Chapter 24
Sea salt hung heavily in the air as Zee finished his coffee. Ella snuggled against his shoulder as they stared out at the vast bay in front of them.
“Zee!” Ella pointed to a great blue heron as the bird stretched his wings before dipping its slender beak underwater and diving for fish.
He didn’t want to leave this spot but the only way he handled nervous energy was to move forward.
Wrapping a coppery strand of her hair around his fingers, he tugged, chuckling as a moan escaped her lips.
He crashed his lips against hers, kissing he through her little whimpers.
“Fucking gorgeous.”
“What was that for?” Ella’s lovely smile curved around her lips.
“Because you’re mine and I can.” He kissed her temple, loving the contented sigh she made as she nuzzled against him.
“I can get used to this.” Ella leaned against him in the booth seat, looking out at the bay.
“Having brunch on a weekday or sleeping in?”
“Both.” Ella sipped her tea, arching her eyebrow over her cup. “There’s a part of me that wishes we could stay here forever.”
“And the other part?” Zee touched her thigh, inching his hand close to her mound.
“Wants to get back home… not necessarily the house but there’s the anniversary dinner at Club Bandit.”
“Trust me, Ella. Helena, Ivy and Simone are working on the final touches for the party. It’s going to be a great night. If you can’t stand being in the house, we’ll move.”
He didn’t want to tell her that he had the garden re-landscaped. That was a surprise waiting for her, just like this afternoon.
“Come on, dear heart, we’re supposed to meet Nora at her friend’s house.”
He tugged her to her feet, his heart racing. He wanted everything to be perfect.
“Can we stay for just a few more minutes? I was thinking of having dessert.”
Any other day, he would have lingered and enjoyed the scenery and order everything on their dessert menu and feed it to her bite by bite but today’s timing didn’t allow for that.
“And I thought we’d have dessert somewhere more private.”
“I thought I was going to have a different kind of dessert this morning.” Ella giggled, her cheeks blushing.
“When we get home, I expect normal duties to commence but you’re still healing, Ella. No nightmares?””I think you keep them away.”
She brushed her lips over his and he wrapped her in her arms, pressing her close, knowing he was a lucky bastard and didn’t deserve this woman.
But he was going to do everything he could in his power to show her that he still appreciated her and more.
He chewed the inside of his cheek, trying to push away the cluster of nerves in his stomach.
They strolled down the beautiful, manicured path with wildflowers on either side of it, to the rental car.
“Can we walk further? It’s so beautiful.” She looked up at him under long eyelashes with a small smirk on her face.
“I hear the whine in your tone, girl.” He chuckled, as he held open the door for her. “And I already told you we had to go. Get in the car. Spread those legs wide.”
Her mouth parted in a little O, pink colouring her cheeks but the sultry look in her gaze made Zee’s pulse race.
She still remembered who they were and still wanted what they had.
He knew that, in some far-off logical part of his mind, but this little bit of reluctance she was giving him, this little bit of poking? Yeah, that made his Dom heart happy.
Coming around to his side of the car, he double checked the directions on his phone before getting in and snapping his seatbelt on.
He glanced at Ella and noticed her squirming in the seat and placed his hand on her thigh.
“Lift that skirt to your knees. Yeah, like that. Now finger that pussy while I drive.”
“Sir!” The exclamation flew out of her mouth, a protest that she knew wouldn’t change a thing.
He squeezed her thigh hard enough to hear her gasp out a breath.
“Do I have to repeat myself, dear heart? Because if I do, I’m going to pull over and spank your pretty ass over the hood of this car.”
The air crackled with anticipation; she glanced down and shook her head, but she obeyed, her lip trembling as she moved her hand between her legs.
“No, Sir.”
“Good. Get going, work those fingers in my pussy. I want it nice and wet by the time we’re at our destination.”
He glanced beside him, and grinned as her fingers glided in a circle and the sight made his cock throb painfully against his zipper.
No matter what happened, their dynamic was an unshakeable foundation, one that Ella could draw strength from, using it as a compass point.
“Faster, girl. I want to hear those sexy noises from your mouth. But don’t you dare come.”
“Yes, Master.” Ella leaned back, tipping her head on the headrest and her butt came off the seat as she fucked herself on her fingers, at his command.
It was the hottest thing Zee had ever seen.
With a groan, he ripped his eyes from her and fixed them on the road and where they were going.
“We are seven minutes away, Ella. Do you think you could come in seven minutes?”
“Yes…Sir.” Her whispered cry sent a shiver of excitement racing down his back.
“Ah, that’s too bad that you’re going to have to wait till later. But you’ll meet Nora’s friend with your pussy all sticky. Use your other hand now and show me your fingers.”
She cried out, a high-pitched mewl that made Zee grin but did what he commanded, holding out her fingers for him to see.
“I can smell you, girl. Very nice. Clean those digits off before you give that clit of yours more love.”
“Master!”
Zee chuckled.
Even after all these years, she could still blush over the things he said, and he loved it.
He loved pushing her, even making her uncomfortable, because while a power exchange relationship was about trust, communication and all those crucial things, it was also wicked fun.
She whined as she slipped her fingers into her mouth, practically humping in the seat.
“Stop, girl.”
“Mean!” Ella cried.
“We’re almost here and I have to give you a chance to compose yourself. There are baby wipes in the backseat.”
“You thought of everything.” Ella reached back behind her, grabbing the wipes and cleaned herself up.
“I hope so.” Zee exhaled a nervous sigh as he pulled into the long curving driveway of Nora’s friend, Owen. “We’re here.”
“I’m always happy to meet a friend of Nora’s and I have heard of Owen over the years. He’s a talented musician.”
So are you, Zee wanted to say but he refrained. Ella didn’t see herself that way. At most she’d describe herself as a piano player.
Zee’s throat tightened.
Once Ella stepped out of his car and headed up that driveway, everything in their whole universe was going to change.
Fuck it, he was ready for it.
“Ella. I want you to promise me something.”
“Okay.” A curious light came into her eyes and an indulgent smile spread across her lips.
“Say yes to the next question you’re asked.”
Maybe it was how serious his tone was or the desperate look in his eyes that made her exhale a sigh of her own.
He pressed a thumb to her lips and cocked an eyebrow as he watched the questions come into her eyes.
The second she made peace with not having those questions answered and obeyed, she glanced down.
“I will, Master.”
Satisfied that he had her promise, he came around and opened her door for her before guiding her up the driveway to the brick bungalow with a curved porch.
Zee’s palms were sweaty as he reached up and knocked on the door.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long, because Nora swung the door open, ushering them in, giving her oldest friend a hug.
“Come on, Ella!” Nora’s tone was cheerful. “This is where Owen holds gatherings for musicians and intimate performances. Wait till you see the piano.”
“I finally get to meet Owen?”
“Oh no, he’s across the country. Do you know he also rents out his house as a short-term rental?”
“What’s going on, Zee? If we are in Nora’s way we could just go back home.”
“We have a surprise for you,” Zee said, his voice somehow steady despite his nerves.
With the biggest grin on her face, Nora led them through a modern open-plan living-dining room combo to an addition and through a set of stately glass doors.
“What kind of surprise? It’s not my birthday.”
“No, dear heart, but it could be something worth celebrating.”
“Zee… what’s going on?” She grabbed his hand as they followed Nora through the house until she stopped at the threshold of an open space with high ceilings and a grand piano.
Zee’s heart danced in triple time as Ella’s face lit up with joy.
“Madison! Annie!” She rushed to their daughters, throwing her arms around them, tears leaking down her face.
“Surprise!” Zee joined the hug, not wanting to let any of them go, joining in with their laughter.
“What are you doing here?”
“Mom.” Maddie swept back her hair over her ear, her gesture so like her mom’s it wasn’t hard to tell her apart from her twin.
“We are long overdue for a visit, and we think you should audition,” Annie said, her tone crisp.
“What are you talking about? Audition for what? Zee.. Nora what’s going on?” Ella’s face paled.
Zee placed his palm on the centre of her back. “Remember what you promised me in the car?”
He applied a firm bit of pressure, just enough to keep her anchored.
“I do,” Ella’s eyes gleamed with hope and it felt like a kick to his solar plexus.
“The job is still open, Mom. You know the one I told you about that you’d be a great fit for? The music mentor.”
“Oh Annie, I don’t know…”
“Ella, can you honestly say you didn’t think of that job over and over?” Nora asked.
“Yes, I did. But how can I.. that job is in California.”
“So is Rosalind,” Zee said, his lips twitching.
“And so am I,” Annie said.
“She’s never going to be done with school,” Madison teased.
“Excuse me if I want more than one degree, Miss ‘I run around and chase a ball for a living.’”
“Girls,” Ella said, in the same mom tone she’d used all their lives, which made their daughters giggle.
Zee guided her towards the piano.
“Ella, you need to chase your dream. It’s time. I should have pushed you to do it when it first came up but I was so single-mindedly focused on the team and what I wanted. I thought you were content.”
“I am...”
“Dear heart, is that the honest answer?” He lifted her chin and knew by the expression in her gorgeous eyes how much her heart wanted to go for it.
“I honestly thought I was…I felt despondent and a little out of sorts but I thought that was because I was just missing you. I did think of the job, Zee but I didn’t know how it could work.”
“That’s my job to figure out, right? You go to that piano and audition. You’re going to nail it, Ella. I’ll take care of the logistics. It’s your turn to find your waterfall.”
Her eyes welled but he saw a slight bit of rebellion under those tears, her strength shone through as she gazed at him, her lips set in determination.
“Come on, Mom, come and audition. We have the camera all set up,” Annie called.
Ella lifted her chin and meet his gaze.
His strong girl. His determined girl.
“Yes.”
The girls cheered and Nora rushed forward to give Ella a hug.
“You go get them.”
And he stood there, wiping away a tear from his cheek knowing he’d never love her more than this moment, when she said yes to him chose herself.