frustrating you are for me. I like being the one in control. It’s how I fuck. That night at the club I knew someone had hurt you. It wasn’t you I was mad at, it was the man who had hurt you.”
“What if I don’t like the way you like it? What if I screw up again and panic? Where does that leave you?”
“Baby I have no doubt you will please me. You’ve got a hunger inside you that just needs to be fed but you have to believe in me first.”
“You won’t hurt me?”
“Not unless you ask.”
I darted my eyes back to his. “I won’t ever ask you to do that.”
He pulled my hands into his and rested his lips against my forehead. “You will.”
~ ~
I woke up alone curled in front of the fire place where I must have fallen asleep. I stretched out still finding comfort on the thick pallet on which I had slept. My nose detected the smell of something great coming from the kitchen.
I adjusted my clothes and made the best of trying to iron out the wrinkles and went to the kitchen.
“I hope you like pancakes?”
I was surprised to see him standing at the stove. “You did this?”
“I have a lot of skills Nova.” His devilish smile was my undoing. I couldn’t have hid my smile if I had wanted too.
“Have a seat, breakfast is served.”
I sat down on one of the bar stools. He had made banana pancakes. My mouth watered.
“You like,” he asked taking a seat next to me.
“Very much.”
When breakfast was finished I cleared the dishes. “Is anyone here besides us?”
“No. My staff comes in the afternoon to clean and cook and leave after dinner.”
“Staff?” I asked inquisitively.
“You won’t know they are here but that is something we need to discuss. It seems that you failed to bring to light your limits last night.”
“Do I still have a voice in that?”
I had to remember she was still new to this. I had to make her understand what I liked wasn’t abuse. It was consensual. “You always have a voice with me. Why would you think you wouldn’t?”
“You’ve already paid for me. I just assumed that my limits were a moot point.”
“I apologize if I made you think negotiations were ceased.”
She had no idea that her voice would control all their play. She truly didn’t know anything about a D/s relationship.
“I just assumed. Most deals are negotiated before money exchanges hands, not after.”
“Business 101.”
She smiled. “Something like that.”
“Well contrary to your Harvard education, negotiations are still open. You go first.”
She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be hurt.”
“I think we discussed that one already, didn’t we?”
She still looked uncertain but she nodded her head in agreement.
“I don’t want to do this with anyone but you.”
So that’s why she had refused my invite for a three-some. I intentionally took my time before I answered her. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me but truly I liked watching her squirm. “So no three-somes then?”
“No, any-somes just two-somes. Specifically, me and you-somes.”
Laughing he sat down his glass. “I don’t think I have ever heard it phrased that way but I will agree. It will only be you and I. No one else.”
She looked shocked. “Really?”
“Is that hard to believe that I agreed to that?”
“You like it with more than one person. You have invited me on more than one occasion to join in on your parties.”
He laughed again. To be so smart, she was extremely naïve. He had only done to rouse her once he figured out she didn’t like the idea of it.
“Why is that funny?” she asked.
“It’s not funny per say. Anything else?”
“I don’t know anything else to ask for and since I am obviously not prepared to adequately negotiate what is in my best interest I want to be able to say ‘no’ if there is something I don’t think I can do.”
“We will have a
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain