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Throwing a cheesy grin at him, attempting damage control, I lifted a huge forkful of chicken parmesan to his lips. I’d requested it from the chef and loved his reaction. Though we didn’t have any staff who lived with us, I placed an order once a week and always added his favorite dish to the menu.
Tanner couldn’t resist the morsel of perfectly prepared chicken, sauce, and cheese. He chewed and swallowed. “Oh. I could die a happy man if I ate that every night.”
I fed him a few more forkfuls, watching the way he accepted each bite. I wracked my brain wondering if we had fed each other in a while, but came up blank. Tanner wrapped his hand around my wrist. Though I’d done the same action for my submissives in the past, there was something deliciously satisfying about feeding my Dom. When I’d brought up all the stuff about Tiana calling me Daddy it sent my head spinning. It was not a title I was used to, but I’d thought about it before with others.
“Do you want me to stop, Sir?”
“I want to know what you’re keeping inside.” He dropped his hand from mine.
Deliberately stalling, I fed him the rest of the chicken. Tanner wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin and finished his glass of red wine. I’d served him a one-thousand dollar bottle, but he seldom remarked on the difference between a luxury vintage and a ten dollar gas station selection. Well, that wasn’t quite true. His palette had grown more accustomed to my refined tastes. I loved spoiling him but he seemed a bit frustrated with my refusal to delve into details of the thoughts barreling around my head.
“I’d rather not,” I said as respectfully as possible.
“You said you had things you’d rather share in person. Are you going to tell me now or do I need to find another way?”
I ate a few more bites from my plate, deliberately cutting them smaller. Carefully considering what I needed, I set the fork down. “I’m not in the mood to explain.”
“Title until I tell you otherwise.” Tanner stared at me for a moment, before getting to his feet. I loved the way he kept his smoldering gaze locked on mine. Holding his hand out, I placed my palm in his. He tugged me to my feet and pulled me against him. “Take all your clothes off.”
Oh. I had bitten off more than I could chew. I thought maybe I’d get his belt but ordering me to use his title and strip held promise. “I texted you a copy of the lines I wrote.”
“I got them.”
Fumbling slightly, I took off the polished dress shoes and stepped out of the suit pants. I loathed the restriction the garments held, but I had a few late virtual meetings. I knew as well as he did that we were alone since I didn’t have live-in staff anymore, but my eyes darted around the room.
“Do I have to strip you down, rebel?”
“No thank you, Sir,” I replied sincerely. Undoing the knot in my tie, I took my time with the fabric, pulling it off my neck slowly. The buttons on my dress shirt came next and then I moved down the line with deliberate swiftness. Yanking my undershirt off left me clad in navy boxer briefs. Tanner motioned for me to continue and I pushed them down to the floor and off.
Tanner cupped my cheek, kissing my lips. “Follow me.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He led me to our bedroom and with nothing more than a head nod ordered me onto the bed. I no longer wanted to comply and stood staring at him.
Tanner raised both of his eyebrows. “Get on the bed, rebel.”
“Did you handle Tiana?”
“She’s all caught up in her head about you and me. It wasn’t the time. Now do as I said.”
Swallowing hard, I sank into the mattress. “She’ll never forgive me for leaving her. A relationship isn’t likely after all this time.”
“You’re both dancing around something. What the hell happened that neither of you will openly admit to?”
“My parents thought I was staying out the night of prom but I brought Tiana here. We rode horses out to the guest house. I had strawberries and champagne waiting for her.”
“I’m not usually dense.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “What am I missing?”
“I fed her chocolate from around the world, exotic fruit and the like. We went through two bottles of alcohol. Just as the sun was peeking through the trees...” I let the rest of the story fade and hoped he finally caught on.
Tanner slowly nodded. “Then a few weeks later you left without a goodbye. Shit. No wonder she wouldn’t tell me.”
“She’s sweet, sassy, funny, and well, you’ve seen her brat.” Tanner adjusted his position, leaning over me, placing a hand on either side of my body. I was no wilting flower, but the nature of his job kept him in top shape. He could manhandle me with ease. “I think if there’s anyone who could balance our little tripod it could be the girl we’ve both loved for a long time.”
Tanner kissed me, claiming my mouth. “Mm. I expected that answer on the phone.” He wiped his thumb across my lips. “Can you take off Friday? I asked Tia to come over for brunch.”
“Yeah, I think there’s one meeting in the afternoon, but I’ll move it up.” Telling Tanner about the true reason for my hesitation lightened the load on my shoulders. “I’ve also been wondering what it’s like to be somebody’s daddy for longer than I care to admit,” I confessed.
