Seeming pleased, he brandished a piece of paper. “I’ll skip over the extreme ones so I don’t shock you too much.”
She scowled. He didn’t need to protect her virtue. “You don’t have to baby me. I’m not completely clueless, you know.”
He arched a brow. “So your text about figging was a joke?”
“Shut up.”
He sipped at his water, his expression unreadable. “Be glad you’re not mine.”
“Why?” she challenged. “Slaves don’t talk like that?”
“Depends on the Master. But mine wouldn’t.”
For some reason, her curiosity piqued. “You’re a strict Master?” Shit—had that sounded too interested?
Shut up. Just stop talking now. She didn’t need any more wank fodder. And anyway, she knew most Dominants didn’t tolerate mouthiness—she’d seen it enough in Chris.
He shrugged. “Some things are negotiable, but I doubt I’d be okay with my slave telling me to shut up.”
“Even if it was just teasing?”
“It’s about respect. I don’t think there’s any way to make shut up respectful.”
She gave him a sidelong look. “Sure there is.”
He leaned toward her, seeming intrigued by her challenge. “Oh really?”
“Shut up, Sir.” She raised her chin, more than half wishing he’d paddle her ass. “See?”
“Brat,” he mumbled, but there was laughter in his eyes. “If anyone needed a spanking, it’d be you.”
Instinctively, she scooted a few inches away.
His lips curved in amusement. “Scared?”
“No.” Liar. “You wouldn’t do it without permission.” It was almost a question. Did she want him to? Fuck. Yes. No. Of course not!
“No. Lucky for you, I wouldn’t.”
This was coming awfully close to her fantasy. A picture flashed in her mind—Banner rolling his sleeves up as she leaned over his knee, her knowing what was coming but wanting it anyway.
She gave her head a shake and cleared her throat. “Um. The list?”
He stared at her a moment longer, looking as lustful as she felt. Did he sense a connection too? Or maybe it was all in her mind. A result of the dream, or her lack of vibe action, or the earlier migraine. Any of those excuses would do.
“Right.” He held the paper toward her so they could both read it. “This is a good start anyway.”
She scanned the list. Words she knew popped out right away. Anal. Spanking. Leashes. Those, she understood, had given thought to. Others, like enemas, humiliation, and rape fantasies, she hadn’t. Cringing, she turned away.
“What’s that look for?” he asked.
“Some of these are . . .” She paused. She didn’t want to offend him—the whole “your kink isn’t my kink, but your kink is okay” thing Janine talked about. “Not my thing.”
“We all have those. Which ones make you feel something? Something pleasant.”
Something pleasant? Right now, she just felt horny. Sorting out the cause and effect overwhelmed her lust-addled brain. She’d thought a checklist would make things easier, but in this condition, she could check off any number of things, and then kick herself for it tomorrow.
“Ugh. I don’t know.”