Page 9 of Becoming the Owners
Was he confused about what he needed?
Was he a dramatic attention whore who refused to back down?
“I don’t know what’s going on and I won’t pretend to, but what I see is a man who’s not as happy as he used to be.” That was a radical understatement.
“I’d be nice and try to help anyone if I thought I could, but you, oh, you’re my fascinating bird, and I have a feeling there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.” Shrugging, I admitted to myself how ridiculous it was. “I can’t explain it.”
“I can’t decide if you’re well-meaning and insane or crazy fascinating.” His response said I hadn’t scared him off completely…and that he seemed to believe me on some level.
He was still glaring at me, though.
It made me wonder what he’d look like with his face lit up and desire sparkling from him, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath for that just yet.
“I think both is probably a reasonable answer.” My response had him back to wanting to throw something at me, so I decided that a distraction was in order. “I’d probably also sound insane if I said that I thought BDSM could give you what you need, so I’m not going to put it out there just yet.”
Nope.
Not yet.
We’d address that nearly naked elephant in the room later.
Oh, the smirk was back.
“Insane. Yep. That’s my vote.” He leaned back, probably daring me to get offended or something stupid like that.
“I have to admit, I find it sexy how much you’re thinking about me.” Giving him a smile I knew would drive him nuts, I winked. “Smart men are sexy.”
And he sent his water bottle flying.
Thankfully, it was empty.
Dodging it quickly, I shook my finger at him. “Naughty birdie. That will not get you the spanking or flogging that you want.”
And probably needed.
Something about the sentence or my tone or god only knew what had him going still and nothing else came flying at me as he cocked his head. “You’re strange.”
I was pretty sure that was a good thing, but I wasn’t going to ask. “You’re crazy and sexy. We all have our strengths.”
A genuinely pleased smile peeked out before he snatched it back like a treasure he wasn’t ready to share yet. “Why would I want to be flogged?”
He’d ignored the spanking part…curiouser and curiouser.
“Best guess? I think you’re looking for a way to escape reality and whatever stress is eating at you.” When he didn’t tell me no or throw anything else, I kept going, slightly more confidently. “For a lot of people, it helps release endorphins and creates a stress-free…let’s call it bubble that wraps around you and helps you feel like you’re flying.”
All I got was a blink, but it was enough.
“The idea intrigues you, but you deliberately left out the spanking option even though you should’ve been more familiar with that than the flogger.” Pausing, I decided to explain just in case. “It’s the short-handled toy with strands hanging down. It’s visually striking and something that gets included in any generic images of BDSM gear.”
Nothing.
It was definitely a good sign.
“You guard your body, so something that feels more intimate makes you uncomfortable, but the toy would let you feel the same heat and release that a spanking would give you, just without the same level of intimacy.” A spark flared in his eyes, but I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. “There’s nothing wrong with having limits. If for now your limit is no personal touches in a scene, that’s fine.”
I didn’t need to touch him to dominate him…or to make him feel like he was mine.
“My big one for the time being would be pretending to be vanilla. I don’t do it well and it always comes across poorly. Like android level poorly. Even if you don’t submit, I can’t pretend it’s not a part of me.” His shoulders shifted, easing back, and he licked his lips.
