“Maybe.”
“So, if I told you to touch yourself right now, you wouldn’t be soaking wet?”
“Austin! That’s inappropriate.”
Chuckling, he reached down to cup his own painful erection through his baggy sweatpants, giving it a gentle squeeze to help alleviate some of the pressure. “So is lying, isn’t it, kitten?”
“I’m not lying, really. I’m just… unsure.”
The sudden seriousness in her tone had him sitting up, the teasing tone leaving his voice. “Unsure about what?”
“I’ve never done those things. I don’t know what I like or what I don’t like and what if I’m just really bad at all of it? What if you do something I don’t like and I want you to stop? I have so many questions.”
Poor little kitten. He hadn’t expected so much honesty, and it made him wonder how big that glass of wine was. “Well, first things first, we don’t have to do anything you really don’t want to do. And you will always have a safe word. Even when you’re being punished, all you have to do is say ‘Red’ and everything stops. ‘Yellow’ lets me know you’re unsure or you need to slow down.”
“But how do I know what I even want to do? I mean, I’ve read some books but I don’t reallyknow.”
She sounded so frustrated, he wished they were having this conversation in person so he could pull her into his arms and assure her everything was going to be all right. “Tell you what. I’ve got a worksheet I can email you. Take the next couple days, look it over, and fill it out. If there’s anything you’re confused about, you can always call me. I can’t promise to be available all the time, but I’ll call you back as soon as I can. How’s that sound?”
“What kind of worksheet?”
“The kinky kind,” he said, relaxing when she snorted out a laugh. “Seriously. It’s basically a list of every possible kink out there and you just mark off if it’s definite yes, a maybe, or a hell no.”
“What if there’s something that’s a hell no for me and a yes for you?”
“Then it’s off the table.”
“Really?” Skepticism colored her tone. “That easy? Even if, say, I put spanking down as a no?”
“I know you’re joking, but it’s important to be honest here, kitten. If I can’t trust you to be honest with me on this, then I can’t trust you enough to play with you. And I really, really want to play with you.”
“Is that what this is? Play?”
“We’ll start there. I do have some basic rules I’ve always expected my submissives to follow in the past, in and out of the bedroom.”
“Oh. What kind of rules?”
“For starters, no talking shit about my woman. And if we take this next step, you will absolutely be my woman. I don’t share well, kitten.” Just the thought of another man having his hands on her made him see red.
“It’s not exactly like I’m in high demand here, Austin. I don’t think sharing is going to be a big issue for you.”
“Angling for a spanking already, kitten?” He didn’t bother to hide the hardness in his voice. Better for her to get a taste of what she was getting into with him now.
“Oh. Um, no? What did I do?”
“Did I not just tell you that the first rule is not talking bad about yourself?”
“Oh. Well, yes, but that’s not really talking bad about myself. I was just stating a fact.”
“If you can honestly tell me you meant it as a completely neutral statement of fact, with not even a bit of a negative connotation, I’ll let it slide.”
Silence met his pronouncement, and he let it grow, listening to the sounds of her moving around. His imagination conjured an image of her, all flushed and guilty looking, shifting in her seat as she considered his words.
Finally, a quiet sigh broke the silence. “Okay, so maybe I was being a tiny bit negative.”
“Then consider this your one and only warning. Say ‘Yes, sir’ if you understand me.”
“Yes, sir.”