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That night she went over to her parents for dinner and sat through the usual grilling about whether or not she’d thought about finding a different job; followed by questions about how Patrick was doing, since they hadn’t seen him in a while. For once, the second set of questions was harder than the first. Granted, she never shared as much with her parents as she had with Jake, but part of her did feel like she should tell them she was hoping to soon be dating a man whom they thought of as a son. But, like with Jake, she didn’t want to jump the gun and end up having anyone upset at Patrick if things didn’t work out.
After Leigh’s questioning on Saturday night, the thought of not ending up with Patrick had been looming over Lexie’s head. So was Leigh’s situation, but the other woman was doing well. Michael had apparently moved out of their apartment on Saturday and Sunday, removing all of his things and going to stay with friends. He’d told Leigh she deserved the apartment. Fortunately it was within her price range to keep on her own, even though it was a bit of a stretch. They’d been talking about possibly looking into getting a house rather than moving into a bigger apartment. Leigh’s voice was bitter as she recounted that; the anger Olivia had encouraged seemed to be growing now, although she also had a tendency to burst into tears at any given moment. Lexie made sure to check in with her every day, whether it was by text or phone.
Monday dragged by. There was nothing unusual about it, but because she was on pins and needles waiting for the weekend, it felt longer than usual. She was so tempted to get in touch with Patrick, but she resisted. Heck, if he could do it, so could she. Tuesday was just as bad, until, surprisingly, Patrick texted her.
Are you free tonight?
Yes.
Come over for dinner. 6:30. Don’t be late.
Yes, Sir.
Her heart felt like it was in her throat when she responded to the second text. It wasn’t the first time she’d been over to Patrick’s house for dinner, but it was the first time like this. He’d never demanded her presence like that before or admonished her not to be late. She wasn’t usually late anyway, but all she could think about right now was that being late would mean being punished this time.
Part of her was immediately tempted, but that would be counterproductive. Lexie didn’t want to top from the bottom. That wouldn’t satisfy her. Besides, she didn’t doubt Patrick would immediately know if she tried topping from the bottom, and she knew he wouldn’t have a good reaction to it. If she just wanted a scene, that would be one thing, but she wanted more. So she had to prove to him she wouldn’t disappoint him just to get a spanking.
Scrap that idea.
More importantly, what was she going to wear?
Taking the candles off the table for the third time, Patrick put them back in the cabinet. This time he was going to leave them there. Definitely. This wasn’t a romantic dinner, after all. He just wanted to see Lexie. Since he’d missed out on Saturday night. Not that they’d have done a scene then, but he’d been thinking about having her in his office again. Just to see how she did a second night in a row.
After all, if he was going to talk to Jake, once he returned from deployment, then Patrick needed to know Lexie could handle his needs. Not just the ones in a scene, but the ones outside of a scene too. There was no way to discover if she could be a full-time submissive without testing her. Better to find out now rather than after talking to Jake.
He’d made a nice dinner, using recipes he’d gotten from Justin and Angel, both of whom did a lot of cooking. Pecan-crusted pork loin, Brussel sprouts with pears and apples simmered in apple cider, and baked polenta rounds with melted cheese on top. Not his usual kind of meal, he was more of a steak-and-potatoes guy, but definitely within his capabilities. Still, he knew he’d gone a little overboard with trying to make it an impressive meal.
Which was why the damned candles were staying in the damned cabinet. This wasn’t a date. Something he needed to remind himself of. Lexie too. He really didn’t want to hurt her by getting her hopes up.
It was a fine line he was walking, and it was driving him a little batty, trying to maintain his balance. Which, in turn, was making his need for control over every aspect of his life even greater, including making him want to control Lexie. He hadn’t just been pleased when she’d agreed to come over tonight, he’d been relieved. He needed an outlet for his growing frustration, his need, and he knew he’d be able to get that tonight.
Not sexually, but in a more intimate manner.
The doorbell rang, and he had to restrain himself from running to answer it. Get it together, asshole. She was exactly on time.
Lexie looked gorgeous, as usual. She was wearing jeans that clung to the line of her body, a thin, dark red blouse, and a vest that kept her top from being immodest. Without the vest, he would have been able to see right through her shirt. It wasn’t how she normally dressed, and he felt a small surge of pleasure that she had obviously picked out something special for dinner with him.
Then he tamped the pleasure down, reminding himself that he wasn’t supposed to be getting his hopes up while she was just training with him.
“Hi,” she said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around him for a greeting hug, the way they always did. Patrick returned the hug, trying not to remember what it felt like to have her naked skin under his hands.
“Hey Pixie, come on in,” he said, stepping back so she could move past him into the house.
“Oh my god, something smells amazing,” she said, over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen. “Did you actually cook?”
“Of course I cooked, I invited you over for dinner, didn’t I?” he teased her. Having Lexie over at his house always both relaxed him and put him on edge, simultaneously, if such a thing was possible. He liked having her in his space, but it was also hard to keep his attraction to her under control all the time. Tonight was going to be the first time he was going to be able to indulge in some of his desires.
Lexie raised her eyebrows when she saw his dining room table. He’d set it up with two place settings, one at the head of the table and one right next to it on the left, but only the one at the head had any silverware. “Am I going to be eating with my fingers?”
“No,” he said simply. “Sit down and I’ll get the food.”
Rather than talking back, like he’d half-expected, Lexie went to the seat on the left and watching him. Her expression was more curious than anything else. Smug satisfaction at seeing her follow his direction filled his chest as he went to get their dinner, serving both of them. Confusion chased away her curiosity as he filled their plates and then poured them both a glass of wine.
“Shouldn’t I be serving you?” she asked, sounding a bit amused. “By the way, this smells even better up close.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said with a smile as he sat down. Her place setting was much closer to his than it would normally be, well within reach of his arms. That was something he’d already checked when he’d set the table up. “But no, you should be doing what I want you to do.”
“I just figured you’d want your submissive serving you, not the other way around.”
