Page 39 of Dominate Me

It didn’t mean I didn’t want to continue this further. The lines Jensen had originally drawn were already becoming blurred. If they disintegrated further, I didn’t know how I’d be able to keep my heart from being unattached.

I needed to protect myself even while I explored.

“What are you thinking?” I asked Anya, realizing she’d been quiet since my admission.

A faint pink color tinged her cheeks and she licked her lips. “I think it sounds like you’re being careful, and safe, and while I don’t understand why you want this so badly, it um...well...”

I laughed softly as she shrugged one shoulder, and I leaned forward. “Admit it, some of it sounds really hot.”

“Well, yeah.” She rolled her eyes and took a drink from her beer. “I mean, I have no complaints about Lance in bed, or anything, but we’ve been together since forever. Sometimes I wonder if we’re getting too boring.”

I snorted. “Lance would never bore you.”

“I don’t mean that. I just think it’d be nice to experiment with...I don’t know...other things.” Her eyes flashed. “I don’t want to be spanked or anything.”

“I could always see if you could come to Luminous with me sometime.”

“God, no.” She shook her head. “There’s no way, and can you imagine Lance in a place like that?”

I thought of Lance, with his ripped jeans, tool belt and ratty T-shirts and choked down my laugh. He had the look of a man’s man, a tough guy, and he wasn’t uptight, but he was conservative. I called him classically pretty, and he was. He was also the perfect complement to Anya in her well-fitted skinny jeans, tucked neatly into boots with a small heel and the pale blue cardigan set she was currently wearing.

I doubted she needed anything extra in her life.

“Anya, if you want to experiment, do it,” I encouraged her, lowering my voice. “Don’t be afraid to talk to Lance about it, but don’t forget that what you guys have is special, too. Not everyone needs to add implements to the bedroom to make their relationship better. Just because I’m finding something new I enjoy, doesn’t mean you will.”

“I know, but it’s hard not to think about it when you keep mentioning it.” She winked teasingly and I slid from the booth, grabbing our bottles.

“I’ll get the next round. Let you cool down for a minute.”

She stuck her tongue out at me before I turned and saddled up at the corner of the bar where I managed to find an empty spot. I didn’t have to wait long before the female bartender gestured my way.

“Two more?” she asked, as I slid my empty bottles toward her.

“Please.” She dumped them into the garbage and popped the tops off two new ones. Her movements were fluid and quick and even as she took care of me, her eyes roamed the bar, keeping an eye on the rest of her customers sitting down and standing around. Her grace and quickness told me she’d been at this awhile, but it wasn’t only her movements that caught my attention.

Her curly platinum hair was pulled back into a messy top knot, with frizzy tendrils hanging down over her ears and the back of her neck. As she turned, it was the gleam of the choker at her neck that made me pause.

It was a thick metal, stamped with a ring of fleur-de-lis. At the back there was a small lock. She wasn’t wearing a stylish choker.

She was collared.

“Six dollars,” she said, barely giving me a glance.

I fumbled with my clutch to remove cash, unable to take my eyes off her throat.

Other than Master Dylan and Jensen, I hadn’t yet truly met anyone involved in the kink lifestyle. And I hadn’t yet met any subs or slaves, for certain. She efficiently controlled the bar, took orders while counting up my change, grabbed a fresh beer when she slammed the till closed, popped the top as she slid the cash toward me.

“Thanks!” she shouted, and I was still frozen.

My lack of movement got her attention and she turned to me. “Need something else?”

“No.” I reached for my change, leaving two on the bar for her. “Um, actually,” I called as she turned away.

She looked at me, brows furrowed, and I realized I was rubbing my throat.

I dropped my hand like my own skin had burned me.

“Yes?” She arched a brow.

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