Chapter 2
The way her eyes glowed when he praised her sent a ripple of possession through his body and made him want to pound his chest.
His Ella.
Even after all these years. Even after all the times he failed.
She was still at his side.
Zee fully understood what a lucky bastard he was and swore never to take his wife for granted.
When the members had left and the club was quiet—when it was just him and her in the space she helped him create, his vision to which she gave her all to materialize—using the equipment was a ritual.
Like he was claiming what was his all over again.
This woman was his entire galaxy.
He noticed her mouth pursed, as if she was trying to hold back words, how tight her shoulders were, the tension around her eyes.
Zee chalked it up to her being stressed about the change in their routine or the girls—she hadn’t seen their daughters since Christmas and it had been a long time since she visited her best friend, Nora.
Or maybe her mind was chewing on stuff that she hasn’t shared with him yet.
But he knew how to give her relief.
He could have waited until they were home, but he wanted to end the night with her here, in his beloved club on the spiderweb.
He ran his hands up and down her bare legs, watching her brows furrow, the micro expression flicker across her face.
Rolling her skirt up, he dropped kisses along her delicate knees, down her legs then knelt, cursing himself for not grabbing a pair of kneepads.
He pressed his mouth against her silky panties and breathed in her scent, peace settling over him.
The only thing that mattered was what he and Ella had. He hooked his fingers on her waistband and rolled it down, revealing her bare pussy. Holding a palm against her mound, he pulled on the spiderweb, so her skin came right against his mouth.
“You are a very pretty fly. Do you feel caught?” He pressed a kiss on her inner thigh, and she shivered as he dropped kisses close to her pussy.
“I always feel like I’m yours,” Ella said with an amused tone, which made his heart flutter. “Though this is kind of precarious. Can’t say this is a comfortable contraption. The rope cables are digging into my back.”
“But you’re not entirely uncomfortable?” Zee glanced at her with a grin.
“No, Master. I can hold it for you.”
“Perfect. If it’s too much, you let me know.”
“I will.”
And because she was his good girl, and he trusted her as much as she trusted him, he pulled the thick cable, giving it a little bounce as he grasped her leg and pressed his mouth to her sensitive skin.
He flicked his tongue along her seam, sucking on her pussy lips.
Her taste coated his mouth, and he let out a groan of approval.
The faint smell of leather from the club’s furniture mingled with the sweet, sultry scent of her skin, his anchor.
“Oh! Master!”
He loved it when she made noise.
Wanting her to come apart, he lapped his tongue along her hot skin, wanting her to let go.
He breathed in her tangy scent as he licked, lapped and sucked her clit, hard and fast, pushing his tongue against it, wanting her to fall into that pleasure that had to be coursing through her veins.
The spiderweb bounced as she thrust her hips, her legs trying to close together.
Zee clapped his hand down harder, sucking her sweet clit with even more pressure.
She’d do anything he asked of her, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t hard for her to let go.
He could help her with that.
Above him, she panted, letting out those delicious raspy breaths.
She was close to coming undone, and that made him speed up his efforts.
He grasped a bit of skin between his fingers, pinching her inner thigh as he massaged her clit with his tongue even harder, wanting her to come undone.
His brain flooded with endorphins, as if owning her was a verb, an act.
It’s how it had been between them ever since she first called him, “Master.”
“Zee! I’m coming!”
Yes, that was his girl, always going to give in to him. He kept licking, increasing the rhythm of his tongue against her clit, reaching higher on her sensitive spot.
“Zee! Oh God! Yes!” Her legs trembled under his touch, but he kept going until she was screaming quietly, her muscles still trembled.
He lifted his face from between her legs, peered up at her with a raised eyebrow. “Was that enough, girl?”
“Yes! It was good. Thank you, Master. I think my back is going to hurt tomorrow. But worth it.”
Zee stood, brushed loose hair out of her face, then he grasped her chin and kissed her with all the passion and gratitude that buzzed through him every time he touched her.
Supporting her weight by wrapping an arm around her, Zee uncuffed from the spiderweb.
Ella stood against him, wrapped her arms around him. “It was a good night.”
“Yes, I love it when this place is full of happy members.” Zee nuzzled the top of her forehead. “Let’s go home, my love.”
Ella grabbed the canister of wipes and cleaned the spiderweb, while Zee did one last look around the club, double-checking the locker rooms and the back door.
“All clear?” Ella said and held out his jacket for him.
He slipped his arms in and pulled it around him.
“Yes, it's just the two of us, dear heart.“
Slipping his hand in hers, they made their way to the front of the club, past the reception desk.
The soft light that hung from the ceiling broke and flickered.
“I must tighten that track again. A couple of screws will do it.”
“You could get James to do it,” Ella said.
Their maintenance guy was capable, but Zee snorted.
“For such a minor job? Think I can take care of it,” Zee held the door open for her, trying to hide his wince, then armed the security system and stepped into the cool night.
Glancing at his watch, he shook his head. It was almost five in the morning.
No wonder his body reminded him of his age.
When they were down the steps, Zee pressed the clicker and his Audi blinked, disengaging the locks. He opened the passenger door for Ella, giving her a sweet kiss as he helped buckle her in.
She yawned, and he mirrored her yawn too.
With one hand guiding the wheel and the other warm on her thigh, he drove them up the sloping driveway toward their home.
The sprawling West Coast–style house emerged from the trees, a blend of soft-lit glass and rich cedar, perched gracefully atop the hill.
Their own private sanctuary. The kind of place he never could have imagined himself living in as a kid.
He squeezed Ella’s thigh gently, feeling the weight of the thought settle in his chest. All the good things that had happened to him in this life were because of her.
Because she had believed in him, even when he hadn’t.
“You won’t be able to do late nights at the club.”
Zee cocked an eyebrow. “I get up at five practically every morning.”
Swim practice had always been a daily part of his life for longer than he could remember.
“You used to get up every day. Sometimes you sleep in these days.” Ella’s tone was wistful.
“I know it’s a huge change in your routine, my dear heart.”
Ella had her business on the side, and he had a hand in the Scott Riddell Foundation that he started along with his sister-in-law to honour his late brother, but there wasn’t any stress to their days.
Zee frowned, wondering if he should have given going back to work full time more thought.
And as soon as they stepped into the entry, Ella kneeled to take off his boots.
As soon as she was done unlacing his boots, she cupped the back of his calves and looked up at him, and alll the tension he had in his body eased, soothed by her devotion.
Fuck, she was gorgeous. And this woman called him Master.
Whatever the hint of unease in the air, Zee knew they’d adjust and figure it out and come back stronger, just like always. Zee extended his hand, helped her to her feet and crushed his body against hers, feasting on her mouth until she let out a low moan.
“I want to go right to bed, Ella.”
“Yes, Master.”
He didn’t let go of his hand as they went upstairs, past their darkened living room, kitchen and dining room, and the beautiful doors that led to the indoor saltwater pool.
Zee winced on the stairs, stopping.
“Can I get you an ice pack?” Ella placed her hand on the small of his back, and he breathed in her comforting touch.
“No, a good night of sleep should do it, but I should have used those knee pads, damn it. My back is sore.”
“We’re not in our twenties anymore, my Sir.”
The amusement was rich in her voice. Zee took her hand and pressed a kiss on the back of her soft skin.
“Don’t need to remind me. Get upstairs, I want to tuck you into bed.”
“Of course,” Ella hurried ahead of him, but he didn’t miss the sly smile on her face. He took his time, exhaling and flipping off the lights before walking down the hall to their bedroom.
He knew how old he was—he’d be sixty in a couple of months—and having a sex club frequented by those decades younger than him—but still of legal age—was a nightly reminder.
That’s why when the university reached out about being a technique consultant for their revamped swim team, Zee said yes immediately.
In their bathroom, he splashed water on his face, brushed his teeth and chucked his clothes into the laundry hamper.
He said yes so immediately that he didn’t talk to Ella about it. And though that’s how their power dynamic worked, Zee wasn’t in the habit of making major decisions without consulting the love of his life.
Yes, he was her Master, but she was his everything.
He hated to think of how his life would be if he hadn’t met her. Her devotion and her smarts were the reasons for all their success.
Stopping in the doorway of their bedroom, Zee paused for a moment, taking in the quiet intimacy of the space.
Ella had already pulled the heavy blackout curtains, blocking out the world so they could get a few hours of sleep.
She had turned on his nightlight, which added a warm glow to the room, enough to break the darkness.
As always, she had set both their phones on the charging station by the closet, lined up perfectly.
All her little acts of service fed their dynamic and showed him the love she had for him.
She waited for him, like she did every night, kneeling at the side of the bed, naked.
Her vibrant red hair had faded over the years and was now streaked with strands of white at her temples, but to Zee, she was still that shy farm girl he met all those years ago.
He hated that her body, her weight, her changing hair bothered her, even though she tried hard not to be bothered by it.
That’s partly because she wanted to set a good example for their twin daughters and the young women they know and partly because she spent so many years looking after herself and caring about her appearance.
But she also knew that one of his rules was not to talk badly about herself or think negatively about herself, and that’s why earlier at the club, he traced her cesarean scar.
His daughters were adults, en route to successes of their own, but it still bothered her, even though he had always told her she was beautiful, every part of her.
“You’re so beautiful, my heart. I love you.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, her signal to rise, and she turned to face him, the admiration and love clear in her gaze.
He brushed his lips gently against hers and she bowed her head and ran her hands over his chest and he could stay here all night, just like this, if his body didn't need sleep.
“Tuck in, my love,“ he pulled down the comforters and gave the bed a pat.
She snuggled into bed and yawned.
He pulled the sheet up to her chin, followed by the soft blanket she always insisted on, even when it was warm outside.
Then, he climbed into bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her, inhaling the faint scent of her fruity shampoo from her hair.
“Good night, Master,” she whispered, snuggling against him, pressing her body into his. He nuzzled her hair, resting his chin against the crook of her shoulder.
“Good night, my love.”
Yeah, he was one lucky son of a wrench.
All he wanted was to make the peace they’d created last for years to come.