Page 5 of Caging Cessie
“We don’t have to go to Las Palmas to reconnect,” she pointed out.
“You’re not listening to me.” He stood up, pacing around the small living room, keeping his voice even. “I’m not talking about just ‘reconnecting’. I’m talking about us. About having a weekend where you’re not worrying about your brother or your mom or work. Where we can just be… together. And you can let go for a while.”
She exhaled sharply and climbed to her feet. “I know what you care about. But I don’t think you’re hearing me. I don’t need a weekend at Las Palmas to be with you. I need us to carve out time when it isn’t such a big ask.”
“Going away for one night is a big ask?”
“Yes, it is. Let’s have date nights. Twice a week.”
“Date nights?” He could feel his voice getting low and angry, the tension in his chest knotting tighter. Couldn’t she see the problem was so much bigger than that, so the solution had to be too?
Her eyes were sparkling with a matching anger. “Yes, date nights. Which means not coming home and then disappearing into the spare bedroom for hours to work.”
“I only do that because when I come home, if you’re here, you’re either working on your fellowship essays or zoned out watching reality TV. You’re here, but you’re not here, so I might as well work.”
She flinched, the sharpness in his voice cutting through her composure. He instantly regretted it, but the words were out now, and they hung between them like an uncomfortable truth. The tension stretched, neither of them willing to look away.
“I’m trying,” she said softly, her eyes a little brighter now. “I’m trying to balance everything.”
Leon exhaled through his nose, the fight draining from him. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “There’s a mandatory meeting next month at Las Palmas.”
“Mandatory?”
“Yes, all members have to be there.” He gestured to the table. “It’s one of the weekends you’re in Nevada.”
“I didn’t get anything about a meeting.”
“Have you checked that email address recently?”
It was rhetorical because they both knew she hadn’t opened the email she used for all things kink in months.
“How about you reschedule your trip to Nevada on that weekend.” He took a step toward the coffee table, intending to point out the weekend in question.
“I have stuff scheduled every weekend I’m home. My brother has a tooth that hurts and he needs to go to the dentist. My mom didn’t like the last person I hired to help her so we have interviews?—”
“We should just stop paying for the membership at Las Palmas.” His voice was low and tinged with bitterness. “We never use it. If we don’t go to the meeting, they’ll probably kick us out anyway, but we should quit now. No need to keep throwing money at something we can’t seem to make time for.”
Her eyes flashed with something sharp. “An ultimatum? Either we go to the meeting or you’ll stop paying our dues? And yes, I’m very aware that you pay both our membership fees. It’s right near the top of stuff I feel guilty about.”
Leon didn’t want to argue about it anymore, but the words slipped out before he could stop them. “I’m happy to waste the money if it means I have a hope, Cessie. A hope that maybe, someday, my sub will actually submit to me.”
Cessie bared her teeth, stepping up until they were literally toe to toe and almost nose to nose though he was half a head taller than her.
“Fuck. You,” she said in her crisp doctor voice.
“You have two seconds to tell me you didn’t mean that literally, otherwise we’re having angry sex all over your precious color coding.”
“If you think I’m having sex with you right now…” She stepped back and ripped off her shirt. “You’d be correct. Take off your pants.”
He shrugged out of his jacket as she shucked her scrub bottoms.
“I said pants. All I need is your dick. The rest of you can stay clothed.”
Leon grinned. He loved it when she was like this. All haughty and throwing around commands. Thinking she was in charge when they both knew what she needed was tonotbe in charge for a little while.
But this attitude always made it more fun when she eventually gave in and submitted.
Leon started slowly undoing his shirt buttons, watching her remove her sports bra and underwear with brisk efficiency.
