Ashley's Bend (9 page)

“He came into The Local when I was bartending a few nights ago.”

“What? He brought this to you
personally
? Oh my God, wow. He wants you Ash! According to some of the other girls at the club, every sub wants to be with him. He apparently is
very
choosy in who he plays with.”

I thought about her comment for a moment. Does Dominic actually want me? Do I really want him? Yes. Yes, I do. I barely knew anything about him, yet I had been considering allowing him to do dirty, naughty things to me.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean he wants me. Maybe they are just having trouble finding recruits for the training and he knew I wasn’t a sub and wanted to invite me.”

Denial. I am in such denial.

“Yeah right.” She snickered. Hopping up from the couch, I snatched the papers out of her hand and stuffed them back into the envelope.

“I haven’t decided if I should do it or not. I have to go get ready for work at the diner now.”

“I think you should do it!” I heard her yell at me as I walked down the hall to the bedroom. What I haven’t told her was that I had already decided to do so.

Who was this fucking guy I had turned into? Ever since I gave Ashley the invitation, I had been pacing the floor waiting to hear her answer. I had never wanted anyone or anything as much as I wanted her. I couldn’t describe the need I had to bury myself deep inside of her. Maybe then, I could get her out of my fucking system.

I told her I was a very impatient man. I needed her answer,
now
. That was how I found myself standing outside of Clarke’s Diner staring at the blonde haired goddess through the window. It had only been a few days since I gave her the invitation, and I knew I gave her a week, but I needed an answer,
now
. I walked into the small cozy diner, and the chime on the door signaled my entry. Ashley’s eyes snapped up to see who had walked in and she stared at me, frozen in place. An attractive redhead greeted me as soon as I entered, but I never once took my eyes off Ashley.

“Welcome, if you’ll follow me I’ll get you seated,” she said politely. I looked from Ashley to the redhead whose nametag said
Heidi
. She started to walk in the opposite direction from Ashley towards a set of booths in the back. I stopped her by putting my hand on her shoulder and reached into my pocket.

“This is yours if I can sit in Ashley’s section,” I told her and handed her a fifty dollar bill. She looked at me in shock for a moment before a wide toothy grin crossed her face.

“Sure thing, darlin’,” she said before heading in Ashley’s direction. I was soon seated in a small booth with a window that faced the street. Heidi walked over to Ashley and they looked to be in a heated discussion. Ashley looked from Heidi to me then back to Heidi again before she tucked her chin into her chest in what looked like defeat. Grabbing a menu and a pot of coffee, Ashley made her way over to my table. She placed the menu down in front of me and gestured to the hot pot of coffee in her hands.

“Coffee?” she asked in her sweet buttery voice.

“Please.” I watched as her hands trembled slightly as she poured the hot, steaming liquid into the diner edition white coffee cup on my table. She noticed me staring at her and quickly finished the task of filling my cup.

“What can I get for you? We have a blue plate special going on right now, and what are you doing here?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her sudden change of subject.

“I came for my answer,” I said as I leaned towards her. She jumped back slightly and nearly spilled the coffee in the pot that she was still holding.

“But you gave me a week,” she said a little skittishly. I grabbed her wrist and stroked the pad of my thumb across her pulse point. I could feel her heart beating frantically through my finger and my cock twitched in my pants. I loved how I was affecting her. I loved that I made her nervous.

“I told you that I was an impatient man, Ashley. I do not like waiting.”

“Then maybe my deadline should have been shorter than a week,” she said exasperated.

Did she just challenge me?

“Oh Ashley, what I want to do to that defiant little mouth of yours.”

I could see her squirm under my gaze.

“I...I really should take your order now. I have other customers to attend to,” she said just as an old man held up his cup to her and requested a refill.

“I’ll take the special, and Ashley, I want my answer by the time I am finished eating.”

She stared at me for a few moments dumbfounded before nodding and wandering over to fill the old man’s coffee cup. I watched her intently, each sway of her hips called to me, beckoned me, taunted me. She did this to me and didn’t even have to try. Even in the ugly mustard yellow uniform she was wearing, she was one of the sexiest women I had ever seen.

I kept watching her out of the corner of my eye. She stopped and asked if I needed anything a few times while I was waiting on my food, but otherwise didn’t say anything else to me. By the time my food arrived, I was itching and fidgeting in my seat. There was a real possibility that she might say no. What would I do if she did?

I dove into the steaming plate of eggs, buttermilk pancakes, sausage and grits knowing that the sooner I was finished, the sooner I would have my answer. I did not think I had ever eaten so fast in my entire life.

When I was finished, I spotted Ashley behind the counter helping a few customers and her gaze met mine like she knew I was looking at her. She looked apprehensive and nervous. After placing a few menus in front of the new customers, she walked from behind the counter and over to my table. She reached for my now empty plate and replaced it with a black vinyl folder that contained my bill before quickly leaving again. I pulled out my wallet and retrieved my credit card and placed it in the folder. A few moments later, Ashley returned and reached for the folder. I grabbed her wrist before she had the chance to get away. I had waited long enough for her answer.

“I want my answer,
now,
Ashley.” She looked at me stunned and before she could answer, Heidi beckoned her.

Fuck.

“Ashley! Can you help me carry this order to table twelve?”

“Yes, coming,” she replied and gently pulled her arm away from my grasp.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered meekly.

I watched as she helped Heidi with the order, before she returned to the register to run my credit card. When finished, she finally made her way back over to me.

“Thank you for coming. I hope you have a wonderful day,” she said politely with an almost too cheeky grin before walking away.

What the fuck?

If she thought she was getting off that easily, she was sorely mistaken. I had it half in mind to make her behind sore just for toying with me. I grabbed my jacket and quickly slipped it back on. I was just about to go after her as I opened the black vinyl folder to retrieve my credit card and sign the slip. I froze in place as I stared down at a familiar piece of paper that was inside of the folder. I picked it up and carefully unfolded it to find my eyes staring at the sub training invitation that Ashley had placed inside. My eyes quickly scanned the document before landing at the bottom.

It was signed.

What the hell had I done? I signed a piece of paper that said I would participate in a BDSM submissive training program. Me, plain, normal, ordinary Ashley had agreed to allow a man to do kinky, dirty things to me. Things that I had never done with my own husband, much less a man I barely knew. Something about Dominic screamed of a dark past. He was mysterious, beguiling, and so very sexy. I couldn’t escape the pull that I had toward him. If it weren’t for the feelings that raged through my body every time he was in my presence, I would have never consented, never agreed to bondage and punishments and obeying.

At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel excited anticipation for what was to come. I risked one last glance at Dominic before I walked to take some dirty dishes to the back of the diner. I found his dark browns eyes fixated on me and they were smoldering. An involuntary shudder rippled through my body, and I grew hot from his gaze. If looks were a fire, I would be in a blazing bonfire of heated sensations. The corners of his lips hinted at a smile as he looked from me to the document in his hand. I knew it was cowardly of me to place it in the folder, but if I didn’t do it that way, I never would have gotten the courage to give it to him.

Dominic started to make his way over to me and I flushed as heat rose from my toes to the crown of my head. I knew that we were the only two in the diner who knew what the document he was holding said, but I felt like all eyes in the place were on me, watching me, judging me. I shrank a little at the thought. All these people couldn’t know what I had agreed to do.

Dominic was towering over me in moments. His brown eyes sparkled with satisfaction.

“Friday, Ashley.”
Wait what?

“Wh-what about Friday?” I queried.

“Friday night we begin your training. I expect you to be at the club by six pm. Don’t be late,” and before I even had a chance to respond, he was gone.

Thursday came and I spent another evening bartending at The Local. I was beginning to enjoy the job. The customers were great and my boss, Andrew, was the nicest guy ever. He and his partner, David, both ran the place, but Andrew managed more of the day to day functions while David was more the bookkeeping financial side of the business.