“Sir.”
“Excuse me?” Turning her head, she addressed Mr. Lawson. Why did she feel he was chastising her? What was she missing? He leaned a bit toward her.
“Respect. Manners go a long way in seeking forgiveness.”
Manners? Forgiveness? What was that supposed to mean? She turned back to Mr. Masterson, suddenly wondering why she felt so out of her element. “I’m… um, thank you, sir. I don’t know what…”
“Relax, Jane. Edward tends to be a bit grumpy when he’s separated from his wife for too long. You’re doing fine.”
Jane could picture a very pretty woman who often dined with Mr. Lawson. “Oh, I hope your wife isn’t ill?”
Edward chuckled. “No, she might not be feeling very well right now, but it’s not due to sickness. But, thank you for your concern.”
His response didn’t make a great deal of sense to Jane, but she didn’t know what else to say. “Well, I do hope she feels better soon.” Turning back to Mr. Masterson, she said, “Thank you, sir, I appreciate your kindness,” she said, again feeling a ridiculous pleasure at his words. “I don’t know why I’m… well, I’m usually not so…” At his smile, she felt a fluttering in her stomach, not able to voice the reason why she was so flustered as she truly didn’t understand it herself.
“Are you ready to take my order?”
“Your order?” It took her a second to remember her duties before she gasped. “Oh, for dinner. Of course, I mean, yes, sir. What would you like?”
“The wedge salad, prime rib and… which would you recommend, the baked or mashed potatoes?”
“Either is an excellent choice, but the mashed does contain a lot of garlic in case you… uh… either is great!” As his eyebrow quirked again, she grimaced. Great, he’d think she either was giving him a warning about some talisman to keep him safe from a vampire attack or that he might want to consider his breath in case he planned on kissing anyone after dinner. A wish that he’d choose to lock lips with her had her cheeks heating and her pulse racing.
“Good advice. I’ll take the baked potato.”
She took Mr. Lawson’s order as well and then turned away, trying to walk without limping to the kitchen where she could finally attempt to pull herself together.
Chapter Two
“Sawyer, you are going to give the poor girl a stroke.”
“Me? I’m not the one dropping innuendoes,” Sawyer Masterson said, watching as the young woman practically ran across the floor, noticing her wince and the slight hop as she pushed through the door. Had she injured herself in those ridiculous heels? His fingers flexed as he imagined pulling her onto his lap, reaching down to remove the shoe, and then massaging her trim ankle.
“Sawyer? Sawyer?”
Looking across the table, he saw Edward grinning. “What?”
“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you? What are you thinking about?”
Sawyer shrugged. “Nothing in particular.”
“Bullshit. I’m willing to bet that you’re wondering about little Jane. You can’t tell me that you missed how she barely kept herself from falling to her knees before you.”
“Is she why you chose this particular restaurant? I’ve told you before, I really don’t need any help—”
“Double bullshit. If you weren’t interested in finding your own Little, you never would have contacted the agency. Face it, it’s not easy to find the perfect mate, and it’s nothing to be ashamed about in seeking a bit of help. Our proclivities aren’t those of most men and put the majority of women out of the running from the get-go.”
Sawyer glanced toward the door where Jane had disappeared. “I realize that you believe you have some sort of sixth sense, but the odds of this working out are pretty astronomical.”
Edward grinned. “People do win the lottery, you know. Besides, Miss Knight practically glows with the need to serve, and I don’t mean drinks and food. Don’t be an ass, Sawyer. You’ve not been able to keep your eyes off her since the moment we walked in. Even if it winds up she is not the one, at least you won’t kick yourself because you never even offered her the choice.”
Sawyer couldn’t deny he’d felt something from the moment he’d watched the young woman approach their table. On the outside, she ticked every one of his boxes. She was petite, her black hair was long and wavy, her eyes were the color of violets and that tongue… he’d only seen the very tip, but when she’d run it along her bottom lip, his cock had hardened at the thought of her kneeling before him, eyes shimmering with tears from the punishment he’d just delivered for her cursing, and her mouth obediently opening when instructed, her sweet tongue ready to lick along his shaft as she performed her penance. Fuck, even thinking about how it would feel having the warm wetness of her mouth engulfing him had his cock twitching again.
Edward’s chuckle had his head jerking back to his friend. “Face it, you’re a goner.” He nodded toward the door, and Sawyer turned to see Jane slowly walking toward them, a huge tray balanced on one shoulder. When his instinct was to jump up, relieve her of the burden while scolding her for carrying something far too heavy, he knew Edward was correct. The only thing remaining was to see if his initial reaction about Jane’s fumbling over her words, the address she blushed after saying, and her offer to serve meant she was a natural submissive. There was only one way to find out.
Though he ate the food set before him, his main attention was on Jane. She seemed to have gotten better control of herself as she served her other customers. And yet whenever he caught her eye, she’d instantly lower her gaze as her cheeks pinkened. At the end of the meal, she offered them coffee and dessert, and though not a man who frequently indulged in sweets, he asked what she’d recommend.
“Our pastry chef is a genius,” she said with obvious pleasure. “Anything he offers is wonderful. I’ll bring you the tray—”
“That’s not necessary. Just bring me whatever is your favorite and a coffee, black.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, the blush again blooming up from her neck to settle in her cheeks. All he could think about was how her nether set of cheeks would look with a pink blush put there by his hand.
He didn’t have to look across the table to know that Edward was enjoying himself immensely. The men had known each other for years and shared a great deal of the same interests. Hell, they’d discovered the fact that they preferred their women submissive while in college and had gone on to learn that they each wanted a woman who, though adult, desired to be allowed to retreat into childhood when life became overwhelming. A woman who gave control over to their chosen dom or, as it was called in their lifestyle, their ‘daddy.’
With the arrival of a huge, seven-layer piece of chocolate cake, he knew that Jane had a sweet tooth. Her smile showed her pleasure as she set it down before him. “There is a raspberry purée between each layer and the dark chocolate ganache icing is simply to die for.” His laugh had her eyes meeting his and for the first time, she joined in his amusement with a giggle that had his cock lengthening yet again. “I know, I sound silly, but I promise, it is the most sinful thing on earth.”
“Really?” At her nod, he grinned and quirked his eyebrow. “It looks absolutely delicious, I agree, but, little one, I can think of far more sinful things to enjoy.”
Her gasp and widening of her eyes, her nipples almost jumping to attention, and the fact that he could swear he could detect the scent of her arousal made his next move so very easy. Never taking his eyes from her, he filled his fork with a bite of the dessert and lifted it… not to his lips, but to hers.
“Open.” If ever she asked how he’d known she would be his, he’d be able to state the exact moment. Her instant obedience, her acceptance of the bite, the closing of her lips around the tines of the utensil, and her softly uttered moan of pleasure would forever be imprinted on his brain.
“Good girl,” he softly praised, sliding the fork from her mouth. When her tongue made a reappearance, licking along her lip, his cock turned into a steel rod. Wishing he could be tasting something far more enticing, he took a bite of cake. Swallowing, he nodded. “Excellent choice, Jane. It is delicious.”
“I… I’m glad, sir.” The moment was broken when a crash and the sound of breaking glass rang out. He watched her as she jerked back a step, her eyes scanning the table as if expecting that she’d caused the commotion.
“Relax, little one. It wasn’t you.”
“Oh… good. Um, I’ll… I’ll bring you the check.” Not waiting to hear if that would be acceptable, she spun away and was soon out of sight.
Sawyer set down his fork. The pleasure had been in watching her enjoy it. Picking up his coffee cup, he took a sip and shook his head as Edward remained silent, though Sawyer knew it was killing the man. “Fine, you are right. She seems perfect.”
“I’m far too refined to tell you, ‘I told you so,’ but, well, I told you so,” Edward said, finishing his piece of cheesecake and sitting back. “I’ve done my part. The rest is up to you. Use the card, Sawyer. I have no doubt you won’t be disappointed.”