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I wanted to punch the snark right out of him but I’d tried it before and it never worked. I let him go instead and apologized to his partner for interrupting. My energy would be better spent debriefing Ashleigh, if she hadn’t already fled my place and called the cops. But no, she was sitting on the couch like I’d told her. Like a good sub…only she wasn’t a sub.
I got a fresh Coke for her on the way over. She shifted to make room for me.
“Here,” I said, thrusting it into her hands like a peace offering. I’m sorry, Ashleigh. Of all people, I know what’s seen can’t be unseen.
“So…” I leaned forward to catch her gaze. “I gather you ended up here by mistake.”
“I— Well—” She shrugged. “Yes.”
“When I asked you about the lifestyle you thought I was talking about…?”
“Ballet.”
“And when I mentioned a play room, you thought…”
“Pool tables, maybe. Pacman.” She rubbed her forehead. “I’m disappointed about the Pacman.”
And I’m disappointed that I won’t get to play with you tonight.
I didn’t dare tell her that. She might decide to give it a go, and there was nothing worse than breaking in a vanilla girl. Well, I assumed there wasn’t. I hadn’t been with a vanilla girl in…well…ever. I clicked into concerned-friend mode. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have taken you down there if I’d known you weren’t into the lifestyle. Honestly, I thought you were a sub. I mean absolutely no offense by that.”
“Uh…” She put down her Coke and rubbed her forehead again. “I’m not even sure what lifestyle you’re talking about. Or why I might be offended. What’s a sub?”
Sigh. “A sub is someone who submits. A submissive likes to surrender and let another person take over. There’s, you know…” I paused, spreading my fingers. “A dominant counterpart. Who does things to the sub.”
“Like Rubio?”
“Yes, like Rubio, but Ruby’s a top, not a dominant.”
“Oh, I see,” she said, even though I could tell she didn’t see at all. How to condense everything down into understandable sound bites?
“See, tops are mostly into the sensation and pleasure of it. They play casually, for fun. Dominants are more serious about roles and rules, and usually more into the power exchange.”
“Power exchange?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s complicated to explain.” And pointless, at the end of it. I watched her luscious, non-kinky lips while she took a drink. What a waste of those lips. I frowned and scratched the back of my neck. “I’m afraid our mutual friend may have brought you here to be cruel.”
She looked around and I wondered what she was thinking. There was almost no one left in the room now. A few people idled near the top of the stairs. From below, I heard Rubio’s voice, Rubio’s laugh, along with more screaming. “He enjoys being cruel,” I said quietly. “Perhaps you already knew that.”
She poked at the ice in her drink. “Tonight on stage, he called me a whale and an asshole.”
“He did what?” She looked so sad. I wanted to kiss her. Vanilla. She’s vanilla.
I leaned back from her while she stared at me, biting her lip. “Do all dominants…or tops, or whatever…enjoy being cruel?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t say that. Nothing in this lifestyle is ever all or nothing.”
“Do you enjoy being cruel?”
“Jesus. That’s a really loaded question.”
“It’s a yes or no question.”
“And one I’d rather not answer if nothing’s going to happen between us.”
If nothing’s going to happen? Apparently some part of me was still holding out hope, most likely my half-erect cock. Could something happen between us? I stared at her shapely, strong legs beside mine. I wanted to hold her and touch her. I groaned inwardly. “It’s too bad you’re not a sub.”
“A guy spanked me once, but…”
“But?”
“It was nothing like the stuff going on down in that dungeon.”
“Play room.”
“Play room, whatever.”
A shrill scream carried up from below, followed by Ruby’s shouts of encouragement. Ashleigh looked deeply disturbed. “Is that safe, what he’s doing to her?”
“Believe me, she likes when Ruby pushes her limits. They’re perfectly matched in that way. They’re lucky.” Unlike us. “Did you enjoy it?” I asked to draw her attention from the screaming. “Getting spanked that one time?”
“Not really. But I didn’t like the guy very much.”
“Why? Because he was a dominant?”
She shook her head. “No, because he had bad breath and he always tried too hard. And he…he wasn’t a dominant, I don’t think. He was kind of a pussy.”
I stifled a smile. “Dominants are never pussies. No, wait. Sometimes they are.”
“But not you.” We both started laughing, at the awkwardness, the hopelessness of me and her.
“I don’t like people hurting me,” she said, as if that settled things between us. “And you like to hurt people.”
I turned my head a little in rebuttal. “Yes and no.”
“So you’re not a ‘dominant’ or whatever?”
“I am. But whether I want to hurt someone depends on the circumstances. It depends on wants and needs, observation and negotiations. Consent. It’s hard to explain to someone who’s never exchanged power. I assumed Ruby invited you here because you were in the lifestyle, or because you were curious.”
“Oh.”
I was determined not to utter the words but they spilled out anyway. “Are you curious? At all?”
She looked around the room and then fixed her eyes on some point in the middle of my chest. “Honestly—”
“There you are!” We both turned as Rubio swaggered over. “Why are you still dressed, girl?” He grabbed Ashleigh in a hug and rubbed his dick against her stomach. His posse gathered around in a half circle, laughing and gawking as he pressed his lips against the side of her neck.
“Let her go,”
I snarled.
“But she’s my Sleeping Beauty.” He turned, playing to his pals. “Don’t you think we make a perfect pair?” They snickered as he forced her into a clumsy turn. “Her balance isn’t great though. I hold her here—” His hand closed over one of her breasts. “And here.” I lunged for him as his other hand clamped hard on her crotch. “And then we do the lift!” He swung her into the air just out of my reach, then slid her down the front of his body, groping her again.
I pulled her away from him and held her against me. “You’re an asshole.”
“No more so than you,” Rubio shot back.
His friends chortled as music throbbed in the background. Ashleigh pushed away from me and stalked toward her bag beside the couch. Her hair had tumbled down from her careless twist and flew back from her shoulders as she moved. Graceful, angry ballet dancer.
I went after her. “Ashleigh, wait.”
“No. I’m gonna go.”
I sucked at playing the white knight. I didn’t deserve her or her pretty blackberry hair, or her kissable, shy lips. I corralled her in my arms and led her to Rubio. “Tell her you’re sorry,” I said to him. He made a face and balked. I felt dangerous anger. “Apologize or leave my house.”
Ashleigh turned to stare at me. I should have told her it was my house from the beginning. I should have been honest about what I wanted from her outside on the curb, so none of this would have happened.
Rubio squirmed, scratching his balls. He knew I was a hair’s breadth from losing my shit, and he knew me well enough to know it would be a bad scene. “I was just playing, being silly.” He appealed to Ashleigh. “You knew I was only joking. Yes, girl?”
“Apologize like you mean it. Use her name, you dumb fuck.”
