“That gown was hiding what I needed to see.”

“Damn you, Q. I loved that dress.”

I spanked her ass. “And I love you.”

“Strange way of showing it. You wouldn’t have destroyed it if you’d known how much it cost.”

I chuckled. “You should know by now I don’t care about things like cost and expense.”

She pinched my lower back. “Well, you should.”

“Why?”

“Because you have to decide what I’m worth to you one day.”

Shaking my head, I took the castle steps two at a time and barged into our bedroom. Placing her on her feet, I shed any resemblance of a man and smiled with masked serenity and rabid severity.

My fingers shook as I undid the bow of her blindfold, returning her vision.

She blinked, lips parting.

“Oh, esclave. When will you understand? Nothing else matters and you could never be assigned a monetary figure.”

She breathed heavily as I wrapped my hand around her neck and slammed her against the wall. Her eyes darkened, pupils dilated, and her ruined dress shrugged off within seconds. “Why?”

“Because you, my dear wife, are absolutely fucking priceless.”

THE NEXT DAY didn’t begin until noon.

After our drinking games and then Q’s wickedness and my multiple orgasms, we were slow getting out of bed.

When we finally did convene in the great hall for a full English breakfast and catch up on emails and conversation, we laughed and smiled with an air of holiday relaxation with all the time in the world.

It’d been so long since I’d been completely carefree—since I’d seen Q so…serene.

Organising this against his wishes had been a risk. I’d been worried sick about telling him. But it had paid off.

Hopefully, the rest of the weekend will go as well.

While the men took care of a little correspondence and business, the girls and I grabbed a few parasols and magazines and headed outside to the large sweeping gardens hidden behind stone walls.

For winter, the weather was kind. The sun shone bright and fierce, doing its best to hide the icy chill and encourage us to indulge in its brightness.

Claiming three of the six blue and white loungers already fluffed and prepared for us, we spent a wonderful few hours reading, sunning, and sipping on virgin daiquiris before we were joined (or more like interrupted) by our men.

Tomorrow was Q’s birthday, and today, I hadn’t planned a thing. I didn’t want to cram events and schedules into this getaway. That wasn’t what it was about. This was about unwinding and remembering how nice it was not to have anything to do.

The men took the free loungers, and instead of demanding we go for a walk or head to the river below to fish, they all dozed in the sunshine.

Even Suzette and Angelique nodded off while I watched my family and thanked the universe for everything I’d been given.

Lunch was served outside. Delivered by the attentive servants and placed on convenient side tables at the perfect height for our loungers.

Q chewed the rustic bread and duck pâté slowly, his French voice punctuating the cool afternoon as we shared harmonious company. “Good choice, Tess. This…it’s perfect.”

My skin shivered with delight that I’d been able to coerce and impress him.

He caught my eye, dragging me back to memories of last night and what he’d done. How he’d held me against the wall and stripped me. How he’d used the thick cord from the velvet curtains to truss my ankles to my wrists, keeping me wide and at his mercy. How he’d made me beg and taken his time after the quick session we’d had in the barn—making up for it with the luxury of pleas and commands.

By the time he’d finished with me, my ass was red from his palm, and multiple pleasure had melted my insides.

Q smiled, following my train of thought.

Flushing, I looked away, finishing my lunch before he could entice me back into his lair and ruin any hope of spending the rest of the day with friends. He was such a master of control. He kept my mind purely on him and our physical want for each other. The intensity between us didn’t give me space to worry about what he was hiding.

He has a few more days to tell me.

I just had to hope he kept his promise.

Once we’d devoured our lunch with crisp grapes and decadent cheese, we unanimously agreed a walk would be good now the sun had disappeared behind greyish clouds.

Even in winter, France was a heavenly vacation spot. We couldn’t sunbake in bikinis, but a jumper and jeans kept us perfectly warm. However, as we retreated inside to don walking shoes, jackets, and hats, we knew by the time we returned from our stroll, it would be glove and fire weather.

As we struck off two by two, I clasped Q’s hand and fell even more in love than I already was. Everything was going so well. Now, if only I could get him to tell me what was bothering him, everything would be perfect.

* * * * *

“I want to do something.”

I looked up from brushing my hair and getting ready for bed. “Do what?”

After our walk, we’d all opted for a light dinner of cold cuts and Eaton mess dessert before retiring to our separate quarters. Being outside all day had drained us, and I needed everyone to be energetic for tomorrow.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I even brought the gear with me…on the off chance you’d agree.”

Placing my hairbrush on the marble countertop by the sink, I turned to face him. “Agree to what?”