Six Signs of Submission (Desire Island 6)

He glanced at his watch. “We have about a half hour until my reservation. That should give us time to talk things over first. If you decide it’s not for you”—he shrugged, pretending a nonchalance he didn’t feel—“then I’ll just cancel it. No big deal.”

While he very much wanted another session with this woman, he didn’t want to push her into something she wasn’t ready for. He waited a beat for her to agree or refuse, but she said nothing more.

He kept his voice light. “How about we take a little stroll along the water and talk things over? Then you can decide.”

She visibly relaxed, managing a small smile. “Okay. Yeah. That works.”

They walked side-by-side along the shore, carrying their flip-flops so they could feel the cool, wet sand beneath their feet. Before Cooper could lead the conversation to BDSM, Lainey said, “You know, we don’t really know much about each other.”

Cooper knew all he needed to know for the moment, but he went along. “What would you like to know?”

She shrugged. “I guess the basics. How old are you? You ever been married? What do you do for a living?”

“I’m thirty-four. I’m a microelectronic engineer. I’ve never been married. It’s not that I’m averse to the idea. I just haven’t had time. For the past six years, I’ve been consumed with getting my neurosurgical electrode tech company off the ground. We just sold the company for an obscene amount of money, and for the first time in memory, I actually have time to breathe.”

“Wow,” Lainey said. “That’s impressive. What’s a neurosurgical whatever-you-call-it company do?”

“I won’t bore you with the technical details. The short version is my partner and I developed what’s called a thin-film electrode that offers a less invasive, more cost-effective solution during surgery than what’s currently available. These electrodes will enhance neurosurgery for people with brain conditions like epilepsy and Parkinson’s. Now that we’ve sold the business, I’m taking a much-needed break. Caelan’s invitation to spend a week here couldn’t have come at a better time.”

He turned to her. “How about you? I already know you’re a fitness instructor and personal trainer. You’re what—twenty-six, twenty-seven?”

She nodded. “Close. Twenty-eight. Never been married. I was engaged, actually, but it didn’t work out. I’ve been single about a year now.”

“Engaged, huh? What happened?”

Lainey shrugged. “I don’t know. Well, that’s not true. I do know. It just didn’t feel…right. We met in college. This sounds conceited, but he was always more into me than I was into him. It had become more of an obligation than a pleasure by the end. There was no…spark. It was so—oh god, I can’t believe I’m even saying this—but it was so vanilla.” She flashed a rueful grin.

Cooper laughed. “I totally get that. And now that you’ve had a taste of BDSM, I bet you’ll never go back to vanilla.”

He reached for her hand as they walked, pleased when she responded to his gentle squeeze with a squeeze of her own. “So, about this dungeon thing. You’ve said you want to explore the concept of erotic pain. I know you enjoy a challenge. What I have in mind will both challenge and excite you, without going too far. It will give you a chance to explore your feelings and reactions in a private setting—just you and me. Think you’d like to try it?”

“Okay.” She laughed a little nervously. “I think.”

“Relax,” he encouraged soothingly. “I’ve been in the scene a long time. I wouldn’t suggest this if I didn’t think you were ready to go further. Your reactions last night left no doubt in my mind. You’re hardwired for this, Lainey.”

“Maybe,” she said dubiously. She bit her lower lip again in that cute way she had. He wanted to bite it too. He wanted to lick and bite and kiss his way down her entire body. His cock tented in his shorts as he imagined all the wonderful, sexy things he was going to do to her.

Forcing himself back under control for the moment, he said, “I’m thinking we’ll start slowly, with the most basic form of erotic pain—a good old over-the-knee spanking. If that goes well, we’ll move on to a nice thuddy flogging.”

“Flogging,” Lainey cried, her hand flying to her mouth. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

“It’s funny,” Cooper said. “Newbies are often more afraid of a flogging than a spanking, but spanking actually hurts more, or it can, depending how it’s done. I think you’re going to love it—all of it. But nothing I’m saying now is written in stone. I’m going to control the scene, and you. But you always have the ultimate say. If you’re scared or uncomfortable, you can tell me that at any time. I’ll pay attention, though that doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily stop what I’m doing. It’s important for you to understand that.”