“So then let’s back up. What happened right before you started taking control?” Sparrow asks.
“He almost got hurt, and when I checked on him, Tanner made a joke about his dad being inconvenienced when he needed stitches during a football game. And then I let it spill that I’d said something not super kind about him. He started to walk away. I stopped him and apologized. Profusely.”
Sparrow shoots a look at Wick, who shifts uncomfortably, then asks, “You didn’t want him to think you were like his dad?”
“Definitely not. But I also don’t want him to believe those things about himself. I can’t make his childhood shit go away, but…fuck. Just to give him a few minutes to not carry that? It was amazing.”
Sparrow dips his chin, thinking. “So, the way to make it good, or to continue making it good, is to communicate. You did that nonverbally today, but maybe use your words next time. He could say something as simple as, ‘Hey, I need you to take over for me.’ Or, you could say, ‘Hey, I need to take over tonight.’ It’s fine to keep the conversation light if the kink is light.”
“Exactly. Just make sure you’re asking questions,” Wick says, patting Tiberius’ nose. “Hell, it can be playful. ‘Here are the things I’d like to try.What do you like?’ or ‘Here are the things I don’t ever want to do. How about you?’As things evolve, you ask more questions.”
“Okay,” I say, blowing out a big breath. “I think I was just…getting in my head about it. Hell, maybe you’ll find us swinging from the ceilings one of these days, but I mostly want to be able to control his pleasure. Make him come so hard he forgets his name.”
Wick and Sparrow exchange a glance.
“What?” I ask, my cheeks heating.
“Congratulations,” Wick says, patting my shoulder. “You’re a pleasure Dom.”
“A pleasure Dom?”
Sparrow responds, “Pleasure Doms tend to center on the pleasure of the person they’re with, and it’s common to use delay and edging techniques, or conversely, to make somebody come over and over again.”
I nod. “I…yeah. I edged him a little, and that was…nice. I’d definitely like time and space to…”
My words drift as I imagine it.
“Like Sparrow says, it’s a good place to start, and there’s a ton of ways to pleasure your man. Hell, you could choose to add additional people to the mix, really work him over,” Wick says, biting his lip a little too wistfully.
I nod, balking internally at the idea of other partners.
“What’s that grimace?”
“I don’t know. This thing with Tanner is brand new, and I don’t want to think about other people. This is different.”
“Different in a good way?” Sparrow asks.
“Yeah. I’ve had my fun, and college was a learning experience for sure, but that’s all it was. Fun.”
“And this isn’tfun?” Wick asks, a knowing look in his eyes.
“Oh, it’s fun. But it’s more. I feel so protective of him.” Putting my hand to my chest, I grimace at my own words. “Is that weird?”
Both men shake their heads. Sparrow answers, “No, that’s not weird at all. It’s beautiful, actually. When I got out of my own way with Luke, things didn’t get loud. They got real quiet.”
My chin bobs as his words flow around me. “That’s exactly what it feels like. Like, this just happened a few hours ago, but I feel…settled. I guess I always thought that word was bad.”
Wick shakes his head adamantly. “That used to be me, big time. Settled? I don’t even know her. Then Joaquin and Colt decided,hey, let’s take him down together. And I suppose that should’ve made me mad,” he says, chuckling. “But I didn’t know how much I needed them. When they forced me to open my eyes and see the possibility? Shit got real peaceful for me. In a way I’ve never felt before.”
Wick’s eyes redden, and Sparrow reaches out for his friend, rubbing his arm. “It sort of pulled the rug out from under you, didn’t it?”
Wick laughs, wiping away a stray tear. “It did. But in the best way possible. So,” he says, turning to me. “If you’re feeling quiet, if you’re discovering something new about yourself because of him? All good signs. No guarantees, of course, and it’s all super-new, but it’s nothing to be afraid of. Nothing at all.”
I rub my chest, their words letting loose something I didn’t realize I’ve been holding on to. I think about my dad and the fact that he and my mom met on a blind date, a complete setup between friends. They’ve both said that the moment they saw each other, they justknew.
I always thought their relationship looked boring, but now I’m seeing it with a whole new set of eyes. I used to be so embarrassed when my dad put his hand on Mom’s butt, but now I think it’s because he wants and needs her physically. Shit, that’s how I’ve been feeling, and it’s only been a couple of hours since I last saw my gothy woodland sprite.
Huh.
