The Exhibitionist
Page 37

I immediately picked her up and carried her over the pegs until we reached a thick rug I’d placed on the platform. There I gently put her back on her feet while I undid the ropes. She let out a deep breath as they fell away from her.
“Move your legs, if you need to,” I said. Though the sensation of the rope had been pleasurable while she was in the scene, she’d probably be in some discomfort once it was over.
“Do I need to massage your legs?” I asked.
“No, Master.”
When I set up our new playroom, one of the things I’d done differently from our playroom in New York was add a large aftercare area. I’d furnished it with a plush couch and minifridge stocked with juice and bottled water. The night before, I’d set out a large blanket, and once we sat down, I draped it over her.
The three men took their cue to leave the play area. I’d told them earlier to wait for us in the kitchen and Abby had laid out snacks for them to enjoy.
Once they were gone, I turned my entire focus on her. One of our aftercare routines involved me rubbing her feet, so this was familiar and calming for both of us. She sighed as I took a foot in my hand. It was red on the bottom, but while the skin was tender, it wasn’t broken. I massaged a soothing lotion into her arch, gently moving down to her toes and across the ball of her foot.
“You have the most amazing hands, Master,” she said. “I’ve told you this before, yes?”
I kissed her big toe. “You have, my lovely. But feel free to tell me again.”
“Your hands are amazing, Master.”
“You’re pretty amazing, too.” I slowly worked the lotion into her skin and took a pair of supersoft socks I had waiting. I slipped one of them onto her foot.
“Makes me feel a bit like Cinderella,” she joked as I placed that foot down and motioned for her to give me her other one.
“Does that make me Prince Charming?”
She brushed her hand down my arm. “You’ll always be my Prince Charming.”
We shared a smile as I cared for her other foot. Reconnecting like this after a scene always made us closer. Usually, we’d take our time and even curl up in bed for a catnap, but since we had guests, I thought it was time to make our way out of the playroom.
“Can we go check on the kids before we head to the kitchen, Master?” she asked.
“Of course. Are you ready to go now, or do you want to wait a bit longer?”
“I can go now.”
I stood up and helped her into the outfit she’d brought down earlier. While we got her dressed in jeans and a soft sweater, I watched for any sign that would tell me her feet were in too much pain. Satisfied she was okay, I took her hand and we went to pop in on the kids.
Lynne, Elizabeth, and Henry were in what we called the nursery. It was really just the children’s playroom, but neither Abby nor I was comfortable calling it that. Lynne and Elizabeth were playing house in the large dollhouse my cousin, Jackson, and I had made for her last birthday. Henry was pushing his dump trucks and tractors around. Abby giggled when she saw he had one of Elizabeth’s dolls on top of the tractor, acting as if she were driving. Nothing like doing farm work in a silver cocktail dress.
I knocked on the doorframe. Elizabeth turned and, seeing us, hopped up and ran over to give us hugs. “Mommy! Daddy! Lynne is fun. Can she stay? For always?”
I kissed the top of her head. “We’ll see. Are you playing dolls?”
“Yes, I’m the mommy, Lynne’s the little girl, and Henry’s the daddy. But he won’t play with the boy doll, so Lynne’s being the daddy, too.”
Henry picked up the silverly clad doll and nodded. “Pretty.”
“You can’t wear a fancy dress on a tractor,” Elizabeth told her brother.
He held the doll to his chest. “Mine!”
“Just let him play,” Abby said. “At least he’s not throwing everything in the trash can.” She looked over to Lynne. “How’s everything going? Do you need anything?”
Lynne and the kids had eaten lunch earlier. She’d told us they were going to play for a bit and then watch a movie.
“We’re good,” she said. “I promised cookies during the movie.”
Abby nodded. “Elizabeth helped me make sugar cookies yesterday. I think we have a few left. Do you want me to set them out?”
“I know where they are, Mommy,” Elizabeth said. “I can show her.”
“Okay, princess. You two be good and I’ll see you after the movie.”
Abby smiled at me, content now that she had seen the children and satisfied they were happy. From everything I’d observed so far, it appeared hiring Lynne would be a great thing for everyone involved. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Simon yet, but I planned to soon. I didn’t understand why he’d broken up with her. Especially since they had appeared to be so happy and compatible when we last saw them together.
But I knew as well as anyone that things weren’t always as they seemed to be and people often did things for reasons not understood by those not involved.
And seriously, you have enough to deal with concerning your own relationships. No need to borrow anyone else’s problems.
Cole, Luke, and Jeff were standing in the kitchen snacking on the array of sandwiches Abby had left out for them. At our entrance, they stopped talking and greeted us, and then Jeff made Abby a plate.
She took it from him with a big smile and sat down. “Thank you.”
“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.
I wanted to tell him not to bother, that I’d get her a drink, but it occurred to me that this was probably his way of providing some sort of aftercare. No, he hadn’t done anything in the scene other than watch, but if he needed to get my wife a drink, I’d let him.
I was reminded again of why I didn’t share my submissives. I enjoyed being the one, the only one to do aftercare. Which was silly, I told myself. It was only getting her a drink. It really shouldn’t bother me the way it did.
In fact, it had never bothered me before. Jeff had done a lot more with Abby when we were in Wilmington for the first time and I hadn’t minded when he sat and talked with her once the scene was over. That day, I’d actually left them alone while I cleaned up and prepared the bedroom for the aftercare I had planned.
It raised the question, why was it different today?