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“Uh, Ira…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to marry me.” Before she sighs in relief, I open the lid, revealing two golden bands. Ah, she’s tensing up again. “Yet.”

“You mother fucker…”

“I love you too, darling.”

I take her right hand, slipping the smaller band over her ring finger. Her left clings desperately to the stem of her champagne glass. No way I’m getting a ring on that finger for at least six more months. At least.

“Care to explain?” Her voice is terse.

I fold the other ring into her palm, encasing both of my hands over hers. “I know neither of us are ready to talk about getting married yet. At least not seriously, and not any time soon.” She nods, slowly. Her face is set in a demeanor that tells me to watch myself. “I want you to know how serious I am about you. I’m crazy in love with you, Katie, and I can’t imagine that changing anytime soon. It seems a shame to not let the whole world know that.”

There’s nothing special about the rings. They’re solid gold. No engravings. No gems. They look like wedding rings, and I guess they are in a way. Okay, more like a couple’s rings.

“Ira,” Kathleen begins, carefully. “This is a promise ring.”

I smile, holding my right hand up to her, delightfully bare.

“This is the kind of shit high school kids scream over.”

“Let’s indulge the high schoolers in us. They had a hard time twelve years ago.”

Kathleen rolls her eyes before putting down her glass and kissing my cheek, her hand opening up to reveal the big ring I put in it. She whispers into my ear as she slides the ring I bought for myself onto my hand. “You’re mine, Mathison. Don’t let any woman forget that.”

I pull her into my embrace. The glass of champagne spills, cascading golden bubbles all over the blanket and grass. “And don’t let anyone forget that you’re mine, Allen.”

Our tense embrace turns soft. We kiss, indulging in the simplest pleasures – like love.

I could see myself marrying this woman. I could see us arguing about inheritances until we’re blue in the face. We would debate about last names and what to do about children to keep our families happy. We would go on vacations all around the world and explore our inner worlds in the bedroom. I’m sure at some point we’ll seriously talk about sharing a submissive partner here and there because we both know how hot it is when we watch the other take control for our titillation. I want to see Kathleen lead more women to the dark waters of pleasure. It’s what she does best.

God save us. We’re turning into the Anderssens.

“Our parents will miss us soon.” Kathleen sits up, readjusting herself to fit more comfortably on this bumpy ground. “We should go make an appearance. And see how long it takes your mother to notice these rings.”

I help her up. We start packing up the bottles and blanket. “I’m glad you didn’t say no,” I say, wrapping my arm around her waist as we head back to my family’s house. “To anything.”

The breeze blows back her hair and makes her smile all the more alluring. “My middle name is Adventure. And I want every day with you to be one helluva adventure, Mistress.”

I squeeze her close to me. “Same here, my goddess. Otherwise, life feels like a waste.”

It takes exactly two minutes for my mother to see the rings and pass out. My father blubbers about me being an adult, and Silas Allen looks like he’s about to punch my face in before pulling me into the hardest hug in the world. These people think we’re getting married.

They don’t understand that two Dommes don’t simply get married. They dance a daring game of power, control, and finally, release. They chase each other, take breaks from each other, and finally admit to the other that everything is exactly as it should be.

I’m the cat. She’s the cat. We’ve both got cats already. There is no room for mice here.

Welcome to our crazy, passionate life.

THE END