Chapter 9
A week passed since the risqué fun on the sands of the secluded beach cove. Stella couldn’t quite believe that she had actually gone through with it and put herself all out there on public display like that.
But it had been worth it.
Stella knew that Logan was the right person to have done it with and wouldn’t have led Stella into it if he thought there was too much risk of getting caught. As much as Logan had always played it fast and loose with the rules, he had never put Stella at risk. It just wasn’t Logan’s style.
What was also on Stella’s mind was that she was beginning to feel more and more sure that Logan was ready to embrace his true identity as a full blown, committed Daddy Dom.
And the fun hadn’t ended at the cove either.
Over the course of the ensuing week, Stella and Logan had been getting fully reacquainted with pretty much every single part of their bodies. It seemed like nothing was off the table when it came to matters of the bedroom, or outdoors for that matter.
Everything was totally consensual and safe, but with the unmistakable hint of danger that Logan brought to the table. There had been several spankings and paddlings, with all of Logan’s old disciplinary skills coming to the fore.
All in all, it was a whole ton of fun.
Stella couldn’t think of another time when her home was so full of laughter, banter, and red-hot steamy moments. It was like something out of the romance novels that Stella would read on her Kindle.
All of this was on Stella’s mind as she potted around in her apartment’s ground floor garden. It was only a small courtyard really, but Stella had spent time filling it with greenery and exotic touches, with artefacts from her travels in Europe and South America adorning the walls and corners.
I’ve seen so much in the world.
But there’s so much more to see too.
Would… Logan… travel with me?
Thoughts of making long term plans with Logan would have seem totally deluded to Stella had anyone asked her about it a couple of weeks ago. Logan wasn’t the kind of guy you could make a reliable plan for a single date with, let alone someone who you could arrange overseas travel alongside.
However Stella wasn’t so sure that was still the case.
Logan was evolving. That much seemed obvious to Stella. Logan may have been at a low point in some ways, and it was true that they needed to have a proper discussion about exactly what had been going on in his life prior to showing up at Stella’s place.
However, as bad as some things were, it was clear that Logan was doing much better in other ways too. Stella didn’t want to take too much of the credit for that, but it was undeniable that Logan seemed super-settled and contented in Stella’s company.
There were still questions swirling around in Stella’s mind though.
But is Logan ready to settle down?
Not just for now, but forever?
And would Logan even want to do that with me?
Stella finished off pruning her potted plants and walked back inside the apartment. She always felt good having tended to her garden and made her way into the kitchen for a nice, ice-cold glass of water.
Logan was busy on the laptop, and Stella was curious to see what had captured his attention…
‘Checking out some hot girls?’ Stella said, a knowing smile on her face.
‘Ha! No, nothing like that,’ Logan replied. ‘You’re quite enough for me, sweetie pie.’
Stella poured herself a drink of water and loaded it with a bunch of ice cubes straight from the refrigerator. Walking toward Logan, Stella could suddenly see that Logan was on The Dog Den’s website.
Interesting.
Very…. Interesting.
Is Logan looking for… a job?
However as Stella approached, a flustered Logan suddenly clicked off the The Dog Den website and instead started looking through some sports results from the previous evening.
‘Playoff time!’ Logan said, attempting to distract Stella from what she had only moments ago seen on his screen.
‘Sure,’ Stella replied. ‘You know me though, I’m not really much of a sports gal. Not like that, anyway.’
Stella could see that Logan was a little bit flustered. But why didn’t Logan want Stella to know he was looking at jobs at The Dog Den? Stella thought it was adorable and definitely a positive thing, so couldn’t understand why Logan would feel so shy and secretive about it.
Whatever reasons Logan had for being secretive, Stella decided she should respect them. There was nothing worse than trying to do something privately and then have someone stick their nose in and potentially disrupt it.
So rather than cramp Logan’s space, Stella gave him a quick kiss and took her ice-cold glass of water over onto the couch. It was time to make some plans with Lilah and Nicki…
Hey guys! Any plans for this evening? Logan is out with his bros – who are both single by the way!!! I’ll be all alone. Do you guys feel like coming over for a movie and popcorn night? Let me know what you’re thinking. Stella XoXoXo
Stella reclined on the couch and began to casually scroll through her Instagram. She checked her notifications and saw that she had been followed by Lauren Treen from work. While it was always nice to get a new follower, Stella immediately felt a shiver run over her body.
It wasn’t good news to have Lauren following her. While in theory it could have been an attempt to build bridges and improve their relationship in work, Stella sensed that Lauren had other motivations.
Urgh.
Why does that B have to be in my life?
If she expects me to follow back, she can forget it…
Stella had a quick look through the most recent updates on the The Dog Den Instagram page.
It was wonderful to see so many wholesome photos of the recent batch of dogs to have found their lovely new forever homes.
It filled Stella with joy to see so many pups find new homes and human friends who would give them a great life.
Stella could definitely see the appeal of working at The Dog Den. She was very happy at EcoPlay and had no intention of leaving – even if Lauren was a pain in the ass.
But the thought of Logan working at The Dog Den was just incredible.
Stella could help Logan with his job application, and put in a good word for him with the The Dog Den management.
It was such a no brainer!
But Stella kept quiet and decided that Logan would bring it up with her if he wanted to.
Casting her eyes over a photo of the totally adorable Sweetie, Stella wondered when this big chunk of canine delightfulness would find her forever home. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too long, but sometimes bigger dogs found it harder to be rehomed sadly.
Then in a burst of notifications, Stella received replies from both Lilah and Nicki…
Hey! Movies and popcorn sounds superb to me, I’m IN! But… I call first choice in the movie? Oh, and how about we double down and order food in? There’s a brilliant new plant-based taco place I want to try. Lilah xxx
100%. Let’s do it. Movies, food, talking trash and having a great time. My kind of night in. We could each choose one movie each? Really make a night of it. Nicki XoXo
Stella smiled. It was great to see that her friends were so enthusiastic to come over and hang out.
Stella was glad that Logan was finally connecting with his friends again too, but at the same time Stella knew that she would probably feel a bit lonely alone in the apartment for the first time in a little while.
Having Lilah and Nicki over would be the perfect antidote to any feelings that Stella might have. She trusted Logan, and knew that his friends would look after him, but the memory of Logan’s wild, partying ways was still on Stella’s mind a little bit.
I shouldn’t worry.
I should trust Logan.
He’s changing… isn’t he?
With Logan having left to go and party with his friends, Stella had settled in to having a nice wholesome night in with her own friends.
With Lilah and Nicki having arrived, all three were now getting cozy in their colorful hoodies and shorts – a classic Blue Rock combination. Each one of them had a big bowl of popcorn to devour and in between movies the gossip and banter was certainly flowing back and forth at quite the pace…
‘I so do not have a crush on Jamal!’ Lilah said, rocking her head back in laughter as she attempted to deny her blatant crush on Jamal, the barista at Bean Scene.
‘Come on! You so do have a crush on him,’ Stella laughed, playfully throwing a piece of popcorn in Lilah’s direction. ‘I mean it’s so obvious, why deny it?’
The three friends laughed. Lilah nodded her head in acknowledgement of her crush.
Stella loved how the three of them could always be honest with one another.
They might be shy about revealing their crushes sometimes, but when it came to the important stuff, they were always ready to be open and honest.
‘So… what about Logan?’ Nicki said, her dark brown eyes looking as deep and soul-searching as ever. ‘You think he’s going to be sticking around this time?’
‘I think so,’ Stella said. ‘I mean… I hope so.’
‘We don’t want to see you hurt again,’ Nicki said. ‘We both love Logan. And we love how happy he makes you. It’s just…’
‘It’s just we know that he’s got a history,’ Lilah said, clearly wanting to have her own input into the conversation. ‘And that’s cool, everyone has a history. It’s just… Logan is Logan. You know?’
Stella took a moment. She could see how much her friends cared for her and were just trying to make sure that everything was good between her and Logan.
‘I know guys, and I appreciate you both looking out for me,’ Stella replied, a smile on her face. ‘But I know what I’m doing. I’m a big Little now.’
‘I bet that’s what Logan thinks too!’ Lilah said, laughing.
The three friends all laughed together. It was time to put on another movie and let the evening continue as planned.
Stella felt happy that her friends were rooting for her, but Stella also felt a sense of satisfaction that she was able to answer their concerns over Logan with a good degree of confidence.
Stella knew that she had been hurt by Logan in the past. On the one hand, it wasn’t a great feeling to be reminded of that.
But on the other hand, Stella felt mature enough to be able to accept that aspects of her and Logan’s past relationship had been tricky to deal with, sometimes even very painful to handle in fact.
But the past was the past.
As far as Stella was concerned, there was only one way that her and Logan’s relationship was developing, and that was towards commitment, fun, and plenty of kink-based experiences together.
It felt good to finally be able to relax into a steady and trusting relationship with Logan, and the more Stella thought about it, the more confident that she became.
‘Guys, let’s watch an action movie!’ Stella declared. ‘It’s my choice, and I want something full of hunky guys, big explosions, and cheesy one-liners.’
‘Sounds perfect!’ Lilah agreed.
‘Count me in,’ Nicki added.
With that, Stella put on the movie and the three friends continued with their night in. Life was looking good. In fact, Stella might even have said that everything was pretty much perfect.