“And are you the sub?”
She glanced to see if anyone saw that she was being felt up, but Claire was sunbathing while completely reclined on the sofa, Ryan was watching Derek ski, and Lisa and Jason were making out. Ben turned her around.
“I suppose,” she answered.
“The answer is yes. You are the sub. I am the Dom. So, like it or not, you do what I say. Unless you use your safety word.”
Damn. She had forgotten she had a safety word. But would she have used it just now? Rubbing lotion on another woman or having it rubbed on her wasn’t the worst thing in the world. In fact, it was no big deal. What she didn’t like was that they were being ogled by the men while doing it.
Ben’s hands were on her breasts now, his warm touch scattering her thoughts. She tried to rein them in.
“Now, what happens when you don’t obey, when you’re a bad pet?” he continued.
She searched his eyes but didn’t find any malice. Nevertheless, her mouth went dry. “I get disciplined.”
“I don’t mind disciplining my subs, but I guarantee you’ll like it better when I reward rather than punish.”
“What—what do you do when you discipline?”
“That depends on the sub. Every woman is different. What’s effective for one isn’t necessarily motivating for another.”
Putting a hand up to shield her face from the sun, she narrowed her eyes. Was he deliberating parroting back what she had pointed out to him last night?
He removed the sunglasses he was wearing. “Here, take these and put them on.”
“What for?”
“Do you question everything? Just do it.”
Putting on the glasses, she was glad not to have to squint in the sunlight anymore.
“Jason, you want next?” Derek called when he reboarded the boat.
Jason and Lisa were busy necking, so Ben climbed over to the back of the boat. Kimani watched him peel off his shirt and put on a water-ski vest. After strapping on the skis, he grabbed the handlebar and jumped in the water. She had never been up close to water-skiing and was mildly curious, but mostly she kept thinking about her situation with Ben. She should never have let it get this far. She should have played up being nervous or shy and seen how far his patience would last. Now that she had allowed him access to her body, his expectations had clearly changed.
But how bad could being Ben’s sub be?
“Nice shades,” Ryan complimented. “Can I try them?”
Kimani handed them over.
“They’re Louis Vuitton,” Ryan cooed. “You’re not impressed?”
Kimani shrugged. “They’re sunglasses.”
Shaking her head, Ryan handed her back the glasses. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a weird-ass chick.”
“Why am I supposed to be impressed? So he can afford designer shades. Is he a better human being ’cause he’s rich?”
“Uh, yeah. Money is power. It’s the human equivalent of the stronger animal, the stag with the bigger horns, the peacock with the best feathers. And for us women, it’s in our DNA to want the strongest, most powerful male. It’s Mother Nature and evolution.”
“But humans aren’t just animals. We’re evolved and enlightened. Frankly, I’d be more impressed with a guy who spends two years building water wells in Africa and helping people than a guy who can drop a thousand dollars on a pair of shoes and likes to make women feel like objects.”
“Oh, honey, you sound like one of those feminist bitches who desperately need to get laid.”
Kimani did a double take. “A feminist bitch?”
“Yeah, I can’t stand feminists. They’re always trying to make the rest of us feel bad.”