He ended the call and then pulled up the number for the family-owned deli a block down from the hotel. They had great food and were open until eight local time. He’d probably eaten there over a dozen times since he first arrived in Denver, and ordered take-out from them even more often.

  And they delivered.

  After placing the order, including a little extra item they promised to grab for him after he explained what happened, and then prepping a couple of things on his end, Tony called Shay back. “You’ll have to sign the credit card slip, pet. Make sure to give them a $20 tip for me, please. I had them add something special for you.”

  She sniffled. “Yes, Sir.”

  He walked back out to the living room, woke up his laptop, and fired up Skype, then gave her the hotel’s Wi-Fi access code. When she answered the video chat call, his heart nearly broke from how red her eyes looked, her puffy nose.

  “Hello, Sir.”

  “Hello, pet. I’m going to hang up the phone.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He did, looking at her on the computer. “Oh, take off the collar and cuffs. Sorry. You can put them back on after the food arrives. No scaring the vanillas.”

  “Yes, Sir.” She removed them, but he could tell she didn’t want to. Then she pulled the pillow into her lap and hugged it. “I’m sorry, Sir,” she whispered.

  “Sweetie, please don’t cry, because I’ll start crying. You don’t want to see a grown Dom cry, do you?”

  That earned him a smiling, shnurffly laugh. “No, Sir.”

  “Okay. This’ll be all right, sweetheart. Just a bump in the road.”

  “I guess I’ll get to work on my latest article this weekend after all. I figured I’d be half-assing it and pulling all-nighters Monday and Tuesday.”

  “I don’t want you half-assing things, baby.”

  They chatted for nearly thirty minutes when there was a knock on the door. “I’ll be right back, Sir.”

  He listened as she answered the door, then the sound of her nearly crying. “Oooohhh!”

  Tony smiled to himself and was still smiling when she returned, her food in hand and smelling the bouquet of five red roses he’d asked them to grab from the grocery store just down the street.

  Well, he’d asked for any kind of flower, or some sort of little gift, if they’d tack an extra $20 onto his bill to cover it.

  Which was why he wanted her to tip them $20, for the effort.

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  “Happy Anniversary, pet.”

  She offered him a sad smile. “Happy Anniversary, Sir.”

  “Eat.” He pulled his laptop into his lap and settled back on the sofa, his second beer of the night in hand, an idea forming in his head. “Tomorrow night, we’re going out to dinner.”

  She squinted at the screen. “How many of those have you had already, Sir?”

  “Trust me?”

  She took a bite of her pasta e fagioli. “Yes, Sir.”

  “Okay. Make sure you keep your laptop and phone charged tomorrow. And do you have earbuds with you?”

  “Yes, Sir?”

  “You’ll need those. What kind of clothes did you bring?”

  “I have something I can wear out, but nothing fancy. Jeans and a blouse.”

  “That’s perfect. We’ll go at three your time, so we don’t have to rush, and there won’t be a lot of people around.”

  “You keep saying ‘we’ like you’ll be here.”

  “I sort of will.”

  “Okay, I’ll play along. Where are we going?”

  “I’ll text you the address. Be in your car tomorrow about two forty-five.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Meanwhile…” He took a sip of his beer. “Did you bring toys with you?”

  She actually blushed. “Yes,” she muttered.

  “What’d you bring?”

  He actually made her pick up the laptop and show him.

  “Ooohh. Get the red paddle out. And the vibrator.”

  She did. “What am I doing with these?”

  “Finish eating your dinner and I’ll show you. Is your laptop plugged in?”

  “Hold on.” She disappeared for a moment, then the laptop jiggled, and she returned. “It is now.”

  “You’re on my bed, right?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Okay, good. I’d feel weird if you did it on the bed I’m going to let Mike use.”

  “You’d feel weird?”

  “What was that, pet?”

  “I mean, yes, Sir.”

  He smirked. “Good girl. How’s the food.”

  “It’s really good.”

  “I’ve eaten there a bunch of times now, and ordered take-out. I love that.”

  “The pastrami is really tender.” She took another bite of her sandwich.

  “I’d offer to take you sightseeing tomorrow, except I haven’t even been. I know a few restaurants nearby, and the data center, and the colo. If you want to take a drive tomorrow, I can let you see where they are. Can’t take you on a tour of the campus, though. I’d have to physically be with you for that, sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Sir. I’ll have plenty to keep me busy.” She smiled. “Or I could take you sightseeing.”

  “You’ve been to Denver?”

  “No, but I can look up places to go and bring you on my phone. FaceTime.”

  “Ahh. Smarty pet. We’ll see if you feel like that tomorrow. Maybe I’ll spend all morning in bed with you, hmm?”

  “That’ll be…interesting.”

  Once she finished eating, he had her get naked again, cuffs and collar only, and lie on the bed on her stomach, facing the laptop and propped up on her elbows and his pillow.

  “Now what?”

  “Take the paddle and smack yourself with it.”

  “Seriously?”

  He leaned forward, dropping his voice. “Do it or safeword, pet.”

  He’d even excuse the eyeroll. She shifted position a little and reached behind her.

  Smack.

  “Harder than that, pet. And look at me when you do it. You know how hard I hit you.”

  She grimaced and did it, but that time, he thought it was harder. “Good girl. Again. Such a good girl for me, baby.”

  It took him about ten minutes, but he thought he had her not exactly in subspace, but in that beautiful, mentally mellow headspace where she frequently spent time when they were making love.

  He shoved his shorts down and adjusted the camera angle. “Now then.” He fisted his cock and slowly stroked himself. “Good girls earn rewards. Get the vibrator and slide it inside your pussy and turn it on, but don’t you dare come until I give you permission. And I want your eyes right here the whole time. If I have to stroke my own cock, then you’re going to watch me do it and beg me for permission to come. If I don’t think you’re begging enough, I’ll make you turn the vibrator off.”

  She whimpered, but she did it. He nearly giggled at her pitiful moans, which drowned out the sound of the vibrator.

  He grabbed the bottle of lube he’d brought out from the bedroom and drizzled a little in his left fist. He did it slowly, deliberately, drawing it out, enjoying the way she watched him. She always thought it was fascinating that he was a righty but beat off southpaw.

  “That’s right, pet. Give Sir a good reason to let you come. Making me do all this work by myself.”

  “I’m sorry, Sir. I’ll make it up to you. Please let me come.”

  “You don’t get to come—if I decide to let you come—until after I have. I want to watch all that sweet, pitiful need in your face while you watch me stroke my lonely cock.”

  It was lonely, too, but at least he could watch her gorgeous face and pretend it was her lips around his cock instead of his own hand.

  “I should have made my dirty little pet put in her butt plug,” he teased, not wanting to wait for her to do that. Besides, his stamina was waning. He’d be good for this one and then he’d likely fall over and go to sleep.

  He honestly didn’t feel like being in bed, even his own bed.

  Not without Shay.

  Not like this.

  He slowed his strokes, her groans firing his need. This wasn’t the first time they’d had phone or video sex, but it certainly was the most poignant and he wanted to drag it out.

  At least for a little while.

  He reached down between his legs with his right hand and gently tugged on his balls. “How’s that clit doing, baby. You’d better not be close. You’d better keep yourself right on the edge. Because if I do give you permission to come, if you don’t come soon enough, I’ll withdraw permission.”

  Another moan, sending a pulse of need straight to his balls. Yeah, he loved having her helpless and needy and squirming.

  Usually, he preferred it to not be so…long-distance, though.

  He kept her dangling for a while, got her into a sweetly begging mindset, then finally decided to stop torturing himself and her. He sped up his strokes, a twist at the head, back down again to the root. Before he almost realized it he was there, pleasure slamming into him and adding extra urgency to his strokes as cum erupted from his cock, all over his hand and his stomach.

  “Come, pet!”

  A familiar, low groan rolled from her. If he hadn’t been so damned tired he might have been able to keep himself hard and stroke through a second one.

  Except…he was that damned tired.

  And now feeling come-drunk and spent, he reached for the towel he’d brought out to clean himself with. “Good girl,” he said. “You can turn it off.”

  She did, eyes closed.

  Looking gorgeous.

  “Better?”

  “A little,” she muttered. “Not the same.”

  “I know, pet. I’m sorry.”

  Her eyes popped open. “Please don’t apologize, Sir. It’s my fault. You can fuck up next year’s anniversary.” She smiled.

  That finally got a laugh out of him. “My practical pet. I’m going to clean up and go to sleep, okay?”

  “Yes, Sir. I’m not exactly sleepy. I’ll probably work for a while.”

  “Okay, baby. Text me when you wake up. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, Sir.”

  And like that, he was alone.

  Fuck.

  He got up and took a shower, then returned to the living room with his pillow from the bed, as well as Shayla’s to curl up with. There, he stretched out on the sofa and turned on the TV. Bagel and Cream jumped up there with him, and as he settled in for the night, he tried not to think about Christine, alone.

  About her last sunset.

  About…everything.

  Fuck.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tony started out his Saturday morning calling Patrick, a friend of his he knew was a manager at the Cattlemen’s Country Steakhouse in Sarasota.

  A friend in common.

  After the guy finished laughing—and apologizing for laughing at Tony’s situation—Patrick wrote down what Tony wanted and said he’d make the arrangements for him and call Tony back.

  They had a Cattlemen’s Country Steakhouse in Denver.

  Ten minutes from the hotel.

  An hour later, his friend called him back and assured him everything was arranged, that he’d talked to the manager who’d be on duty that afternoon, and they would make it happen.

  All Tony had to do was call them with a credit card, which he did.

  By the time Shayla was awake and had called him on Skype, he’d already done chores around the house, finished his laundry, and had answered several work e-mails. At least they had a lawn service, so that was one chore he didn’t have to do or slough off onto her shoulders.

  “Good morning, Sir.”

  “Good morning, pet. Happy Anniversary.”

  She sighed, looking glum. “Happy Anniversary.”

  “Aww, I think someone needs a good-morning spanking.”

  “I should call a hard limit to spanking myself.”

  “Are you?”

  She stared at him for a long moment before sighing. “No. I’m just mad at myself. I thought this was going to be a great anniversary and I fucking ruined it.”

  Uh oh. “Sweetheart, please, stop. I’m not upset. And I already have our date night set up.”

  “You do?”

  Okay, that perked her up a little.

  “I do. You’re going to have fun.”

  * * * *

  She had no idea what was up her husband’s sleeve, but she’d put on a happy face for him.

  Even if all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry.

  She wasn’t even in the mood for orgasms, to be honest.

  He must have sensed she wasn’t really in a frisky mood, because they spent the morning talking. He ordered her breakfast from the deli and had it delivered for her, so there was that.

  “I could have gone downstairs to their buffet.”

  “But this is private.” He smiled. “Let me pamper you, sweetheart.”

  She sipped at the cappuccino he’d ordered for her. “This is good.”

  They talked until nearly noon her time. “Well, I’m going to let you get some work done, sweetheart,” he said. “Take your shower, and text me on your phone when you’re in the car. Two forty-five.”

  “No hints, huh?”

  “Nope. Make sure you have your laptop, phone, chargers, and earbuds.”

  “For dinner?”

  “For dinner.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Okay, so she could guess that they were going to “eat” together like they had last night.

  “I love you, Sir.”

  “I love you, too, pet. See you soon.”

  Once she’d ended the video call, she sat back on the bed and had a long, hard cry before getting up to take her shower like a good pet.

  * * * *

  Tony made sure he had everything ready to go before he jumped in the shower. Showered, shaved, and even put on a suit and tie for her.

  Hell, it was their wedding anniversary.

  He’d make the best of it and it’d be a story to tell their friends later. Fuck, Tilly and her men spent weeks apart at a time.

  Except in their case, they could split off into twos and still have someone.

  He arrived twenty minutes early, and Patrick indeed had everything ready on his end. They’d saved him a table in a far corner booth, where he’d have privacy. Once Shayla texted him she was ready, he sent her the name and address of the steakhouse.

  Ask for Lisa, tell them you’re Mrs. Daniels, and they’ll show you to our table. Then get your laptop out and Skype Me once you’re seated. I’ll be ordering for you.

  He awaited her reply.

  Yes, Sir.

  He flagged down his waitress—to whom he’d already slipped a couple of twenties for her patience—to let her know they were on the clock now and he’d be ready shortly.

  He arranged the bouquet he’d bought for Shayla on his way to dinner—that he’d leave locked in the utility room for her when he left tomorrow so the cats didn’t eat it—where it was visible in the frame.

  Fifteen minutes later, his Skype connection was ringing.

  “Hello, sweetheart. You must have not hit any traffic.”

  She was crying. “Oh, my god, Sir, thank you.”

  “Let me see it.”

  She turned the laptop so the camera would show the bouquet.

  “Make sure to take pictures of it in case they won’t let you take it on the plane with you. Oh…duh.” He smiled. “Just leave it in the room for me.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “This one”—he pointed to the one on his table—“will be waiting for you in the utility room.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, it wouldn’t survive the babies, otherwise.”

  “No, it wouldn’t. Is your waitress there?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Turn the laptop around for me, please.”

  The waitress waved. “Hi, I’m Carmen. I’ll be your waitress tonight.”

  Tony turned his to face his server. “Carmen, meet Ellen.” The women laughed and waved. “Carmen, Shayla will have water with lemon, an unsweetened iced tea, and for an appetizer, one of your Cheddar Onionz.”

  She noted it on her pad. “I’ll get that going.”

  He turned to his server. “Ditto the Onionz for me.”

  She smiled. “Yes, sir. I’ll be right back with that.” He already had his beverages.

  They turned their laptops to face each other again. “I can’t eat a whole one, Sir,” Shayla said.

  “I know. Stick it in the fridge, and I’ll have it tomorrow night.”

  “Ah.”

  He smiled. “Right?” The room had a fridge and a small microwave.

  She laughed. “Okay, so I’ll have the rest of yours tomorrow?”

  “Exactly. Don’t know how good it’ll be, but there you go.”

  Once the servers returned it was time to order their entrees, and Tony again did the honors. “Shayla will have your petite filet, rare, with the garlic butter topping. Baked potato, salad with bleu cheese. I’ll have the porterhouse, rare, garlic butter topping, baked potato, and broccoli.”

  Both servers noted what they needed to and left them alone again.

  “You can use the earbuds now.” He put his in, too. That gave them a little bit of privacy.

  “Thank you for this.” She leaned over and smelled the flowers. “They’re beautiful.” He took a screencap of her smiling and saved it.

  “I can’t take credit for picking those out, but I can these. I’ll make sure I tip them damn well. And FYI, you aren’t paying for tonight.”

  “How’d you arrange this?”

  “I called Patrick. He runs the one here in Sarasota.”

  “Sneaky Sir.” She smiled and at least it didn’t look like she was going to cry now. “This is nice. I appreciate you going through this trouble.”

  “Well, honestly, I was going to give you a card and flowers, and take you out to dinner, sooo…” He shrugged. “Although I had planned for us to be in the same restaurant when we did.” He smiled. “I was also going to do a little something else, but that will have to wait. They’re not that liberal in this restaurant chain.”

  She smiled for him, and that time it looked a little more solid. “Probably not.”