Page 40 of Obey

“What the fuck are you doing?” I hiss at him. “You can’t let a stranger tie you up.”

“Watch me,” he retorts.

The woman nods to Maddox. “Wonderful. I love a man who knows what he wants. Come on up to the stage.”

My mouth is dry, and I try to come up with an argument to stop him, but Maddox storms to the stage while the woman cuts her first demonstrator free.

I should’ve just told him it’s unsafe, reminded him of his own words that we need to watch each other’s backs—and neither of us is going to be paying attention to our surroundings with him going into a scene like this.

She says something to Maddox when he reaches the stage that makes him laugh, then he replies to her.

I can’t watch this. I can’t watch somebody else touch Maddox, even in this supposed non-sexual setting.

Without thinking about it, I get up and walk toward the stage, too. “Hey. Show me how to do it.”

The woman startles. “What?”

“I’m his partner,” I lie. “I should learn how to do it, too.”

Maddox startles, standing up straighter as he stares at me. “N—” he starts to say, though I’m not actually sure if he’s trying to say Knives or Nayeem before he catches himself.

I know he wasn’t trying to say no, though.

She looks between the two of us, focusing on Maddox. “Is that right?”

Maddox meets my gaze, looking steadier than I feel. Calmer.

It doesn’t feel fair.

“Yeah,” he says. “I think it’d be good for him to learn how to treat me.”

I bristle at the implication, but I keep my mouth shut.

“Sure,” she replies, and I think I see her roll her eyes. “Then let’s get started.” She points to a hook on the ceiling. “Suspension bondage can get pretty intense, so the first thing is to always be safe and be ready to break things off if anybody gets uncomfortable in any way.” She gives us both a hard look. “If you tell me to stop, I’m stopping. You aren’t more macho if you endure something you hate. Got it?”

Maddox nods. “I’ve done some rigging before, but I know my limits,” he says, and I want to hunt down anyone who played with ropes with Maddox before me and cut their fingers off.

“This is not for beginners,” the woman says as she uncoils her rope. She asks Maddox several questions—had he eaten, is he well-rested, what experience does he have, rapid-firing them out until she seems satisfied. “All right. Let’s give this a go.” She holds the rope up for the audience and explains what she’s going to do.

After her little intro spiel, she has Maddox hold his arms out and shows me how to wrap the rope around him.

I have to get close to Maddox for this, and I can see the slight flush on his cheeks. I brush my fingers along his back as I bring the rope around.

He shivers, and I can feel as much as see it when he starts to slip from being absolutely in control of himself to giving that trust over to me.

No, not me. Her.

We finish tying Maddox, and I make a note to practice all these knots. I’ll be so good at ropes that Maddox will never be able to do this with anyone else ever again.

I’ll ruin him. He’s not allowed to be happy without me.

Maddox sways against me, forcing me to hold more of his weight.

“Time for the fun part,” the woman says, grinning. “You ready?”

Maddox doesn’t answer, and the woman frowns.

I tap Maddox’s jaw. “Answer her, boy.”

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