Plenty of time to enjoy a few hours with Felicia.
I read the eight thirty letter again. I’d never spent much time exploring the playroom by myself. Nathaniel and I had gone through it together before he’d collared me, months ago, and cleanup was now my responsibility, but I still felt it was his domain.
Since I’d already showered and had breakfast, I went upstairs into the playroom. Once inside, I skipped over the whipping bench, padded table, and cross, making my way to the far wall. Handmade cabinets held a multitude of floggers. A few he had used—the rabbit fur and suede. He had others, of course, leather and some braided leather ones; they looked heavier and I wondered how they would feel.
The cabinets stood above a large table, made of the same rich wood and filled with multiple drawers. I opened one and saw his collection of plugs and vibrators. Fun toys, but I didn’t see anything that stood out in particular.
Attached to one wall was his collection of canes, and I ran a finger across one. I’d talked to Christine about them a few times since our visit, but I still wasn’t ready to try them.
I tried to imagine Nathaniel’s expression if I told him I wanted him to use a cane on me.
Would he be shocked? Would he agree?
But again, I didn’t feel ready yet, so I kept walking.
I rifled through a collection of masks and gags. We’d never played with any of them. I still wondered what it would be like to be gagged.
I picked up a ball gag and tried to imagine him using it combined with a new flogger. That could be fun. His note, though, said to pick one.
Taking my journal and pen, I sat in the middle of the playroom and thought. I ran through different scenarios in my head using several of the items I found in drawers and cabinets. They all seemed fun, but I couldn’t decide on one thing.
I tapped my pen against the spine of the journal and glanced down at my watch. Nine
I gazed around the room one last time, smiled, and bent my head to write. I wrote about the toy I picked and, just for fun, added a few details about the scene.
Felicia and I were almost to our first stop, a lingerie store, when my phone rang.
“Hello,” I said.
His voice sounded tired. “Abby.”
My heart warmed just hearing his voice. “How was the flight?”
“Long,” he said. “We just landed.”
My mind tried to calculate the time difference. “What time is it?”
“A little after eleven at night,” he said. “It’s like I skipped an entire day.”
“That’s okay,” I teased. I imagined him running his fingers through his hair the way he did when he was tired or frustrated. “Saturday’s a drag. You didn’t miss much.”
“I take issue with that,” Felicia said from the driver’s seat. “You’re shopping with me, and our first stop is a lingerie store. Saturday is not a drag.”
He gave a soft laugh. “I’ll be talking with you in a few hours. I just wanted to hear your voice and let you know I’d landed safely.”
“What are you going to do now?” I asked, not ready to hang up.
“Check into the hotel and get a few hours’ sleep before I start working again.”
“On Sunday?”
“I don’t have anything else to do,” he said in a teasing tone. “Someone refused to come with me.”
“You know why,” I said softly.
“I know and I understand.”
“You should go out and explore,” I said. “It’s not like you’re in China every day.”
“Thank goodness. I’ll explore some. Though I doubt the Great Wall has changed much since the last time I saw it.”
“You’re going to see the Great Wall?”
“No,” he said. “It’s too far away. Next time I’m here, maybe you’ll be able to come and we can go together.”
“I miss you already.”
“I miss you, too.”
“We’re here,” Felicia said.
I’d been so engaged in talking with Nathaniel I hadn’t even noticed Felicia parking the car.
“I’ll let you go,” he said. “You two have fun. Don’t get into too much trouble.”
“Mmm,” I teased. “Trouble sounds good.”
“Later,” he said with a hint of smile in his voice, but then he grew quieter. “I love you.”
“Love you.”
I returned home hours later with bags of new clothes and lingerie, several different garters, and a light heart after having plenty of girl talk with my best friend. Married life agreed with Felicia, and I’d never seen her more content and happy.
I hummed as I put away my purchases. Maybe later in the week I’d put on some new lingerie and take a picture to send to Nathaniel.
At three thirty, I opened the next envelope.
Whew.
He wasn’t lying when he told me he would have me use the journal. The night before had been eye- opening, though, in terms of what I discovered as I wrote. While I’d been apprehensive about a party when he first brought it up, I was now looking forward to it more. Especially since he’d forced me to think about and write a way to overcome my fear.
I couldn’t wait to discover what the new writing assignment taught me.
My heart pounded as I read his short letter.
I couldn’t wait to find out what he meant by that. Even more exciting was simply the opportunity to hear his voice. I mentally calculated the time difference. It would be morning in Hong Kong.
