Just One Taste (Topped #2)(21)

He turned and walked out.

“That is one weird dude,” Javi said with a shake of his head. “And he was totally talking about your panties. All that wine stuff was a metaphor.”

Macon laughed. “He’s a good guy. I knew him for a while in the Army.”

Eric nearly dropped his jaw. “Sebastian Lowe was in the Army? Was he in your unit?”

“No. I met him in rehab. He walks pretty good for a dude who lost his legs, doesn’t he? He’s also a legend in sommelier land. It takes decades for some people to reach master status. He’s the youngest in the country. I know he comes off as weird, but give him a break. He’s completely transformed himself. And he had offers to work in France, New York, and LA. Do you know why he chose to come to work for an upstart chef in Texas?”

Damn, he needed to give his coworkers the benefit of the doubt. “He wanted to be with his people.”

He wanted to be with the ex-soldiers and they’d kind of crowded the man out because he was different. That would change and fast.

“I hear what you’re saying and I’ll make sure to include him. I’ll put the word out.” He shook Macon’s hand. “I’ll also take his advice and try to not get my panties in a wad.”

He would take another look at Deena, try to give her what she needed, and stop worrying about his damn ego. She’d been through hell. It hadn’t been a short journey. It would take time to teach her she didn’t have to stay there.





Deena sat across from her Dom. The reality was starting to settle in. After her talk with Master Ian, she’d realized she was taking all of this far too seriously. It was all play. It was experimentation. It didn’t matter who her training Dom was. She looked around and watched the other couples. She would bet Tiffany wasn’t worried about getting in too deep with the man she’d been paired with. Althea was talking calmly to her new sub, not a hint of panic or terror on her placid face. And the chick Javi had been partnered with better not think it could go anywhere. The man had a broom closet at Top with his name etched on it from his many quickies. No, she was the only one panicking and there was zero reason for it.

Eric was her training Dom, or at least he would be once they signed this contract. It didn’t mean anything more than they were compatible on some level. She stared down at it. They’d gone over hard and soft limits. She was interested in just about everything but the truly extreme stuff. She’d happily checked off her interest in role-playing, bondage, fire and electric play. Those last two were a little scary, but she couldn’t help but shiver at the thought. Why not try it? The great thing about D/s was she had a safe word. If things got dicey, she said the word “red” and everything stopped.

Of course, having a Dom who she knew one hundred percent would honor her safe word was also good.

She’d thought about it all day. After the talk with Master Ian, she’d gone over to Ally’s. Ally had convinced her it would be good to work with a Dom who would have no expectations of her sexually.

Deena hadn’t mentioned the fact that he’d kissed her. He’d kissed like she’d never been kissed before. He’d inhaled her like he needed her in order to breathe. She could still feel his tongue sliding against hers, dominating her.

“Deena?” His deep voice broke through her thoughts. “Have I lost you? Or are you seriously thinking about checking the humiliation play box? You should read the section thoroughly before you do that.”

She gasped and quickly marked the box no. She didn’t judge. If some women got off on being called a dirty whore or getting peed on during sex, cool. Whatever floated someone’s boat got a thumbs-up from her, but she was not doing that. “I’ll pass.”

His lips turned up in the hottest grin. “That’s good because I’ll be honest, I’m not very interested in exploring that either.”

Of course not. He wouldn’t ever call a woman a whore. He was safe. That was what Ally had convinced her of. Eric was a safe bet. Unless she initiated contact or stepped way out of line, he would be a simple play partner who could introduce her to this world, and then she could find a dirty Dom who would take only what she was willing to give.

“Do you have any questions for me?” Eric asked as she finished the questionnaire portion of the contract.

All around her the other training couples were sitting and talking. Tiffany was grinning at something and pointing it out to her training Dom. Althea was super cool and mysterious, while her trainee looked so out of place. He was a big, gorgeous male hunk who looked like he should be on the other end of the crop.

They were all trying to find themselves. She had to remember that. Focus on the journey and not the man in front of her. That was the mistake she’d made before. She’d thought the man was the journey when he’d been the roadblock.

She smiled and shook her head and signed her name on the dotted line. “No, I think I’m good.”

His grin faded, but he took the contract anyway. “All right. Let’s go over the opening documents. We’re supposed to talk about our expectations and what we’re both hoping to get out of this class.”

She’d disappointed him. It was plain on his face, but she wasn’t sure how she’d done it. She’d signed the contract, agreed to sub for him through the training class. Did it matter? If he wanted something from her, he was supposed to ask.