He stayed embedded in her long enough for both of them to catch their breath. Finally he eased out of her and Nora turned to face him. It was done now. It was over. The sun was rising. Their last night together had ended.

She ordered him to shower and he did. She ordered him to get dressed and he did. When she told him to keep the collar, he accepted it with such humble gratitude she had to cover his mouth with her hand to stop him from speaking. If he said one more beautiful thing to her she’d never let him go.

When she ordered him to leave her and not look back...

“I don’t know if I can follow that order,” he said, standing at her door, his hand on the knob.

“You can. You will.”

“I’ll try to find another way,” Lance pledged. “If there’s any way I can come back and still have my daughter, I’ll find it.”

“I know you will,” she said and knew she would never see him again. There was no other way. And even if there was, by the time he found it she would have moved on and so would he. But they cared about each other too much right now to admit the truth that they both knew. “Go get your little lady back. She needs your protection more than I do.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Lance stood a moment on the porch, and it took everything Nora had to keep from crying. “Mistress?”

“What, Sailor?”

“This may sound stupid, but this felt like something. You and me, I mean. Something planned. I’m not the only one who felt like this was destiny, right?”

Nora raised her chin and smiled.

“A wise man once told me that destiny doesn’t always play matchmaker,” she said. “Sometimes it plays other games with us. Sometimes we win the game...”

“Sometimes we lose.”

“You know...I’m not the only one of my kind. There are other Dommes out there. Some of us don’t even charge for our services.”

“Other Mistress Noras? I don’t believe it.”

“I’m the only Mistress Nora I know and the world says ‘thank God’ to that, but...I’m just saying you only have to play their stupid game until you get your kid back. Then you can date again. You can find another one of us. You’re too good of a sub to waste yourself on some boring vanilla who doesn’t know what she has. Any Domme would be honored to have you on her arm, at her feet. You’ll find someone amazing. I know you will.”

“Maybe. Who knows? Destiny might play matchmaker someday. Maybe destiny will get it right next time.”

“I wish...” Nora began and stopped. She knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to say I wish it could be me. But those words would hurt as much to say as they would to hear. She left them safely unsaid, knowing that Lance wasn’t her destiny. She’d already met her destiny and three years ago she’d told her destiny goodbye. She survived it. She would survive this, too.