He got up, came over to me, and sat. I took his hand in mine, and he stared at our laced fingers. “I’m sorry. And you’re right, that’s exactly how I feel. I just need to trust this… to trust you.”
Pride bloomed in my chest. Theo had come a long way.
Now to take him a little further.
“I need to ask you something,” I began, “and it’s kind of… big.”
Theo raised his chin and looked at me. “Okay.”
I took a breath. “I talked to Max. About us. About… control.”
Theo’s shoulders tightened automatically, and he pulled free of my hand.
“I’m not here to take anything from you.” I aimed for a reassuring tone. “In fact, I want to offer you something. And youcansay no, okay?”
He nodded, swallowing hard.
I’d thought about how best to frame my thoughts.
“I think control doesn’t have to be something that hurts you.”
Theo let out a sharp breath. “It always has.”
“I know.” I squared my shoulders. “That’s why I want to do it differently.”
Theo curled his hands in his lap.
I looked him in the eye. “I want to be someone you can give control to, temporarily, on purpose, with rules. With safety. And if it doesn’t feel right, you tell me and we stop. You say the word and everything ends. No questions, no guilt.”
Theo’s voice was barely audible. “What word?”
I smiled. “Red.”
“And… what would whatever it is you’re planning look like?”
Another smile. “You’re going to come when I say and not before.”
Shit. His pupils grew a little larger, and I took that as a positive sign. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
I bit back a smile. Theo was crap at feigning indifference.
Then he stilled. “What’s the catch?”
I got ready to smash through his façade ofI guess we could do this.
“I’m going to be doing my best to drive you out of your mind. You’ll lose count of how many times I bring you to the edge, but you won’t be allowed to fall. Not until I give you permission.” I grinned. “No matter how much you beg. And if you’renotbegging, I’m not doing it right.”
His eyes widened, and he drew in a sharp breath.
“And before we go any further, you need to know something. You’ll be restrained. You’ll still be able to move,” I assured him, “but you won’t be able to touch me or yourself. And you won’t see me either. So if any of that turns you off, say so now.”
Theo’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “You’re going to tie me to the bed?”
I nodded.
“And I’ll be blindfolded?”
Another nod. “You get to choose what goes in your hole—a butt plug or a dildo.” I gave him a sweet smile. “I have both. The dildo vibrates, too.”