He knew he’d have to really gain her trust, but he felt he could get her there, to that floaty, ethereal place she said she’d had difficulty reaching.
Subspace.
He wanted her there not as a stroke to his ego, but because she deserved it. She deserved all the good feelings he could bring her. Nothing would please him more. But first things first—he’d need that meditation class. He clicked out of his email and went to the password-protected website to look over the Ranch’s class schedule. It was only nine am, and there was a class at ten. Just enough time to have a light breakfast and get his head in a more solid space before he reached out to Claudia to meet up.
Claudia.
He’d have to meditate like a fucking boss to get his need for her under control, to maintain the control that meant everything to him as a Dominant. Maybe a little yoga, too, before taking her into the Dungeon, which he planned to do as soon as she felt ready. He hoped to hell she would be sooner rather than later because he really could not fucking wait.
The yoga and meditation class had been just what he’d needed. The instructor, a woman named Bliss with a long, bright red braid down to her waist, had a soothing voice, and the movements had been easy and smooth, since she worked the meditation in with the yoga. He felt refreshed as he walked the tunnel back to the staff apartments. But as soon as he got in the shower to clean up, he was hard as stone once more.
“Down boy,” he told his rigid erection. Not that it helped.
He did his best to ignore it, since he was meeting Claudia for lunch shortly, and quickly finished rinsing off, then got out, dried off, and got dressed. Then he sat down with his laptop to review her answers one more time. He wanted to go into their discussion prepared.
She’d wanted privacy for their discussion, and he couldn’t blame her, since she worked in the restaurants at the Ranch, so he’d grabbed food from the café and brought it back to his apartment, where she would meet him at noon. Just as he was finishing up his review of the questionnaire, there was a knock, and his pulse sped up, hammering in his veins.
Claudia.
He was being as ridiculous as a teenager with his first crush, but he couldn’t help it. She’d always had this effect on him to some degree, ever since the first time they’d met. He’d gonehome thinking about her. He’d tried not to, and it had been especially hard once she was single. But if he’d thought it was tough after spending time with her back in Dallas, now that they’d gotten to know each other a little better here at the Ranch, he had to admit he was crushing like mad. And this crush? He literally could not stop thinking about her. He’d never been so ridiculously focused on a woman in his life.
He pulled in a deep breath before answering the door. And there she was, in snug-fitting jeans that hugged her curves, and a deep green sweater that brought out the subtle gold tones in her brown eyes. Her cheeks looked a bit flushed as he stood back to usher her in.
“Hey. I’ve got lunch—a BLT with avocado for you, and an iced tea, as ordered.”
“That’s very accommodating of you for a Dom,” she said with a low chuckle as she moved past him into the apartment, and he got a whiff of her fresh floral scent.
“Domsshouldbe accommodating,” he said. “That’s part of our job. But you’ll learn that as we go.”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. I mean, I’ve seen it with other people. It’s just never been my experience, I guess. The people I’ve scened with since Kenny were more sensation players, and I wasn’t really submissive with them, maybe because we were just friends.”
“Yeah, I get that. Makes sense.” And why the fuck was he so pleased she’d played only with friends since her divorce? What a selfish bastard he was. But he couldn’t help it. “Come on—let’s sit at the table and we can talk while we eat.”
When she went to pull her chair out, he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. “What have we discussed about this?” he asked.
“Oh. Yes. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. Again, you’ll get used to it in time.”
“I’ve been so busy having to do everything for myself my whole life,” she responded as she sat in the chair, and he helped push it in, closer to the table, then sat in the chair next to hers. “My ex wasn’t exactly gallant, and the guys I dated before him were just… boys, really. I don’t think I ever learned to expect this kind of treatment from anyone. I was always left to my own devices, starting from the time I was a child.”
“Yeah, from what you’ve told me, you sort of had to grow up too fast. But believe me, there are people out there who want to take care of you, and that doesn’t mean you can’t take care of yourself. You obviously can. But me wanting to do things for you, to be of some service to you, doesn’t mean I’m devaluing your capabilities in any way. I’m a service Top. Always have been. That’s just who I am.”
“I’ve seen that. At the Dallas club, and here with me. It’s just taking some time to wrap my head around it.”
“No worries—I’ll remind you,” he said with a smile. “These sandwiches look great; let’s dig in, then we can talk about the questionnaire.”
They chatted idly as they ate. She told him funny stories about the Ranch Littles playing practical jokes on Derek, which he assumed happened a lot. They talked about the trio of piglets that had been rescued and brought to the petting zoo that morning. She’d helped Reese feed them right after they’d arrived—Reese and Wren, who he’d met briefly, had apparently already named them Nibbles, Giggles, and Wiggles—and Claudia was in love with them already. And he loved that she adored the animals so much. By the time lunch was done, he felt that she was pretty relaxed, and knew it was time to address the topic at hand.
“So, I looked over your answers, and I’m on board with everything. We seem to have a lot of the same preferences. But just to clarify, you mentioned that you normally didn’twear anything less than a thong and a bra when playing. Does this include playing in the Dungeon here? Is that your current comfort level?”
“Yes, if we’re in the main Dungeon area and not one of the private rooms. But I do love public play. I suppose I’m a bit of an exhibitionist, although that doesn’t extend to total nudity for me.”
He nodded. “Got it. I want you to know that I will never try to manipulate you once we’re in scene to be any more naked than the terms we’ve just negotiated, not without renegotiating when we’re not in scene so you’re able to give informed consent with a clear mind.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“The same goes for kissing and any sexual contact. You answered that kissing was a maybe, but you weren’t sure how you’d feel about anything else, and that’s absolutely fine with me.” It wasn’t, really. His hands itched to touch her—reallytouch her. But he would respect her boundaries without question, and certainly without pressure. “We kissed last night. I know you said you wanted to, but please tell me if it made you uncomfortable, or if you’d rather not while we’re in scene and there’s a power dynamic happening.”
