Chapter 6

All day Monday and Tuesday, I find myself watching David at the office, trying to work it all out.

He matches me on everything. Sel emailed me a copy of his responses. For every single question, his answers perfectly align with mine, and for the very few that don’t, he’s only one point away on the scale.

He’s had a Dom/sub relationship before. He isn’t interested in tickle torture, but rates wax play highly. He checks almost all the bondage subcategories, except for mummification. Sensory play, impact play, and worship are all on the high end as well.

Needles are a hard no; knives are a maybe. Surprisingly, the circle he put around “Average” for voyeurism and cuckolding seems different. The ink is lighter, as though he wasn’t sure. Denial and edging are also average for him. They aren’t average for me, but I’ve easily pushed clients my way before.

Sel is right. He is fucking perfect for me.

And now, sitting next to him at the office while I diligently type notes of the meeting I’m currently in, I find my eyes glancing over to him more than they usually do. I keep thinking about meeting him that evening, wondering what I will say.

The thought of submitting to him is intriguing me more and more, but the thought of submitting to anyone after so long is something I’m struggling with. I try to picture how it would look, and then suddenly, that’s all I can think about.

“Nora?” he whispers, the sudden closeness of his voice in my ear making me jump.

“Hmm?” I look around, seeing everyone else looking at me. “My apologies.”

I look back to my laptop and hurriedly start typing again, finishing off the sentence I’d apparently stopped writing.

He clears his throat.

“How about we take lunch? Come back at one,” he says to the rest of the group. He stays in his seat as the others file out of the room. When the door closes behind the last one, he swivels in his chair to face me.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his words laced with concern, his hand coming to rest on my thigh.

It’s an innocent gesture, but it doesn’t seem so innocent now that I know his Dom preferences.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I had a late night,” I reply as I rub my eyes.

It isn’t a lie, but I always have late nights, and I’m used to them by now. This time, though, I stayed up late because I was distracted. And the very source of my distraction is now grabbing my chair, pulling it around so that I am facing him as well.

“You’ve been different for a few days now,” he comments with a tilt of his head. “Is something going on? Am I working you too hard?” He chuckles.

“Never,” I tease back. “It’s just something… personal. I’m sorry it’s affected my work.”

“You’re still the hardest-working person here—apart from me, possibly.” He smiles, and I feel myself wanting to smile back. “If you need a day off, just tell me.”

“I’m fine,” I reassure him. “I’m just going to get some coffee. I’ll be back to myself in no time, Dave.”

I force myself to act normal for the rest of the afternoon.

When I finally get home, I find that I can’t take my usual pre-evening nap because I’m too busy staring at the ceiling, playing out everything I’m going to say to him at the club and what he might say back.

Before I know it, I’m getting ready to head out. Tonight, I decide to wear a chemise—dark lace covering my nipples and pubic bone, the rest a sheer window to my skin. The top frames my chest with straps that cross over my collarbone up to my neck, and I’ve also slipped on some black hipsters underneath. I’m not known for walking around completely naked, and that isn’t going to change just for him.

Nico helps ensure my wig and mask are on right when I arrive at the bar. David is already waiting in Room Five, which we use for first meetings. It has a desk with no chair behind it, just a single chair in front, a set of drawers to the side, and a closet in the corner. The drawers and closet are filled with beginner toys—ones workers use to gauge interest and ease clients in. I’m not sure I’ll be using them tonight.

I make my way to the room.

I don’t miss the way his head turns instantly at the sound of the door opening. Nerves flood through me as I close it behind me and his eyes rake over my outfit. He goes to stand, but I hold a hand out, signaling for him to sit back down, and walk slowly toward the desk. I pick up the file that Sel left there earlier and stand between him and the front of the desk, smoothly lifting myself to sit on the wood. I cross one leg over the other as I open the file, not even glancing at him.

“Does this mean you’ve accepted?” he asks, his voice cutting through the silence.

I keep my eyes on the pages. “It means I’m considering it. There’s still a lot to go through before I agree,” I reply calmly. “You were very thorough in your answers.”

“I wanted you to have no doubts.”

“Doubts about what?”

“What I’m interested in.”

I look up at him then, and it’s a big fucking mistake. He is staring at me, his eyes darker than usual, and I can tell that he just wants to grab me right then and there.

I tilt my head innocently, focusing back on the pages. My teeth clench when I see that in the preferences section, he’s crossed out the word preference and written: “The redhead with the mask. No exceptions.”

“Hard noes are needles, genital torture, pony play, and fluid play?” I ask, glancing up at him. He nods. I scan back down the list. “Average is knives, denial… Your answer for voyeurism and cuckolding intrigues me.”

“How so?”

“The pressure of your pen changed,” I say in a matter-of-fact tone, smirking when his eyebrows raise in surprise. “Are you not certain of your views on that?”

He licks his bottom lip before answering. “I’ve dominated someone before, but I’ve never done that. I think it also differs based on what’s involved. Even if you agree, I’m not sure I’d want to watch you with other people.”

I close the file, holding it in one hand as I grip the edge of the desk, leaning forward toward him until I can take his tie in my hand. I tug him forward slightly, sliding the material through my fingers as he looks up at me.

“Some people enjoy that, you know,” I whisper in a smooth voice. “Watching their sub being dominated by someone else, while you give the orders on how to please her best. By that point, you’d know everything I enjoy—everything that makes me submit to you completely—and you could see if I do it just as easily for someone else. And you could punish me if I don’t.”

By the time I stop speaking, his mouth has parted, and his eyes are solely focused on my lips.

I smile, then release his tie and lean back, opening his file again and picking up the pen from the desk. I make a note, changing his score to a higher one, as we both fall into silence.

“What would you include in Worship?” I ask.

“What do you mean?” he asks back, his voice dropping to a growl as I watch him shift in his chair.

“You rate it highly, so I’m interested in what parts of worship you enjoy. Kneeling? Certain body parts?”

“I took it more as me worshipping you.”

“In what sense?”

“I could show you,” he smirks, moving to stand up.

I place the sole of my foot against his shoulder and push him back down. “Tell me,” I order. While I am considering submitting to him, I’m so used to being the Domme, and I’m intrigued by how he’ll respond to the boundary.

His response is a wicked smile as he runs his hand around my ankle. I hold his gaze, keeping my face a lot calmer than my stomach is at that moment.

“I’d like to worship you, Doll,” he explains, making my core throb. His hand slides up my leg toward my knee. “It would be your reward for being a good girl.”

He moves to the floor, pulling my leg so that it rests over his shoulder as he brings his mouth closer to my bare skin, his lips grazing me as he slowly inches forward.

My breath gets shallower as I watch him gently push my other leg slightly, his eyes locked on mine as he gets closer and closer.

I swallow the lump in my throat and grab his jaw, guiding him to stand up in front of me, denying myself the touch he is so clearly willing to give me. He towers over me as he stands, watching me for his next instruction.

“Have I passed your little test yet?” he whispers.