Desire's Awakening (27 page)

“That’s all right, Sir. I’m sure they won’t throw you out for bringing me flowers. May I take a moment to find a vase for these? I’ll be right back.”

“Certainly. Take your time.” He smiled and deep dimples graced his cheeks.

Kat walked into the kitchen and searched the cabinets for vases. Miss Tiffany had occasionally brought fresh cut flowers for the table to brighten the room. Surely she must have stored the vase somewhere convenient. Kat was pleased when she found it in the cabinet under the sink. She filled the vase with water and stood by the table arranging the roses when Sir Damien walked out of his office accompanied by the two owned subs and their Doms.

He took one look at the flowers and scowled, then turned and walked away.
Great
.
This is the first time he has seen me in days and he’s in a bad mood again.

She carried the vase of flowers into the recreation center and found Sir David flipping through the pages of a men’s magazine. He put it down when she arrived. She sat next to him as he had instructed before.

“Ah, that’s better,” he said and put his arm around her shoulder. She felt uncomfortable with his assumption that he could cozy up to her so soon.

“So what kind of work do you do, Sir David?” There was a great deal she needed to know about him and they really hadn’t had a lot of time to discuss important matters.

“I work for a recreational boating firm in Canada. We’re trying to get established in South Florida. I’m here investigating different areas to determine which would be the best place for our products. There’s a lot of competition, as you can imagine, so my job is very important. It’s vital to be sure of the demographics before we invest a great deal of money into the area.”

“Well, Sir, wouldn’t your firm relocate you here if they decide this is where they want to set up shop?”

“No, that would be our sales and marketing staff. Actually, they would most likely hire locals to do the selling. My place is in Canada.”

“Oh, I see.”

Kaitlin’s hopes of staying in Florida were dashed. If he were to purchase her training package, she could say goodbye to everything familiar.

“Kat…” He picked up her hand and held it between his two palms. His face came close to hers and she could feel his warm breath against her skin. “If you don’t already know it, I’ve become very fond of you. I think you’re a beautiful, intelligent woman. I was very impressed with you the other night at the club. You handled yourself with grace and poise under the bright lights in front of a large crowd of people.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

His lips were a hair’s breath away from hers. She expected him to kiss her at any moment.

“I believe there is an attraction between us and I would like to explore whether we have chemistry. I know you will be at the auction in less than two weeks and I’d be interested in bidding on your training package.”

Her heart beat a staccato rhythm in her chest. She bit her lip nervously.

“What exactly did you have in mind, Sir?”

“With your permission, I would like to ask Sir Damien if I could take you on a date to a movie and dinner. Afterward, we could go back to my place and well, you know.”

“Sir, I’m not sure we’re allowed to do that. I think while we’re in training, we’re supposed to stay at this house. But you’re free to ask Sir Damien and I’ll go along with whatever he says.”

Sir David picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. His lips were soft and warm. She smiled.

“When do you think is a good time to ask him?”

“Why not right now?” Damien stood leaning against the door frame. Kat and David turned to regard the Master of the house scowling at them with his arms crossed over his chest.

Sir David dropped Kat’s hand and stood to meet his host.

“Hello, Sir Damien. I wasn’t expecting to see you right now.”

“I gathered that by the intimate position I found you two in.”

“Then you know what I wish to ask of you.”

Kat felt butterflies in her stomach. She didn’t know whether she was more nervous for Sir David or herself.

“Yes, but Kat’s right. It’s best that the submissives stay in the house while they are in training.”

“Are you saying that she is not allowed to go out at all during her training?”

Damien’s eyes narrowed and Kat swallowed hard. She recognized his look of contained anger.

“Of course she can. But it is best that they have somewhat supervised interaction with Dominants while they are in training. That way we can ensure no one will get hurt.”

“I understand your concern for her safety. I promise you, Sir, that I will not require Kat to perform any D/s activities. This will strictly be a ‘getting to know one another’ date. Also, if you will provide her with a cell phone, she will be able to contact you if she feels the least bit uncomfortable.”

Damien’s gaze flew from David to her and back again. Her heart pounded heavily. She realized she was holding her breath waiting for the Trainer’s answer.

Damien dropped his hands to his sides and balled them into fists. She saw his jaw working back and forth and his face grow red.

“All right then, one date. Bring her home promptly the next morning.”

Sir David visibly relaxed. He smiled.

“Yes, yes, of course. That will not be a problem. Thank you.”

“Fine.” Damien turned and left them alone once more.

David reached down and grabbed Kat’s hand, noticeably excited about spending time with her. “So, do you have plans for tonight?”

* * * * *

Miss Tiffany felt better and told Kat not to worry about helping with dinner as she had to get ready for her date. Kat passed the staircase on the way to her bedroom and saw Sir Damien descending the stairs. He stopped to let her pass but did not say a word to her. The look on his face was one of disappointment mixed with disgust. She lowered her head and kept walking. She wanted to tell him that she was going to refuse Sir David’s offer, but after Sir Damien gave him the okay, she felt obliged to accept.

Sir David would be back to pick her up at six p.m. With only two hours before his arrival, she showered and straightened her hair, which hung long and sleek down to the middle of her back. Because they were going to “vanilla” establishments, she was allowed to wear normal clothing. Pulling out a short, black skirt, a slinky top and black heels from her suitcase, she sighed. Though it had only been a few weeks, she was accustomed to the “less is best” clothing requirements of the home. It felt strange to wear clothing again.

Sir David was punctual for his date. He wore an expensive pale blue silk shirt and dark blue pants. Watching his approach to the front door through the side pane of glass, Kat glanced in the hallway mirror and quickly applied a last coat of lipstick. She answered promptly when she heard his knock on the door. He smiled warmly at her and offered her his arm.

“Shall we?”

Kat felt uncomfortable taking his arm. She remembered the last time she walked through this door with a Dom, a leash attached to her collar. Going out with Sir David was a completely different experience and she wondered if he would be the kind of Dom she was looking for.

Sir David walked her to his black Mercedes and opened the passenger door. She slid in and watched as he closed the door and went around to the driver’s side. He buckled his seat belt and nodded to her to do the same.

“Ready?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Oh, there’s one thing I want to do before we begin.”

He reached over and removed the collar from her neck, placing it in the glove compartment. The cool air from the air conditioning hitting bare flesh made her keenly aware of her naked neck.

“Tonight, we’re not Dom and sub. We’re just normal people. I want you to call me David and skip the formality of calling me ‘Sir’. Deal?”

“Yes Sir. Oh I’m sorry, I mean David.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it by the end of the evening. So what’s your pleasure? Would you like dinner then a movie or the other way around?”

Kat wasn’t used to being asked what she wanted. It had been a long time since she had to make a decision. It was usually up to the Dom to determine what they would do.

“I haven’t eaten in hours, so I am hungry. Dinner first would be wonderful.”

“Do you like Japanese food?”

“Yes, that would be fine.”

A half hour later, they pulled up to an oriental-style restaurant situated on the intracoastal waterway. As they walked up the stairs to the front entrance, Kat admired the bonsai trees decorating the path. She was surprised when she heard Sir David tell the maitre d’ that he had a reservation. Apparently, he anticipated her agreeing to eat there.

They were seated at a rectangular table with three other couples. A pretty, young Japanese girl in a kimono handed them a menu and steaming hot hand towels, then took their orders. Kat looked around the crowded room. She smiled at seeing oriental chefs standing in the center of the u-shaped tables tossing food in the air. The food smelled wonderful. The patrons laughed, clapped and yelled comments to the cook.

“You like?” David leaned close so she could hear him in the noisy room.

“Yes, it’s great. I’ve never been to this type of restaurant before.”

“Then I’m sure you’ll enjoy the show.”

At that moment, a young Japanese man greeted them. He was dressed in a white chef’s coat and hat and wore a red sash around his waist. He moved to the back of the table and set uncooked meat, fish, vegetables and rice on the top of the cooking surface, which was in the middle of their table.

“Welcome to our restaurant. Have you all been here before?” Kat loved his thick Japanese accent. Everyone else at the table indicated they had eaten there prior to that night, which made Kat the only “newbie”. David smiled at her.

The chef read off each individual order, ensuring they would get the proper meal. Then he turned on the heat and cooked their food. Kat was amazed at how quickly and expertly he sliced the shrimp, cutting off the tails and opening the vein on the back. He popped one into the air and it landed in the center of his chef’s hat. She laughed and clapped. The chef bowed.

Kat couldn’t believe how full she got after eating a bowl of rice, shrimp, filet mignon and a variety of cooked vegetables. David had ordered the salmon and raved about how delicious it was.

After dinner, they walked outside and waited for the valet to bring the car around.

“Happy?”

“Yes, I am. Thank you.”

“Good. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now we can either go back to my place and pop in a video or go to a theater. Your choice.”

“I’ll leave that decision up to you, if you don’t mind.” He had already spent a tidy sum on dinner and she didn’t want to cause him additional expense on their first “date”.

He took her hand in his and kissed the palm.

“Okay, then we’ll go to my place.”

Smiling, she got into the car.

David pulled into the parking lot of a marina in front of a forty-two-foot yacht. “Welcome to my home,” he said, pointing to the sleek, modern boat.

Kaitlin’s mouth dropped open. She had never been on a yacht before. She was impressed.

“You might want to take off those heels because I don’t want you killing yourself when you come aboard.” David pointed to Kat’s shoes.

She did as directed and followed his lead. The water was a little choppy and the boat bobbed up and down next to the dock. Sir David went first and lent his hand to assist her in getting onto the yacht. When she landed, he kept his hand on her elbow to steady her. She could tell he was an experienced seaman, as he kept both feet squarely on the vessel despite the rocking motion.

“See what I mean?”

“Yes,” she giggled nervously. She heard the slap of water against the sides of the yacht and the fiberglass rubbing against the wooden dock.

“Come, let’s go downstairs.”

He led the way. The interior of the yacht was decorated in varying hues of beige and brown. Although she was very impressed with the modern appliances and decor, she missed the lifestyle touches that Damien’s house had. Because the yacht was compact, she knew there would be no room for a dungeon. But she didn’t want to hurt Sir David’s feelings. She smiled as she looked around.

“Nice boat. Is this one of the yachts your company sells?”

“Yes, it is. If you like it, I can get you one for about a million dollars.”

She laughed. “That’s okay. I’ll just enjoy yours.”

“It’s a little crowded. Not like a regular home, of course. But it comes with all the amenities. The restroom’s behind the kitchen, just past the refrigerator, in case you need it.” David pointed to the back room.

“Yes, I could definitely use the restroom after all the tea I drank.”

“I have a TV in my bedroom. I’ll find a movie to watch.”

“All right. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Take your time.” He smiled and left her.

She visited the restroom and returned five minutes later, having removed her panties. She had to wear them out as she couldn’t risk having the chains and weights dangling between her legs from the bottom of her short skirt at the restaurant. But now that they were in private, she felt comfortable taking them off.

David was spread out on the bed with his shirt and shoes off. His pale skin was red as if he had tried to get a suntan quickly and ended up with a burn instead. He had a nice shape, but nothing to brag about. Apparently he did not have time or the inclination to work out as much as Sir Damien. She warned herself to stop the comparison as she knew she would be terribly disappointed. She would accept David for what
he
was.

“Do you want something to drink before the movie begins?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.”

He patted the bed and she crawled in next to him. Wrapping an arm around her, David pulled her snugly against him and pushed the remote button. The TV screen flashed a disc shape on a blue background and she wondered what movie he had chosen to entertain them.
The Notebook
started and she knew she was in trouble. He was subtly telling her he was in an amorous mood.