She obeyed.

“Stop thinking so hard. You can trust me. I promise.”

If Harper had handpicked this stranger to help Amy live out her fantasy, then yes, she believed she could trust him. “Okay. My safe word is Oz.”

His smile grew, setting Amy’s mind even more at ease. He reached up and released the restraints at her wrists.

She frowned. “What are you doing?”

He pulled her arms down to rest by her sides and she winced at the sharp pain. He didn’t miss the look.

“I thought we’d give your arms a rest for a little while.”

“Only for a little while?”

He gently massaged her tense shoulders, not bothering to acknowledge her question. If given his way, she had no doubt he’d bind her to the bed again before the night was out. However, he understood her reticence and was willing to give her a chance to accept that bondage without fear. She appreciated his kindness, his patience. Harper had outdone herself.

“We should establish some ground rules before we start. It’s important that we understand each other’s limits.”

“You have limits?”

He snorted at her question. “I do. But I’d rather hear yours first. Is there anything you don’t want to do tonight?”

She slowly sat up, wondering if he would try to stop her. He didn’t. He watched with no reaction as she tugged the sheet over her bare body. Something told her this conversation was going to be unlike any she’d ever engaged in and she preferred to be covered.

“Is there a chance we could do this multiple-choice style? It’s sort of hard to know how to answer considering I don’t have a clue what you’re considering.”

He ran the backs of his fingers along the side of her neck, stopping when he found her pulse point. “I think that’s a fair request. How about if I list possible scenarios and you simply say yes or no.”

She nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Bondage.”

She bit her lip, then let her body, her fantasies and her overactive imagination give the answer. “Yes.”

“Spanking.”

She sucked in a deep breath. “Yes.”

“Flogger.”

The air didn’t reach her lungs despite her harsh gasp. “Um. Yes?”

He tilted his head, studying her face. “We’ll revisit that one. Anal.”

“Jesus. You just keep going for the jugular, don’t you?”

He didn’t reply, but his eyes crinkled, his laugh lines appearing.

“Okay. Yeah. We could try that…with a lot of lube.”

“So noted. Nipple clamps.”

She glanced around. “Do you really have all this stuff with you?”

“Don’t worry about the details. Just answer the question.”

Her nipples tightened, but Amy wasn’t sure if the response was based on anticipation or fear. “Can we come back to that one too?”