Victorious(34)

Holy shit, if writing the text makes me this hard, what will it feel like to walk into the bedroom on the plane to see her posed for me? While this is very new to Natalie, it’s new to me to be doing it with someone I love as much as I do her. The love makes it much more intense and exciting than it’s ever been before.

All morning, I’ve thought about how she looked on her knees for me last night, how sweetly submissive she’d been. I’d been on the lookout for any signs of trouble in the form of flashbacks or triggers, but there’d been nothing but pleasure. She’d loved it.

We woke wrapped up in each other, and I made slow, lazy love to my gorgeous wife, delaying my own pleasure until she’d come twice. She probably thinks we’re done for the time being after that. I can’t wait to see her reaction to my text.

When we’re packed up and ready to go, I alert the security detail. They pick us up in my garage a short time later and whisk us away in a black SUV with tinted windows. I much prefer to drive myself, but the upside of being driven is I get to snuggle with my wife in the backseat. The window between the front and backseats is closed, giving us some privacy.

Fluff is wedged between us, snoring like a buzz saw as usual.

“It feels like I’m really leaving this time,” Natalie says when we’re on the Hudson Parkway headed for the George Washington Bridge. The traffic is heavy but moving.

“How do you mean?”

“Last time I left New York, there was still a possibility I might come back to school and my apartment.”

“We can send movers to your apartment to get the last of your stuff.”

“That would be good.”

“Did you send the email to Mr. Poole?”

She nods. “This morning. He wrote back pretty quickly, thanking me for letting them know and offering me a severance package that includes the salary I would’ve made if I’d finished out my contract.”

“That’s fantastic, sweetheart. That’s the least of what they owe you.”

“I guess.”

“You’re not happy about it?”

“It just feels weird to take all that money for not doing my job.”

“Natalie, what Mrs. Heffernan did to you was wrong. It was borderline illegal, and the board knows that. If we chose to sue them, they could potentially be on the hook for millions. Buying out your contract is more than fair. In fact, it was the very least they could do.”

“The upside is I’ll be able to pay off my student loans myself, which is important to me.”

“Ummm, about that…”

She spins in her seat to look at me, disturbing Fluff, who lets out a grunt of annoyance. “What?”

“I, um… You’re going to be mad.”

“Did you pay off my loans?”

“I, well… Yes, I did.”

“Flynn! I told you I didn’t want you to do that!”

“I know, honey, and I only did it so you wouldn’t worry about it. You lost your job. How were you going to make the payments?”

“I would’ve figured something out. Eventually.”

“In the meantime, you would’ve missed payments and your credit would be affected. I didn’t want that for you.”

“So you went behind my back and did something I specifically asked you not to do?”

“I took care of my wife.”

“I agreed to be submissive to you in the bedroom, but only in the bedroom.”

“You think that’s what this is? Me dominating you?”

“That’s how it seems to me.”

“Well, it’s not. It’s me taking care of you.”

“It’s you doing something I told you not to do.”

“Put yourself in my place, Nat. If I’m stressing out about something you can easily fix, what would you do?”

“I’d respect your wishes.”

“Well, sorry to be such a bastard that I couldn’t stand to see you upset about something I could fix for you with a phone call.”

“I’m going to reimburse you.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am!”

“If you think I’m going to take your money, you’re crazy.”

“But I’m expected to take yours like the dutiful little wife?”

“Now you’re just trying to piss me off.”

“Good, then we’re both pissed off.”

As much as I wish I hadn’t made her mad, I love that she feels free to say anything she wants to me. I love that she’s mad at me. I’m far more accustomed to women who go out of their way to please me rather than challenge me and risk losing my affection. None of them ever figured out that all I really wanted was for them to be real with me. With Natalie, it’s as real as it gets. And she’s furious with me. I can tell by the rigid set to her shoulders as she stares out the passenger-side window.

I reach for her hand. “I’m sorry, Nat.”

She pulls her hand free. “No, you’re not.”

She’s so cute when she’s pissed. “I’m honestly sorry that I did something you told me not to do and that it upset you.”

“Save it. You’re just sorry you got caught.”