Marcella Abbot has been wealthy mogul Sean Winquist’s personal assistant for the past year. Having to take care of all things of a personal nature, Marcella is quite aware Sean is a Dom and fantasizes about being his exclusive submissive. While organizing an invitation-only BDSM charity event which will feature Sean and his submissive, Marcella needs to do some quick damage control when Sean tells her his submissive is now backing out of the deal. Will Sean take Marcella up on her offer to be his submissive that evening and make all of her fantasies come true?

Wear asbestos mitts when reading By My Side, Michele Zurlo’s second book in her Safe Word: Oasis series because this book is red-hot! Marcella knows of Sean’s sexual prowess and dreams of being his submissive. She contacts the mysterious Oasis society to help fulfill her wish of having this strong Dom in her bed for the night.

When his usual playmate backs out of the BDSM charity event a mere two days before the festivities, Marcella pleads with Sean not to cancel, offering herself as a willing substitute. While Sean is reluctant at first, Marcella soon wins him over by reminding him of the chosen charity’s significance and her innate submissive nature.

Unbeknownst to Marcella, Sean has his own hidden fantasies about his luscious assistant, and after he considers Marcella’s proposal, he has a few demands of this would-be submissive. Wanting to ensure she will not balk at the kinky play scheduled to take place, Sean desires Marcella experience it firsthand before the event! Holy shitake mushrooms! Sean is one creatively lusty Dom. Once Marcella agrees, there’s no turning back as Sean pushes Marcella beyond her preconceived boundaries during a night they will always remember.

Waking up the next day, will Sean realize Marcella is his true submissive and want to keep her by his side? Leave it to Michele Zurlo to have these two characters engage in meaningful conversation to admit their loving feelings for each other and decide they belong together, forever, in By My Side. I so hope Ms. Zurlo returns to this series in the future, giving us Fuller’s story since he’s one dominant player I’d love to get to know better.