the Dance, part 3

Anastasia couldn't believe herself. Her concerned surprise over her own actions, however, was overshadowed by the joy and excitement she was feeling. She had not forgotten about Frederick, but rather, had gotten caught up in the enjoyment of being in complete control of herself. Normally, every word she spoke and every action she took would have been calculated to please Derrick, not as her Master, but as a man whom she wanted to please in order to continue receiving his compliments and attention. She was so proud of herself for finally being able to do whatever she wanted without the least concern for whether it was making Derrick happy. The point was: it was making her happy.

Derrick smiled mischeviously, "Can I give you a ride?", implying, of course, more than an offer to drive her to the restaurant.

Anastasia declined, "No, thanks. I'll want to take my car back to the office from there."

Frankly, at that moment, she not only had no problem with the idea of letting him drive her to the hotel, but she knew she would have thoroughly enjoyed it. She'd always loved his car and wanted to take a spin in it. It was sleek and fast - and she loved going fast. Her decision to decline the ride was purely arbitrary. Simply because she was in total control of herself and she could. Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration. "On the other hand, I do love your car. How about you drive my car and you let me take your car to the hotel?"

As she ended her sentence with the word "hotel," she put an arm around his waist, leaned in against him, and put her head on his shoulder with eyes wide open and a serene smile on her lips - an impressively cute look that almost always worked with Frederick. This time, with Derrick, was no different. And, it was not lost on him that she said they were going to "the hotel," rather than "the restaurant."

"Okay, Anastasia. It's a deal."

They drove each other's cars to the hotel. Although it was less than a mile away, she beat him there by quite a bit of time. She relished in the feeling of speed. Energized by the drive, she was beaming with pleasure when Derrick pulled in.

"I love your car! You're definitely going to have to let me drive it again!"

"Anytime, Anastasia. Here are your keys."

They exchanged keys and headed into the hotel. She took the lead and, without even checking to make sure he was behind her, walked directly past the reception desk towards the restaurant. If Derrick had any illusions they would be heading for a room (at least before lunch), they were dispelled by her action.

They enjoyed a nice lunch, pleasant conversation, and a little wine. At the end of the meal, Derrick was unsure where they stood. Being a man of action, of course, he simply asked her to do what he wished, "Well, that was great. Now, let's get a room and do what we've both been thinking about all day." In his usual bravado, he added, "You'll be glad you did."

I don't doubt it, she thought to herself. She'd had an incredible day, so far, and she felt warm and wonderful. I would LOVE to jump on him and fuck his brains out right now, she admitted. She knew, however, as she'd known all morning, that this wasn't going to happen. Probably never, and definitely not today.

"Now, Derrick, I thought I made it very clear this morning that would not be happening. I'm not angry, and I hope you're not either, but this is it. You are an incredible, desirable man, but I belong to another. I love the time we've spent together, and I hope we continue to do so, but you'll need to be satisfied with the ego boost you should get from knowing that I think you're an exceptional specimen of the male species, because I have nothing more than that to give to anyone other than Frederick, who owns me completely."

Derrick grinned. "Heck, Anastasia. I wasn't serious." (A lie.) "Of course, I want to continue our friendship." (True.) "I hope you realize, however, what you've done to me today. When I get back to the office, I'll be stopping by the restroom to take care of 'something' before I can get any work done." (True.)

Internally, she thought, What a wonderful compliment. Wish I could be there.

Externally, she feigned bashfulness, "Oh, Derrick. You don't mean that. But, it's nice of you to say."

Everything was right in the world. She was pleased as punch with herself. They parted and she began her drive to the office. The dance was over for the moment, but she was already thinking about the next time when she was struck by a thought that crowded out all others, Anastasia, young lady, you are gonna be in SO much trouble.