Page 174 of Masters of Secrets

“We should do it.”

Her verbal vomit grinding to a halt, Julie took a deep breath.

“Are you sure? We really don’t have to. There’s time to find someone else.”

“I want to.” He smiled at her. “It’ll be fun. I’ve never performed at Marquis before.” He paused thoughtfully before adding on. “But… if we could wait for you to peg me until after the show is over. I don’t think I want my first time for that to be in front of everyone.”

Julie laughed, surprised and maybe even a little shocked, but also gratified to hear that he was open to being pegged afterward. If that was what he wanted, she was happy to reward him with it.

“Of course.”

Connor

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Julie asked, frowning as she helped Connor into a leather harness with straps that wrapped around his chest and shoulders. It wasn’t the same as Shibari but hugged him in a similar manner, helping him to relax. It was like being held by her, even though she wasn’t touching him. The back was left mostly exposed, with one long horizontal strap across the center. There were also two vertical straps, set at an angle, coming down from around his neck. In addition to the harness, she’d already plugged him with a rather large, long plug to prepare him for later.

On his bottom half, a leather pouch contained his cock, leaving him otherwise completely naked. Strings attached to the pouch worked like a thong, so she’d be able to reach his ass.

“I’m okay with this,” he said immediately, amused.

This was the fifth time she’d asked over the past twenty-four hours, as if she kept expecting him to suddenly change his mind.

“We can always grab Olivia and Luke from her office if you decide you’re not.”

The harness was now strapped down, and Connor turned to face her. They were in the backstage area—the green room, even though there was not a single thing in it that was green—which was a small, well-lit room furnished with a single couch, two mirrors, a shelf in front of the mirror hanging on the wall, and two chairs in front of the shelf. They had a room reserved for the evening—the Dungeon Room—though Connor doubted they would be using the front part of that room by the time they were done with the show. They’d left most of their things in there but then had come to the green room for the finishing touches.

He didn’t have to look down as far as he sometimes did to meet her gaze. Tonight she was wearing thigh-high boots that laced up the sides, a short black skirt that was like a second skin over her ass, and a bright green corset that had a deep V between her breasts, pushing them together into far more substantial cleavage than she normally had.

Taking her face in his hands, Connor lowered his head, so they were nearly nose-to-nose, looking deep into her eyes.

“I promise, nothing will make me happier tonight than submitting to you for this performance… other than being pegged by you afterward. I love you, Julie.” He grinned as her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut, and then opened again.

She was at a loss for words. He didn’t need them said back. That wasn’t why he’d said it.

Heck, he hadn’t known he was going to say it until the words were coming out of his mouth.

The rush of emotion when he’d realized how determined she was to protect him, even from himself, to make sure that he wasn’t going to do anything he didn’t really want to do even if he wouldn’t say it immediately… He’d already known he was falling, had known for a while, but this was the moment when he’d realized he’d fallen.

“You do?” she asked after a moment when she’d finally found her voice again.

“I do.” His thumb swept along her cheek.

Reaching up for him, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I love you, too.”

“You don’t have to say it just because I did.”

Mistress Julie’s eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

“Are you calling me a liar, Connor?”

Well, shit.

“No, Ma’am.”

“Are you saying I don’t know my own feelings?”

“Definitely not saying that, Ma’am.”