“This is unreal,” Melody gasped as she struggled to take it all in. “Look at it! Look at all the butterflies. And the roses...oh, there are so many roses! Mmm, they smell so good. This is unbelievable, Zane! I could stay here forever.”
“I thought you’d like it,” Zane replied, watching her reaction intently. “I was going to bring you here for your birthday next week, but I couldn’t wait. This garden was the whole reason I brought you here, actually. It’s pretty cool, huh?”
“It’s very cool! Is this part of the restaurant?” she asked, simultaneously grimacing at the mention of her birthday and touched that Zane had remembered it.
“No. I suppose they don’t want butterflies landing in people’s food,” he reasoned. “The garden is a place to have pre-dinner drinks. But not too many people know about it and only VIP guests are allowed back here.”
“It’s like the exclusive, members’ only country club of restaurant lounges!” Melody laughed. Then, curiously, she asked, “How did you find out about it?”
“A business partner of mine from a few years ago brought me here to celebrate a merger.”
A woman in a crisp black uniform arrived with champagne, then. And she didn’t bring them a glass each. No, she brought them an entire bottle. And damn, was it good champagne! Melody had to remind herself to slow down so she wouldn’t get embarrassingly drunk before the main course was even served. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the last time she’d had too much to drink...
Before the server left, she set a classy looking black leather bound menu down on the table. “Our drinks selection,” she explained. “I’ll give you two a moment to look it over.”
As Melody and Zane sat together at the small wrought iron table, he reached across the table and took her hand. She gazed into his green eyes and saw utter adoration in them. It was so intense that Melody, deeply touched, had to look away.
A beautiful, vibrant butterfly flitted past. Then it circled back and landed on the tablecloth near Zane. He looked down at it and smiled. Then he held his index finger out, moving slowly. As Melody looked on, he somehow managed to coax the butterfly to land on him briefly before it gracefully flew away.
Melody loved seeing that gentler side of him. For a moment she couldn’t help but stare. Sometimes she found it tough to wrap her head around the many sides of Zane Shepherd.
He was her best friend, the playful, mischievous guy who force fed her ice cream and tossed her in the river. He was her Dom, the one who tied her up, spanked her and made her beg, teasing and denying her simply because doing so excited him. And he was also the sweet, considerate billionaire who was wining and dining her like she’d never been wined and dined before.
She loved that he kept surprising her. He was many things – and filled many roles in her life – but she’d never seen a side of him she didn’t like. Actually, the more she found out about him the harder she fell for him. Could he be any more perfect?
Okay, he obviously wasn’t perfect. No one was. But Melody was so consumed by her infatuation that it was difficult to see Zane as anything other than her dream guy. She was on cloud nine, plain and simple. But that probably didn’t mean she needed to gawk at him like a creep, Melody realized. She quickly looked away before Zane caught her ogling him.
She took a sip of champagne and then picked up the menu, idly flipping through it.
When she saw the prices on the wine, she nearly spit out her champagne.
“Look at this! It has to be a typo!” she whispered, sliding the menu across the table to show Zane the astronomical number. “I know this is a fancy place, but come on! The decimal point is in the wrong place!”
“Actually it isn’t,” he replied. “But I thought the same thing the first time I came here,” he added kindly. “Their wine, in particular, is imported from all over the world. It’s some of the finest money can buy.”
Melody didn’t think it was the time to point out that she would be perfectly content to drink boxed wine from the local corner store. Actually, she would have been equally happy to indulge in a peanut butter milkshake.
The server came back at that very moment. “I see you’ve had an opportunity to look at our drinks selection,” she observed cheerfully. “Have you decided what you would like? If not, I can make some recommendations.”
“We don’t need any more drinks,” Melody informed her quickly. “Thanks.”
“Sure we do,” Zane interjected as he handed the menu back to the server. “We’ll have a bottle of your best wine, please.” Then, as Melody’s jaw visibly dropped, he appeared to reconsider. “Actually, make it two bottles of your best wine.”
“Excellent. Will you be having that out here or at your table?” the server asked pleasantly.
Zane looked at Melody. “Are you getting hungry?”
Her stomach chose that exact instant to growl. “Yeah, I could eat,” she nodded.
“We’ll have our wine inside,” Zane told the server. “Can you show us to our table?”
“Absolutely, follow me please.”
“Oh wow,” Melody breathed once they were seated at a semi-private table in a quiet back corner of the restaurant. Their table had a view of the garden, which was lovely, but there was so much going on inside that it competed for her attention!
There were fresh miniature crimson roses everywhere, their sweet fragrance wafting up from the table’s massive centerpiece enticingly. And in the middle of the centerpiece was a hand carved crystal swan that glistened in the candlelight. It was exquisite, magnificent and completely over the top.
“You like?” Zane asked when he noticed Melody struggling to take their surroundings in.
“It’s too much!” she exclaimed, in awe of how magical it all was. Then, coming to her senses and realizing that probably hadn’t been the most tactful thing to say, she tried to backpedal. “I mean yes, I like it. I love it! It’s beautiful! It’s just...a lot.”
“I agree. It is a lot. In fact it probably is too much,” Zane replied, reaching up to loosen his tie. “I feel like an idiot trying to impress you with all this nonsense. Why do we need forty different forks to eat one stupid meal? Wouldn’t one be sufficient?”
Melody grinned, loving that Zane was voicing pretty much her exact sentiments. She also loved that they could be brutally honest with one another, speaking their mind instead of doing what was polite or expected. “If you want to use the same fork for every course, I won’t tell.”
“Awesome, I might have to take you up on that offer. Also, I hate ties. Have I ever mentioned that before? Absolutely hate them,” he grumbled as he yanked his off and tossed it on the table. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Do you want me to put it in my clutch?” Melody asked.
“Sure, thanks.”
Then Zane started to chuckle as he watched her stuff the wadded up tie into her fancy little bag.
She paused and looked up at him questioningly. “What?”
“I was just thinking we act more like an old married couple than two people on their first date.”
“We kind of do,” she agreed, grimacing. “Oops?”
“No, I don’t mean it in a bad way,” he assured her quickly. “Actually, I mean it in a very good way. It’s like we get the best of both worlds. We get to be completely comfortable with each other without getting bored. At least I hope you’re not bored? I know I’m not.”
“I’m far from bored!” she exclaimed. “How could I ever be bored with you?”
The server reappeared at their table. Perhaps her level of service was slightly overzealous but in a place like that, who could blame her? Melody couldn’t even imagine the sort of tips someone working in that overpriced, swanky restaurant.
“Have you two had a chance to look at the menu?” the server asked.
“Um no, actually we haven’t,” Zane told her. “Could you give us a few minutes please?”
“Certainly,” the server replied before disappearing aga
in.
Zane and Melody surveyed their menus in silence for a moment. Melody made a point of not looking at the prices so she wouldn’t have a heart attack. Even though Zane was apparently richer than she could even fathom, she still had trouble wrapping her head around shelling out tons of cash for a stupid lobster. It seemed...well, it seemed pretentious.
Across the table, Zane set down his menu. “Do you know what you want?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe chicken?” she replied uncertainly.
“You know what I could really go for right now?”
“What?”
“A big juicy burger and a side of cheesy fries,” he grinned.
“Somehow I don’t think they have that on the menu.”
“No, they probably don’t,” he agreed. “That’s too bad.” Then, with a gleam in his eye, Zane leaned across the table and whispered, “I’ll take you out for a burger when we get done here.”
“An after dinner burger?” she asked, smiling at how ridiculous it sounded.
“Yes!”
“In our fancy clothes?” she pressed.
“You bet.”
“I’m in!”
Folding his hands on the table in front of him, Zane tipped his head to the side and looked at Melody thoughtfully. He appeared to be considering something. She took a sip of overpriced wine and waited patiently as he grappled with whatever was going through his mind.
“If this is out of line, tell me,” he cautioned.
“Okay.”
“I was planning to treat this like an actual, you know, first date,” he explained. “But on the off chance we wanted to uh, have some fun at some point? I put some stuff – some toys – in the trunk of the car. Do you want to play?”
Melody lit up at that, her entire body screaming out that yes, she did in fact want to play. “Here?” she asked, looking around. She couldn’t imagine doing anything kinky in such a posh, high class place. And yet that made the idea of it extra appealing.
“Yes, here.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s do it.”
“Good girl. Give me your purse,” Zane ordered, holding out his hand.
Melody handed over her clutch immediately. “I’m afraid you’re not going to find much more than my lipstick and your necktie in there,” she cautioned him. “So if you were hoping to discover anything interesting, you’ll probably be disappointed.”
“It’s not about what’s in it,” Zane told her. “It’s about what I’m going to put in it.” With that, he pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. “Wait here. I’ll be right back,” he told her before turning and purposefully striding out of the restaurant.
Food was now officially the last thing on Melody’s mind. She picked at the appetizers Zane had ordered for them – crab salad canapés and caramelized onion tartlets. They were good, but she was hungry for something else. She was hungry to be dominated.
Sitting alone at the table, Melody looked around and waited anxiously for Zane to return. Even though he had only been gone a matter of minutes, every second felt like a lifetime. Melody couldn’t understand why subbing made her feel so clingy but when she was in that frame of mind, she needed Zane like she needed air.
Finally, he returned.
He looked so handsome walking through the restaurant in his expensive suit. His lack of a tie was a loud statement that he didn’t care about rules or social norms. And he seemed completely comfortable with the fact that he was carrying Melody’s clutch in one hand, not the least bit embarrassed by the curious glances he was getting.
In fact, he probably didn’t even notice.
His eyes were glued to Melody.
Completely transfixed, she felt her heart skip a beat as Zane smiled at her. He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, a completely chaste and publicly appropriate gesture. At the same time, he placed Melody’s clutch back in her hands.
“Go into the ladies’ room,” he whispered in her ear, the tickle of his hot breath on her cool skin making her tingle. “I’ve put a toy in your purse. Put it inside you. And when you come back out, you’re to hand me your panties. Do you understand?”
Melody gasped and stared up at Zane in shock. She’d had no idea what playing in the restaurant would entail but somehow, she hadn’t expected it to involve that.
“Is there a problem?” he asked pleasantly as he walked around the table and sat back down in his chair. She could see his lust for her in his eyes and his excitement was contagious. She very much wanted to please him. In fact, she ached to submit to him.
“No, there’s no problem,” she assured him, swallowing hard.
“Good.”
“Go now,” Zane urged, picking up his drink and taking a long, leisurely sip. “I’ll order for you. You said you wanted chicken, right?”
Melody gave Zane a long, imploring look. But he ignored it. He merely picked up his wine, held it up as if to toast her and then took a sip. He loved her predicament and he loved watching her squirm. Deep down she loved it too, even when she refused to outwardly admit it.
Melody stood up slowly and tucked her clutch under her arm. She looked around the restaurant, both to get her bearings and to see if any of the other diners happened to be looking in her direction. She bit her lower lip nervously. Then, on trembling legs, she turned and walked to the ladies’ room.
Thankfully, the very posh, spa-like restroom was empty. She didn’t know what she would have done had someone else been in there! Her heart racing, Melody quickly locked herself inside the farthest stall from the door and looked inside her clutch.
Just as Zane had told her, there was a toy in there. She picked it up and examined it.
It was a small, smooth purple bullet, oval-shaped and sleek. It looked expensive, if one can deduce such a thing from looking at a nondescript round purple object. It was approximately the size of an egg. It wasn’t particularly vulgar looking or even easily identifiable as a sex toy. Actually, it was rather tame compared to some of the possibilities Melody had been visualizing as her imagination had run wild!
She decided she’d better hurry up before someone else came into the ladies’ room. Even though no one would know what she was up to in the privacy of the stall, she didn’t think she would be able to do what she was supposed to if someone else was nearby!
Melody quickly hiked up her dress and yanked her panties down to her knees. She momentarily considered playing with herself to prepare her body for the toy’s invasion, but then she realized she was already soaked. It never failed: as soon as Zane talked to her in that quiet, calm, authoritative tone of his, she was done for.
The toy slid inside with ease, Melody’s wet, wanting body accepting it hungrily. It felt good, the way it filled her up...but she wanted more! She wanted so much more. Would tonight be the night, she wondered? Would she and Zane finally have sex? It would be fitting to wait to sleep together until the first date she thought to herself with a giggle.
She was about to rearrange her clothing and return to the table when she remembered Zane’s other instruction. He wanted her to take off her panties and give them to him. Uh oh...
Until that moment, Melody had failed to consider what that meant. And when she realized, she wondered if Zane himself had even thought it through. It was mortifying enough to have to walk through the restaurant with a toy inside her but with no panties, wouldn’t it be easy for said toy to simply...fall right out?
Oh God, what if it fell out as she was walking through the restaurant?! She could practically envision it rolling across the floor while horrified onlookers glared at her in disgust. Or even worse, maybe it would trip a restaurant server who was carrying a tray full of drinks and cause a big scene. Melody shuddered at the thought.
She was having reservations.
Hesitating, Melody paused to think things through. What were her options?
Her first impulse was to say forget it and to keep her panties on. She would tell Zane she couldn’t – or wouldn�
��t – do as he’d asked. And then she would, of course, accept whatever punishment he decided was appropriate.
But the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to try to please him.
It was difficult to believe Zane would be reckless about giving his orders. He was always so meticulous, so intentional and so in control. He probably knew exactly what he was doing when he instructed her to go commando. The order was intended to push her to her limits, exactly as he’d threatened – or promised – he would do.
Just then the bathroom door opened and Melody could hear two women chatting.
Feeling like she’d been caught in the act – even though they probably had no idea she was even in there, let alone doing naughty things – she sprang into action. She allowed her panties to fall to the floor and stepped out of them as quickly and quietly as she could. Then she crammed them into her clutch, grateful that Zane had taken his tie out so that there was room for them.
She stepped out of the stall.
The two women, dressed to the nines in pearls and diamonds, were reapplying their lipstick in front of the mirror. They turned and smiled at her cordially when she came out. It was all Melody could do to muster up a strained half-smile of her own. She was sure her face must be beet red.
She quickly washed her hands, avoiding eye contact lest the women try to strike up a conversation with her. She was in no position to stand around conversing with strangers! No, she was on a mission...
Bursting out of the ladies’ room, Melody hurried back toward the table where Zane awaited her. She stared straight ahead, afraid to look at anyone. It was as though she thought they would somehow know her secret if they caught her eye!
She felt incredibly flustered...and very aroused. Clenching her pelvic muscles as tightly as she could, Melody prayed that the toy wouldn’t fall out and completely humiliate her in the nicest restaurant she’d ever dined at.
Safe Word Page 14
