Epilogue

A Do-over

THE DOOR CREAKED ASit slowly swung open, only to close a moment later. The soft thud of approaching footsteps echoed throughout the room, accompanied by the subtle waft of a masculine, woodsy scent. As a denim-covered leg lightly brushed her back, a shiver raced down her spine. Her nipples tightened in anticipation, and liquid heat flooded her pussy. It was all so familiar—kneeling in the center of room 9 with a satin blindfold in place while butterflies fluttered in her stomach—because she'd done this before.

Except tonight, instead of the anxiety and, yes, the fear of giving herself to a complete stranger, the fluttery dance going on inside her was for an entirely different reason. This time, there would be no panic, no abrupt halt to the scene, or shock as the identity of her dom for the evening was revealed. It would play out to its expected conclusion, with her reaching the heights of pleasure as she submitted fully to his dominance.

"You're trembling, little one. I assure you, nothing is going to happen tonight that you do not want or cannot stop. But you know that already, don't you?"

Although the words were slightly different, the voice held the same low, seductive rasp. Fingers threaded through her hair and pulled her head back.

"Tell me your safeword."

"Red, sir."

His free hand cupped her chin, and the warmth of his breath bathed her lips as he bent near. "Are you trembling because you're frightened?"

"No, sir. It's from excitement because I can't wait for all the wickedly delightful things you have planned for me."

His lips brushed hers as he chuckled softly. "Neither can I, kitten. Kiss me."

When his mouth closed over hers, and his tongue swept inside, there were no warning bells alarming in her head as the image of blue eyes, silvered temples, and Noah's beloved face coalesced in her head.

"Stand," he ordered, stepping back so she could rise, and taking her hand to assist her.

Soft fur brushed her skin as he cuffed one wrist, drew her arm upward, and linked it above her head.

"You asked for a do-over of our interrupted first scene. I want that, too, but if this is too much too soon, I expect to hear your safeword. Are we clear on this?"

"Yes, sir."

Suddenly, the blindfold was gone, and he tossed it aside.

"That's enough of that. I prefer to see your beautiful and very expressive, brown eyes."

He studied her face for a moment, searching for signs of panic because her first awful scene with he whose name shall not be spoken caused problems with cuffs and was minor compared to the second. Even months later, Noah stayed vigilant, just in case.

He nodded, satisfied with what she knew he saw—eagerness and desire—and gently ran his hand down her cheek. Closing her eyes, she leaned in to his touch. Too soon, it was gone.

When he cuffed and linked the other wrist above her head with an ominous click, her eyes followed his movements. She took in the maze of chains and pulleys suspended from the ceiling. Tugging on one cuff sent her chain and the many surrounding it to clanking.The sound sent a shiver of desire racing through her. How twisted was that?

He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipped it down, bringing her eyes back to his. "All good, pet?"

She read the concern in the tension around his mouth and furrowed brow. He'd stop if she said the word, and it didn't have to be red. Her confidence in him and his having shown he would always put her safety first made her declare, "All wonderful, sir. For some kinksters, it's the crack of the whip, but the clank of chains does it for me."

As his hand glided down her side, it lingered on the curve of her breast, tracing the outline of her waist before finally settling on her hip. "How so?" he asked, wanting specifics.

"It gets me wet," she breathed. "As do you, sir."

She saw a desire gleaming in his eyes as he sank his other hand into her hair, angled her mouth just so, and kissed her, hot, and wet and thorough.

They were both winded and gasping for air when he released her mouth and rested his forehead against hers. "Truly, I can't conceive of what I did to deserve the gift of you, Fiona."

"I can. There is so much good in you, Noah. I don't know where to begin. But..."

He didn't raise his head when he looked at her, and all she saw was deep blue. "But?"

"No one is going to mind if you're not so good every now and then—with me." She pulled on her cuffs, sending a ripple through the clinking chains overhead.

"Is this your way of telling me to get on with it?"

"Oh no. I'd never!" she exclaimed, somehow suppressing a grin because she would, and had, although never in so many words.

"Beautiful and impatient," he said with a grin then kissed her again, hard and quick this time. As the long stride took him quickly out of sight, he stated softly, "Challenge accepted."

She heard the distinct sound of a zipper followed by footsteps echoing once more. Fiona inhaled sharply as Noah's suede flogger landed with a thwap across her bottom. Not because it hurt but because it ignited the fire his kisses had kindled. So did being cuffed and naked while he remained clothed. The imbalance of power, which she willingly relinquished, was a heady thing.

The tails fell again and again, moving over both cheeks until her skin tingled deliciously. Then, attuned to her needs, he knew she was ready for more, and painted her thighs then her shoulders and her back with the same sensations. With feel-good hormones flooding her body, she stood swaying on her feet, her hands wrapped around the chains holding her up, and she dropped her head forward, surrendering to the pleasure.

The whooshing and thwapping suddenly ceased. Except for her quickened breathing, and the occasional clink of the chains, the room fell into silence.

A light stroking where his lash had touched made her jump.

"Shh, kitten," he hummed near her ear. "Your skin turned such a lovely pink, I had to satisfy the urge to touch you."

His hand followed the path the suede tails had taken, trailing over her bottom, testing and caressing, down her thighs then up her back to her shoulders. Where the flogger had made her come alive with sensation, Noah's caress was like a flame, setting her ablaze with desire.

A creak of a floorboard and the thud of his step. Beside her now, he shook out his lash and began again. A light thwack on her stomach, the front of both thighs, then in an upward stroke along the underside of one breast, then the other. He focused his attention there for a while, warming her skin with the soft, brushed leather but avoiding her nipples.

Waiting for the inevitable only made her want it more. Her head fell back, raising her breasts. As if she'd beg for it, the flogger connected with both taut peaks at once.

A low moan hummed in her throat.

"That's it, kitten," he murmured. "Purr for me."

As the lash fell, again and again, he whispered words of encouragement and her sounds of contentment continued. There was only one more place she needed it to fall before she could soar in utter bliss. Fiona moved her feet apart several inches, hoping he would be as astute with her gesture as he was with everything else.

"My kitty wants more. Is that right?"

She turned her flaming face to the side and buried it in her upstretched arm as she nodded.

"No, no. You know the rules. During a scene, you must ask for what you want, so there's no risk of miscommunication."

"I want you to...whip my pussy, sir."

"Such a good pet," he hummed as the tails fell across the front of one leg, just above her knee. "Open wider for me," he ordered, and she immediately obeyed.

"Hmm... Hang on a minute," he stated, not satisfied.

In cuffs and chains, on the verge of climax, what choice did she have except to hang on?

His fingers brushed her right thigh, and he buckled a wide cuff around it. Next, she heard a ratcheting sound as a chain and pulley raised her leg and her toes left the floor.

"Master Noah," she cried in alarm.

His hand on her hip squeezed in reassurance. "I wouldn't let you fall, pet. This position will open you up to my flogger and even more intense pleasure."

Balanced like a flamingo on one leg, she didn't notice he'd moved in front of her until the next stroke landed on her inner thigh with a very wet splat. She closed her eyes, moaning in need as much as embarrassment. The sound repeated when the tails connected on the other side. And she quickly forgot her mortification when the next stroke landed dead center between them.

A jolt of pleasure rocked her body. Of their own accord, her hips jutted forward, needing another to send her soaring, which Noah delivered. Fiona shuddered. A rainbow of colors flashed before her eyes, and a guttural cry of pure ecstasy echoed through the chamber as her orgasm exploded.

Distantly, she heard a clatter, but it was forgotten as Noah moved in close. His hands steadied her at the hips before he drove his cock up inside her. What followed was anything but quiet. The chains rattled overhead, skin slapped skin, and there were wet noises she'd care about later. Mostly, he growled and groaned into her mouth as he sought his release. Surging harder and faster, he found it a few strokes later, as did she, trussed up like a Christmas goose—correction, a Christmas flamingo—she came again while purring in utter contentment.

Afterward, lying on the bed in the shadowy corner, Fiona cuddled up to his side, her hands free to roam as they would. Her palm tingled from the smattering of hair on his chest, but she didn't stop, watching the diamond solitaire catch what light it could as she made slow circles.

"You seem past your fear of restraints," he murmured, startling her.

"I thought you were asleep."

"With you rubbing me? Not happening."

"I'm being selfish. You were in surgery all day and did all the work here. You must be exhausted."

He caught her hand when she moved it and put it back where it was. "I wasn't complaining. It's nice being petted for a change."

She ran her fingers through the smattering of bronze curls on his chest. "You're furry, but you don't purr when you come. You growl."

"Like a dog?"

"Not to be insulting, but yes. A sexy dog. Or a bear."

Chuckling, he curled his arm, pulling her in closer and planting a kiss on her lips. "No insult taken, kitten."

She snuggled close, smiling. "A cat and a dog. I'm surprised we get along so well."

"Growing up, my cat and dog were best friends. She'd groom him, and he'd curl around her when sleeping, as if guarding her."

"Like you do with me."

"See? Not so strange after all."

Noah rolled onto his side and buried his face in her hair. "Our time is about up, but I'm too comfortable to move."

"Is it possible no one has it reserved after us?"

"Nope. All the rooms are fully booked for an entire month. That's why we were playing tonight no matter how tired I was."

She moved her hand from his chest to his bearded cheek. "You work too hard, sir. Between Rossi and your practice and SVI, you're spread much too thin. Not to seem selfish, but you have a demanding fiancée who will want you to squeeze in time for her more often than not."

"I'm way ahead of you, pet. A surgeon in my practice is taking my place in the SVI rotation beginning next month."

"Oh."

He propped on an elbow to look down at her. "Oh? That's all I get? You'll have me in LA full-time. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, but I don't want to be selfish and deprive children who need your skills. Is the other surgeon as good as you?"

"He'll get the job done. He had the same training I did and completed his surgical fellowship under me. If he wasn't skilled, I wouldn't have recommended him."

"Of course. It was silly of me to think it."

"Not silly. It was a valid concern. My kitten has a big heart, especially where kids are concerned."

"You'll be home every night." Liking the thought of that, she beamed up at him. "That makes me a very contented kitty. And it will be so much easier planning the wedding."

"Tell me when and where, and I'll be there in a tux. Just make sure it's a done deal by the end of the year."

Her head popped up. "That's only six months away? Why?"

"Because I want babies with you. If we put it off too long, I'll be fifty, and people will mistake me for their grandfather."

"You've got eight years before you turn fifty. Besides, you look and act a decade younger than you are," she scoffed. "I was hoping for an April wedding. Can we stretch your deadline to the spring of next year?"

"Yes, but no longer," he insisted around a yawn. "Come to think of it, ten months is good. It gives me plenty of alone time with my kitten."

His voice trailed off and, this time, she knew he slept. When a knock echoed loudly through the room, he jerked awake, and she wanted to pummel whoever was at the door.

"Time's up, Doc," a man called through the door. "The staff need to clean up before the next reservation."

"That's Axyl," Noah grumbled as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. "Get dressed fast. He's on DM duty, and he'll be in here carrying us out if we don't move it."

He wasn't wrong. She had barely wiggled into her dress when the door swung inward. Axyl smiled when he saw her. ", darlin'," he said in his Texas drawl. "If we don't run on time, the patrons get grouchy."

"I understand, Master Axyl," she replied, moving with Noah as he guided her to the door with his hand on her lower back.

"Eric needs to add more rooms," he grumbled. "For the amount we pay, we shouldn't have to rush."

"I don't disagree," Axyl replied, waving the cleaning staff in and following her and Noah out. "But you can tell him yourself at the master's meeting the first of the month."

"What? You're becoming a club master?" Fiona asked, both surprised and pleased. He should have had the title long ago with his expertise and experience.

"No. I'm not."

"Once again," Axyl informed her, "he has been put up for nomination. It's the fifth time in as many years. You might as well throw in the towel, Doc. Everyone knows you're ending your contract with Have Scalpels Will Travel."

"Surgical Volunteers International," Noah corrected him.

"Isn't that what I said?" he asked, winking at Fiona. "Anyway. Try telling Eric no. This time you don't have an excuse."

As they moved down the hall, arm in arm and side by side with Axyl, she glanced up at him in question. "Why don't you want to be a club master? You'd be good at it."

"I've just freed up time to be with you, pet. Now you want me to take on DM rotations, demonstrations, new member committee meetings, and the advisory board?"

She couldn't keep from thinking of the first time she saw him, high above the main floor, all muscle and gleaming skin. "What kind of demonstrations?"

"Whatever the membership needs," Axyl answered for him. "And he'll need a lovely assistant."

"Huh..."

"She likes the idea, Doc," he said, chuckling. "That's another vote in your favor."

She wasn't totally opposed to the idea. In fact, the more she thought about it the more she liked it. And Noah liked "showing her off."

Putting public demonstrations on the back burner for later, she went onto another item on his "cons" list. "Aren't the meetings held during off hours?"

"Usually on a weekend afternoon," Axyl also supplied. "You could hang out in the lounge with the other masters' subbies while we meet. And they have a submissives group that meets monthly I believe. You'd have to ask Val."

"I wouldn't mind getting to know the other submissives. I know Val and Esme, but I'd like to build my girl posse here."

"Your posse? How did you go from California girl to a yellow rose so fast? You were only in Texas a month?" he asked, amusement lacing his voice.

"That's what Regan called it. If it didn't mean moving, I'd become a Texas girl in a snap. I clicked so well with the subs in San Antonio. I'm going to miss them."

"They're good people, but we have good people here too," Axyl stated. "It would be good to expand your circle of friends. Not having one to turn to in the beginning was part of the problem. Besides, Val is going to recruit you anyway. I'm surprised she hasn't already."

Noah stopped in the middle of the traffic in the upper hall and turned to him. "That's the second time you said we. Are you going to be a club master at both places?"

"I've decided to make LA my home—permanently."

"You'll be around all the time, then," Fiona said excitedly, smiling at the big guy who was not only a trusted dom but whom she considered a friend. "With Noah off the market, you'll be the most eligible bachelor. Are you ready for that?"

He grinned. "It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it. What do you say, Doc? Have we got a new club master? Eric had two slots open. He'll be heaving a sigh of relief if we fill them." Suddenly, his eyes narrowed on something down the hall. "Dean, hold up," he bellowed loud enough to stop all activity in the hall. "I heard Samson tell him he'd surpassed his drink limit an hour ago," he muttered as he took off to intervene.

"You're wishing babysitting this lot on me, pet?"

"Like Axyl said, someone has to do it." She hugged his arm as he started them walking again. "What if you hadn't been there for me that night?"

"I wasn't the DM."

"No, but your instincts were spot-on, and you interceded before it got a lot worse."

"I'll think about it." He slung his arm around her shoulders and steered her past the other theme rooms to the rear of the mezzanine.

As they rounded the rail along the back wall, she asked, "Where are we going? Aren't the stairs the other way?"

"Eric lent me an apartment for the night."

"How nice of him."

"He's trying to butter me up. One of the partners is moving to Europe, and he wants me to buy him out."

"Partners? In the club?"

"And in Rossi. It would be a good investment. Both businesses are successful with a healthy bottom line."

"It sounds like the pros outweigh the cons. What's holding you back? If it's me, don't let it. I enjoy spending time here, especially now that I have someone to spend it with."

"Okay, you've convinced me."

She laughed. "That didn't take much arm twisting."

"I was leaning that way but didn't want to say until I discussed it with you. But don't tell anyone yet. I want to see what other carrots Eric dangles in front of me trying to get me to say yes."

They arrived at the rear elevator, and Noah punched in a code on the keypad. A thought occurred to her. "Would you get an apartment, too?"

"Yep. One comes with the partnership."

The ride up one floor was a quick trip. She followed him to the door at the end of the hall, thinking about all the possibilities.

"We wouldn't have to drive home after late nights or worry about a DD if we had a nightcap in the bar. And, when you're tired like you are tonight, we could head on up anytime. I'm liking the sound of this more and more."

"There are perks," he said, entering another code into another keypad and pulling her inside the darkened apartment. When the door shut, he pushed her up against the door. "Although not nearly as many as having a soft, sexy kitten of my own to come home to every night, to snuggle up to in bed, who purrs contentedly when I do depraved things to her beautiful body. And, best of all, to share my life with."

She ran her hands up his chest to his neck and into his hair. "I dreamed of finding a forever dom. I searched for him forever, including a full year here at the club. A silly misunderstanding almost made me miss him."

"That would have been a damn shame for both of us." He kissed her softly, lingeringly, which left her weak at the knees. But not as weak as when he added, "I wasn't living life until you opened my eyes, Fiona. Thank you for that."

"Oh, Noah," she whispered, tears prickling the backs of her eyes. "I could say the same about you."

His mouth came down on hers, and, with a chivalry that was all Noah, he swept her into his arms and carried her to bed.

Until morning, she wouldn't notice they'd turned left at the end of the hall instead of right into Eric and Val's apartment. Until morning, she wouldn't see the luxurious furnishings and tasteful decor, or the amazing jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. Until morning, she wouldn't learn that this was the apartment of the newest Rossi Group partner. Because tonight, she only had eyes for Noah and was exactly where she belonged—in his arms, surrounded by his love, and in the best of times, when they could shut out the reality of the world around them, his cherished pet.