She paused and then her whole demeanor changed. She relaxed against me, pressing her naked body to my side and throwing a leg over my hip, resting her head on my shoulder and letting me wrap my arm around her. It instantly soothed some of the tension that had been building within me.

“I’m sorry, Alex. I should’ve been paying enough attention to know what you needed without you having to ask. No, you didn’t hurt me. And in case you missed all of those orgasms, I loved it. But I understand what you’re feeling. Often, it’s the sub who needs aftercare, but it’s less talked about that sometimes dominants do too, and there’s no shame in that.”

I felt dumb, but I wasn’t going to argue when she was giving me exactly what I needed. She took my face in her hands and kissed me gently.

“Was it messed up that I pulled you by the hair?” I didn’t want to sound weak, but was willing to risk it to make sure I hadn’t crossed any lines with her.

“Pull my hair anytime,” she said lightly. “Well, in public might be frowned upon. I thought it was hot that you went for it and I’m going to get off to the memory of you holding me down to force me to come again.”

“Can I watch?” I stroked her shoulder and didn’t even pretend I was joking.

“Maybe,” she said coyly. “But you’ll have to earn it.”

Name your price, my lady.

I kept the thought to myself. She didn’t need to know how desperate I was for more with her.

26

Elena

I shamelessly stared at Alex sprawled out in my bed in the early morning light. He was even magnetic when he slept, still beautiful, but more vulnerable. I knew with absolute certainty that the moment he opened his eyes and saw me, he would smile his soft smile, the one I never saw him do in public. What would it be like to wake up to that smile every day?

I kicked myself for the squishy feelings that thought gave me. I did intimate things with play partners regularly, and sometimes had feelings of affection for them at the same time, but there was never anything more to it than that. I didn’t start imagining a future with them simply because they gave me a few orgasms.

I sure as hell didn’t imagine a future with my clients. But I also didn’t let them fingerbang me or lick my pussy until I thought I was going to shatter from pleasure or suck their dicks…so it was already the Wild West as far as him being a client was concerned.

So why was my brain trying to picture what a real relationship with him would look like?

Since I’d broken up with Reaper, I’d never spent the night with anyone. I wanted to avoid the entanglements of letting anyone that close. It didn’t matter how late I ended things with a partner, I was going home or politely calling them a ride.