She’d accepted it all these years. But no more. Mick Reid was going to give her one more chance whether he liked it or not. She would do her best to see that he did.
It was in her, that need to please. It always had been. She’d never understood what it was when Mick whispered the words good girl in her ear, all those years ago. She’d only known it had made her shiver.
God, to hear him say that to her again . . .
A small shudder went through her, leaving goose bumps all over her skin.
She shook herself. She couldn’t sit there mooning over him all day. She had work to do.
She fired off an email to Jamie reminding him to ask his brother to call her about doing the repairs on the house, then opened up the business plan she’d spent months putting together to expand the family business. Her mother and aunts would be hard cases, she knew, but she’d always had so many ideas, and now she had the training and experience in the field to back it up. Maybe this time they wouldn’t turn her down.
Two cups of coffee and two hours later, her cell phone rang. She got up and picked it up off the counter, smiling when she saw her best friend’s name on the screen.
“Marie Dawn, you’re up early.”
“Neal had an early shift at the firehouse—I’ve been up since five. I didn’t want to wake you, but I’m dying to know how things went yesterday. I got your message but I couldn’t call you back. I was taking care of grand-mère until late last night.”
She poured herself another cup of coffee and stood at the counter with it. “It’s no problem, hon. And I’ve been up since six myself. I couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind.”
“Let me guess what that might be.”
“You don’t exactly have to be a mind reader.”
“So, tell me everything,” Marie Dawn prompted.
“Well . . .” She paused, sipped her coffee. “. . . He was pissed.”
“As we expected him to be. Continue.”
“I’m really glad Jamie was there. It helped, even if it was mostly to give us both something else to focus on. And why in the world didn’t you tell me Mick is still fighting, Marie Dawn?”
“Because I knew you’d worry, and I didn’t want to do that to you. If he was ever seriously injured I would have let you know.”
“He hasn’t been?”
“Nothing more than a few broken fingers, and that badly broken nose, but that was years ago, when you were still in Europe. There would have been no point in telling you then.”
“I noticed the scar yesterday. And a bruise on his face. I don’t like it.”
“He’s not about to stop, mon amie.”
“I know.” Allie blew out a long breath. “No one has ever been able to tell Mick anything.”
“Does that mean he didn’t agree to your plan?”
“Actually, he did. I’m a little surprised, to be honest.” In truth, she was shocked. As brazen as she’d been going into it, she’d always doubted he would agree. “I just had to try, you know, Marie Dawn? Even if he’d walked away, at least I’d have given it one last shot. That was what was really in my mind. I had to be determined.”
“Why are you being so fatalistic?” her friend asked. “Especially now that he’s going to do this?”
“You know our history better than anyone but Jamie. And I don’t even know if he knows that Mick and I slept together that time.”
“I do know the history. But I also know how Mick feels about you,” Marie Dawn said. “It’s obvious any time your name is mentioned. He loves you, Allie.”
“So everyone keeps telling me. And . . . I think he does, too. Or maybe I just like to think so.” She sighed. She couldn’t help it. Hope was a tight knot in her chest. “Maybe I’m delusional.”
“You’re not.”
“We’ll see. He’s taking me to the club Friday night.”
“We’re finally giving up the details! More, s’il vous plâit. How did you accomplish this feat?”
Allie couldn’t help but smile at the glee in her friend’s voice. “Jamie and I managed to corner him into it by telling him if he didn’t play me, I’d find someone who would.”
“Very clever.”
“I almost feel bad about it. It was manipulative.”
“How do you think I got Neal to marry me?”
Allie snorted. “You did not. Everyone knew he was going to marry you the day you two met.”
“Still, men sometimes need a little push. Or a big one in Mick’s case. But the bigger they come, the harder they fall. I almost wish I shared this kink of yours so I could be there to see it.”
“You’re married to his brother. Mick would freak if you showed up at the club.”
“And I don’t have any real desire to go, but I do want to know every detail. Can we have lunch on Saturday?”
“That would be great.”
“Okay, good. I need to go run a few errands, but call me this week if you want to talk.”
“I will. And I’ll see you on Saturday.”
They hung up and Allie poured the rest of her coffee down the sink. She was jittery enough—she didn’t need the caffeine. Instead, she’d go for a run, then head to Dolcetti to gauge her family’s mood before she launched her plan to convince them to let her into the business.
She felt a bit better after talking to Marie Dawn. If nothing else, it was nice to know she and Jamie were on her side. Now that left only Mick.
She was nervous about Friday night. And incredibly, almost unbearably excited. Physically. Emotionally. She was also a little afraid. Or maybe a lot.
What if she and Mick didn’t gel when it came to the kink? Their physical chemistry had always been mind-blowing, but she knew that didn’t always translate to a good kink match. On the other hand, what if their kink compatibility was as amazing as their sexual chemistry, but Mick still turned away from her after they’d played? She wasn’t sure she could bear it. But there was always the possibility that she wasn’t what he was looking for in a submissive. That she might not please him. And in this realm, within the D/s and S/M dynamic, that was a crucial element. She could be very submissive in the BDSM realm, which was the polar opposite of who she was in her everyday life, but she was no service sub. What if he wanted more of a slave mentality, ultimately? She’d never be able to go there, not even for Mick.
And . . . she had to accept that she simply wasn’t going to know until they were together at The Bastille on Friday night.
Friday couldn’t come soon enough.
She busied herself with eating a bowl of oatmeal with honey and raisins while shopping for curtains and new bathroom fixtures online for another hour, then she decided it was time to go for her run, and got up to get changed. Her laptop pinged. Without sitting down again, she leaned over and glanced at her email. Her heart was a sudden hammer in her chest when she saw it was from Mick. She clicked it open.
Allie,
You are to do exactly as I instruct. Be ready for me at 8:00 on Friday night, as we discussed. You are to wear a dress, no stockings, high black heels—shoes, not boots. I don’t care for boots on a sub—they’re for Dominants, in my opinion. Your lingerie should be black or red. I enjoy the symbolism of the darker colors. I am certain you understand what I mean by that. Wear only a thong and a bra. Expect that they will be removed. No jewelry, which only gets in the way of play.
Before I pick you up, I want you to concentrate on the ritual of preparing yourself for me. Take a bath, rather than a shower. Take the time to soak, and while you’re there, think about what may lie ahead. Think about being in my hands. Think about what my hands will do to you. They will command you. Pleasure you. Bring you the pain you’ve asked for. And they are my hands. Never forget that. In fact, you might spend the rest of the week thinking about these things.