Cherished (Club Indigo Book 4) Page 9

  What could he do while he waited? If the news were bad, Sonja would need comforting. He could do that. On the other hand, Derek could also do a celebration. Could he prep for both possibilities? For Sonja, comfort would definitely mean food, but what sort? She hadn't told him much about her past so he had no idea what her favorite foods were. Maybe her partner did? He didn't know Suzie Carmichael well but thought she'd help. Unfortunately, he didn't have a phone number for her or her husband, Connor. Strike that idea. He'd come back to comfort. What about celebrating? That was easy, but where should they go? Maybe takeout would be better? Then he could feed her in bed. That worked, regardless of the occasion. The only difference was what came after. He started thinking about how they would celebrate and was deep in his plans when his phone rang.

  "Kiriakis."

  "No cancer."

  Derek didn't need to ask who was calling. "Baby girl, that's fantastic! I'm so happy for you. What's your favorite restaurant?"

  "I was hoping we could stay in tonight, Daddy."

  That was something new. Maybe the stress of Sonja's health scare had helped her breakthrough to her little side?

  "I wasn't planning on eating there, but I would like to know where to go for the food. And what you'd like to eat, of course."

  "My absolute favorite is Peach Tree Café—it's a Kansas City institution. I'm not sure it's a good area for you to be going into alone at night. Let me pick up the food and meet you."

  "No way, baby girl. I've been in every neighborhood in this city. I'll be fine. Besides, it's much closer to me than it is to you. Since when do baby girls need to protect their Daddies, anyway? What would you like?"

  Sonja's voice dropped a little. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I'd like their fried chicken dinner, with green beans, fried okra, mashed potatoes and gravy, and peach cobbler for dessert, please."

  "Sounds good to me. I'll call it in and meet you at your place in about an hour?"

  "That would be wonderful. It'll give me a chance to get a shower."

  Sonja arrived home pondering how easily she'd called Derek 'Daddy'. Maybe she was a little. Perhaps she was starting to trust him. Was it time to explain her history with her father to him?

  Snuggles met her at the door, eager for cuddles and food. She was never sure which was the higher priority for him. She picked him up to carry him to the kitchen. "You're still losing weight, baby. Your appetite was supposed to get better when we fixed your tooth." Snuggles gave a lick to her hand as she put him down. "How about some stinky fish tonight? Would that stay down, do you think?" She opened the can, scooped half of it onto a plate and put it on the floor. Snuggles approached it eagerly but ate only three bites before walking away. "Snuggles! What am I doing wrong? Well, maybe you'll feel like more in a while." He followed her into the bedroom and jumped up onto the bed to watch her as she took off her clothes and grabbed her robe. "I'm sorry, Snuggles. I need to get a shower before Derek gets here. We'll cuddle more later."

  She came back into the bedroom fifteen minutes later to find Snuggles at the edge of the bed looking ready to jump but he wasn't moving. "What's the matter, big boy? Do you need help getting down?" Snuggles looked at her and meowed. She grabbed a chair that usually had clothes on it and set it closer to the bed. Snuggles still didn't move, so she picked him up and put him on the chair. "Can you get down now?" The cat meowed again and she put him on the floor. He went straight to the kitchen and Sonja followed. Snuggles ignored his food dish and went to the fountain that he drank from, as he preferred his water running. She was pleased to see he drank quite a bit, since she knew it helped his kidneys. She left him at the fountain and went to get dressed.

  Twenty minutes later, she was ready for Derek. She had the coffee table set for dinner and sat down to wait. Snuggles had been in his bed on the end of the couch but got up and came to her as soon as she'd made a lap. "Oh, Snuggles, Derek is coming soon. The lap is going to be temporary, but you can stay until he's here, I guess. It's good I unlocked the door. That gives you a couple of extra minutes since I can reach the door buzzer from here." Snuggles purred his agreement and they sat quietly for several more minutes before she heard the distinctive sound of the lobby bell. She reached over and held the buzzer control down for a count of twenty, which should be enough time for Derek to get through the locked entrance. When she heard the knock on her door three minutes later, she called out, "Come in. It's open." She turned her head as Derek entered. "Sorry I didn't get up, but Snuggles decided to take over my lap and I'm trapped." She pointed downward. "He doesn't seem to be feeling well tonight."

  "I'm sorry to hear that, but how did the door come to be unlocked?" Derek's expression was soft as he considered the cat, but his voice sounded unnecessarily stern to Sonja. "You had to open the door before you sat down."

  "What do you mean?" Sonja was puzzled. "If I'm expecting someone, I unlock the door. It's no big deal."

  "What if I hadn't been me, but someone who took advantage of the fact you were expecting someone?" Derek continued.

  "That's awfully farfetched, isn't it?"

  "Maybe, but I would appreciate it if you would keep the door locked until you've looked through the peephole to know for sure who's out there."

  "Yes, Daddy," Sonja said, humoring him.

  "Watch your tone, little girl." Derek sat down next to her and opened the takeout containers to serve their dinner. "Can you eat with Snuggles in your lap?"

  "Not very easily." She looked down at the cat, who was getting interested in the food on the coffee table. "I'm sorry, baby boy, but you're going to have to go back to your bed." She followed her words with actions, and Snuggles was quickly settled back in his spot.

  Sonja filled Derek in on her doctor's appointment as they ate.

  "Have you read the information Erin gave you?"

  Sonja nodded. "I did."

  "Is it okay for me to read it, too?"

  "Yes, I'll get it for you."

  Derek smiled. "After dinner will be okay. If your insurance doesn't cover the test, I can help you with the expense."

  Sonja shook her head. "Not necessary. It's all covered but my deductible. I plan to do it soon."

  Derek seemed satisfied with her answer, and as he rose to get dessert, Sonja fetched the papers on fibroid cysts. They settled over their cobbler. Derek raved over it.

  Sonja said, "This is good, but Suzie's is the best I've ever had. She doesn't make it very often, though, mostly in the summer when she can get really good fresh peaches."

  "That's a shame. You've got a little around the corner of your mouth. Allow me." He leaned over her and licked first at the smidge of cobbler and then turned it into a kiss that tasted like peaches and Derek, with a hint of fried chicken.

  "I want to try something different tonight, to celebrate. How would you feel about learning how pleasure and pain can go together?" Derek asked.

  She stiffened. "I don't like pain."

  He made a low sound in his throat. "Didn't you like the nipple clamps?"

  Poop and hairballs!

  "Well, that's different. The clamp didn't hurt, um, much." She looked up at him, and he stared down at her with a small smile that was almost hidden by his beard. Did she amuse him, or was he making fun of her? She wished she could read him as easily as he could her.

  "Do you trust me to give you a sensual spanking, baby girl?"

  Do I? And when did 'baby girl' become an endearment to her? What was he doing to her?

  "Okay." She sounded breathless. "We can try that, but you'll stop if I don't like it?"

  "Baby girl."

  Sonja held up her hand and laughed. "You know, you can say a whole paragraph with only the words 'baby girl'." One eyebrow rose, and she elaborated, "Baby girl, your safeword always works. Baby girl, don't let your insecurities get the better of you. Oh, and of course," Sonja lowered her tone to a seductive timbre, "baby girl, with you over my lap and my hand against your ass, I'm going to make you come."

  Derek threw h
is head back and roared with laughter before tugging on her hair and mouthing "Brat" to her.

  Sonja shrugged. "You like it."

  "I do, baby. I do. Now get into the bedroom and get naked!"

  He swatted at her ass, and Sonja squealed before taking off. She liked a lot about Derek, but his playful side was a bonus. She'd never expected to have fun with a man, let alone a Dom.

  She hurried to the bedroom and started shedding her clothes as she stepped over the threshold. She wasn't self-conscious around Derek anymore. This was another revelation that made her pause. In normal life, Sonja couldn't care less how people viewed her body, but when it came to men and sex, she'd always felt less desirable because of her size. Men preferred smaller women, didn't they? But Derek didn't. He liked her and her body just fine.

  The man of her thoughts marched into the room and again raised his eyebrow. Sonja looked down at herself and giggled. She had taken off her shoes, dress, panties, and one stocking, which left her in bra, garter belt, and the other stocking. She made quick work of the rest and joined him at the edge of the bed. He was still fully clothed and looked yummy.

  "Come here."

  Sonja walked closer, and Derek held up a gadget that had some kind of harness. "Ever used a butterfly?"

  "No, Sir."

  He smiled. "We'll discuss what you think of it after."

  Sonja closed her eyes in exasperation. What was with the guy and his talks? In her experience, no man liked to talk as much as Derek did.

  "Hold on to my shoulders." Derek helped Sonja to step into the butterfly, then he fastened the straps and made sure the center of the device was on her clitoris.

  He patted his upper legs. "Over."

  Sonja chewed her bottom lip. She was curious, she wanted to submit, but this moment was always hard. She wished he would pull her over his lap and get it over with, but Derek wasn't that kind of man. He could wait all night if needed.

  She turned and positioned herself over his knees. He helped her as she adjusted to the feeling.

  "Put your hands on the floor, baby girl." She did as he ordered. "No strains or pains?"

  She shook her head. "No, Daddy."

  "Use yellow if that changes."

  "Yes, Daddy."

  He checked the fitting of the harness and picked up a remote control in his left hand. Sonja felt a small hum starting between her legs. Oh, the butterfly!

  His right hand caressed her bottom, and the dual sensation had her squirming on his lap.

  "I want you to hold still, baby."

  Bound by his words as effectively as she would have been by rope, all Sonja could do was absorb the intensified sensations. Oh, the man knew what he was doing.

  She took in a startled gulp of air as the first volley of slaps landed on her ass. Her first inclination was to clench, but she remembered to relax. Sonja curled her fingers in the long, soft strands of the rug at the foot of the bed. He took his time, alternating between fondling, stroking, and peppering her ass with light slaps. The hum of the butterfly was a constant distraction—it added to her state of arousal, but it didn't send her over the edge.

  Derek looked down at Sonja's delectable ass. He massaged the big globes and pulled them apart to look at her dark, puckered entrance. He was dying to introduce her to the pleasure of anal sex, but she wasn't ready. He could play, though. He wished they could ditch the condoms. Both were clean, but with Sonja's family history, he wouldn't want her to use hormone-laden treatment. He would look into a vasectomy; it might be the best way to prevent pregnancy.

  Sonja squirmed on his lap, and he realized he had been staring and fantasizing for a bit too long. He smiled. His brat!

  He sped up the butterfly, and she stilled her movement and moaned. Now, wasn't that a lovely sound? Once again, he peppered her cheeks with a volley of light slaps, making sure he spread his aim. He stiffened his leg muscles and placed his slaps a bit lower, pressing the butterfly harder against her core. A sheen of perspiration on her back showed him she was close. All right, time to finish this!

  He used the remote to speed up the butterfly to maximum power and was rewarded with a stiffening of Sonja's entire body. He landed the last three strokes, and then Sonja came with abandon. She almost bucked from his lap so he anchored her to him with his right arm while he slowed down the butterfly to the lowest setting, not wanting to take away all the sensations at once. Sonja shuddered and moaned, and he helped her rise slowly, studying her face for signs of dizziness. When he was satisfied with her stability, he settled her on his lap and pressed her head against his chest.

  Saturday night, Sonja and Derek arrived at Club Indigo to find the lounge full of regulars having some sort of meeting. Mitch, Julie, Bob, Chris, Kate, Ruby, Sandra, James, Laura, Jim, and Paula were discussing the munch the club sponsored. Sonja had been a regular attendee until recently, so they joined the group as Mitch was saying, "We need more club regulars at the munch, or it's going to die. Last month, it was just Kate, Julie, and I with ten new people. That kind of balance won't fly. It's not a lot to ask the rest of you to turn up once in a while."

  James looked a little shame-faced. "You're right, of course, Mitch. Laura and I haven't been since we got Josh. We owe that munch a lot. It's how I found Laura again." He turned to his wife. "What do you think, hon? Josh is old enough to be by himself for an evening, isn't he?"

  Laura nodded. "Count us in for next week."

  Jim looked at Paula. "Have you ever been to the munch?"

  "No, Sir. Sounds like fun, though."

  "We're in, too, barring a crime wave." Jim's comment brought chuckles from everyone who knew they were cops.

  Derek turned to Sonja. "Would you like to go?"

  "Sure. Munches are fun. Besides, I met Suzie at that munch."

  "We'll be there, too, Mitch," Derek said.

  "Excellent," Mitch replied. "I'm taking the night off. The six of you should be enough to cover for me. You won't be completely on your own. Kate and Bob have already committed."

  "Don't forget us," Sandra said. "Ruby and I will be there, too."

  "That's what I like to see—members coming forward once a need is made known." The new voice came from a beautiful Latina Sonja hadn't seen in a long time.

  Mitch jumped up to give his partner in the club a quick hug, "I'm not sure everyone here knows Elena, one of our founding members."

  Sonja whispered to Derek, "She does a touring BDSM show, so she's not in town very often."

  The rest of the evening ended up being social rather than play. People seemed to have decided they needed to catch up with each other.

  "Where are the boys, Elena?" Sonja wanted to know about her partners. She was rarely without them.

  "I gave them the weekend off. We've been working hard on a new show, and we're doing some classes and demos while we're on tour."

  "What kind of classes?" Kate asked.

  "I'm going to do one on fire play and another on wax play, as well as being on a panel about performing at Kinky Kollege in Chicago next month."

  Ruby said, "I've always wanted to try wax play. Any chance you might do a workshop here before you leave again? I volunteer to bottom for you."

  "I'll think about it. Good to know there's interest," Elena replied. "I did set up a demo for tonight, though. Is anyone interested in learning about fire cupping?" Elena asked.

  "We are," Derek said in a strong voice.

  Sonja shook her head, and Elena looked right at her. "Are you, Sonja?"

  "Um, actually, I think fire is for cooking."

  Laughter erupted at that. Derek tugged on her hair and murmured in her ear, "Brat." He turned serious. "Do you need to use your safeword?"

  "No, Sir. Could we talk first?" She batted her eyelashes at him before returning her attention to the Domme.

  "I'm aware you aren't a masochist, Sonja. But you won't feel heat. The fire won't touch you, and you'll only feel the suction." Elena spoke seriously but kindly.

  "But I've se
en the marks on people. The cups leave big bruises," Sonja interjected.

  Elena smiled. "Oh, yes, the cup will leave a mark, and depending on how long it stays on, it can last for days or even weeks. But it will not be painful. The marks are more like giant hickeys."

  Sonja turned to Derek. "Why do you want to try it?"

  "Good question," he complimented. "I want to try this to help you with your headaches, stiff shoulders, and sore back. It's a two-thousand-year-old treatment, baby girl, and Elena has a lot of experience with it, no doubt."

  The Domme nodded. "I do, and your Dom is right. Actually, it's like an inverse massage. You'll feel the suction and some warmth from the rim of the cup but no pain or burning."

  Sonja chewed her bottom lip and then nodded her agreement. "Okay, I'll try it."

  Someone had set up a massage table from one of the upstairs rooms on the center stage, and Derek led Sonja there. He pressed his mouth to hers and worshipped her with his lips and tongue. Sonja relaxed against him while he undid her dress. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the entire club dressed only in her red thong, but Derek's appreciative gaze wiped out all conscious thought.

  He helped her up the table, and Elena said in a soft but clear voice, "Lie down on your belly."

  Sonja did as Elena instructed and listened as she addressed the crowd. "Basically, there are two sorts of fire cupping. We have stationary cupping, when we place the cups and leave them. With Sonja, I won't leave the cups for longer than one or two minutes. If you're looking to deliver pain, cupping can do that, but that's not what we're going to do tonight."