A slow, dark heat unfurls in my chest, turning jealousy into a sharp hunger. I stare at the photo of her cuffed, with her hands behind her back, ass in the air, chest pressed to the wooden desk, and my cock throbs.
"Is this what you want, Bluebird?"I mutter, then take another large mouthful.
She's showing me what she wants me to do to her.
For the next half hour, I study every detail of each photo, not to find more flaws but to memorize what she's showing me. The way the cuffs bite into her wrists. The spread of fingers digging into her hips. The arch of her throat when her head is yanked back. And that damn silent plea in those heavy-lidded eyes.
A grin curls at the edges of my mouth. She isn't taunting me with betrayal. She's handing me the script for what she craves.
I set the empty glass down with a soft clink, slide the photos back into the envelope, and lock the drawer. Then I stand, shrug into my coat, and kill the lights.
She wants to play this game? Fine.
I'm going to give her exactly what she's asking for, but rougher, deeper, more completely than whatever fantasy she fed into that generator. And when I'm done, there won't be any space left for her to hide behind or any boundaries she can pretend still exist. The only thing that'll still be there is Blue, me, and the truth she's been begging me to force out of her since the moment she walked into my life.
She has more taboo fantasies about us than I realized.
I lock the office door behind me and head for the elevator, my pulse buzzing, and shadowed hunger curling low in my gut.
I'm coming for you, Bluebird.
I'm coming to collect what's mine.
And when I do, we're going to have a very different conversation about boundaries.
It doesn't take long before I'm outside the building and in my car. I do a quick search, find an adult store in the far part of town, and drive toward it. Every red light tightens the coil of fantasies I've never allowed myself to explore that Blue's pulling out of me.
I don't know who I am anymore,I think as I pull into the parking lot.
The building sits between a wine bar and a gallery and has blacked-out windows with a flashing neon sign. Nerves hit me, but I still get out of the car. I've never been inside an adult store, but if this is what Blue wants, then I'm going to give it to her.
A ding rings in my ears when I enter. Amber light, polished wood shelves, and glass cases display leather, lace, and silk. Handcuffs, plastic cocks of every color and size, and toys I've learned about through my therapy sessions with patients and porn videos I've indulged in private, fill the space.
A woman behind the counter with a tattooed arm sleeve and nose ring, looks up with a calm, professional smile. "Evening. I'm Star. Looking for anything specific?"
Heat flushes my cheeks. I clear my throat. "Metal cuffs, sturdy and padded. Red silk blindfold. Leather paddle, remote-controlled vibrator with clitoral and insertable options, nipple clamps with a chain that leads to a clit clamp, and that outfit." I point to a red leather number with crotchless panties, straps that wrap around the torso to a bra that sits under the cups but doesn't cover the nipple.
Blue chose wrong by putting herself in black lingerie. She's going to wear red when I dive into her fantasies with her.
Star nods like she hears this request every night and leads me through the displays. The cuffs are stainless steel with a luxurious red satin finish. The blindfold is thick silk and the paddle is double-sided with hard red leather on one face, and softer suede on the other.
Star claims, "It's just right for sting without bruising too fast."
"Great," I say, relaxing a bit.
She hands me a vibrator that has a small bullet for external, curved wand for internal, and single remote with ten patterns within a thirty-foot range. It's rechargeable and waterproof. I add a bottle of high-end water-based lube and a set of soft ankle restraints, just in case, even though I've never used any of this stuff.
Star rings it up, and the total comes to just under four hundred dollars. I pay cash, take the plain black bag, and walk out into the cold again.
The drive to Blue's apartment is twenty minutes. I imagine she's curled up in her bed, waiting for me to react, thinking she's won this round by pushing me away.
She has no idea how wrong she is.
I park on the street outside her building, kill the engine, and sit for a moment, with the bag on the passenger seat. A sinister thrill burns low in my core, steady, controlled, but growing in intensity.
I grab the bag, lock the car, and head up the walk. Her building is quiet, and the lobby is empty. I take the stairs two at a time to her floor and step into her hallway. I quickly move to her door and pull out the key she pressed into my palm Sunday night after I fucked her slow and deep on my kitchen table.
She whispered, "I want you to have access to me whenever you want."
