Page 59 of Bartholomew
“Many people use the stoplight system. Green for all good, yellow for pause and talk to me, and red for stop everything. It’s widely used, though some create their own words,” he explained further.
“Makes sense. I can do that.” My mouth felt dry, and butterflies were swarming in my stomach at the thought of experiencing this other version of Ollie. Would he be stern and serious? I couldn’t quite imagine such a thing.
“God, I want to kiss you,” he murmured. It took every bit of strength I had not to lean forward and do just that.
“How do I be submissive, though?” I questioned. I didn’t want to mess it up; I wanted to understand.
“You already are, so much more so than you realize. You listen, obey, and feel. If something I ask of you feels like something you can’t, or don’t want to do, you use your safewords.” I mulled his words over in my mind. It was so much so like how I was taught to act in Zion, yet completely different at the same time. I could call it quits anytime.
“What if I do that? What if I say red? Then do I get punished?” The look of pain on his face filled me with worry.
“No, Delilah. The furthest thing from it. I will never ever be upset, disappointed, or mad at you for using a safeword. Quite the contrary. I would be mad if you didn’t use it when you needed to. I want your honesty all the time, just as I have said from day one,” he reassured me, squeezing my hands gently in his. “When the scene is over, whether that is from the natural ending of the scene or from the calling of a safeword, we will begin aftercare.”
“Aftercare?”
“It’s the time after a scene where we check in with each other. For me, providing care after a scene means doing things to make you feel safe, loved, and secure.” That didn’t sound so bad.
“So, we sit and talk after?” I pressed on.
“Yes, but sometimes it’s more. It’s about providing you with what you need,” he continued.
“What if I don’t know what I will need?” I had absolutely no idea what I would need after a scene.
“Then I will do what I think you might enjoy. I’ll clean you up, give you a bath, and we will talk. If there is anything you need or want, I just need you to promise me that you’ll tell me. Can you do that for me?” I nodded my head, getting more excited by the minute about the prospect of this whole endeavor.
“So, what comes next?” I asked, those butterflies growing stronger by the minute.
“You do, little firefly. You are what comes next.” The promise of what was to come glinted in his eye, his voice rough and sensual.
He stood from the couch, throwing off the blanket that covered us both, holding his hand out to me. I looked up at him in shock.
“Wait, like right now?” I gasped, looking around the room. He laughed at my expression and took my hand in his, pulling me up alongside him.
“Yes, like right now,” he chuckled.
“But it’s the middle of the day!” I exclaimed, loathing the heat of blush that covered my cheeks.
“And?” he questioned, confused.
“You want to do… that… in the middle of the day?!” I nearly shrieked, embarrassment taking hold. He nearly doubled over with laughter at my shock.
“Delilah, you will learn,” he began, pulling me close enough to him that my breasts rubbed against his chest, “there are no limitations of time when it comes to my desire for you. I want you in the dark of night. I want you in the early morning light. I want you nearly all the time.”
For the first time, one of Ollie’s curses popped up in my mind in response.
Fuck.
CHAPTER13
DELILAH
He carried me from the bed to the bathroom. Carried me. Me! I didn’t think I would ever get used to such a thing. Still, I was proud of myself. I kept my negative words to myself and let him have his moment.
We had laid there in the aftermath of… of whatever that was, for a long while, clinging to one another like a lifeline. At least, that was how it felt to me. He had kept his word, making me orgasm until I had forgotten everything except his name. His name, which I did, in fact, scream at the top of my lungs. I blushed at the memory.
He was heavy on top of me, but not in an unwelcome kind of way. In a way that made me feel safe and protected. Everything I had needed as I came down from those pleasure-filled heights. I had not known they existed. Not in the slightest.
I sat on the bathroom counter, where he had left me as he filled the giant tub full of steaming water fragrant with some kind of bath salts. He worked diligently, getting everything prepared. For a moment, I wondered how many other women he had done this very same thing for, but I quickly shook the thought from my head. It didn’t matter. He had been honest with me, letting me know he did not have a submissive. There was no one but me. After everything we had talked about, after all we had done, he had earned that much trust from me.
