1 Chapter 1

Long weekends were a gift from the goddess, in Kate’s opinion. It had been her opinion ever since she’d taken the plunge and moved in with a partner for the first time in her life. Five years on, she still felt almost giddy about it all.

Maria was more than her partner; she was her everything. They lived and played in harmony. Kate had gotten out of bed that Friday morning, showered alone, gone to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and put on loose, cozy clothing. She liked that she didn’t have to dress up to feel sexy with Maria, though she did like to sometimes. But there was something thrilling about having her hair up in a messy bun, sweats loose on her waist and a baggy sweater hiding her curves, and seeing how Maria still looked at her.

Kate went downstairs to the kitchen where she could hear Maria moving around. Most Fridays Maria would already be dressed in a sleek, well-fitted suit by now, which Kate loved and often had to be ordered not to rip Maria’s clothes off. Her domme just looked so good with the sides of her hair shaved almost bald and the top a riot of red curls and dressed up all smart and sophisticated.

But today there was no suit. Maria was dressed in black slacks and a thin black sweater, and Kate’s pulse began to race as Maria was dressed to play.

“Morning, babe,” Kate managed to croak out, going to Maria at the sink and kissing her cheek, when really, she wanted to go straight to her knees there and then.

They had worked to balance things between them, between being a couple and being domme and submissive. Kate was not a twenty-four-hour sub, even though Maria sometimes tempted her to try. In work, Kate ran a bakery and was the boss. Maria was a social justice lawyer, so her domme tendencies came in useful in court rooms.

Neither of them could keep every part of being a dominant and a sub from their everyday lives, but Kate had never had the urge to submit every aspect of her life to another person’s control, especially being a chronic pain patient. She often needed to be in control for her health’s sake, and her inability to give herself over had caused problems with other lovers in the past.

Things had changed with Maria, who never treated Kate’s arthritis like a burden on their relationship, and never demanded Kate give up control over things like choices about her medications and such. She’d had a domme who wanted her to change a medication that helped her pain because it caused her to gain weight. Maria loved her as she was, every inch, and respected that Kate had been living with her body and its medical faults all her life. She knew best, and so Maria deferred to her regarding it.

“Hello, sweetheart. You seem bright. Good sleep?” Maria asked, picking up two plates of pancakes from the counter and taking them over to their kitchen table. Kate followed but did not sit when Maria did. She was feeling a little on edge, a little anxious. A three-day weekend meant they had lots of time to play. She knew they’d made no plans outside of the house, but she didn’t know how long Maria was going to keep her waiting.

“I guess. I remembered my night meds at the right time, so I don’t feel off, pain wise. You were right. The alarm was helpful.” Kate didn’t know what to do with her hands. She wanted to touch Maria, but she felt the need to ask permission first, and was feeling tongue tied in case Maria wanted to just relax and not play.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You can sit, or do you not want to? Breakfast is usually your favorite meal of the day.” Maria looked up at her carefully, and Kate knew she was being assessed.

“Can I be honest?” Kate asked. She didn’t want to ruin a quiet morning, if that’s what Maria had planned, and kink was not always in the cards. They did many things outside of playing: meals out, hobbies, a social circle that didn’t even know about their roles in the bedroom.

“Always, my sweet girl,” Maria said, reaching out and taking Kate’s hand as she stood beside her.

“I’m feeling,” Kate broke off for a second. “It’s hard to find words. I’m tense, anxious. I want to play, to submit. It’s been a while since we had so much free time together.”

Maria stroked Kate’s hand with her strong fingers, brushing over the silver promise ring on Kate’s finger, a similar but thicker silver band on her own hand. Kate had joked that the rings were just a socially accepted way of collaring your mate. “You want me to be your domme?”

“Yes. I mean, you always are, but I want you in charge. I don’t want to make choices, I want to please you and be pleased and be looked after,” Kate explained in a rush. She’d been thinking about this all week, guessing what might happen between them.