“Okay then.” Oakley sways, then rights himself. “What would be most helpful, as far as kink is concerned?”
Is he nervous?
Interesting.
“I think the power exchange is going to be pretty important,” I say, mirroring his stance. “Sensory deprivation sounds nice. Blindfold, tied to the bed, noise-canceling headphones. I can come a bunch of times in a row, so forced orgasms could be fun.”
“And how do you want to signal that you like or dislike something?”
“A hard cock is a pretty good signal that I’m into it.”
He’s unimpressed with my answer.
It’s my turn to roll my eyes.
“You just said you don’t like the thought of consensual non-consentbullshit,” Oakley points out.
“That’s because it’s all pretend. If you’re only forcing me to do things because I’m letting you force me to do things, then…what’s the fun in that?”
He raises his brows.
“Fine. I can hold a ball.”
“Does this mean you might have been willing to put yourself, without any real experience, in situations where you didn’t have a clear way out if somebody was doing something you didn’t enjoy?”
I give him my best grin. The one that terrifies everybody.
It works. Desire flashes in his eyes.
“Oak?”
He shifts, as ifreading me. “Yeah?”
“Do you really think there’s any situation I couldn’t get myself out of?”
He laughs, even as he shakes his head.
“Good point.” Scratching his ear, he asks, “If you can get out of any situation, then why is trust so important to you?”
Always with the good questions.
“It’s the first lesson Ant and Erik taught me. That I could trust them to love me, no matter what.”
His eyes, so wise, flash with understanding. “That kind of trust goes beyond knowing I’ll respect your boundaries.” He leans in, gently gripping my chin, tilting my face up. “That’s a relationship-level trust.”
Oakley explores me with a look that peels away every layer I’ve got. I can feel it in my blood cells. “Yes,” I say, my voice breathy. Hopeful.
“Mm.”
He doesn’t ask a question, yet I feel as though he’s looking for a response.
“I suppose I don’t need a relationship?—”
He interrupts me with a slow shake of his head.
“Try again.”
The air crackles with the words, the truth of it.
