“Absolutely. A little pasta, chicken and some sauce and I can do anything. I think my grandmother thought I’d be feeding an army.” She took a bit and savored it. “It’s very good.”
“I’m glad you approve.” He ate and watched her.
She added oyster crackers then finished the entire bowl. When she set her napkin on the table and sat back, sipping her water, the mood changed. Scott realized he’d been staring at her, but it didn’t seem to bother her at all.
“So you’re into dominating women? I never would’ve guessed.” She leaned down and grabbed a tin of mints from her purse.
After she popped one, he extended a hand. She gave him a mint and smiled.
“I never expected to hear what Nelson told me today either. It changes a lot of things, if we want it to.” He cleared the table and sat back down. “You’re sure you want to talk about it?”
“I blogged about it. We could talk about it even if you weren’t interested in me. You caught me off guard at work, but I’m not ashamed.” She smiled at him.
“So what are these limits?” he asked.
Her back straightened a bit. “No clubs or dungeons or house parties.”
“So nothing in public? Your office?” he asked.
“That’s not public. I’m not a prude, but we are there to work. My career means a lot to me. I won’t play sex bunny on campus and miss my meetings, deadlines or classes,” she said firmly.
“Good. If I wanted someone like that, I wouldn’t be talking to you.” He leaned on the counter, deliberately giving her breathing room. “In private, sexual limits?”
She licked her lips. “No sharing. I can’t please more than one. No needles, cutting, knives or anything with blood.”
He nodded. “Good, you wouldn’t get it here.”
“No real whips.” Her cheeks were bright red.
He moved closer to see if it’d calm her. “Meaning spanking with the hand, paddle and flogger are all okay?”
“Very okay. Belts are fine too, if you know how to handle them. No buckles.” She shook her head.
“No breaking the skin. Noted.” He sat down and watched her eyelids flutter as she thought. “Anything else? Likes? Dislikes?”
She sat back. “No choking. Nothing around my neck. I panic.”
“I never understood the thrill in choking someone.” He couldn’t believe how on the same page they were. He wasn’t leading her but he sure as hell agreed with her.
She held up a finger. “Anything going anal gets lubed first.”
“Deal. What do you like?” he asked.
From head to toe, she stiffened. “You want a list?”
“Maybe. Masters have hurt you, and I don’t want to do that. I won’t break the rules, but make no mistake, I’ll discipline you when you’re bad.”
Her smile returned. “I hope so. I love being spanked, tied up, blindfolded and sexually teased. Role-playing is fun too. I…”
“Say it,” he said.
“I need to be kissed. Maybe, I shouldn’t share this now, but one Dom, the one who was truly good, he loved to spank me but never kissed me. I don’t know why. He didn’t like to talk either.”
He walked around the table and held her as she shivered. She wanted affection, but who didn’t? “You had to leave him if he didn’t give you what you needed.”
“I enjoyed the sex and the teasing. For a while, it was enough. He’s the only one who ever slipped.”
“Slipped?” he asked.
“The rest of the Doms, I left. Some weren’t right and others tried to push me. Some tried very hard to corner me and show me why going beyond my limits was good. Some demanded it. I refused and got away unscathed. This one Dom, he never meant to break the rules. He slipped with a riding crop and went much harder than intended. He broke the skin. I didn’t need stitches or anything, but I didn’t like it. I couldn’t go back.”
Scott cupped her slender face in his hands and kissed her softly on the mouth. “I won’t slip. I’d drop the toy first. I swear nothing sharp ever.”
She nodded. “Thank you. You really haven’t found a willing submissive?”
Now wasn’t the time to tell her his gory details. She’d left out the details of what the sinister Doms had wanted from her. He’d rather be rejected as the Dom who didn’t fit her needs than because his personal crap getting in the way. “I think right now we should see if we’re sexually compatible. If that doesn’t work, the rest of this won’t matter.”
“You’re right.” She leaned in and kissed him hard. His chest tightened as blood rushed lower. The woman knew how to kiss, and her soft moans only fueled his desire. Letting her take her fill, he teased her with his tongue.