Her expression fills with something I haven't seen on her face.
Shame.
She feels this somewhere deep.
Because of what she wanted?
Or because of something else?
It's hard to say. Either way, I'm not going to push her. Not right now.
Her eyes meet mine. "I don't want to do anything to hurt him. The video… I don't know. If he does see it… Well, most guys would be jealous to see their ex with Malcolm Strong. Especially with your reputation."
"Which part?"
She makes a whip motion.
"Nobody uses whips. They're too hard to control."
Her pupils dilate but she plays cool. "What do they use?"
"I mostly use my hand. Or a riding crop if I need something stronger."
Fuck, her entire face lights up. A flush spreads over her cheeks and chest. She presses her knees together.
She wants to be tied to my bed.
She wants to be under me, screaming my name.
I force myself to stare into her eyes. "I like to play, but I'm not trying to build a relationship with someone. I don't want to be a master. Or a Dom. BDSM relationships are more complicated, not less. And I'm not looking for complicated."
"Just the riding crop and the handcuffs?"
Fuck yeah. It's a thrill being in charge of someone's pleasure. Or pain. Of feeling like a woman needs me more than she needs anything. I barely manage to nod.
She leans back and finishes the last sip of her drink. "Do you want to tie me up?"
"Are you offering?"
"Hypothetically?"
"Hypothetically, I would tie you to my headboard, pin your legs to my bed and lick you until begged me to stop."
She swallows hard.
"Then I'd pin you to the bed and fuck you until you were screaming my name loudly enough to wake up the entire city."
"Once… or an ongoing thing?"
"I don't know. The more you fuck someone, the messier it is when it ends."
"What if you're on the same page?"
I used to think that way. But now… I don't know. "That helps."
"What if she doesn't want to fall in love either?"
"We don't always get what we want."