“I think so,” Mara admitted. “Control and power.”
“Okay, so this is an honest question. What does Derek like about you?”
“Oh, um, we’ve always had a great connection...”
“Yeah, yeah, there’s the obvious stuff like you’re a ten-out-of-ten MILF and a charity saint and the mother of his identical nightmare twins, but what does he specifically love about you? What do you give him that no one else does?”
“I don’t think I?—”
“You do,” Beth interrupted. “He’s never had another serious relationship, Byron told me. You’re it for him, and you always have been.”
Mara pressed a hand to her chest. “That’s so sweet.”
“It’s true. So, what do you think it is?”
Mara considered the question. She felt like the answer was there, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. “Can you… help me out a bit?”
“I think it’s that you’ve always held him down. Made him look at himself as more of a person and not a superstar or, like, some larger-than-life dude.”
Mara blinked. “Maybe. Even back at school, he liked that we talked about other things, not just football.”
“Exactly. He likes having your support, but he also likes that you make him a more well-rounded person. And when you were hooking up a few years ago, he was being a dick because he let that get out of balance. He wanted all the power, and I told him he needed to sit the fuck down and be an adult.”
Mara smiled. “Thank you.”
“Anytime. My point is that I think you’re kinda creeping into that same territory. You’re like… supporting him too much, giving him all these intense sex fantasies whenever he wants them. You weren’t put on this earth to play second fiddle to The Great Mr Hardiman. What areyourfantasies? What do you want to get up to with him, sex-wise?”
Mara felt a buzz of excitement. There was something she’d been thinking about, although it wasn’t anything she thought Derek would go for.
“You know,” Beth said. “Tell!”
And so, Mara told. It was a testament to how comfortable she felt that she could even give broad brushstrokes, but Beth immediately understood what she was getting at. “I love it, M. It’s hot as hell.”
“Really?”
“Definitely. And it makes sense. It’s a way for you to be submissive and like, worshipped, without Derek being the one in charge.”
Mara bit her thumbnail so hard that her manicure chipped. She stopped at once. “I guess. How do I get Derek on board?”
“You tell him that you’re planning your anniversary. You tell him it’ll all be safe and under control, but you’re taking the reins because that’s what you want.”
“I don’t know…”
“Do it! Take him for a sexy little ride. Give him a taste of his own medicine.”
“I mean, what would that even involve? I’d need someone else’s help and?—”
“I’ll help,” Beth said. “As long as you don’t mind having a pregnant Kiwi for a stagehand?”
Mara’s nail had already found its way back into her mouth. She spat it out. “I’d love that?—”
“Then it’s done. On your anniversary weekend, Mr Hardiman is gonna get a little reminder of who his hot wife is and what she’s capable of. And when you’re done blowing his tiny mind, you’ll talk like equals and sort this whole mess out.”
“But I don’t know if I deserve…” Mara waited for Beth to jump in, but she stayed silent, making what Mara needed reassurance about even harder to say.
“I don’t know if I deserve to have this go my way,” she groaned. “God, I sound so pathetic…”
“Fuck that. You sound like a woman who needs a break. And I know I can’t make you go through with this, but it’s your life, M. He’s your partner, too. If you trust that he loves you and this is something you want, you’re not helping anyone by denying him the chance to rise to the occasion.”
