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  “However, I won’t.”

  “Good,” Alex croaked her answer. She felt his smile in the kisses he trailed back up her body until he could claim her mouth in a kiss so tender it made her want to cry again.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever walk again as it stands, Sir,” she said. Nat laughed and kissed the remaining evidence of her earlier tears off her cheeks.

  “Just as well we don’t need to go anywhere then. Holding you hostage in this hotel room all weekend sounds mighty appealing to me.”

  “You wouldn’t dare?”

  His grin in answer was pure evil.

  “Oh, I think we both know I would. Now about this marriage thing.”

  Alex rolled her eyes, and stuck her tongue out at him.

  “You do know, Sir, that an agreement reached under duress is not legally binding, right, so whatever I agreed to while at your mercy means diddly-squat.”

  Nat threw his head back and laughed.

  “I’m well aware of that, baby. I will just have to keep on asking, until you finally do say yes, won’t I? After all we’ve got the rest of our lives together to get to know each other properly.”

  Epilogue

  Three years later

  Alexandra took one last curtain bow to thunderous applause from the audience’s standing ovation. The roar rang in her ears. She could feel the vibrations under her toes, even. Her face was in danger of splitting in half from smiling so much. Stopping frequently to take the many well wishes and hugs from her fellow actors and background theater staff alike, she slowly made her way back to her dressing room.

  It still gave her an immense thrill to see her name on the door.

  Alexandra Farrington

  By mutual agreement she had kept her maiden name for her acting career, which had really taken off over the last year. The darling of the West End, the theater critics called her. She pushed open the door to her dressing room with a smile.

  The man who had made all this possible looked up and put a finger to his lips. Her heart flowed over with happiness, seeing her husband cradle their six-month-old son. He insisted on looking after him backstage whenever his schedule allowed, which meant that their nanny had to have the easiest assignment ever, as Alexandra did most of the childcare herself when she was not rehearsing or on stage.

  “I’ve just got him back off to sleep. It went well, I take it?” Shifting their son up his shoulder, Nathanial got up, wrapped his free arm around her, and kissed her. Even after three years, his kiss had the power to take her breath away, and soak her knickers through with her need for her Sir. Not that they had a lot of time to play since she’d fallen pregnant, but like parents the world over they grabbed their moments when they could.

  Sadly, now was not one of those moments as little Arthur woke up with a wail and Nathanial laughed.

  “There goes his boob radar.”

  He dropped a kiss on the little guy’s bald head, and handed him to Alex. Arms and legs flailing, their son gave Alex a big gummy smile when he realized his food was coming. Seconds later, the silence of the room was only interrupted by Arthur’s slurping noises. Named after his paternal grandfather, it was a standing joke in the family that little Arthur could never have his food quietly, as his namesake was very much the same in his old age. Arthur senior had grown very frail recently, but had a new lease of life with the arrival of his grandson.

  In fact, everything had fallen into place in ways Alexandra could have never imagined when she agreed to take on Marissa’s job. Even her friend was happily settled now, to another one of the clients she had met through the agency. What were the odds on that?

  Alexandra smiled to herself, as she watched her son’s eyelids droop while he suckled.

  “Penny for them, baby?” Nathanial asked.

  She looked up at him and smiled.

  “Oh, I was just marveling at how much difference three years can make. I mean when you wrangled my agreement to marry you out of me I could have never imagined all this.” She made a sweeping gesture around the room with her free hand, while Nat smiled in agreement.

  “Well, to be fair, it took you a full two years before you finally agreed to marry me. I’ve had to put less effort into securing multi-million dollar business deals than it took me to convince my sub to marry me. Talking of which…”

  He pulled her day collar out his pocket and fastened it around her neck with a firm click of the dainty lock.

  “That’s better. You’re mine now, until the next performance anyway.”

  He winked at her. Warmth filled Alex at the love and approval that shone out of his amber gaze.

  “I was always yours, Sir,” she murmured and touched her collar with a smile. She felt naked without it, but it wasn’t suited for wearing when she was Alexandra Farrington, the actress.

  “Thank you for allowing me all this.” Alex swallowed past the lump of emotion in her throat when Nathanial dropped to his haunches in front of her. Framing her face in his hands, he rested his forehead on hers.

  “Anything for you, my love. Besides, talent like yours needs to be seen. I would be incredibly selfish if I kept you all to myself.”

  Alexandra shut her eyes, as she let the love of her Sir wash over her.

  “I love you, Sir.”

  “And I you, baby, forever.”

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  Other Books by Doris O'Connor:

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