“I can’t do it anymore.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “I can’t be something other than what I am. You opened a door inside me and it won’t close. I need it and I want you to be the one to give it to me.”

He squeezed her hand, struggling to control the emotions she stirred within him. “You’re sure? You’ve thought about this?”

She nodded. “Dena’s helped a lot. I watched a scene with her and Master Parks, and it showed me so much.” She shivered. “I can’t imagine not experiencing submitting to you again. I need it. I need you.”

He was only slightly shocked Dena talked her into watching. What shocked him more was her use of Jeff’s title. After Sasha’s accident, Julie had referred to the other Dominants by their first names. He trailed a finger down her cheek, rested his hand on her shoulder so his fingers gently encircled her throat. “You want to be my submissive? To be mine to control while in my bed and in my playroom?”

Her lips curved into a wicked smile. “And occasionally in your car.”

She wanted to be his! His laugh came easily. “Oh, yes. And occasionally in my car.”

They shared a smile of anticipation at the things to come. A joint understanding that though they had different needs, those needs were only satisfied in the other.

He thought of the times they’d spent together and how empty everything seemed without her. She needed to understand his expectations.

“I don’t do short-term, Julie. If I take you again, I won’t easily let you go.”

“I’m not running anymore.” Her voice was low, seductive, and whispered a promise of shared pleasure.

Their lips brushed lightly. He pulled back and gazed into her eyes before slipping his arms around her and capturing her lips in a kiss that left them both panting and anxious for more.

He couldn’t wait to give it to her.

• • •

The soft chime of the shop door opening sounded ten minutes before closing. Julie frowned. She’d hoped no one would show up. Sasha had left earlier than normal, claiming she had a headache and needed to lie down. In the last few weeks since Julie had gotten back together with Daniel, Sasha had been distant. Julie was worried about her.

But now she had a customer. She took a deep breath, walked into the main room, and stopped short.

Daniel stood at the door, facing away from her. He flipped the sign in the window to CLOSED and locked the door.

“Am I closing early?” she asked.

His eyes were dark and sultry when he turned to face her. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

She moved toward him and kissed him softly, her hands locking around his neck. “Is that a promise?”

“Should I make it a threat?”

“You can make it anything you want.”

He growled. “I’ll take you up on that.”

Her heart raced just at the thought of it.

“As soon as I buy some flowers.”

Her hands dropped from his shoulders. “You came here to buy flowers?”

“It is a floral shop.” He nibbled her earlobe. “And I told you I’d make it worth your while.”

“What flowers are you looking for? Anything specific?”

“Very specific. Close the blinds.”

He’d been nuzzling her neck. She almost didn’t hear him. “What?”

“Close the blinds. I don’t think you want an audience for what I have planned. But if you’d like to put on a show?” He shrugged. “You can leave them open.”

Her head spun. Here? In her shop? “Are we going to . . . ?”

He placed a finger over her lips. “Do you trust me, kitten? Nod if you do.”

She looked into his eyes, so confident and sure, filled with both desire and need. The warmth from his finger heated her entire body and traveled to that secret part of her she’d kept buried for so long. She nodded.

“Thank you.” He moved his finger. “Now, do we entertain your neighbors?”

“No, sir.”

He tilted his head and she quickly closed the blinds. She couldn’t believe she was going to have sex in her shop. It sounded so wanton, so wicked, so wild. She loved it.

Since the shop only had a few windows, it didn’t take her long to ensure they were adequately covered. When she turned around to Daniel, she noted he’d taken off both his winter coat and his suit coat. He watched her walk toward him, rolling up his shirtsleeves as she came closer.

“Very nice, kitten,” he said when she stood before him. “Tell me what you say if you need me to stop.”

“Red, sir.”

He palmed her cheek. “Good girl. And if I need to slow down?”

“Yellow, sir.”

He drew her close and whispered against her lips, “It makes me so hard when you call me ‘sir.’”

Being with him like she was, in her shop, knowing there were people walking by outside, made her feel more playful than normal. She slipped her hand between their bodies and cupped his erection. “Is that right, sir?”

He captured her wrist, immobilizing it. “Someone’s being naughty tonight. Does my kitten need a spanking?”

Would he spank her in her shop? So people walking by could hear? She found herself surprised by how much the idea turned her on and decided to push him.

“Maybe, sir.”

“Maybe?” He took her wrist and pushed it behind her back. “Where I come from, ‘maybe’ is what people say when they want to say ‘yes,’ but something’s keeping them from saying so. I think you deserve a spanking for the wandering hand and the wishy-washy response to my question.”

Damn, she wanted him inside her right the f**k NOW.

Daniel, however, appeared to be in no hurry whatsoever. “I’m going to go in the back to look for the flowers I need. I want you to undress and wait for me right here. Completely naked, kitten. While you wait, I want you to think about how your naughty little ass is going to feel as I spank it.”

He kissed her cheek and left, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Of course, since he’d talked about it, the only thing running through her mind was the fact that he was getting ready to spank her. In her shop. She fumbled with her clothes, excitement making her fingers more clumsy than normal. A soft giggle slipped from her. If someone had told her six months ago she’d be undressing in the shop, she’d have laughed at them. Finally naked, she dropped her khakis and polo in a messy pile, shoving her bra and panties in the middle.

She stood and waited. No noise came from the back room. Daniel must have found what he was looking for. He was probably planning exactly how he was going to spank her. Would he put her over his knee again, or perhaps over a table?

The sound of laughter from somewhere outside drifted in, reminding her of how close they were to people passing by. She felt even more naked, more excited. Then she thought of Daniel placing her on her belly over his knee, holding her in place with one hand, spanking her with the other, and she grew even more excited. She shifted her weight in a desperate attempt to alleviate the ache between her legs.

“Not yet, kitten.”

She stilled. She hadn’t heard him enter the room.

He moved across the floor and stood in front of her. A quick glance and she saw he was still dressed. In one hand he carried both a red rose and a white one.

“Hold this.” He handed her the white rose, which was really little more than a bud. The red one, however, was almost in full bloom.

“You once asked me about collaring a submissive. There is a ceremony done sometimes involving roses. I thought this would be the perfect place to tell you about it.”

He held up the red rose, passed the petals over her br**sts. “The Dominant is represented by the red rose. It’s almost fully open to show his experience and to symbolize he possesses the maturity to have a submissive. Not in complete bloom, though, for he can always grow.” He turned the rose so the thorns scratched her skin and she couldn’t stop her moan as one particularly sharp one hit her nipple. “The rose is red to show the Dominant’s willingness to shed his own blood in order to protect his submissive. That he would lay his life down for her, should the need arise.”

He placed the rose down and took the white one from her. “What does a white rose symbolize, Julie?”

“Purity, sir.”

The petals trailed down her cheek. “Yes. In this case, the purity of a submissive’s submission. Unsullied.” He passed the rose under her chin and she met his eyes. “Unashamed. Without fault. And white as a symbol of a submissive’s pure desire for her Dom. You’ll notice it’s a bud, for a submissive is always growing, always becoming better. Always learning how to better serve her Master.”

She thought it a beautiful representation of this world she was becoming engrossed in. Loved how two opposites came together and formed a more perfect whole.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

She spoke with an ease that hadn’t seemed possible mere weeks before. Each day it became easier and easier to share her thoughts. “About how unexpectedly beautiful it is.”

His smile spoke his approval. “And for me, the expected beauty. For that is what you are. That is what you give me.” He pulled her close and kissed her softly.

She could have stayed in his arms, kissing him, all night. Daniel, however, seemed to have different plans. Ever so slowly, he trailed a hand down her back so his fingers danced along the top of her backside.

“We’ll talk about this more a little later,” he said. “Right now I want to spend some time working on this naughty ass.”

Her heart pounded. It was only the second time he spanked her. He’d told her he went easy on her the first time. She was both excited and nervous to see what he had planned for the second.

There wasn’t a couch in the store, not even a chair she thought suitable for what he probably had in mind.

“I want you leaning over your worktable. Arms stretched out.”

She froze for just a second. Her worktable? Then she grinned, knowing she’d never look at it the same way again. As she walked toward the table, she swayed her hips, knowing he was watching. A low growl confirmed her suspicion and seconds after she situated herself, she felt him behind her. His hands were on her backside, cupping, rubbing, and pinching.

“I love the feel of your ass in my hands,” he said. “Almost as much as I love the feel of your sweet pussy.” He gave her a sharp smack. “Spread your legs more so I can see it.”

She obeyed and moaned when he slipped a finger inside her.

“Nice, wet, and ready for me,” he said, adding a second finger. “Brace yourself.”

She barely had time to process his words before his fingers started a slow pump in and out of her while his other hand began a steady rhythm of swats to her backside. The sensations made her gasp in excited pleasure. Ever so slowly he increased his speed and as his fingers moved faster and deeper inside her, the swats to her flesh became harder.

“Oh, god, f**k,” she said, scratching her fingernails against the table, while at the same time pushing back toward him.

Two sharp slaps struck her ass. “Naughty, wicked girl.”

She squeezed her eyes tight against the ever-growing sensation he was causing inside her. If she tried hard enough, she could make it last just a little bit longer. Smack. Just a little bit . . .

His fingers left her and she whined. He slapped her backside once more.

“I’m going to spank your pu**y until you come and then I’m going to f**k you until I come.”

She gasped when she felt his hand again and came on the fourth swat to her oversensitized flesh. He stepped away just for a second. There was a rustle of clothes and then he was back, pressed hot and hard against her.

“This is for me, but you can come again if you’re able,” he said. “Hold on.”