“What?” Tucker leaned forward.
“Red. Please. Red.” The first tear splashed on her cheek before she uttered the last word.
To her relief, Tucker was true to his word and immediately stood, shifting her in his arms.
“We’re leaving,” he announced. Probably as much for the benefit of the people surrounding them as hers.
His long legs covered the space of the ballroom at lightning speed and before she had a moment to contemplate her humiliating predicament, they were in the hallway and headed back to the door that led into the restaurant.
When they entered the private lounge space, Maggie heaved a sigh of relief to find the room as empty as they’d left it. Tucker eased onto the velvet-covered couch and what they’d done before they went into the club flashed through her memory. The moment Tucker slid into her had been more thrilling than anything before and exactly what she’d needed. The club… It had sounded reasonable.
Without words Tucker began untying the rope binding her arms behind her back. As the bonds released, so did her breath. A strong tingling sensation ran up and down her back and into her shoulders, until Tucker began massaging her arms and neck. Then she simply wanted to melt into him.
“Look at me, Maggie.”
With some reluctance, she unscrewed her eyelids and slowly cracked them open. To her surprise, there was no anger or disappointment on Tucker’s face. Only small lines around his mouth and eyes where he’d furrowed his brow in concern.
“I made a mistake. You weren’t ready and I assumed you were. I’m sorry.”
A lump formed in her throat at the heartfelt words. It was so easy to get wrapped up into the power exchange aspect of D/s and forget that they were both still ordinary people. Well, she was ordinary. A billionaire recluse, not so much.
She struggled in his arms until he released her and she rose to her feet. The minute she landed on those crazy heels she began to wobble. She reached down and pulled one off and then the other. “It’s going to take some time to get used to these.”
“Hurry up, ‘cause I look forward to the view of you naked in those shoes when your legs are propped on my shoulder as I slide into you.”
Maggie jerked, losing her balance for a second at his words. Heat infused her face and her pussy and nipples ached at the mere imagery of his thought. “Oh, you’re evil.” She smiled up at him.
“Forgiven?”
He was so forgiven. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his forehead. “Nothing to forgive. I could have said no and I didn’t.” She leaned back. “I waited a really long time for this. The opportunity to go in a club and observe and participate seemed like the ultimate dream. Yet, here I am scared witless and not as interested as I thought.”
“Not interested in BDSM?” The skeptical look stamped across his face nearly became her undoing.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Maggie looked down at her toes and tried to still her thoughts. Tucker the Dom wouldn’t appreciate her laughing in his face right now. “No, Sir. That’s not what I mean at all.” She took a slow, deep breath. “I always believed my research had come to a standstill because of a lack of firsthand experience, so I focused on getting into a club to fix that. Of course, everyone in the free world knows how that turned out.” The urge to sink down on her knees and cuddle her head in Tucker’s lap surged through her. Rather than fight the need, Maggie drifted down to the floor and took the position she couldn’t fight.
Tucker immediately threaded his fingers in her hair and tugged on the short ends. “Continue,” he commanded with just enough of that edge to his voice to remind her the Dom was still very close to the surface.
“It’s not the club I need, it’s the Dom. I think I’ve learned that now.” Her voice had lowered to a husky whisper. Alone again with Tucker, the rash of fear she’d experienced in the club dissipated. With his hands touching her while her head rested in his lap, a sense of serenity overtook her. “I only want you, Sir.”
Chapter Twelve
Immense pride swept through Tucker as the sweet submissive side of Maggie took over her beautiful mind. What he’d thought had been a disastrous turn of events actually had become a turning point for her. Although the damage he’d caused by taking her to the club still weighed his mind with regret, he saw an opportunity to salvage their night. Now he only had to seize the moment and make her his.
“We’re going home.” And he was going to have his submissive all to himself. The way he’d truly wanted her in the first place. Tucker withdrew his phone from his pocket and texted his driver. He slid his hands under her shoulders and lifted her to his lap. He was confident she could walk out on her own but his need to hold her close for a few more minutes negated that.