Empire

Chapter Twenty One - Wade

Wade ~

I helped Cassie into the large town car and told the driver the address of the restaurant before taking a seat next to her.

She admired the bright lights outside the window, but I noticed the smile that was on her face at the club was now starting to fade and dissolve into a scowl.

Her brows fell and she took in a deep breath that caught my attention.

"Talk to me." I said, studying her posture that was now slumped.

"I don't know, I just feel...weird."

"Weird how?"

Huffing out a breath at my demand for detailed information, Cassie looked up at me, but gave me all the information I needed in her sleepy hooded eyes.

"Tired and just, weird - a little anxious." She admitted wrapping her arms tightly around her middle.

Not even the brave and independent Cassandra Stone is immune to sub drop.

Being fully aware and prepared for the hormonal drop that Cassie was experiencing, I leaned forward and popped open a compartment, pulling a plush blanket from inside.

"Come here." I said firmly, feeling her scoot a little closer to me.

"No...here." I corrected her as I lifted her into my lap fully.

I pulled the blanket up to her chin and tucked it all around her before resting my jaw on the top of her head.

"Baker, take a thirty minute drive around town." I said before rolling up the partition, leaving Cassie and I completely alone on the back seat.

"But I thought we had dinner reservations." She said, clearly not wanting to burden or inconvenience me. "I'm fine really." She insisted.

"No you're not. This is part of it. It's called aftercare and while I hate to do it in the back of a car, this will have to do."

Cassie settled against my chest, then sat up again, fighting against her own vulnerability.

"Wade I swear I'm fine." She insisted again.

I knew she was capable of powering through, but I'd just put her through a lot. It wasn't that I was naive enough to think she'd just given her first blow job or had her first orgasm, but the entire experience was new. The fact that she wasn't in control and had to learn a new skill set that she wasn't accustomed to, the idea that she was out of her element and was forced to face her own trauma as she realized her own kinks and preferences while simultaneously revealing them to me. It was mentally and emotionally taxing. And the dom in me refused to let my submissive suffer.

"I didn't ask if you were fine. In fact I didn't ask you anything. Now rest your eyes and let me take care of you." It was a command, not a request.

Her body relaxed against me before she spoke again.

"What if I fall asleep?" She asked.

"Then sleep."

She seemed to accept that I wasn't going to take no for an answer and that this wasn't up for discussion. I felt her go lax in my arms as she nestled her head back and forth against my chest.

That's it. Take what you need from me in order to relax.

Remembering how much she enjoyed physical touch, I threaded my fingers into her hair and gently massaged the muscles in her neck.

Her small hums and sighs were music to my ears and the tensed muscles in her shoulders and neck relaxed beneath my hands. It was only minutes until she was sound asleep in my lap.