“I thought I’d take you to dinner. Just the two of us.”
“Just the two of us?” I stared at the phone.
“Unless you’d like an audience.”
“Oh, no. Not into voyeurism, remember?” I sat back down on the bed.
“Let’s say about six o’clock. Carol will come and escort you to dinner. I’ll leave you something to wear.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Me too, Lulu.”
My heart flipped. Before now, only one person had ever called me Lulu. I didn’t mind Marcus calling me that, but it did bring up some memories I wished would stay buried.
A box waited for me on my bed when I returned to my stateroom. It wasn’t wrapped but secured with a big silver satin bow. I untied and lifted the sturdy lid. Clouds of tissue paper billowed out. I removed them and found a silky purple dress. The soft fabric shined as I held it in front of me and stared at myself in the full-length mirror. The dress fell just below my knee and shimmered when I moved. Two thin silver-chain straps held the dress together. I returned to the box, no panties or a bra or shoes for that matter. He did provide a note.
I saw this and thought of you.
Please wear it for me tonight and nothing else.
See you at six.
* * *
Your sexy boat Dom.
Ugh, I could be so corny.
I showered and shaved and then slid into the dress. It fit snug against my torso and clung to my hips, flaring a little at the bottom. The straps tickled as they rolled across my shoulders.
I brushed out my hair and put on a little lip gloss. The box didn’t include a blindfold. Maybe we would go without tonight.
Carol knocked on my door at ten minutes to six. She stood in the doorway with her familiar tablet in the crook of her arm.
“You look lovely.”
“Thank you.” I shimmied in the dress, but her focus had returned to the tablet.
“You are having dinner tonight, and Master has asked us to set up the St. Andrew’s Cross and other bondage tools. But he only asked me to pull out a set of floggers. Seems they are your favorite.” She looked up. “Any changes or concerns regarding your limits?”
“No, I’m good.”
She tapped the screen and handed it to me. “No changes on his end either.”
I signed my name with my finger and hit submit. I handed the tablet back and we were off.
We walked down the hall and then down some stairs. It took us back down a hallway the length of the boat. Carol opened the last door on the right and stepped to the side.
I stepped in and gasped.
The room was compact and minimal. A narrow bed tucked into one corner. But dominating the center stood a small round table that contradicted everything else about the space. Draped in richly patterned cloth, it displayed a single place setting: gleaming bone china on a gold charger, crystal goblets catching the light, and gold flatware arranged with military precision. Fresh flowers and tall candles crowned the center, the entire setting fit for a queen.
There was a balcony with a view out to sea, but it was currently obscured by a St. Andrew’s Cross made of polished metal. I ran my hand down.
“Are you ready?” Carol flipped the blindfold out of her pocket. “Master would like you stand here and wait for him.”
I hid my disappointment. I wanted to see his eyes when he saw me in the dress.
