Her answer nearly robs me of breath.
Pulling myself together, I ask, “What do you have in mind?” even though I’m pretty sure the other shoe is about to dropright on my head. She’ll screamGotcha!, then snap a bunch of pictures of me and quickly hand them over to theBleacher Reporttipline.
She spends some time chewing on her cheek again and I grunt. “Stop that.” Before I can stop myself, I reach for her hand and pull it away from her cheek, then drop it like she’s burned me.
Close the fuck enough—we don’t physically engage with clients here without explicit consent.
She’s made a mess out of me.
“May I touch you?” I ask, the question spilling from my lips before I can think better of it.
Shit. Fuck.
What am I doing?
She gives the subtlest of nods, but even though her approval makes my pulse kick up, that’s not enough.
“We use words here, Su—” I catch myself before saying her name, squeezing my eyes shut as confusion and desire war within me. “So,” I quickly correct, “that no one is confused. Consent must always be verbally given.”
“Who are you?” she asks without looking up at me. There’s a slight tremor in her shoulders each time she draws in a breath. I can’t tell if it’s trepidation or anticipation. “I mean, what do I call you?”
Oh, she’s good. Really playing it up.
“Here, I am to be addressed as Dominus.”
“Dominus,” she repeats, my name so soft on her lips I nearly miss it.
“OrSir.” I swallow past the thickness in my throat. I can’t tell if I’m coming or going, and no one has thrown me off my game like this in… well, ever.
At least, no time that I can quickly recall.
After a moment, she nods, head still bowed in effortless submission. “Y-yes, Sir,” she whispers.
I blink, staring down at her in frozen surprise because she’s simply responding to my name and preferred way to be addressed, right? She couldn’t possibly be giving me permission to touch her after all these years of pushing me away.
Desire builds low in my groin.
My palms itch to mark her.
My cock begs to claim.
Butshewants to blow up my world. I have to remember that. She’s not here to kneel at my feet; she’s here to knock me off of them.
I wonder what it took Sutton to convince herself to come here, to step onto my turf with the intention to ruin me. Is she having second thoughts? Now that she’s here, in my world, is her bravado slipping away? I grind my teeth, torn between wanting to scream at her for crossing this line…
And wanting to show her what I can offer her if she’d only give in to the attraction between us, the unmatched chemistry.
Sutton Hart makes me want things I’ve never wanted before.
“Am I safe here?” she whispers.
Safer than anywhere else in the world.“Look at me.”
She lifts her head and the hesitant look in those eyes knocks the wind from my lungs. It takes me a moment to be able to respond. “Yes, you are safe here. You are safe with me.”
She gives the subtlest of nods. “Then please touch me,” she whispers, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
Fuck me, I’m a weak man.
