Page 34 of Perfect Three

“Yes.Things neither of us would ever do sexually.Everything was done consensually.There is absolutely no way I would do anything to Jack that I knew he didn’t want or enjoy, because I know he’d walk out the door and I’d never see him again.”

“But you do hit him,” Lucy said, pointing this out.

“Yes, I do.”

Lucy couldn’t stop a gasp escaping.She hadn’t expected him to so readily agree.Is that abuse?Sebastian must have guessed her thought.Maybe it was plain on her face.She tried to remember what she’d read this morning about hitting.Something about consent and pleasure, I think.

“But you have to understand it in the context it’s done.There is no way I wouldeverstrike Jack outside of sex.In fact, there’s no way I would during sexunlessI knew he enjoyed it.I could no sooner hit him than fly.I love him too much to ever abuse the trust he’s placed in me.

“However, during sex, well, that’s a different matter.Jack enjoys being ...well, he enjoys being slapped.”

Jack gave a laugh and when Lucy looked at him, he winked.“That man’s hand slapping my ass is a big turn on, and even more so if he uses a flogger or something similar.”

Lucy frowned.“Flogger?”

“It’s a type of tool that can be used to caress or whip my body.It’s kind of like a little cat-o-nine tails.It’s so bloody exciting.I love it!”

Lucy screwed up her face as she tried to understand.“Then it’s all about hitting?”

Sebastian shook his head as he answered.“Heavens no!That’s just a very tiny part of our playtime.For the two of us, it’s about handing over sexual control to someone else.Jack gives all control over that aspect of our relationship to me.Having Jack put his complete trust in me is amazing, and he knows I’ll do everything in my power to make him happy.”

“To make Jack happy?”Now she was really confused.“I thought this was really about you, Sebastian?”

“So it is.If Jack’s happy, then so am I.I do the things to Jack I know he loves.When he’s excited, I’m excited.If he didn’t like them, I wouldn’t do them.For instance, as he said, he loves me using a flogger on him.He enjoys being disciplined.He loves to be blindfolded and tied.But he hates being gagged so I’d never do that to him.”

Jack gave an exaggerated shiver.“Argh, don’t remind me!I hate gags with a passion!”

Lucy gave her head a tiny shake.“I’m still confused, but I’ll work on that later.”She looked up at Sebastian.“Some of the things I read this morning were contradictory in a way.They said a Dom tells the sub what to do, what to wear, who to be friends with.To my mind, that’s total controlling behavior.It means the sub has no say in their own life!But other pages said the sub controlled things.”

“There are some Dom-sub relationships that are 24/7, Lucy.There are some subs who even want to be a slave with really no rights at all, but neither Jack nor I have ever been drawn to that level of intensity.”

“Oh.Um ...I discovered this morning that was what that book was about—a slave.”

Sebastian smiled.“I had thought it might be.”

“It was.”

“I suppose you would describe me as a Dom if you had to put a label on me, but in reality, you could just call me a control freak.I simply like being in command and directing what happens in the bedroom.”He gave a sort of snicker.“I actually get off on it.It works perfectly for us.You have to understand, Lucy, for Jack and I this is a bedroom, a sex thing, and nothing else.Outside of sex, we’re both partners, equals with an equal say in everything.”

Jack leaned over and tapped Lucy’s leg.“But outside the bedroom he’s bloody bossy,” he said in a pseudo whisper.

“Jack!”

“Well, you are!When was the last time you let me order a meal?Or who always says ‘love you in that blue shirt, Jack, wear it please?’Who?”

Sebastian grinned at his lover and laughed.“I do that, don’t I?”

“You do,” Jack agreed, nodded at Lucy.“But understand, Lucy, I love it.I love him.But in saying that, if he started telling me what I had to do all the time, telling me how to run my business, or how I had to think, I’d be out the door so fast and he knows it.”

Lucy had been thinking and turned to Sebastian.“You said Jack likes being disciplined.That infers there are things that incur punishment.”

“Yes and no as far as our lifestyle is concerned.As part of our agreement, Jack allows me to make certain things punishable only because he loves being punished.Things like eye rolling and back-chatting me.”

“So by telling me you’re bossy he’ll now get punished?”

“Normally, but not this time.We agreed on the way over once we started talking to you about our relationship, all infringements would be ignored.We want you to know the relationship from both sides.It would be unfair if Jack spoke the truth but got punished for it.”

“Oh.I think I understand.When we came into the library and he was being smart about your comment, then he chalked up a punishment.”

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