Free Bound by Her by Danielle Fox

the mental image of Emily tied to her headboard and glanced up to see the tie still attached in its place. My grin widened as a filthy thought crossed my mind - when it clearly shouldn’t whilst talking to my sister. “What’s up?”
    “What’s up? Well, firstly you’ve got some explaining to do! What the fuck were you playing at yesterday?”
    “Don’t use that language towards me, Natalie. What was I playing at?”
    “Don’t act stupid, you know what I’m talking about. You’re going to screw up your entire happiness if you carry on like you are, Julian. You’re pushing everyone away.” God, had her voice always been that high-pitched?
    “Yeah, yeah. Thanks, I heard all this from your boyfriend yesterday.”
    “Well, maybe it’s about time you fucking listened!”
    “Stop swearing at me or I’ll hang up.”
    She let out a long audible breath and paused briefly. “Mum’s had another turn. She wants to see you.”
    Was she fucking serious? My mother’s funny turns were precisely the reason I didn’t see her. I couldn’t deal with it. One minute she loves you and your the most special person in the world, and the next, she’s screaming obscenities at you and trying to rip your fucking head off. It wasn’t her fault, I knew that, but it wasn’t mine either.
    “So? Tell her I’m not around.”
    “She’s not fucking stupid, Julian.”
    “Isn’t she?” A quiet snigger escaped before I had the chance to stop it. Fuck!
    “It isn’t funny, Julian. Just think for one second how she must be feeling when her one and only son refuses to even acknowledge her existence.”
    “Oh, I acknowledge her existence; I just have no desire to be a part of it.”
    “You selfish bastard!” she screamed, forcing my handset even further away from my ear.
    “Yep! Goodbye, Natalie.”
    I dropped my phone onto the bedside cabinet and vowed not to answer a single call from her again for the foreseeable future. She could fuck off with her constant guilt trips. If I wanted to visit my mother, I would visit on my own accord. But I didn’t want to visit her. I hated her. I hated her for what she put us through as children, for what she allowed us to see. And I hated her for being weak enough to put herself through it. Besides, institutions were one of few places that actually frightened me. I would never admit that fact to another soul, but the place where my mother resided absolutely terrified me.
    My phone screen illuminated as Natalie called again and my eyes travelled to the top of the screen. 9.13a.m. Shit, Emily would be back any minute and I hadn’t yet set up my plan. Well, I had laid here the whole time she had been gone anyway, that was an accomplishment in itself.
    I reached for the loose end of the tie and tugged sharply, checking that it was still secure after last night’s strain, knowing that, if I was indeed to follow through with my earlier idea, then it was certain to face a hell of a lot more force. My head snapped around at the sound of the bedroom door opening and I dropped the thin band of fabric. Emily was grinning at me, her brows lifted as she studied me, seemingly in wonder.
    “What are you doing?” she asked, stifling a laugh, I assumed.
    “Waiting for you, I told you I would.”
    “You’ve been there the whole time?”
    “Yes. I’ve been mastering up a plan.”
    “Have you now? And what would that plan be?” She placed a hand on her hip and eyed me through her thick lashes.
    “I want you to tie me up. It’s your turn to take control.”
    Her brows twitched slightly as she appeared to be masking a frown. “I can’t,” she whispered as her cheeks turned crimson.
    “Why?”
    “I wouldn’t know what to do. I’ve never...” She trailed off as her obvious embarrassment got the better of her. I felt myself smile.
    “You mean you’ve never been on top before. So what? We all have to learn someday.” I smirked. Yet again, a very inappropriate moment for a very inappropriate joke.