Page 53 of Cowboy Daddies

“So, what happened to change it?”

“Edward. When my old supervisor left and he took over it just all went downhill.”

Carter nodded like he’d expected as much. “If you’re no longer happy there, it’s not worth staying. Not for you and not for us.”

She wanted to argue it. Wanted to explain that she’d put in so much effort it would be throwing it all away if she left now, but he was right. She’d known for a long time that her job was making her miserable, and not just at work, but all the time.

Giving up just wasn’t in her nature. “Are you going to make me quit?” she asked, half hoping he’d say yes.

“No, but I’m asking you to seriously consider it. And the time off for this trip is non-negotiable so if it leads to you having to quit, well, we’ll deal with that.”

Allegra let out a long sigh. “Where are we going anyway?”

His mouth quirked up at one corner, a teasing twinkle in his eye. “You’ll find out when we get there.”

“Carter, ugh. That’s not fair. I won’t know what to pack. I mean should I pack for a beach or for…”

“I’ll pack for you. Don’t worry about it.”

She just stared at him until he tugged her back down into his arms. And no matter how much she tried to get a hint out of him, Carter remained close-mouthed about the trip.

The next morning, she got up as usual and got dressed for work. Carter, always up at dawn, was waiting for her in the kitchen with a toasted bagel and a cup of coffee to go. He knew she was more likely to eat something if he put it in her hand—it usually worked.

Carter dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Don’t forget to call me if he gives you any trouble about the time off.”

She ducked her head to the side, avoiding his eyes. She had absolutely no intention of doing that. “I’m sure it will be fine,” she mumbled.

“It will be, because you’ll be getting those extras with the strap tonight and you definitely want me in a good mood for that. I expect to hear that it’s all set.”

Her insides twisted and a cold sensation washed over her skin. She’d forgotten about the penalty strokes. “Are you sure we can’t just⁠—”

“No, we’re not skipping them.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I love you and I’ll see you when you get home.”

She sighed and trudged to the door. It was going to be hard to get used to being bossed around again.

“Oh, sweetheart, one more thing.”

Allegra paused, turning back. “Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking about something, and I just wanted to throw it out there. I loved our dynamic, but I’m wondering if one of the reasons it fell apart is that it wasn’t exactly what we needed.”

She frowned, tilting her head. “What do you mean?” Her stomach sank and her first thought was that he was giving up already.

“There are a lot of different D/s dynamics out there. Maybe Dom/sub doesn’t really fit our relationship anymore. Maybe you need something a little different.”

“Different? Like… what? I don’t think I’d ever make a good slave, and I’m really not very bratty.”

He shook his head. “I’m not asking you to change. I’m thinking about my role and what might work better for you. How about if I was more of a caretaker? I didn’t realize before how hard it was for you to ask for help, and it just seems like maybe it’s something you should learn.”

She bit her lip, thinking for a second. It was true, she hated asking for help. Hated needing help. A sub was supposed to serve her Dom, and any time Carter had needed to step in to fix her problems, she’d ended up feeling like a failure. “I-I don’t know.”

“Well, think about it. You know change is okay, right? You’re allowed to need different things over time. Just because we started out one way doesn’t mean we can’t become something else.”

“I guess, but I don’t know what that would even look like.” That wasn’t entirely true … she did have one idea, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to suggest it.

“I don’t either, but it’s something to think about.” He shrugged and then jerked his chin toward the door. “You better get going or you’ll be late. Don’t forget, I’m here if you need me to talk to him.”

She couldn’t imagine the humiliation of having him talk to her boss about this, but arguing would be pointless. “See you tonight. Love you,” she said, holding back the long sigh until she was out the door.