y to read people, which is likely why she'd approached him so warily, sensing his still somewhat roused temper.
"Wouldn't you like to be that steed for once, waiting for the lightest touch on your mouth, the release of the crop, finding your pleasure at the will of another? Just to see what it's like for your subs, what you do for them?"
She drew her knees up to her chest, locked her hands over them, rocked. "What do you want from me, Tyler?"
Everything. That one word encompassed it.
"I'll do it. " She spoke before he could say anything else, startling him. "I'd already changed my mind and decided to do it, just before I came out here. It's a requirement and I value what The Zone brings to my life. I shouldn't have asked you to lie. That was wrong. I apologize. "
He inclined his head. "Apology accepted. And thank you. "
"For what?"
"For choosing me. " Most of the Masters at The Zone would have given both of their testicles for the right to top the Ice Queen. She could have chosen any Master or Mistress approved for the mentoring program. It was a thought he preferred not to dwell on.
Mirroring his movement, she nodded her head. "So when will we meet at The Zone to do this? How many nights do you think it will take?"
"I'd prefer to have you come to my home on the Gulf for the weekend. "
"I'd prefer to keep it in neutral territory. "
"The Master determines the location. That's part of what it's about. You're giving up control for the sessions. " At her frown, he added, "Look at it this way. I can cover almost all of the required areas in that one weekend. Come at six o'clock on Friday. I'll leave the directions to my house on your Zone email account. Bring the clothes on your back and a change to wear home Sunday. You won't need anything else in between. " He rose before she could respond. "And before you run off, I want to show you something, something new to The Zone that hasn't opened yet. You'll be the first to see it. I'd like your opinion. "
He offered her his hand. When she rose, declining his touch in favor of the handrail, he kept his hand extended, waiting. "Marguerite, we may have to touch each other this weekend. In fact, I feel fairly confident of it. Consider this practice, a small step. Take my hand. "
"It's not the weekend yet. "
"Marguerite. "
She sighed, put her hand in his with little grace. He lifted a brow. "Are you cold?" She lifted a shoulder. "I'm always cold. The Ice Queen, remember?" Cold was also a sign of nervousness. Though her face was not revealing it, he realized her body was. Closing his fingers over hers, he started up. He stopped short at the second step to look back. She hadn't moved, her eyes fixed on their fingers loosely linked over the rail, his tanned masculine skin against her pale, delicate fingers.
"You act like a man's never held your hand before. " He said it gently, not teasing.
"Last night you said that we would set up rules. I have three. " Her gaze flicked up.
"Let's hear them, then. " He eased her forward and they were walking up the steps, then the rail was gone and he was walking next to her, their fingers still intertwined. He headed down the opposite wing of stairs, past a barrier that said employees and contractors only, instead of making the left turn that would take them back to The Zone's open areas. He matched his pace to her stride in the short heels.
"No kissing. No actual sex. And I'd like to do this clothed. " He stopped midway down, looked at her. "The kissing I can allow. Reluctantly.
And as far as sex goes. . . " His brow lifted. "You don't do sex? Ever? Where are you from?"
"Kentucky. " She gave him an even look. "The rural part. Where we only have sex with family members. Tyler. . . "
He lifted a hand. "You have every right to set the limits on sex. But clothes are nonnegotiable. You know they're an important key to understanding a sub's vulnerabilities. "
"All right. " She agreed so readily, he realized she'd probably offered the three as a calculated strategy so she could get the one she really wanted. It was a child's trick.
With an inward smile, he admitted it had worked successfully on him.
"There are some marks on my body that I don't wish to explain. "
"Like this?" He raised her hand, rubbing his thumb over the scar that looked like a starburst in the center of her hand, turned her wrist so he saw the matching scar on her palm.
"Like that. " She closed her hand into a fist, though he continued to hold it in his grip. "Going through this type of training doesn't mean I have to bare all the corners of my soul. "
If done right, it does. But he nodded. "Fair enough. Are you in counseling for anything, Marguerite?" She looked at him sharply but he pressed on. "I don't want to harm you emotionally, any more than I would physically. You're obviously carrying dark things around. I'm not sure The Zone exactly qualifies as a therapy center. "
"You'd be surprised," she said sweetly. "Besides, what's a shrink going to tell me?