Taking It All(24)

"But every man in The House that night will know you belong to me. The   leash is also being fashioned, yet another thing to do on my shopping   trip. Well, and there's the lingerie I had to get my girl because just   imagining you with that outfit the damn mannequin was wearing gave me a   hard-on that lasted thirty fucking minutes!"

Chessy could hold back her laughter no longer. She shook against him, her giggles muffled by his shirt.

But Tate was still being serious. "I have the perfect earrings and   necklace. It is my intention to drape you in jewels and nothing else.   Every eye in the common room will be on you. You'll wear your hair down.   I love your curls. And you may as well just forgo makeup because I   guarantee, before the night is over, there will be none left."

He said the last with a smirk that told her he'd be getting as much pleasure from their role-playing as she would.

One of his favorite scenarios was to have another man fuck her ass while   Tate fucked her mouth. And yeah, that would definitely ruin a makeup   job, and if such hedonistic pleasure awaited her she was more than happy   to forgo being fully made up for the evening.

Her thoughts turned dreamy again. So far she'd remembered all the   pleasure Tate had received as if she were a plaything, brought out for   boys' enjoyment and then put away with no regard for her whatsoever. And   it certainly wasn't true.

Tate, even though he was a forceful Dom, was also exceedingly gentle and   tender, often interpreting her body signals before she even knew what   her body was telling her. He always seemed to know exactly what she   wanted more of. Or less of. Or what made her wild with want and need. He   was so in tune with her body. Hell, he was in tune with her damn   thoughts most of the time. But then her friends had always told her she   was as transparent as glass.                       
       
           



       

When she was happy she shone. Brought light and warmth into any room.   But when she was unhappy? It was equally evident. All the light that   surrounded her on a seemingly endless basis just burned out. Deep   shadows had formed underneath her eyes and she was already getting lines   across her brow from worrying and stressing.

"I don't need to know any more," she said warmly. "I do trust you, Tate.   My curiosity always gets the better of me. You know that. I'm more  than  happy to wait. I don't want to ruin the surprise for you since  it's  obvious you've spent most of the day today preparing for this  outing."

"And how do you feel about going, Chess? Be straight with me. Does it make you scared or nervous?"

She immediately shook her head. "As long as you're there with me the   entire time. That the commands come from you. As long as I know you're   in complete control, then yes, absolutely. I want to go. I'm not scared   or nervous. Not when I have you."

"God I love you," he breathed into her mouth. "And I promise that our night at The House will be a night you'll never forget."





FOURTEEN


CHESSY'S impending night out at The House was met with completely   opposite reactions from Joss and Kylie. Kylie tried very hard to hide   her confusion and the fact that she didn't understand the lifestyle her   two best friends had chosen.

And while Joss was, in reality, a newcomer to the submissive lifestyle,   it had been a want, a desperate need that went years back. It was the   one thing her husband hadn't ever been able to give to her and Joss   loved him too much to ever pressure him. So her need had gone   unrequited. Until Dash. Her dead husband's best friend.

Now, Joss understood completely Chessy's excitement over a night at The   House. It was a place Joss and Dash had frequented before Joss learned   of her pregnancy. Dash would never do anything that could cause  possible  harm to their child, not that he'd ever cause Joss to come to  any harm  either, but he guided her with a fiercely protective  dominance.  Something Tate and Dash had shared in theory but not in  practice over  the last two years.

But Chessy and Tate were picking up the pieces and both were deeply   committed to repairing their fragile relationship. It was all she could   ask for. Just for Tate to reevaluate and recommit himself to her. Even   her own commitment was being renewed. Stronger. More everlasting this   time so that nothing would ever come between them again.

The women were enjoying a later than usual lunch the day before Chessy   and Tate's upcoming evening at The House and Chessy was brimming with   hope and optimism. Not that she'd ever look to another man to somehow   fill a gap in her marriage to Tate. Just the opposite. The nights at The   House had occurred frequently in the first few years of their  marriage.  It was something they embraced-enjoyed-and it brought them  even closer.  For some couples such a thing would certainly drive a  wedge between  them. Jealousy always had the potential to overshadow all  else when  another person was introduced into a relationship. But she,  or rather  Tate, had never exhibited any signs of jealousy-but then  Chessy had  never had to contend with another woman in the picture. She  was honest  enough with herself to acknowledge she would likely be  insanely jealous  were another woman to touch Tate, but then Tate had  never even  entertained the idea, to Chessy's knowledge. He seemed  content with  their current arrangement. In fact, he seemed to derive as  much pleasure  from the act as Chessy did herself. It was no  coincidence in her mind  that when they stopped exploring the darker  side of their desires, the  rift had begun.

Any time a marriage lost both an emotional and a physical connection it   was no longer about a kink they both enjoyed. It had become a matter of   survival. The survival of their love and their marriage.

As soon as the waiter delivered their entrees and they were afforded   complete privacy, Chessy asked the question she was sure was also   burning a hole in Joss's brain. Chessy reached for Kylie's hand and   squeezed.

"How did your first counseling session with Jensen go?"

Kylie's expression became shuttered and she briefly glanced away. Then,   as if realizing that Joss and Chessy were her best friends and   confidantes, she looked back up, vulnerability shining in her eyes.

Chessy tightened her hold on Kylie's hand while Joss reached for Kylie's other.

"You don't have to tell us," Joss said in a low voice. "The last thing   we want is for you to be uncomfortable. We were both worried and we knew   since it was only the first time that things may not have gone as well   as you'd like. So say as much or as little as you're okay with. Chessy   and I love you. You're our sister in our hearts. We just want you to   know that you can always talk to us about anything and we'd never betray   your confidence. Even to Dash or Tate."                       
       
           



       

As Joss spoke, she glanced Chessy's way as if gauging whether she was   speaking for the both of them and if Chessy was in agreement with all   Joss had to say.

Chessy nodded immediately. "Absolutely. We just want you to know we love   you and we worry about you. You and Joss are my best friends in the   world, and God knows you've both nursed me through my frequent misery   and bouts of self-pity."

Kylie gave them a watery smile, which prompted Joss to shove a table   napkin into the hand Joss had only just let go. It was a well-known fact   in the group that Kylie hated crying. Especially in public. It would   mortify her if she knew someone saw her losing control in a room full of   people.

Kylie accepted the napkin and wiped hastily at her face. "At least I didn't wear makeup today," she said ruefully.

"You're too beautiful to need makeup," Joss said firmly.

Chessy smiled her agreement.

Kylie laughed, her tears replaced by mirth. "You're both so full of shit   but I love you for it." Then her expression sobered once more and she   breathed out a sigh. "The therapy session went okay. I mean I guess as   well as it could go considering that for me it was akin to  bloodletting.  The therapist wants to see us individually first before  she sees us  together. Monday is Jensen's turn and then I suppose the  therapist will  compare notes on our insanity and try to put the puzzle  pieces together  or try to figure out how two equally fucked-up people  ever belong in a  relationship together."