Taking It All(16)

Her entire body was quivering in the aftermath of the powerful orgasm.   She'd had to sit because there was no way her legs would have supported   her straight out of the shower. The result was a small puddle of water   on the floor where it had drained off her body and from her hair, but  it  was the last thing on her mind.

She smiled up at Tate in the reflection of the mirror and then closed   her eyes, savoring one of her favorite things that Tate had done so   often over the years. Tend to her hair. She was a total tactile person,   loved being touched and loved having her hair brushed or simply played   with.

She couldn't count the times in earlier years when she and Tate would   simply lie on the couch, her head in his lap as he idly ran his fingers   through her strands as they watched a movie. It would always count as   one of her best memories.

Her eyelids fluttered open and her smile disappeared for a brief moment.   Before she could recover, Tate was already frowning back at her in the   mirror, a questioning look in his eyes.

"What's wrong, baby? Did I hurt you? Am I not being gentle enough with your hair?"

She laughed. "As if. You're a master at combing a woman's hair. If you   ever get tired of financial advising, you can always start up a salon.   You'd have women coming in droves just for those hands of yours. Which,   by the way, are totally mine. I'll chop them off before allowing  another  woman access!"

He looked befuddled for the briefest of seconds and then threw back his   head and laughed. But then he sobered and focused his stare back on  her.

"What were you frowning about then?"

She fidgeted uneasily on her vanity bench, not wanting to bring up a bad   subject. But Tate wasn't going to allow her to dodge his question.   Quietly he rotated her, picking up her legs and swiveling her body until   she faced him. Then he got down on one knee and cupped his hand to her   face.

"Tell me."

She sighed. "I know I shouldn't ask. I mean, that's not the way our   relationship works, and I don't want you to get the idea that I want our   relationship to change. That I don't want your dominance and for you  to  make the decisions. But  … "

"Ask, baby," he prompted gently. "I think we both know we're at a   fragile point in our relationship where the rules are temporarily   changing. They have to. Because I need to know what your needs and wants   are. I'd want to know that regardless of whether it's now or two years   ago. I've always wanted you to communicate your needs to me. How else   can I fulfill them?                       
       
           



       

"Yes, it's my job as your Dominant to often know your wants and needs   before you do even, and it's my job to provide those for you. But I've   been a complete dumbass and as a result-and it's painful for me to   admit, but I'm man enough to own up to my failures-I am out of touch   with your desires. I hate even saying that. But you're going to have to   help me until we're back on track. That open line of communication we   were just discussing in bed a while ago? That has to be in place going   forward."

She nodded her understanding, breathing out her relief. They would be   okay. She could feel it. Tate was going to extraordinary lengths for a   man so used to being in control of every aspect of his life. But he was   right. They were in anything but control right now and it would take   them both to right the ship and get back to smooth waters.

"I just wanted to know where you planned for us to have dinner tonight,"   she said in a low voice. "I don't  …  I don't want to go back to where  we  were supposed to have dinner last night. I don't think I could  handle  it. There was a lot of humiliation in last night for me. I don't  want to  even remember it. I'd rather just go somewhere else and truly  start  over again."

The look of love, understanding and self-recrimination all crowding into   his eyes made her emotional and she had to swallow hard at the knot   forming in her throat.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead and left them   there a long moment. When he pulled away, he framed her face in his   hands and stared her directly in the eyes.

"I'd never do that to you, my girl. I thought we'd go to a place we've   never been before. I've heard good things about it. I've already made a   reservation. I placed one online before I got you up this morning. I   want a fresh start too. It'll be a new beginning all the way around."

Relief and love coursed through her veins. To her dismay, a tear rolled   down her cheek and collided with one of his hands. Damn it but she'd   been determined not to cry. She'd done entirely too much of that the   night before. As it was, it was going to take her best makeup job to   disguise the shadows under her eyes before they went out to dinner. And   she wanted to look her best for Tate tonight. Just as they wouldn't be   eating in the same restaurant, neither would she wear the same outfit   she'd worn the night before.

But Tate seemed to understand that she wasn't upset. His expression grew   even more tender and he leaned in and kissed away the path of the   single tear that had trickled onto his hand.

"I love you, Chess. Please don't ever forget that."

"I love you too," she whispered. "Now shoo so I can finish getting ready. How much time do I have?"

He checked his watch and then helped her to her feet, patting her   lightly on the behind. "Forty-five minutes before we need to leave, so   get a move on, baby. I'll go get dressed and meet you in the living   room."

She sent him a brilliant smile, one she could feel in the tightening of   her cheeks, and she was rewarded by an answering smile from him that   took her breath away. There was so much promise in that smile that she   was besieged by a surge of giddiness. She all but skipped to her closet   to pick out what she would wear. Her hair still needed to be blown dry,   but she'd save that for after her wardrobe had been selected and then   she'd do hair and makeup before dressing.





TEN


TATE gazed at Chessy's bright smile as they sat in a corner table of the   new steakhouse in the same suburb of Houston they lived in. It was a   mere five-minute drive from their house, and while they were certainly   acquainted with most of the restaurants in the fast-developing   Woodlands, this was a place that had just opened a few months before and   already promised success judging by the number of people in the   spacious interior.

Some of the awful weight that had pressed on his heart had eased and he   was feeling optimistic about his and Chessy's future. How could he not   rededicate himself to this beautiful woman and vow to put her first   before all else? It was no less than she deserved and he'd made her a   promise five years ago when she'd given him her heart-and her   submission-to cherish those gifts absolutely.

That he'd failed was a burden he'd carry with him to the grave, but it   wasn't too late. There were no lengths he wouldn't go to in order to   secure her love and faith once more.

He gazed at her shining eyes and his mind drifted, an image of her bound   in a position of utter submission, the hands of another man caressing   her under Tate's watchful eye. Another man commanding her, via Tate's   command, preparing her for Tate's possession.                       
       
           



       

It was a kink they both enjoyed, had made it a point to participate in   at The House on a regular basis before Tate got so involved with his   business. Then The House and the activities had fallen by the wayside,   something Tate intended to correct soon.

But first he had to cement his recommitment to her. Ensure that she knew   in her heart she was first in his heart. And then he'd plan a night of   utter decadence. All focused on Chessy and her pleasure. It would be a   gift to her. His gift.

"Oh no," Chessy whispered, her eyes suddenly stricken.

Her words and expression yanked Tate from his erotic reverie and he frowned as he took in her obvious distress.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, looking around to see what could have caused her to be upset.

"Kylie and Joss must be so worried," Chessy said anxiously. "They knew   all about our anniversary plans and I was supposed to call them this   morning to check in. I completely forgot about it."