Page 41 of Obey

“Mm.” Maddox takes a second to open his eyes, and I watch as he comes back to himself enough to tighten and loosen his limbs. “Nothing’s numb,” he reports. “It all feels good. Great. Amazing.” He laughs, and it’s not even a self-conscious sound.

He just sounds happy.

I nod to the woman, and she shows me the next step in lifting Maddox off the ground. One of his legs stays on the ground, while the other is lifted up. Maddox rises until he’s on his tiptoe, and his body tilts forward.

I can hear him breathing heavily.

“Good,” I whisper to him, low enough that the audience can’t hear.

A shiver runs through him, and he mumbles, “Green,” even though he wasn’t asked. I know he’s mostly doing it for the woman’s benefit, not mine, but at the same time… it’s kind of nice to know that despite the fact that I’m there guiding him along, he’s still letting himself trust me.

The woman starts talking some more, explaining what to look for and other safety concerns. I listen intently, but I can’t keep my hands off Maddox. I gently squeeze the back of his neck before trailing my hand down his back.

If we were in private, I’d reach around to play with his cock, which is unmistakably hard underneath his jeans.

I’m hard, too, and it makes me resent this venue and the audience.

Maddox’s breathing is slow and steady, and he feels relaxed. He doesn’t tense up when I touch him, doesn’t tell me to stop or to back off.

It’s almost like we really are a couple.

The fact that I wish we were hits me hard.

“Don’t extend the suspension beyond about ten minutes until you know what you’re doing,” the woman says. “And in our case… this demonstration is over, so you’ll have to come down now.” She approaches with the safety scissors.

We lower Maddox until he can sit down, and I support his chest as we undo the ropes so he doesn’t instantly fall over. Maddox mumbles under his breath, but his eyes are glazed over.

“Your sub might be a little dazed,” the woman says to the crowd, smiling. “Make sure to give good aftercare.”

“I’m fine,” Maddox says. I help him up, and when he stumbles, I catch him and pull him against my body.

“I’ve got you,” I whisper. “Come on, let’s find somewhere to sit.”

He nods, pressing his cheek against my chest. “Yeah,” he whispers raggedly. “Sitting would be nice.”

At least he’s not insisting he’s all right, that he can do this on his own. It makes things twist inside of me.

The woman points toward an empty couch near the stage, and I slowly guide Maddox to it. I keep my arms around him and arrange us so he’s sitting against me on the couch.

I press a kiss to the top of his head. “You were so good,” I say, gently stroking his shoulder.

A smile flits across Maddox’s lips. “So were you,” he murmurs back, closing his eyes. “Learn anything new?”

“Yeah. That rope bondage is fucking hot.” I shift, which causes my erection to press against my jeans uncomfortably. Fuck. I want to take care of it, but I don’t want to move.

After a few minutes, I notice Maddox’s body getting less languid, more tense. I sigh and rub my eyes.

“Let’s get back to the hotel,” I say gruffly. “We want to be well-rested.”

“Mm,” he mumbles in either protest or assent. I can’t tell which, but either way, I’m tired, and we need to get rest so we can hit the ground running tomorrow.

I’m more than ready to get back to New Bristol.

I’m ready to remember that I’m supposed to hate Maddox.

ELEVEN

MADDOX

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