She glanced over to his side where a cart stood, filled with silver and china. Once more he was certain he saw a flash of yearning in her expression.
“I would like very much to teach you how to serve tea, little one. Is that something you would like?” He wasn’t usually uncertain, but with Sasha having had such a strong reaction to the tea, he wanted to make sure she was comfortable.
“Yes, Sir.” She spoke slowly. “I would like that very much.”
“Thank you, Sasha.”
His hands had an itch to run his fingers through her hair or to graze the nape of her neck, but he restrained himself. There was no reason to touch her at the moment outside of him just wanting to.
“Tonight, I’m going to demonstrate by serving you. You will watch, learn, and serve me at our next session. Do you have any questions?”
She licked her lips and crossed and uncrossed her legs. “It doesn’t seem right, Sir. For you to serve me.”
“It pleases me to do this.”
She looked again to the serving cart. “In that case, Sir, I would be honored.”
“Thank you, little one. Now no matter if you are serving only your Master, or a group of twenty, the host is always seated at the head of the table.” He motioned to her seat. “After everyone is seated, a slave will wait patiently for her Master to indicate it is time to begin. Your Master will probably have a preference as to how he would like you to serve in a group setting. Either you’ll begin with the guest of honor, then the females, followed by the males, and ending with the host or you will start with the guest to the right of the host and then proceed around the table, ending with the host.” He raised an eyebrow. “All clear?”
“Yes, Sir. Will you share with me which you prefer?”
He swallowed around the lump in his throat at how she wanted to know his preferences. How long had it been since he’d worked with anyone who had such a sweet serving spirit? She would make some Dom very happy one day.
“I usually request the second option.”
“Usually, Sir?”
“I like to keep those serving me on their toes.” Those serving me. Why had he worded it that way instead of saying my slave? Perhaps because she knew he’d only collared one woman? He may have well said her name.
He wasn’t sure if Sasha knew Kate was more than his submissive. That Kate had served him twenty-four/seven as a slave instead of a Dominant/submissive relationship like Daniel and Julie. He was afraid that knowledge might make her more timid or bring on a panic attack.
But he was with Sasha at the moment and didn’t want to think about Kate. And Sasha was frowning.
“Tea service is special for me, Sasha. You are only the second person I’ve done this with.”
“Really?” she asked, and he was pleased to see the frown lines ease around her forehead.
“Really.” He smiled and continued. “Tea is presented before the food, and you always serve from the right.”
She listened attentively as he described how and when to pour and serve. With watchful eyes that missed nothing, she studied the way to position the cup, saucer, and spoon. Though she had been uneasy at the thought of him serving her, he noticed that unease grow as she realized how much there was to remember.
He was going over how a slave was to behave while serving when she stopped him.
“Excuse me, Sir, but can I go get my journal? There’s so much to remember, I’d like to write it down so I don’t forget.”
“No,” he said. “You may not. I want to see how much you remember when you serve me in a few days.” Her frown lines returned. “It’s a learning exercise, little one. There will be no penalty if you forget something.” At her smile he added, “The first time, anyway.”
He almost added that if she did well, there might be a reward, but before he could form the sentence, he remembered what she requested the last time he rewarded her. He decided not to say anything. After all, though he considered himself very self-disciplined, a man could only take so much.
• • •
The next day after closing the shop with Julie, Sasha waited downstairs instead of heading up to her apartment. She went to the break room to turn the light on and had just cleared the table of scattered papers when someone knocked on the door.
She was expecting Abby, but Nathaniel stood at his wife’s side, holding a large box. Abby held little Henry, and Elizabeth was spinning around in circles.
“Hey, guys. Come on in.” She moved to the side and let the family pass.
“I’m so dizzy.” Elizabeth laughed.
Abby shifted Henry and put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Come on in, silly.”
“Hey, Sasha,” Nathaniel said. “Tell me where to put this, and the kids and I will get out of your hair. We have a date at the Children’s Museum.”
“Dinosaurs.” Henry nodded. “Rawr.”
“Break room would be great, thanks.” Sasha giggled as Henry made dinosaur claws at his sister.
“He’s talked nothing but dinosaurs for days,” Abby said.
“Rawr,” Henry said again.
“Come here, big guy.” Nathaniel returned from the break room and reached for Henry. “Let’s go hunt dinosaurs.”
“You guys have fun,” Abby said, lifting up on her toes and kissing Nathaniel.
“Call me when you’re ready to go home,” he said against her lips.
When he left, Abby turned to her. “Okay, I’m dying to know. Tea service? Is a regular pot not enough?” She spoke with a smile. Obviously, she had some sort of an idea what she needed it for.
“Cole’s training me to serve tea, and I want to practice.”
They walked into the break room, and Abby started unpacking the china pieces. “I’ve never done that, so I probably won’t be much help.”
“That’s okay, I just need you to sit at the table.”
“That I can do.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Sasha practiced serving tea to Abby as best as she could, pulling from memory everything Cole had told her the day before. There were a few times she wasn’t sure she was serving correctly, but all in all, she was pleased with what she recalled.
After the second run-through, she plopped down in the chair beside Abby. “Okay, I think I’m good.”
“I thought you did great. Of course, I have nothing substantial to base that on.”
“That’s okay. You helped more than you know simply by being here and bringing the stuff over.”
“I’m glad.” Abby smiled. “Since this counts as our weekly meeting, why don’t you tell me how it’s going with Cole? Outside of him teaching you tea service.”
“So far, so good,” Sasha admitted. “He’s different than anyone I’ve played with. Such a complex combination of easygoing guy and no-nonsense Dominant.”
He was such a protector. She remembered at tea how tender and gentle he’d been when she’d confessed her fears about never being collared. There had been a kindness and sincerity she’d rarely experienced when he spoke to her. For a second she let her mind wander and thought about what it would be like to be his for more than a retraining.
“What’s the wistful look for?” Abby asked.
Sasha wasn’t sure she wanted to admit what she was thinking, but then decided if she couldn’t discuss it with someone she trusted, who else was there?
She dropped her gaze to the delicate flower pattern on the teacup sitting on the table. “I was just thinking about what it’d be like to be collared by someone like Cole.”
Abby didn’t say anything. When the silence grew too lengthy, she looked up at the other woman. Abby’s face was unreadable.
Sasha gave her a weak smile. “I know I’m not near ready for anything of the sort, but it doesn’t hurt to think, right?”
“When you say ‘someone like Cole,’ what do you mean, exactly?”
Sasha had a feeling there was more behind Abby’s question than what was being asked. “You told me you did some mental play
with him. You know what he’s like. Or was there more to the question?”
Abby templed her fingers. “How much do you know about his relationship with Kate?”