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“The way you say that makes me sound like a twig.”
“Have you looked at yourself recently? Weighed yourself since you were last in my office? Maybe you’re not a twig, sweetheart, but you’re not exactly a healthy tree either. Just pack what essentials you think you’ll need, and I’ll take care of the rest. Don’t look so worried, Caera,” she said gently. “You’re not completely cut off from civilization. There are a few other cabins in the area, and a small town maybe twenty miles away. There's the internet and a phone line.”
“Whoopee.”
“I like sarcasm. This is the first time you’ve used it on me—hell, I think it’s the first time we’ve actually had a conversation where you haven’t clammed up on me after five minutes.”
“I have to go,” Caera mumbled, shoving out of her seat. Nausea was rising quickly, a sure sign she was overtired, overstressed, and unable to do anything about either. “It was nice seeing you, Connie, but I’m really not feeling well, and I need to get home.”
“Caera.” That dark tone was back, thrumming with command. Oddly, it seemed to settle some of the anxiety in her head. “Sit back down and eat your muffin. I’ll give you a ride home. Sit, sweetheart. Can you manage some juice? I don’t think more coffee is what your body needs.”
Caera blinked back tears. It had been so long since anyone had given a damn about her, a simple kindness was enough to unravel her. Unsure what to do, she stood there, swaying in place as she looked longingly at the muffin. “I really should—”
Connie nudged the treat closer, then lifted her coffee and sipped. “Come on, sweetie. Sit down before you fall over. We’ll get you some juice, sort out your travel plans, and then get you home safely. I’d feel better knowing you’ve eaten something.”
Squeezing her eyes shut, Caera pressed her thumb and forefinger against the lids and rubbed. There was no harm in staying for a few more minutes; Connie had already drawn her into this stupid vacation idea. Even though the thought of eating made her ill, her stomach was adamant it needed something other than a piece of dry toast.
Maybe it was right.
Plus, it would be nice to have some company before she crawled back to her empty apartment.
With a soft exhale, she opened her eyes and sat back down.
“Good girl. Juice?”
Caera nodded, trying to decide if it would be rude to take the golden muffin, with its chunks of juicy blueberries, and just shove the whole thing in her mouth. Probably, but she was willing to take that risk.
“God, you’re adorable. Eat up, Caera.” Connie pushed her own untouched muffin across the table, then signaled the waitress. “Slowly, if you please. There’s always more.”
Holding the muffin in her hand, Caera shot her a wary look.
“Oh, sweetie. There is always more.”
*
“All work and no play makes Saul a very boring Dom.”
Sitting comfortably behind his desk, his laptop screen brightly lit in front of him, Saul Danvers just lifted an eyebrow at the playground taunt. He was trying to write his weekly piece for the online BDSM blog he ran in his downtime, but his visitor was turning trying into the operative word.
“Someone’s being a naughty boy and ignoring me.”
“Are you surprised, you idiot?” Saul chuckled absently, frowning at the entire paragraph of absolute shit he’d just typed. It sounded all wrong, but he couldn’t think when his friend was chattering in his ear. “Thane, you are the world’s biggest living irritant. I don’t know how that woman of yours hasn’t smothered you in your sleep yet.”
“She loves me,” Thane retorted, with the easy grace of a man who knew his other half adored him. He dropped stiffly into a straight-backed armchair with a groan. “I’d offer to let you borrow her but I’m not entirely sure she wouldn’t top you.”
Saul snorted. “Top me? Give me some credit.”
“Come on, you’ve seen her in action. When she has her Mistress thong on…” Thane whistled, long and low. “Connie could dominate any man she set her sights on—they’d beg for it, believe me.”
“Because I know you love her, and would murder any other man who dared lay a hand on her, I’ll graciously pass on the offer. If and when she gets rid of your scrawny ass, tell her to come see me.”
“I’ve seen you cross the room to avoid her when she’s in a scene,” Thane mocked with a mile-wide grin. “Christ, I can just imagine the expression on your face if she walked up to you, crooked her finger, and told you she was topping you for a night. We wouldn’t see you for dust.”
Saul removed his hands from the keyboard, abandoning any hope of working with his friend in the room, and leaned back in his chair until he almost mirrored Thane’s casual slouch. “Everyone in Avalon knows what she does to your dick. I would prefer to keep my pride and joy safely away from straps, cock cages, whips, clamps, and weights. My cock and I have a satisfactory working arrangement, and anything Connie might do to him is a major breach of contract, resulting in multiple orgasms lost.”
“Don’t knock something until you’ve tried it, Saul. I think more Doms should try submission, especially before they strut into a club, pluck a sub from the crowd, and expect her to blindly obey commands.” Thane shrugged, a smile twitching the corners of his mouth when Saul gaped at him. “What? Until you’ve been on the submissive side, you can’t grasp the enormity of what we ask our subs to give us.”
“I’d love to see you suggest that at Avalon. Mandatory submission classes for all.”
