“I’m sorry, princess. I had something to do for my brother that couldn’t be put off.” He sounded somewhere between annoyed and sad whenever he talked about Stephen. I still hadn’t met the man, but I wasn’t a fan if he caused so much turmoil for John. “But, I promise, I’m going to make it up to you tonight. There was something you said you wanted to try. Do you remember what it was?”
There were so many fantasies I’d admitted to in the short time we’d been together, I wasn’t sure which he was speaking of.
“No, Sir. You might need to refresh my memory,” I told him.
“Or I could surprise you.” I hated surprises, but maybe I wouldn’t mind the sexual type. “We have to leave in about twenty-five minutes. How long is it going to take you to get dressed?”
“Um, not long once you tell me what I’m supposed to wear. I could have already been ready to go.” And then, we could have had more time to get ready.
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have gotten to see you like this.” He slipped a hand into the opening of my silk robe. He parted the fabric, pinching my exposed nipple. “You know how much I love playing with these. You wouldn’t want to deny me that pleasure, would you?”
“No, Sir.” He squeezed tighter and I bucked forward. Twenty minutes was enough time for me to get him off, and maybe he’d give me something in return, right?
He pinched my other nipple, pulling me out of the chair. It fucking hurt, but oh, my god, the sensation went straight to my dick. That had to be a sign there was something seriously wrong with me.
“When we get home, I’m going to take my time undressing you,” he told me as we walked to the edge of the bed. He never stopped rolling my nipples between his fingers. By the time he coaxed me to the mattress, my erection was poking out the bottom of the robe. He glanced down and licked his lips. “Fuck, that’s a sight. I wish I could take pictures of you and create a coffee table book. I’d lay on the couch when you’re not with me, jerking off to the images of how much I turn you on.”
I stiffened, not ready for something like that. Besides the fact he might need to get his eyes checked because I wasn’t all that, there was the whole photographs being forever thing. Not once in my life had I sent a dirty picture to anyone, and I wasn’t going to start now.
“Don’t worry, baby. That’s one of those dreams that will never come to reality,” he promised me, sliding a hand up my thigh. He cupped my balls, rolling them around his wide palm. I had to clench my eyes shut when he bent down, licking a stripe up the length of my cock. I bucked my hips, hoping he’d take me into his mouth. I wouldn’t need much at this point.
I was unprepared for the sharp crack of his hand against my inner thigh. That waswaytoo close to sensitive bits for my liking. I bit my lower lip to keep from crying out. The more I protested, the further he pushed me.
“That’s my pretty boy,” he praised me. “You’d let me do just about anything to you, as long as I don’t stop taking care of you.”
“Yes, Sir.” He hadn’t asked a question, but I answered anyway.
He stood, spinning away from me. My mind reeled, trying to figure out where I’d gone wrong, when he brought the gift-wrapped box back to me. “Icouldlet you see what’s inside, but I have another idea.”
“Whatever will make you happy, Sir,” I promised. It was second nature, at this point, for me to submit to him. That would have scared me if I didn’t know it was so different from the men I’d been with before him.Hewas different than all of them. Where they wanted to be domineering assholes, John wanted to dominate me, but also wanted to take care of my every need.
He pulled a blindfold out of his pocket, dangling it from one finger in front of my face. “Would you let me get you dressed for the night? From now on, when we’re out in public for anything other than work, I’d like it if you let me make the decisions for you.”
A lump formed in my throat. That was a huge step for me, one I wasn’t sure I could take with anyone, not even John.
“Baby, talk to me,” he urged, crouching between my legs. He didn’t push me as he gently ran his hands up and down my thighs. This wasn’t seductive, it was complete comfort. “What made you clam up like that?”
If I tried to explain this to him, there was a chance he might decide I was too much of a head-case. Then, he’d take his new-found sexuality and get himself a boy who wasn’t so complicated.
“Mav, open your eyes for me, sweetheart.” I shook my head. He leaned in, pressing a kiss to my exposed sternum. “You know the rule on this. If we don’t talk, nothing happens. Tell me what’s on your mind so we can find a way around it.”
Dammit. I wasn’t going to ruin tonight for him. He’d been so excited about us finally getting to go out as a couple, and he wanted to try some role playing. I wanted that, too. I wanted nothing more than to find out what naughty games we were going to get up to.
That meant I had to hand my fears over to him and trust that he would still care for me.
“I…what if…I mean…” I stammered, trying to put my thoughts into words.
“Take your time,” he told me. I felt the bed dip, and John pulled me onto his lap. I twisted to face him, curling into the safety of his arms, and pressing my face into the crook of his neck. “I’ll never do anything to hurt you, princess, but for me to keep that promise, I have to know where the landmines are buried.”
“I don’t always want to be feminine,” I admitted to him, my words muffled against his skin.
“Oh baby, I know that,” he cooed, smoothing his hand down my back. “And if I pick something out that doesn’t fit how you’re feeling that day, you’ll tell me, and we’ll pick out a different outfit. Okay?”
I nodded, still not looking up at him. As long as I tried to hide, I wouldn’t see a lie in his gaze.
“The other thing we could do is find a sort of code we can use,” he offered. That got my attention. I sat upright, hooking my hands behind his neck. “I thought you might like that idea. What if I ask you who you are, and how you answer sets the tone?”
“What do you mean?” Without thinking, I bent in and kissed the corner of his mouth. Regardless of his explanation, this already sounded like the best solution to something I’d prepared to be a huge stumbling block.
