“I support that decision and if you ever want to go back to it, I support that too.”

“Thank you.” I tilted my head up to kiss him gently. “I bitch about psychologists not properly understanding the nuanced complexities of fetish, but I could be doing something to fix that. What good is my knowledge if I don’t share it? Therapy was my first love, so I think I’d like to find a way to get back there on my own terms. I can still be part of the BDSM community and have a positive impact, but pivot in a new direction and use all my experience for something different. I think it would be fun to coach couples or something too.”

“You would be amazing at all of that, but you should take your time and find something you really love.”

“Besides you?”

He chuckled. “I mean if you want to do nothing but stay in bed and let me spoil you, I won’t complain, but you’d get restless without an outlet for that clever mind. And if you can’t figure it out, you’ve always got Elena: Sex Psychic to fall back on…”

I laughed and shook my head.

He said, “Being with me will have challenges. When I’m shooting something, I might have to work crazy hours or be gone for a few months at a time, and you’ll have to deal with the fame and everything that goes along with it. But if you give me a chance, I’ll spend every day trying to be worthy of my Wicked Queen.”

“You’re mine already. I don’t know why you’re still acting like it’s up for debate. You fuck it, you keep it. Sorry, it’s just the rules.”

He laughed, but got quiet again. “What about Max? I hate the idea of you all having to go through the emotional toll of a lawsuit. God knows how long he’ll drag that out for, but you know I’ll support whatever you want.”

“About that. I can’t play it for you right now because my phone is somewhere in a pile of clothes downstairs, but Melody was wearing my key and pushed the panic button when Max came into her trailer. He didn’t get physical or expose himself this time, and she’s okay, but he did berate her, vocally confirming that he’d gotten physical and inappropriate with her and that he had assaulted me and other ‘ungrateful bitches.’ But with significantly more colorful language. The key recorded all of it.”

“So you release it and he’s done. Is it enough to pursue criminal charges?”

“I don’t know. We’re going to see.”

He tensed and pulled away to look at me. “I’m so sorry, Elena. I don’t know how I couldn’t have seen him for what he is.”

I took his face in my hands. “It’s not your fault either. We’re going to get through this and put him behind us. I won’t let him steal any more of our joy.” I reached a hand over and cupped between his legs. “What I’m mostly wondering is how long I’m going to have to wait to be convinced that fucking on the bed is better than the floor.”