I nodded, but said, “You really don’t have to kneel on the floor. Hotel floors are always filthy.”
She let out a disappointed sigh. “Lucas Steel wouldn’t care that the floor was dirty. It would turn him on to make me kneel in the dirt and it would turn me on to be his dirty girl. Keep going.”
Well, shit.Now I was imagining shoving my cock into that smart mouth to show her exactly what a dirty girl on her knees was for.Focus, Chase.
I leaned back, assuming his arrogant posture again.
She said, “What kind of fantasy can I bring to life for you, Sir?”
I’d never heard her use that tone of voice before. She sounded husky and suggestive, but willing to indulge my every whim. It was like a shot of adrenaline straight to my dick and all I could do was stare at her for a minute while I redirected my brain…and my dick…back to professionalism.
That meant I had to answer her question. What kind of session would he want?
“Pausing the scene for a second… What are my options here? It seems like I could just describe something he does in the book, but that wouldn’t be me really understanding what he wants.”
She smiled, still using that husky voice as she said, “You can have just about anything you want, Sir, as long as it doesn’t break the rules. Spanking. Tickling. Role-play. You could hypnotize me and make me obey your every whim. We’re only really limited by the rules and your imagination.”
Would Lucas Steel try to get her to bend the rules and be the exception? Or use his power to take what he wanted? That would’ve been my assumption a few weeks ago, but Elena was helping me to see another side of him. He was the king of a powerful land that was constantly under attack and he ruthlessly destroyed anyone who crossed him. Within his kingdom, he was basically worshipped as a god and could have just about anything he wanted. He was buttoned up and precise. If he’d come here it was for a purpose and he would’ve known the rules going in.
I thought of all the things he was into and what sort of thing he might want in this situation and how he might communicate that. Even though we weren’t even talking about my personal desires, it was hard to give voice to the things I was thinking. It felt inappropriate to ask for them.
I fumbled for the words. “Why don’t you just surprise me?”
She huffed a laugh and in her normal voice said, “Remind me to tell you Ophelia’s idea of a surprise… That’s a bullshit cop-out answer and you can do better.”
I took a deep breath, trying to find that place in my head where I could let characters take over, but he wasn’t in there yet. He was different and that’s part of why I was desperate for the challenge of playing him.
With that thought, an idea of what he would want occurred to me, so I gave it a shot. “We’re going to do a bondage session for two hours with the option to extend.” I used the phrasing I’d overheard Victoria use when we booked our first meeting with Elena. I was about to ask if she was available for that long, but corrected myself before I slipped this time. He would expect her to make herself available if she wasn’t. With growing confidence, I said, “I don’t want you to speak unless it’s to use your safe word. I don’t expect any reactions from you unless they’re genuine.”
As soon as I said the last sentence, I knew it was coming more from me than Lucas Steel, but that knowledge led me to find common ground with him. He wouldn’t want fake reactions from her either and that was a foundation I could build a character on.
Elena studied me, but didn’t give away her thoughts on what I’d come up with. Instead, she said, “I agree that he would be into rope, but it isn’t a major part of the book. Walk me through how you got there and why he doesn’t want me to talk.”
I had to think how to articulate it. “He wouldn’t want to bring pain without bringing equal pleasure. I know you said he’d be there to make it about him, but I think even when he’s giving pleasure, it’s partly about him. He’s getting off on being able to make them get off.” Something else I had in common with him. “Given the intensity of his tastes, giving equal pleasure would be impossible within the boundaries of the dungeon. I think he would be there to clear his head. If he was just looking for fun he’d play at the palace with a partner. I read that elaborate rope can take hours. He’s come to a pro who he knows can patiently handle that without complaint and who might enjoy it too. I couldn’t see him making small talk while that was happening and he’d like the power of making you stay silent.”
She beamed at me again. “And here I thought you were just pretty. Nicely done, Mr. Chase. You’re figuring him out. Here’s the question you still need to figure out, though. Why bondage? What does he get out of it? Why does he love it?”
“Because he likes to be in control?”
She inclined her head, still gracefully kneeling at my feet. “Partly, yes. But it’s not just being in control. It’s someonegivingyou control. It’s someone willingly allowing you to take away their autonomy. It’s trust. And with the kind of rope you’re describing, it’s the relentless focus it requires that forces you to clear everything else out of your head. When we were dancing the other night, you said nothing else existed but the feel of me and of being in control. Tying someone up is just like that, but more intense. If we had more time, I would teach you, but rope takes years and we’ve only got four more weeks.”
“What does his sub get out of it?” I asked.
She smiled slowly, eyes turning dreamy. “The incomparable feeling of being completely powerless with someone you trust. It’s liberating to let go completely.”
I’d thought I fell somewhere in a neutral space on the spectrum of dominance and submission, but a few lessons with her had proven me wrong. I had more in common with Lucas Steel than I could’ve imagined. I wanted to know what it would feel like for her to let go with me.
I’d never had to bring up any kind of unconventional desire with a partner before. How the hell did people even introduce this stuff when they had to ask for it?
I said, “Lucas Steel obviously doesn’t have any trouble telling people what he wants, but most of your clients must. How do they trust a stranger like that and open up to them?”
Asking for a friend…
“A rock-solid NDA goes a long way to reassuring most clients.”
I laughed. “I have NDAs with lots of people and still don’t trust that I can be even a little bit open with them.”
“Your situation is different than most.” Her eyes flicked up and held mine. “It must be lonely.”
