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Old River. Appropriate. “Thank you, Mr. Cauchon.” Neither her dress nor her collar caused him to furrow his eyebrows.
“Your table is prepared, Rafael.”
Rafe turned to her and placed his fingers against the small of her back. His touch was cool against her heated skin.
“Please.” He nodded for her to follow Bastien.
When she entered the main dining room, her pulse slammed into hyperdrive. Many of the tables were full. A couple had people kneeling next to the table, one a man, another a woman. Submissives? Oh God, would he demand that of her? Frantic, she turned to him for reassurance. With tight lips, he nodded at her to continue walking.
Gulping for air, she did so.
In the middle of the room, Bastien stopped. There were plenty of empty tables around the outside, but Rafe wanted her in the center of everything?
The owner pulled back a chair for her, but Rafe said, “Thank you, Bastien. I’ll see to Ms. Malloy from here.”
“Most certainly, sir. Enjoy your evening.”
In a nearby ice bucket, champagne chilled. Would it be inappropriate for her to just grab the bottle and drink from it?
“You’re doing fine,” he assured her against her ear as he scooted in her chair for her.
“I’m freaking out.”
“I brought you here to be seen.”
Quietly, frantically, she said, “I’m not kneeling in public.”
“Agreed. Not until you’re ready.”
“That’s never happening.”
At the back of her neck, he flicked the lock. “You have a safe word, and nothing will happen without your permission.” He captured her chin. “But I will ask you this. Does anyone here appear unhappy? Are they concerned with anyone other than their dining companion? Is it possible there is joy for them in the action?”
She wouldn’t admit it, but he had made excellent points, even if such behavior wasn’t for her.
He dropped a kiss on her mouth. “Relax.” He took the napkin from the table, shook it open, and draped it across her lap before seating himself opposite from her.
A bare-chested waiter with tight black pants bowed to Rafe and requested permission to pour the champagne.
“Thank you.” Rafe sampled the vintage, then signaled for the flutes to be filled. “Give us some time to settle in, please. You can check back when our glasses are empty.”
After she’d downed half a glass, he asked, “Better?”
“It’s more than I expected.” The decor surprised her. The walls were covered in deep red silk. Paintings, some that appeared to be the work of the masters, hung from the picture rail.
In addition to the people kneeling next to the tables, one of whom was on a leash and being fed pieces of cheese, there were bare-breasted women, one wearing a collar that appeared to be three or four inches thick. One gentleman with a slight paunch wore a leather harness along with a bow tie that matched one his companion wore. No one paid her any attention at all.
For something so extreme, it was all rather…mundane. Respectful, even. “Is everyone here a Dom and sub?”
“No. Some people enjoy dressing in fetish clothing. Many different kink lifestyles are represented. And all are welcome. Discretion is the key word here.”
A group of men followed Bastien through the restaurant toward a table in the back. Each of them wore a summer-weight jacket and casual pants. They appeared to be the ones out of place here.
“The owner, he called you Rafael. And your mother did too, that first day in your office.”
“My given name, yes. Named after my maternal grandfather. He was Spanish, a descendent of the first settlers in the new world.”
Which explained his dark skin and the glacial blue of his breathtaking eyes.
“You have a storied background.” And the obligations to go with it, a world he had invited her to be part of.
For a few minutes, she took in the atmosphere, the view of the lawns beyond, and the large berms of earth that perhaps served as a levee to keep the grand Mississippi within her banks. A woman strolled past, wearing a leash that a man held.
Rafe reached into a pocket in his jacket and pulled out something that appeared to be fabric and slid it across the table.
“If you prefer not to put them on in the dining room, you may utilize the ladies’ room.”
