Page 9 of Need

My day had been filled with trivial things. The morning was spent reading and thinking over what... Stephan... had told me over the last two days. He wanted me to stay with him, but staying meant being his submissive. I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t know if I could do what he wanted.

He called just as I was beginning to make something for lunch. Seeing his name on my phone made me smile.

Our conversation had been short, as it usually was when he called from work, but it had also been different from the many other times we’d talked. He’d made me say his name.

As I sat down to eat my food, and for the rest of the day, I thought about how it felt to call him Stephan. It felt wrong on some level. Like I was breaking some rule, but I also found that I liked it. It was a very strange mix of feelings.

I did some laundry and cleaned the house before going back into the kitchen to start dinner for us.

The minutes ticked away on the clock, bringing it closer to the time I knew he would be home. I was... happy? Excited? Neither word really fit what I was feeling. All I knew was that I wanted to see him again.

Like clockwork, I heard footsteps just seconds before the door started to open. I started to move to take my usual place, but then I froze.

My brain was at war with my body. Therefore, instead of moving or reacting in any way, I just stood there.

He took a few steps inside, his eyes searching the room before landing on me. His smile faltered and changed into a look of concern. I tried to make myself move. Obviously, I’d made the wrong decision.

Before I could get my limbs working again, he was there in front of me. His hands came up and cradled my face. The change was almost instantaneous.

My body sank into his warm comfort. He pressed my head against his chest as he threaded his fingers through my hair. I felt... right again.

We stood there for several minutes until the timer let me know it was time to take the meat out of the oven. He pulled back and looked deep into my eyes before leaning down and placing a soft kiss to my lips.

When I opened my eyes again, his back was toward me as he walked across the space between his bedroom and me. He was so fluid when he moved; every step seemed to know its destination before it started.

Only when he disappeared into his room did I realize that I was staring. I felt my face heat up with embarrassment and quickly went to get the chicken out of the oven.

Dinner was quiet. I saw him watching me several times and wondered if he was waiting for me to speak. Questions swirled in my mind for both him and Lily, and I tried to get them in order while I ate.

After dinner, he helped me take the plates back into the kitchen before going to sit in his chair. I finished putting things away and then went in to join him. This time, I went directly to him, waiting for him to open his arms before I sat down.

He wrapped his arms around me, and I leaned against him. I rested my head on his shoulder, and my hand came up to play with a button on the front of his shirt. “Did you have a good afternoon?” he asked.

I shrugged. “It was okay. I cleaned the house mostly.”

He was quiet for a few minutes, probably waiting to see if I was going to add anything. I wasn’t.

“I spoke with Lily. She’ll be here tomorrow around eleven forty-five to pick you up for lunch. I suggest you be ready early. Lily doesn’t like to be late.”

“I’ll be ready,” I said with only the slightest hesitation. It was too much to hope that he wouldn’t notice.

His arms tightened around me a little and his lips brushed my brow. “You have nothing to be worried about, Brianna. Lily wants to help. She’ll answer any questions you have.”

I nodded and pressed myself closer to him. He said I could ask him anything. “Was Lily...”

When I didn’t continue, he leaned back so that he could see my face. “Was Lily what?”

Did I really want to know this? What if he said yes? I went back and forth before I finally decided that I needed to be brave. “Was Lily your... submissive, too?” Then I hurried to add, “I know you said she is Logan’s now, but was she ever yours?” I let the last word trail off into almost a whisper.

He took a deep breath, which made me nervous. “Lily and I met at a party. We hit it off. After seeing each other a few more times at various things we discussed doing a scene together.”

“A scene?” I asked when he paused for a moment.

He took my right hand in his and began idly playing with my fingers. “Do you remember when I blindfolded you in the woods?”

“Yes.”

“That was a scene of sorts. There are many different types of scenes, but in all of them, the goal is to teach something.”

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