to cool. We’ve been in the kitchen since dawn and it’s nearly noon. The day is only half over, but I’m exhausted and tired. I’m also completely covered in flour.
“We have plenty of time to finish everything before tomorrow,” Ken shakes his head in disbelief. “This never would have happened under Jenna’s management, you know.”
“I know,” I tell Ken. Bringing Tony on board as my manager was the best business decision I’ve ever made. In just three months, he’s completely turned my business around. He’s doubled our productivity, completely revamped our organizational structure, and he’s done it all without raising anyone’s stress levels. “He’s incredible.”
“You really lucked out finding him,” Ken says. “He’s the best manager I’ve ever worked with, and that’s saying something.” Ken has been in catering for nearly five years. While he originally went to culinary school to become a chef, he was thrilled to join my team, and I’m lucky to have him.
“Thanks, Ken,” Tony steps into the room and looks over our work. He crosses his arms over his broad chest. “I’m happy to work with you, too. You’re great at what you do.”
“Thank you, sir,” Ken flushes. Even after all this time, he’s still not used to taking compliments. Jenna was a harsh supervisor and we’ve all had to learn to adjust to not being yelled at all the time.
One of the things I love most about Tony is that he’s not mean when he can be kind. He doesn’t shy away from correcting people or telling someone they’re making a mistake, but he always offers corrections in a way that doesn’t make people feel bad.
“Why don’t you take your lunch break, Ken? I can finish up in here.”
“Really? But it’s not even noon yet.”
“Oh, I know, but Rebecca is getting ready to head out, and I get the feeling she wouldn’t be opposed to you joining her.”
Ken grins and looks to me, like a little kid asking his mother for permission.
“Go ahead,” I tell him. “We’ve got this. Just make sure you’re back in time for the Zone and Destiny party tonight.” The company Piper works for is hosting a huge event and she was kind enough to get us hired as the caterer for the party. The tech firm’s company event is one of the biggest we’ve ever worked on, and I’m both nervous and excited about how the evening is going to go.
“Thanks!” Ken says. He pulls off his apron, washes his hands, and heads out to the front, presumably to find Rebecca.
“How’d you know about that?” I ask Tony when he comes over to me. He kisses me on the forehead.
“About what?”
“About Ken and Rebecca being into each other.”
“I’m a Dom, sweetie. It’s my job to notice these things.”
“Is that right?”
“Oh, that’s right,” he says. We hear the front door of the office close. The little tell-tale jingle of bells above the door lets us know we’re alone. Still, Tony walks to the k
itchen door and closes it. Then he locks it.
“What are you doing?” I ask him, but I already have a pretty good idea.
“Something I should have done a long time ago,” he says. He helps me out of my apron and hangs it up. Then Tony wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a deep kiss.
“You’re such a good kisser,” I murmur against his lips.
“I’ve had a lot of practice.”
In this moment, I feel incredible. I feel strong and brave and like I’m on top of the world. Just a few months ago, I felt like I was never going to find someone. I thought my business might completely fall apart. I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle my stress for one more day, but then Tony walked into my life and everything changed.
Now, as he turns me around and pushes me over the counter, I realize that without him, I never would have been brave enough to admit my deepest fantasy. I never would have been bold enough to tell anyone what I want more than anything else.
He pushes my skirt up.
“No panties,” he murmurs.
“I was hoping,” I bite my bottom lip. “You know, that maybe you’d want to fuck me here sometime.”
“So you got ready for me, is that it, sweetheart?”
“Yes.”
“Fucking beautiful, that’s what you are. Beautiful.”
I hear him unzipping his pants and then he nudges against me.
“Baby, you’re already wet for me,” he says.
“I know,” I wonder if I’m blushing. I feel like I’m blushing. Since Tony and I started dating, I feel like I’m constantly wet. Each time we have sex, I learn something new about him. More than that, I learn something new about myself. Just recently, we experimented with exhibitionism. We had sex in one of the voyeur rooms at Anchored, and we drew quite a crowd. It was more fun than I anticipated, and not nearly as scary.
If this is what being with Tony feels like after only a few months, I can’t wait to find out what the future holds. I can’t wait to find out how incredible our lovemaking is after even more time together.
