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“That’s great. Though you look too young to have already earned your Master’s.”
“I’m nearly twenty-five,” she sputtered indignantly.
“I have socks older than you,” he teased. “Seriously though, library science is a terrific field.” He arched a brow, “Though I have to say, it sounds like a good setup for an erotic novel. Prim and proper librarian by day, dirty girl by night.”
Lia snorted. “Art imitating life, babe,” she quipped.
Beau laughed. He couldn’t remember when he’d last enjoyed someone’s company so much, despite the fact she was a Gen Z’er just starting her career, while he was a millennial who already had tenure.
“How about you?” she asked. “What do you do when you’re not hanging out at BDSM clubs or escorting ladies to society weddings?”
“Once again, our worlds collide,” he replied. “We have the same employer. I’m a history professor. Asian studies with an emphasis on Japan. I’ve only just transferred from UNC-Charlotte to the university here.”
“Oh, my god,” she shrieked in mock horror, hands flying to her face. “So, what, you’re like,fifty?”
Now it was his turn to be indignant, until he saw the twinkle in those tawny eyes and the grin twitching at her lips.
“I’m thirty-five,” he said. “Notquiteold enough to be your father.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” she quipped, pretending to wipe the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. He couldn’t help but laugh.
“So,” she continued. “Tweed-jacketed prof by day, leather-clad sadist by night?”
“Something like that,” he agreed, still smiling.
“Do you show the students your tattoo on the first day of class, Professor?” she asked with a smirk.
He smirked back. “Uh, that would be a no. I actually got it during my year abroad in Tokyo while researching my PhD thesis.”
The smirk was replaced with what appeared to be genuine interest. “Cool. What was your thesis topic?”
“The cultural and historical context ofKinbaku. Specifically, its evolution over time and its current place in Japanese culture and society.”
“Kinbaku,” Lia repeated. “That’s likeShibari, right?”
“Yes,” he replied, pleasantly surprised she was familiar with the words. “They’re both Japanese styles of rope bondage and the terms are often used interchangeably here in the States. But there are some differences between them.Shibariliterally means ‘to tie’ and is generally used to describe the art of decorative rope tying.Kinbakuis a more specific style of bondage often associated with eroticism and BDSM. The word literally means ‘the beauty of tight binding.’ I personally findKinbakuan excellent tool for exploring the power dynamic between Dom and sub and pushing boundaries within a consensual relationship.”
He stared directly into her eyes, capturing her in his gaze. “And, of course, there’s nothing more beautiful than a naked woman bound in rope, completely at the mercy of her Master.”
A small shiver moved through Lia’s frame, her lips softly parting. Beau’s cock twitched in appreciation. Then, as if coming back to herself, she tossed her head, her eyes flitting from his.
“I love bondage,” she asserted, “but not for its beauty. I just like being tied up.” She made a face. “I don’t have the patience to let someone work all kinds of intricate knots while I just stand there.” The sass had returned to her tone. “Talk about a buzz kill. Ugh.”
“Sounds like you’ve been hanging around with the wrong guys,” Beau offered with a shrug. “When practiced correctly,Kinbakuis far from boring for either participant. It can be quite physically challenging, and highly erotically charged. It takes practice to truly let go. I’m getting the sense that might be difficult for you.”
Lia bristled, her chin lifting. “It’s not that I have trouble letting go. I just have no interest in it. I like to be in control. I suppose I’m what you’d call someone who tops from the bottom. I know what I want and I’m not afraid to ask for it.”
“I wonder,” Beau mused aloud, more intrigued than he wanted to admit, “if that’s really true? Or is it more that you simply don’t knowhowto let go and, high achiever that you are”—he cocked a brow, quoting her—“you therefore have taken that goal off the table?”
Lia shrugged, her eyes flitting away from his. “Maybe,” she muttered.
Setting down his empty plate, Beau got to his feet. “Let’s head back to the dungeon.” He reached for his gear bag and hoisted it over his shoulder. “I’ll introduce you toKinbaku. I promise you won’t be bored.”
≈
As Lia rose eagerly to her feet, Beau directed, “Take off the robe, Lia.”
It wasn’t a request, but a command. Both his tone and the look in his eyes sent a shiver of anticipation through her, tinged with a hint of delicious fear. Without hesitation, Lia slipped the robe from her shoulders and left it on the chair. The promise of some intense bondage with this sexy man made her nipples hard.
