She gasps softly. “It is? How long did I sleep?”
I glance at the clock on the wall. “About an hour. Before that, you snacked and dozed for forty-five minutes or so.” I massage the muscles across her shoulders. “Did you drive here?”
She nods, leaning into my prodding fingers.
“Are you okay to drive home?”
Another nod. “Can I see you again?”
Fucking hell, anytime you’d like.I nod.
“Can we…” She presses her lips together, fighting back a smile.
“Out with it,” I say, my fingers flexing at the base of her skull.
“Can we do this part again?”
I groan, then pull her back against my chest, placing my lips onto the crown of her head and hating this fucking mask for the first time in my life. “This will always be part of what we do here together. Aftercare is just as important as consent and safety.”
She nods, then, after another moment of silence, she pushes off of me, and my body instantly aches from the absence of her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sutton
My weekend has been consumed by thoughts of him, my masked man.
MyDominant.
His touch lingers on my skin. That robotic growl of his voice interrupts my thoughts and derails anything I try to get done. I spent the entirety of yesterday tidying up my apartment, but when I woke up this morning and went out to the kitchen to prepare the coffee, the mess indicated I actually got very little done yesterday.
All because a man I don’t know, have never seen without a mask hiding all of his identifiable features from me, sent me agood morningtext yesterday and I was on pins and needles the rest of the damn day.
This morning, thegood morningmessages went a little further. We discussed my plans for the day, what I would wear for my brunch date with Mo and our girlfriend Brynn. I allowed him to pick my outfit, which I admit is absolutely bonkers, but it was also oddly calming. I’m sure there’s a Suffragette out there turning in her grave right now, but allowing Dominus to choose my outfit took a weight off my shoulders I hadn’t realized I carried.
“Sutton,” Imogen says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Wincing because I’m a jerk, I drop the cell phone back into my purse and give her an apologetic smile. “Sorry.” The seat beside me is empty. When did Brynn get up from the table?
“You should be. We’ve been here for ten minutes and all you’ve done is nod, sayhuh, and check your phone.” She laughs. “What’s going on with you?”
Flicking my gaze around quickly, I lean forward. “I have to tell you something… about that kink club.”
She squeals, rubbing her hands together.
With a deep breath, I open my mouth to spill the details of my first night with Dominus, then quickly pull back when the server returns with our bottomless mimosas. She sets three small carafes of assorted juices down in the center of the table, then fills each of our glasses halfway with bubbly.
“Are you ladies ready to order? Maybe some appetizers—”
“We’re good!” Mo cringes, then looks up at the server. “Oh my god, sorry. That was… yikes. I didn’t mean to bark at you. My best friend is about to tell me something juicy.”
I snort, covering my face with my hands as my cheeks heat.
“Say less,” the server says with a laugh. “I’ll come back in a bit and check in.”
When she’s out of ear shot again, I lean forward and whisper, “I went to The Rabbit Hole Thursday night.”
Mo screeches, drawing the attention of the people brunching at the tables closest to us.
