He watched the way she swallowed heavily. Nervous. But not overly so. Her body was a little stiff and tense, but there was no fear on her face. And as she licked her lips, he saw the way her gaze moved between his legs. Yeah, she was turned on too.
“I do,” he said firmly.
“Do I get a say in that?”
“Of course. Just make sure you’re honest with yourself about your reasons for making that decision.”
“Christ, you Doms have a thing about honesty, don’t you?” She gave him a thoroughly disgruntled look.
“We do.” Again, he had to bite back a grin. Damn, she was amusing. “This sort of relationship can’t work without honesty. From both of us.”
“Relationship?”
He cursed himself for using that word. It was a relationship, just maybe not the sort she was thinking of. “The relationship between a sub and her Dom.”
“You’re my Dom?”
“For the moment,” he allowed, unwilling to let her think it might go further than that. “I’m not looking for anything long-term. I can’t commit to that. I’ll be your training Dom if you want to think about it that way. Eventually, you’ll want to find a Dom to have a more permanent relationship with.”
He braced himself for disappointment, maybe some anger over his unwillingness to commit to more. Instead, she dealt a blow to his pride when she simply nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. I’m not looking for anything permanent either.”
“Right . . . well . . .” Jesus, was he really disappointed she’d agreed with him? Maybe his ego was more fragile than he’d thought.
“So what happens now?” she asked.
“We talk.”
“Talk? So I’m allowed to do that? What was that stuff about only talking when I’m addressed?”
“That would be high protocol. But we won’t be engaging in that now. While you’re learning I want you to ask me questions.”
“If we’re just talking then can I have my panties back?”
“No. And you’re going to watch that tone of voice when you speak to your Dom.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Maybe my tone would be more respectful if I could wear my panties while we talk.”
“And maybe the feel of my hand against your butt would have the same effect,” he warned.
Damn, she was fun. Having her over his lap, being able to look and touch that gorgeous ass of hers sounded like a good idea to him right now.
“Why are we just talking?”
“Sir.”
“What?” She frowned slightly.
“You need to address me as Sir.”
She wrinkled her nose. Then she sighed. A big, exaggerated noise that had his palm itching. He sat back and watched her calmly. He was a patient man. He could wait as long as it took. He bet she couldn’t.
“Fine. Why are we just talking, Sir?”
“The words are right, the tone isn’t. And that’s your second warning. Up you come.”
He patted his knee and waited.
He had to be kidding her. He wasn’t really going to spank her just because he didn’t like her tone. He stared down at her, not an inch of give on his face.