smirk, leaning down to nip her bottom lip.
She nods slowly, batting her lashes. “Doctor Sir Daddy,” she teases huskily, squeezing her tits together. And then she bursts into a fit of giggles as she spins away from me.
A few hours later, Astrid strolls into my study, no longer dressed in her workout clothes but instead in a pair of skinny jeans that fit her like a second skin and a T-shirt that says Just Wing It—Life, Eyeliner, Everything. Her makeup is intricate but lovely on her beautiful face.
“You going somewhere, goddess?” I ask, setting down my pen and leaning back in my desk chair to give her my full attention.
“Oh, ya know. Just work,” she says cheerfully with a little hop. “I talked to Crystal. She said they want me to start tonight, since it’s Saturday and it’s their busiest night. Can’t let them work that pole with their makeup makin’ them look like clowns, Neil.”
I sigh. “Well, that was faster than I expected. But I guess if you’re comfortable with it, there’s no reason not to go ahead and start.”
She nods, circling my desk, taking hold of the back of my chair, and spinning it so she can sit in my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck, and my hand comes down to rest on her thigh. “I think I’ll be fine, since I’ll know a few of the girls there. I mean, I’m not close friends with them or anything, but at least they’ll be familiar faces.”
I give her a nod, pride swelling in my chest at the same time a knot of… something, jealousy? No, not really. I’m just bummed I have to give up time with her on a Saturday night.
“What time do we leave?” I ask, looking at my watch.
“I have to be there by six, and Google says it takes about thirty minutes to get there. I’d like to be there a little early in case I have to fill out any paperwork or something,” she replies.
“That gives us about an hour before we need to go. How about… we leave now, and we can stop somewhere and eat dinner to celebrate your new job?” I offer, secretly crossing my fingers. In the entire year she’s lived here, including this week that our relationship changed, we’ve never been out to dinner together except if we were going to one of the guys’ houses for a get-together. It’s not enough time to really take her on an actual date, but it would be a good first step toward getting her more comfortable in public so I can eventually treat her to a night on the town.
She considers it for a minute, and then nods shyly. “I think I’d like that,” she replies, and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.
Ten minutes later, we’re at the Chinese place Astrid orders from frequently. She looks around the restaurant, her elbows propped on the table, while I sit across from her in the booth. She looks a little awkward, but her face is happy, and she smiles when the waiter comes to take our order.
I gesture for her to go first, and she nods. “Um, I’m going to have two orders of the ginger salad and the veggie tempera, please,” she tells him, and I lift a brow at her in question. Normally, she likes the sesame chicken. “I’ve got a nervous stomach, so I’m taking it easy.”
I reach over and take her hand on the table, my eyes returning to my menu. “I’ll do the sweet and sour soup and the pepper steak with fried rice, please,” I order, and he takes the two giant menus from us.
“That’ll be out in about fifteen minutes. Ma’am, would you like your salads first or with the meal?” he asks her, and at her look of indecision, I answer for her.
“She’ll take the salads now, thanks. And if you could, please bring her a glass of ginger ale.”
He bows a little and says he’ll have it right out.
When my eyes turn to her, her cheeks are blushing furiously, and I tug her hand toward me until I pull her close enough over the table that the light above us washes over her face. “What’s got you all flustered, goddess?” I ask when she bites her lip.
She smiles a little. “I’ve always read about Doms and subs going out to dinner, and the hero orders for her, knowing exactly what she likes. It always sounds so