Page 146 of Whirlwind

“Lay down on the bed.” Carla’s voice was quiet, but it held a firm command.

She felt shivery as she did as she was told, knowing that he was watching her. She knew she was awkward and flabby and still wearing clothes over most of her body, but Carla wanted her here. Carla was going to take care of everything.

She lay down on her back, hoping that she had it right.

“Very good.” Carla traced his hand down her arm.

“Do you have any circulation or joint issues? Anything that might hurt if it stays in one position for too long?”

“My knee sometimes hurts if I use it too much or step on it wrong.” That was the only thing she could think of. “I’m not very flexible, though.”

Carla pressed a kiss to one knee and then the other. “You don’t need to be.”

He was so sweet. Not what she would have expected from a Dom at all.

Then he picked up the first coil of rope and her heart jumped. He was actually going to tie her up. Just thinking about it had her nervous and excited.

It took her a moment to focus on his next question. “How about your whole body? Diabetes? Any problems with your breathing or heart?”

“Nothing. The doctor says my blood pressure could be lower, but it’s not, like, dangerously high.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Good. I’m glad you’re healthy.”

She didn’t think she’d had anyone else think about something like that, either.

“I’m going to tell you what I do before I do it,” Carla spoke soothingly. “We’ll keep things pretty simple today and keep it short. If you don’t like anything, or even if none of this feels good to you at all, just tell me and we’ll stop. If anything feels tingly, let me know immediately. I may be able to adjust the rope, and if that doesn’t fix it, I’ll cut through them.” He held up a pair of blunt-tipped scissors. “Nothing we do today should hurt you.”

She nodded.

“Any questions?”

“No.”

He kissed her gently on the lips. “Thank you again for trusting me with this.”

Charlie wasn’t sure what to say. It seemed like he was doing all of the giving, that she was just supposed to lie there and relax, but it was clear how meaningful it was to him.

“Cross your arms over your chest and hold your elbows.”

Charlie complied. It was the strangest sensation, just waiting to be tied up. She hoped the reality would be as exciting as the ideas in her head.

Carla kneeled on the bed beside her. “This is called a reverse box,” he explained as he looped the doubled-up rope twice around each of her upper arms in a figure eight pattern.

He didn’t pull her arms any closer together than they already were, though it was clear that she couldn’t pull them apart.

He did something fancy in the middle, where the loops crossed, and then started to wrap the rope around her forearms.

So far, it just felt… different. Like she was being tied up, obviously, but she wasn’t sure what else. It was almost technical in some way, though Carla’s hands were always soothing on her skin.

When the forearm part was done, Carla cupped Charlie’s elbows and raised her arms until she could see them. As he’d said, her arms were arranged in a rectangular box with the ropes forming T shape across them. The knots were elegant and smooth, with a coil between the crossbar and her forearms. It certainly looked beautiful.

“How does it feel?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Any pain? Anything uncomfortable?”

“No.”