Her Dominant Doctor (16 page)

After her morning wake-up call on Sunday morning, both Annie and Thomas had fallen back to sleep for another hour. They woke up refreshed and rejuvenated. So much so that they had enjoyed another marathon stretch of lovemaking that brought them to early afternoon. In between the thunderous orgasms, they had continued their discussion and negotiated an arrangement that pleased them both.

One of Annie’s greatest concerns was being able to identify when Thomas was in dom mode and when he was just Thomas. His resolution to the dilemma was a perfect solution and put her fears at ease. When they were in a scene and when he was being a dominant, he would call Annie ‘pet’ like he did when they had the masturbation scene. At the time, Annie did not think about it, so caught up in living out her fantasy, but later she asked him about it. She was uncertain she liked being called ‘pet.’ She could not deny, however, that his voice calling her the explicit name made her weak in the knees. So they agreed that she was ‘pet’ when she was submitting to him. When they were just living life, being themselves day-to-day, he would call her by the affectionate endearment ‘angel’ or her given name. She loved that he called her angel; it made her feel special.

In an effort to navigate the entwining of their lives into already established routines, they had both agreed that spending time together when at all possible was the most important thing to consider and they needed to determine how that would work for them. This resulted in a pact to alternate locations to stay at night. Monday through Thursday, they would stay at Annie’s home and the other days at his brownstone. It made sense to break it down that way because the weekends were reserved for their ‘play’ time and Thomas had all of the accoutrements in place at his home. Yesterday afternoon, Annie had followed Thomas on the drive to his historic red brick façade house. The intricate iron railing led up to a door painted black, lending to the authentic look of that special style architecture.

The interior was comfortably masculine, not in a bachelor pad way, but with tasteful, traditional décor of dark woods and worn leather. The home had three levels and he told her he spent the majority of his time in the main rooms on the second floor. Thomas had a large living room that felt cozy with a fireplace and overstuffed furniture. In addition to a gourmet kitchen and oversized dining room with built-in china cabinet, the second floor also held his combination library and study. Annie fell in love with that room the instant she walked through the threshold. There were floor-to-ceiling custom-built bookcases on three of the four walls. The bookcases held leather-bound volumes with every topic imaginable, ranging from the classics of Mark Twain and F. Scott Fitzgerald to coffee table tomes about art and history. They spent hours sunk into the relaxed brown leather couch that sat in one corner of the room, talking, eating, reading, and talking some more.

Thomas sat at one end of the couch while Annie laid out with her head resting on his lap. He stroked her hair as they further defined and determined how to mesh their lives together. Annie, with her behaviorist mindset, wanted to review her rules with Thomas to ensure she understood his expectations. They agreed that Annie would text him at least once during the day when she was at work to check in with him and text or call if she were going to be late arriving home at the pre-determined time.

Another rule came to fruition when Annie endured the embarrassing yet erotic initiation of having a hairless pussy, with Thomas gleefully completing the task of shaving her for the first time.

Thomas also delighted in rummaging through Annie’s underwear so that he could choose what panties she would wear each day that week. Feeling that some of the options were less than acceptable, Thomas made her discard them and led her out of the house to, of all places, the mall. They shopped at Victoria’s Secret for panties that were adequate for his discerning taste. This left Annie with a wide collection of exquisite silky panties in all colors and styles. Thomas encouraged her to find the matching bras in the correct size, which was a challenge given her breasts were a D-cup. They had their first disagreement when Thomas insisted on paying for the underwear, but he pulled out the dom card when he leaned into her, his head against her cheek and, in a hushed tone, said, “The discussion is closed, pet.” The words were whispered so there was no fear that the salesperson heard him; however, her physical response was immediate. What he said and the way he said it made her panties, the more pragmatic white cotton panties that Thomas insisted she wear, dampen as her arousal grew with his private, yet ‘public’ display of dominance.

* * *

The weeks that followed were busy. Thomas spent every moment he was not working with Annie. He thought it would be a daunting task to split his possessions between two homes, but Thomas found that it required little effort to adjust to their new lives. They spent each weeknight at Annie’s home. He was learning all of her little quirks, and they all endeared him to her.

Thomas took note of every detail, from her favorite foods to the type of toothpaste she preferred. He knew that she liked to wash her hair with coconut shampoo that reminded him of a tropical paradise every time he nuzzled her, taking in the exotic scent. He found her quirky habits endearing, from her insistence on matching her Vera Bradley pocketbook and accessories to the way she performed her meticulous nightly rituals. He discovered that the heavenly scent that intoxicated him the night of their first date was a specific brand of almond cherry lotion that she used to moisturize her hands all the way up to her elbows. She did not like her food to touch on the plate and she used the remote control to cycle the channels completely before deciding on what program to watch on television.

Annie’s love for gardening soon became his interest as he spent time with her tending to the rainbow of colors. After pulling weeds or mulching an area, Annie would stand way back and observe the span of their work. After putting the garden tools away in the small wooden shed in back of her house, Annie would faithfully walk the full length of the yard along the stone path, stopping momentarily at particular points in quiet contemplation. He observed, without her ever telling him, that she was partial to a viburnum shrub planted in and among several varieties of hydrangeas and that she adored a figurine of a frog sitting on a lily pad. His unobtrusive surveillance at these oddities confirmed his belief that she was an angel sent to him from above and he wanted her with him for always.

This realization, several weeks into their relationship, was the encouragement needed to introduce Annie to his parents. One evening they drove to Marblehead, a coastal town outside of the city, to show Annie his childhood home. When he called his mother to ask about bringing Annie to meet them, she was delighted and, after their initial meeting, Thomas knew that his parents fell in love with her immediately. Thomas was not surprised. His Annie radiated light and goodness and compassion with everyone she encountered.

“So Annie, Thomas tells us you work with people with disabilities,” Sarah said as she passed the grilled asparagus to her son.

“Yes, I do. Both children and adults. I work for an agency called Community, Inc. They have offices all throughout the eastern part of the state. I work twice a week at the main facility in Boston and the other three days rotating to five different locations both north and south of the city.”

“Sounds interesting,” Ryan chimed in. “You know, I worked for a law firm before I retired. I think one of the other partners may have done some work for you guys.”

“Could be,” Annie responded. “I’ll be honest, Mr. Callahan, and tell you that I stay as far away from the operations side of the agency as possible, choosing to focus on the clinical supports of the clients.”

“Fair enough, Annie and, please, call me Ryan. Mr. Callahan was my father.” A sad, wistful look played across his face. “Speaking of which, Thomas, have you been by to see Nana recently?”

“I stopped by the nursing home last week, Dad. She looked good. They had her up sitting in the activities room. There was a music group going on. A guy playing a guitar. Nana was… well. The same.”

All three of the Callahans held somber expressions. Trying to lighten the mood, Annie spoke. “It’s too bad Matthew couldn’t be here. I’ve been looking forward to meeting him just as much as you.” The mention of their oldest son and Thomas’ brother pulled them out of their saddened thoughts.

“Yeah, what’s with him going to Aspen? He hates to ski. It’s the second time this year, isn’t it?” Thomas inquired.

A pleasant expression crossed Sarah’s face. “Yes, he went a few months ago. Said it was for business.”

“What does he do again?” Annie asked Thomas. “I know you told me, but I can’t remember.”

Thomas had no doubt that some details might have gotten lost as they got to know one another. His insatiable need to learn all about her was equally matched in Annie’s inquiries and questions. “Matthew is vice president of Soft Track. It’s a software company.”

“I remember now,” Annie nodded her head. “Mr. and Mrs. Callahan, you must be so proud of your sons’ accomplishments.”

Mr. Callahan teasingly chided, “Annie, we are Sarah and Ryan. Please.”

“Of course, thank you. I’m sorry, Ryan.”

Thomas was awash with laughter. “You know, Dad, Annie has difficulty calling people by their given names. I believe it took several times before I could get you to stop calling me Dr. Callahan, remember?” He turned to face Annie. She was pink-cheeked. Her adorable giggle was a symphony for his ears.

“I remember you having the same problem, Dr. Callahan, calling me Ms. O’Reilly until I reminded you
several times
that my name was Annie.” Joy bubbled in her laughter and her eyes shone bright with mischief.

Playfully, Thomas retorted, shaking his head, “That’s not how I remember it. All the meds you were on must have made you confused.”

Annie elbowed him in the ribs. “Yeah, right. Who insisted on ‘all the meds,’ hmm?”

His father’s question interrupted their banter. “Annie, do tell us about the events that led you to meeting our son. I understand it is quite an interesting story.”

“Yes,” Sarah interjected. “Thomas only told us that you were on a cruise and had to come home early because you were sick. What happened exactly, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t mind at all,” Annie responded in a warm voice. She proceeded with the tale that led her to him. Thomas could see that his parents were enraptured by her charm. It made him so happy that they liked her.

“Oh, what a nightmare. I was having such a great time too,” Annie sighed. “I started to get this pain in my stomach. It started a few hours after dinner. It just got worse and worse. I was beside myself all night just writhing in bed. I’d get up and sit in the chair, then go out on the veranda. No change in position or movement helped.”

His parents winced in sympathy. Thomas said, “My poor Annie. I’ve had many patients tell me that a gallstone attack is incredibly painful.”

Annie nodded her head in agreement. “Without question, the worst. But you have to remember, at this point, I had no idea what it was.”

“What did you do?” Sarah asked, curiosity apparent in her voice.

“I went to the ship’s medical center. The doctor mandated a trip to the hospital in Barcelona. We were scheduled to arrive there the next day.” Thomas was as equally entranced by Annie’s saga as his parents, despite the fact that he had heard the story. She was animated, using her hands and facial expressions to emphasize parts of the story. She took his breath away.
I’m such a lucky bastard
.

“How did you communicate with them?” His father’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Not easily, that is for sure. I remembered very little from my high school Spanish classes.” All of them chuckled in understanding.

Annie shook her head. “It was by the grace of God that the person who did the ultrasound spoke just enough English that I could understand. I heard the word ‘gallbladder’ and was at least comforted to know it was not liver failure. That is what the ship’s doctor had suspected.”

His breath ceased momentarily. Even though she was sitting next to him perfectly fine, just the thought of Annie sick was distressing, made worse by the images she invoked with her candid account. Annie’s sweet voice calmed Thomas like a balm for his soul.

“…I was exhausted, frustrated, and quite terrified, but it all dissipated in his presence.” The love and affection reflected in Annie’s eyes caused a warmth to envelop his body, providing much-needed comfort.

“Oh, how sweet. Isn’t that just the sweetest thing, honey?” his mother asked across the table.

“Indeed it is. You’re a lucky man, son.” His father confirmed his exact thoughts.

“If I may ask, how did the both of you meet?” Annie inquired.

Looking at his father and mother gaze at each other with such affection, Thomas was inspired and in awe. Ryan and Sarah Callahan had a love that most people dreamed about. They were soul mates. Thomas, who had most definitely heard this story many times, did not mind listening to his parents’ story. They were high school sweethearts who married right after graduating from college. His father continued on with law school and his mother obtained a position as a public school teacher. Both of his parents raised him and his brother to have a strong work ethic.

They believed that, with hard work and dedication, one could reach all of their goals. They emphasized the importance of education and this served Thomas well through his college years, medical school, and residency. He had worked hard and aspired to be successful like his parents. With those achievements, what he now desired was companionship. A woman who would share his life. He wanted to experience true love, a binding of souls, and he found it with Annie.

* * *

Annie adored Ryan and Sarah and could see the pure love of their family. Rather than feel the weight of sadness for all she did not have in her childhood, Annie was grateful to be embraced into their fold. After enjoying dinner and conversation, Thomas asked Annie to take a walk on the beach. With soft sand between their toes on a warm summer evening, they enjoyed the treasure that was the rocky coastline. In an area of the town called ‘The Neck,’ the houses and cottages along the shore showcased a quintessential New England village along the stretch of beach as they walked hand in hand.