Not Safe for Work(64)

Why yes, I could get used to this arrangement again, and I was so, so relieved that we had time for each other now.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“So good. Especially now.”

“Now? Compared to…?”

“Earlier was hot as hell, but this…” He looked up at me, and his voice slurred as he spoke. “It’s been ages since I’ve had a Dom, and I think I missed this part more than anything.”

“Afterward, you mean?”

“Mmhmm.” He rubbed his eyes again, and when he met mine, his were a bit clearer. “Sleeping alone for a long time kind of makes you appreciate just being in bed with someone.”

I nodded. “It really does. I’ve been looking forward to all of this—f*cking in the dungeon, and…this.”

His eyelids slid down, and he slowly ran his tongue across his lips. “Well worth the wait, that’s for sure.”

“Definitely.” I paused. “I was afraid you’d lose interest in me.”

“Lose interest?” His eyes flew open. “What are you talking about? It’s taken me this long just to find someone who tops me like you do.” He ran his hand down my arm. “I’m not going to piss that away just because you’ve got work obligations.”

“Still, it’s kind of hard to maintain something like this if we never see each other. Outside of work, I mean.”

“Maybe.” He smiled. “But considering the things you do when we’re together, you’ll have to work a little harder than that to get rid of me.”

I chuckled and kissed his forehead. “Good to know. Because I’d really like to keep you around.”

He flashed a toothy grin. “Chained in your basement?”

“Do you want to be chained in my basement?”

“As often as possible.” He rested his hand on my shoulder. “In all seriousness, I keep thinking we should do other things. Go out. Watch movies. Something.” He lifted his head and kissed me. “But every time we’re alone…”

“Me too. Especially since we haven’t been alone much, but that’s going to change.” I kissed him this time, and gently pressed him back down to the pillow. “I suppose going out is sort of limited. It’d be just our luck we’d run into one of my bosses or something.”

He grimaced. “Yeah. There’s that. Damn it.”

“If we do decide to take this out of our respective houses, I have to say, you would be a hell of a lot of fun at a play party.”

His eyes widened. “You…really want to do that?”

“It could be fun. There’s a dungeon in town that has parties every weekend. If you’re not busy tomorrow night, we could…”

Rick quirked his lips. “I don’t know. I’ve never been to something like that. My ex always made it sound like subs pretty much got passed around like an hors d’oeuvre tray.”

I shook my head. “Not always.” I held him closer to me. “Only if their Dom allows it.”

“If…” He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “If we went to something like that, what if I only wanted to play with you? No one else?”

“Then no one else will touch you, or I’ll break their arm.”

“But then, why go? Isn’t that the point?”

“Not at all. The parties are fun even if you don’t share. I have quite a few friends in the community. And I like to watch people. That’s one of the things I love about bondage—the visual—so I guess I’m a bit of a voyeur.”

“Are you”—he swallowed—“an exhibitionist?”

“I can be. If the person I’m with doesn’t mind being watched.”

“It’s something I’ve never done, believe it or not.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “One of the few kinky partners I ever had wasn’t big on letting other people see me, let alone see me playing.”

“Possessive?”

“Just a bit. And the others…” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess they weren’t into parties.” He searched my eyes. “How much do you like that sort of thing?”

“Are you asking if it’s something I need?”

“Well…” He paused. “I guess? Maybe I should ask, if it’s not something I want to do, is that a deal-breaker?”

“Absolutely not.” I caressed his cheek, my fingertips hissing across his five-o’clock shadow. “I’ll tell you right now, there are no deal-breakers. If you don’t want to do something, we won’t. End of story.”

He held my gaze again and slowly smiled. Without a word, he lifted his head and kissed me. As he sank back down to the pillow, though, he said, “I’m not completely opposed. I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.” I smiled back. “We can do plenty on our own. The parties are just something different. But only if you want to.”

“We’ll see.” He trailed his fingers up my arm. “For now, I think you’re all I can handle.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

His grin answered even before he whispered, “It’s a very good thing.”