No Safeword: Matte - Happily Ever After (Safewords) (21 page)

“No,” Sam said, “it’s okay. Ethan will deal with it; he just needs to think it through. He trusts me.”

She waited for him to nod his agreement before she turned towards the kitchen to run some vegetables through the juicer.

She couldn’t ask Frisco what was up with him and Cassie while Tom was around, and the guys were watching a ball game she had no interest in, so she decided to take her juice upstairs and maybe read a while.

Ethan had other ideas though, and wanted her with him. She told him she’d get her e-reader and be back, so she could read while they watched their game.

As it turned out, the guys were talking about Ethan’s upcoming trip to California, where he would talk to the fight manager again and have an opportunity to meet and work with the coach.

As always, Tom gave good advice. “The pros are looking for someone who plays to the camera. It isn’t just about being the best fighter, it’s about getting attention so people want to pay to watch you fight.”

Ethan nodded. “I think you’re right. Dave mentioned my Twitter stuff, the way I’d used it to get the audience involved.”

“Exactly,” Tom agreed. “So, while you’re out there it won’t just be about showing the coach you can take direction, but about showing the manager you’re willing to do what he says when it comes to the media.”

* * * *

The couple planned for an early start Saturday to try to beat the heat, and had a wonderful day in the park on the two-person bike. Ethan handled the steering so all Sam had to do was help propel them along as she held onto her stationary handlebars.

They returned the bike to the rental place on their way home, but Sam hoped they could rent it again soon. She’d enjoyed the wind in her hair.

They made it home just before noon, and Ethan said, “I’m going to spend some time in the garage with the woodworking tools. Do you want to help, or do you have some work to go over before next week?”

“I have a few things to research, but nothing I need to do without interruption. I can bring my laptop to the garage and help out as you need stuff. What are you making?”

He pulled his keys from the ignition, sat back in the seat, and appeared to have an internal debate before finally saying, “Remember your experience riding the pony at Tyler’s?”

Sam’s insides warmed and she fought the urge to squirm, but her stomach turned somersaults. “Umm, yes, Sir. I do.”

He smiled, apparently aware of the affect he’d just had on her. “You said you were considering writing an addendum limiting its use to punishment, but I’ve yet to see anything in writing.”

“I…no, Sir. I haven’t written anything out.”

“It won’t take long to build, so you may want to decide whether you want to, and if so, what you want to say. Until I see something in writing I’ll assume I have full authority with it.”

Ethan stepped out of the truck and Sam followed.

She let her mind wander back to the pain of the wood under her, smashing her private parts into her pelvis and crushing her clit into her pubic bone. She’d been sore for
days
, and Viv had told her the pain and torment increased exponentially every hour as the bruising deepened and exhaustion set in. Still, she trusted Ethan to use it responsibly, whether as punishment or during a scene.

She followed him in the front door and up to the bedroom. He went into his closet and she stepped to the door and watched him strip out of his sweaty shirt. She’d never get tired of watching him. So much power contained in one body. And he was all
hers
.

He hadn’t put them into a scene, but it felt right to address him with respect. “Sir, as much as the idea of having to stay on the wooden pony for another forty-five minutes — much less longer — terrifies me…” She paused to make sure she meant what she was about to say, and met his gaze with confidence as she said, “I trust you not to give me more than I can handle. I may change my mind later, but for now it doesn’t feel right to put limits on what you can do to me.”

He stepped to her and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you, Samantha.” He pulled back and kissed her forehead. “Your trust means the world to me.”

* * * *

Sam worked on her laptop around forty-five minutes, and closed it with a triumphant smile. “I
knew
there was precedent. I’m going to run my laptop inside and make some juice. Do you have a preference?”

“Yeah, the tomato based salty one?”

“Mmmm, sounds good. Especially with as much as you’re sweating.” She looked him up and down, feet to shoulders and back down to his abs. He hadn’t put a shirt on and he looked damned good, glistening in the heat.

When she returned with their juice she looked over the wood pieces resting on the workbench and lifted the smoothest. It was about an inch wide at the top with rounded corners, and she ran her fingers back and forth over it before saying, “This is a lot wider than the one Tyler has for Viv, isn’t it?”

“Yes. He has a couple of pieces he can use on top, and I used the one Master James recommended for such a short ride.”

“It wasn’t short, Ethan. It seemed as if I was there for
hours
.”

“Apparently, once you’ve actually been on it
hours
, you’ll understand how easy you had it for your first ride.”

“How much research have you done on the kind of pain…on just how close to true torture this thing really is?”

He caressed her cheek. “You have to know I’d never do something like this without a ton of research. I’ve read personal accounts from the middle ages when it was truly torture and women had serious lifelong nerve damage. I’ve also read more modern accounts, where either SSC or RACK was followed.” He kissed her forehead. “I have a lot of respect for Master James and I value his advice, but I still did the research so I’d know exactly what I was doing to you.”

Sam blew out a breath. “And that’s one of the reasons I trust you so much, but I think the forty-five minutes I spent on the horse was the most painful thing you’ve ever done to me, and it’s hard to hear you talk about it as being trivial next to an actual punishment session.”

Ethan looked at her a minute and picked up the top piece. “Most of the time, Tyler isn’t interested in keeping Viv on it for hours and hours, so his is narrower, to create more pain in less time. I’ve made yours wider, so you can safely stay on it for hours without risk of nerve damage.”

“Because you want to give me time to think about why I’m there.” She blew a breath out and changed the subject. “Why are the legs hinged? It looks a lot more complicated than Tyler’s set-up.”

“It’s hinged so it will fold flat, as it’ll be stored in your closet so we can get to it quickly. You’ll either sit on it in your closet, the bedroom, or possibly the shower, if you’ll be there a long time.”

Sam’s insides quaked as she processed his words. “The shower, because you won’t let me off to use the bathroom?”

He nodded and Sam looked at the concrete floor. His finger touched her chin and gently lifted it.

When their gazes met, his voice was more order than request. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“No matter how much I try to behave, it’s probably inevitable I’ll end up on it at some point. I don’t want the power to tell you how to manage me, but…damn Ethan, this is hard.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you want easy?”

“Sometimes.”

His look told her he didn’t believe her, and she rolled her eyes and admitted, “Okay, so you’re right, and I’d get bored with easy all the time, but I’m right, too.
Sometimes
I want easy.”

“When I take it easy on you too long I can see you getting restless. The last couple of weeks before the wedding, when you were stretched enough to handle me and there were very few challenges, sexually? Tell me how you felt about it?”

“Both relieved the schedule was relaxed, and disappointed we didn’t have the same rapport on the weekend, with you helping me achieve something difficult.”

He pulled her into another hug and said, “Okay then, if you get to choose whether to have a bonfire and burn it, or see it in your closet folded against the wall, which will you choose?”

“It’s an unfair question.”

“Why.”

“Because our entire relationship is predicated on my not having the choice.”

* * * *

Ethan flew to California the next morning. Sam wished she could go with him but she’d missed so much work and had so much on the court dockets, it was impossible to take off.

She met Tara, Kirsten, and Viv at the local billiard club Saturday afternoon, and the four women had a blast drinking and playing pool. Sam had a few baked potato skins, but she’d drank a lot of juice before she left the house and would make more when she arrived home. She was determined to get well as quickly as possible.

Tyler arrived and informed them he’d drive them home. Apparently, Viv called him to tell him they were drunk.

Sam had walked, so she didn’t have to worry about her car, thank goodness. She, Kirsten, and Tara were in the back seat when Tyler pulled into her driveway.

“Do ya’ll want to come in and swim? I promised Ethan I wouldn't swim alone until my shoulder heals. I have plenty of swimsuits ya’ll can borrow.”

“You have to be kidding!” Tara said. “As cold as it is, you want to swim?” She looked to Kirsten and said, “Girlfriend has lost her mind.”

Kirsten laughed. “I love her country accent when she gets drunk, but she hasn’t completely lost her mind — her pool is heated.”

Tara looked back to Sam. “If we swim until I get sober, can you drive me to my car?”

“Sure thing.”

Kirsten said she needed to get home, and Tyler said he had plans for Viv at home.

As Tara and Sam walked in, Sam asked, “Do you want a bathing suit, or bike shorts and a bathing-suit top?”

“Since it’s just us and I haven’t taped my parts out of the way, let’s go with the bike shorts.”

Sam texted Ethan she was home from playing pool, and she and Tara were going to swim. He responded back for her to be careful and to let him know when they were out of the water.

Tara squealed as she ran from the house to the pool, and sighed with pleasure as she sank into the warm water.

When they were both in and relaxed, Tara asked, “Are you really okay with him negotiating to fight professionally?”

“Sure. It’s a great opportunity. He isn’t going to sign a contract without me there to help him negotiate, and they knew it before they flew him out, but they wanted him to see the facilities and meet a bunch of people before they made an official offer.”

“You know he can get hurt though. I mean, hurt
bad
. They don’t mess around.”

Sam laughed. “I’m usually more worried about the other guy than I am Ethan. I know he can get hurt, but he trains for it and is prepared.” She shrugged. “I may not have met him if he hadn’t been fighting, so…”

“You’d have met him, just under different circumstances. You saw him at the play party a few weeks after the fights, right?”

“I only went to the party because Ethan made me realize I couldn’t cut myself off from dating forever. Besides, if I hadn’t turned him down at first he may not have been as interested.” She smiled. “I became a challenge when I turned him down, and he
loves
a challenge.”

Tara laughed. “That, I can believe. Now, I’m going to be nosy and ask how you’re managing your kinky life while you heal.”

Sam loved having another friend she could talk to without worry of being judged, and the two talked forever before going in, drying off, and talking some more. It was dark when Sam drove Tara to her car, and when she came home she found herself walking as quickly as possible from her car to her house.

She tried to convince herself it was because she wasn’t in top fighting form and might not be able to handle an intruder, but realized it was partly Masterson’s fault, and partly her own for getting so used to having Ethan around.

She’d never been afraid to walk outside in the dark before he moved in.

* * * *

She picked Ethan up from the airport the next evening, and he talked nonstop about the facilities and people. They went out to eat, and when they arrived home he showed her some online images of Jerrod and Dave, along with some footage of Jerrod coaching the last two major heavyweight title fights.

“They’re coming here next week so we can negotiate. I told them you can’t make it out there now, and let them know I’ll need to do the majority of my training in Chattanooga.”

“I’ll be okay if you need to go out there to train.” She wasn’t sure she would be, but she
needed
to be. It bothered her she’d had a problem coming home at night to an empty house when she used to think nothing of it.

“You can’t come with me, and I can’t survive that long without you. I was quite firm on that point.” He looked away, and then looked back with a small hesitation, as if he wasn’t sure how she’d take what he was about to say. “I offered one of our spare rooms for Jerrod, so he can stay here while he trains me. I know I should’ve checked with you first, but—”