“Uh uh, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her off of his lap. But he placed her on the inside of the booth, not the outside where she’d originally been sitting, so her swift sense of rejection followed by the need to run didn’t get her anywhere because there was no easy exit. And he’d said he’d chase her anyway... Warmth suffused her, chasing away the rejection. “Naughty subbies who try to push away their Doms don’t get easy orgasms.”

His tone of voice was easy, almost teasing, but his eyes were serious.

“I’m sorry,” she said, slumping slightly again. “I really don’t know what I was thinking. I just... I panicked and-“

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said, taking her hand in his. The usual sense of calm swamped her as his thumb swept over the back of her hand. “I’ve seen you struggling, but since now I know how much you want me -“ The cocky grin he flashed her made her want to smack him - “we’re going to be amending our club contract. No more running. You can ask for space when you need it, but we’re going to work through this together, okay?”

She nodded, even as her stomach twisted at the thought. But it was worth trying for. As Kate had told her - no one was normal, so she shouldn’t bother trying to have a ‘normal’ relationship, she should just have a relationship with Michael, whatever that turned out to look like. “Okay. So now what?”

‘Now what’ turned out to be him packing up his things and taking her home with him.

Not for sexy times. Nope. Far worse.

They cuddled on his couch and watched The Princess Bride. Michael stroked her hair. Made dinner for her. Massaged her feet. And every time she started to pull away emotionally, every time she started to go into her head, he’d pull her over his lap, swat her ass just enough to get her excited, but not enough to give her any real pleasure, and then put her back in the position she’d previously occupied and go right back to doing whatever they were doing, whether it was rubbing her feet or just having a conversation.

She did not sleep over.

But she kind of wished he’d asked her to.

20

“Is it possible for women to get blue balls? Because I’m pretty sure I have lady blue balls,” Ellie whined to Sharon, pressing her thighs together underneath the table they were sitting at. The music at the club and the conversations going on around them were enough to keep most people from overhearing her comment, unless they were really determined to listen in. Despite her whining, Ellie was in pretty high spirits. She was just also really, really horny.

“Blue labia?” Sharon mused rather than sympathizing, the way Ellie wanted her to. “Blue clitoris?”

Ellie pouted. Sharon grinned and poked her. Ellie poked her back.