Page 69 of The Dom with a Safeword

It was just about dinnertime so most of the beach-goers were packing up and heading home. Flip flops in one hand, her bare feet sinking in the sand, she made her way toward the line of rocks jutting out in the water.

“There’s an art to walking in sand, isn’t there?” Jude said from behind her.

She spun to face him and laughed. Poor Jude – born and raised inland, away from the beauty of the coastline. He was struggling to keep up, trudging through the sand with his sneakers on. “Take your shoes off, silly.”

He sighed. “Is the sand hot?”

“A little. You get used to it.” She watched him balance on one foot while taking one shoe off then switching. “Hurry up. I know of a little spot just beyond those rocks that should be less crowded.”

“How will Q find us?”

“I’ve taken her there before and I texted her on my way here. She shouldn’t be long. The bride she was shooting turned out to be a Bridezilla and had a tantrum about the flowers so the wedding ran late.”

Jude chuckled then made his way toward her, smoother without the cumbersome shoes. “Poor Q. She must be out of her mind dealing with that.”

“Yeah. She hates that kind of drama. But maybe she’ll have a funny story for us when she gets here.” Sabrina grabbed his hand and walked him toward her spot. “Come on. It’s easier without shoes, right?”

“Yes. Thanks for the tip.”

“I don’t know why you’d wear sneakers to the beach anyway. Beaches are for flip flops. You’re just like Q. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a bathing suit. Jeans. Who wears jeans to the beach?”

Jude laughed. “She’s one of a kind.”

“Yes,” she said on a sigh then kicked herself for sounding so damn wistful. Like a love-sick puppy. How silly. It was just Q – her best friend for the past five years.

“I’m surprised you’re not prancing around in a little bikini, Sabrina girl.” He gave her body an appreciative glance.

She scoffed. “I’m not a show-off!” Not in the mood for a swim, she’d opted for a flowy spaghetti strap dress with a blue-and-purple pattern that afternoon.

“No, but you enjoy teasing Q.” One side of his mouth curved up into a smile. “Naughty girl. No one would guess you were straight.”

He was the one teasing but it struck a little too close to home. She flushed then stared down at the sand. She was straight, wasn’t she? It wasn’t as if she lusted after other women. Only Q. Could someone be bi for one person only? What a ridiculous notion. A squeeze of her hand pulled her attention back to Jude.

“Hey,” he said. “I’m kidding. Don’t worry so much. Not everyone fits into a box, you know.”

She mumbled an agreement but felt her mood dampen. They made it to the small peninsula of rocks. “Be careful climbing. It can be slippery on the mossy parts.” Low tide used to be her favorite time at the beach. Good for hunting crabs and poking jellyfish.

They climbed carefully over the boulders. “Now this would’ve been easier with sneakers,” he said.

She giggled. “Wuss.”

“Did you just call your Dom a wuss?” he asked in mock disapproval. “Not smart. You’ll pay for that later.”

“It’s alright. I’m banking on your poor memory. You forgot Q’s smartass comment the other day when we played. And you swore earlier she’d pay for that too.”

She paused at the top of the rock pile and looked back. Jude looked puzzled. “What smartass comment?”

Should she remind him and get Q in trouble? The writing assignment Q made her do last week came to mind. Writing out her fantasies in detail? So embarrassing! “She said you needed to get on an aerobics program and the little blue pill to keep up with us.”

He thought for a moment. “Oh yeah. Well, now I owe you both. Remind me if I forget.”

“Yeah.” She snorted. “Cause that’s in my best interest.”

Suddenly, he jumped toward her and landed on her rock, crowding her until she slipped backward with a yelp. Strong arms caught her before she fell, but he didn’t set her right. He held her suspended, just a little off balance so she had to depend on him to stay upright. Frantically, she grasped his shoulders and held them hard.

“You better make sure your mouth doesn’t write checks your ass doesn’t want to cash,” he growled. He narrowed his eyes and added, “Or maybe I should spank you right here. Is that what you’re asking for?”

She shook her head, terrified at the idea. In front of Q was one thing, but there were still stragglers on the beach that could see them. “No.”