Page 27 of Bad Enough

“Yes. Green means ‘continue,’ yellow means ‘slow down,’ and red means ‘stop.’”

“Excellent. Third, Tabitha shared your limits list with me, but we’re going to take this slow since this is your first in-person foray into BDSM. For tonight,” he emphasized, “tell me what your limits are.”

“I…” She swallowed, her eyes locked on his.

He stroked a hand down the side of her face to soothe her. “Remember, princess, communication is key.”

“I’m nervous.”

“I know. I can feel your body shaking. That’s why I’m asking you to voice what we can and cannot do tonight. This is part of the power exchange facet. After negotiation, I will control what happens, but tonight, this is all about your needs. This should be enjoyable, not uncomfortable.”

“I guess I’m a little embarrassed.”

“You have nothing at all to be embarrassed about. Trust me. I’ve seen a lot and probably done most of it.

“Maybe ‘insecure' might be a better word. What if I ask for something I shouldn’t? What if the things I want aren’t what you want? I’m new to this. Way too… ‘normal.’”

“Okay, Miss Author, define ‘normal’ for me.”

“What’s usual. Acceptable.”

“Usual or acceptable to whom?”

“To everyone.”

“Hmm. But this is usual for me. It is acceptable. And while everyone’s BDSM experience is personal and unique to their needs, that in itself makes this usual or acceptable to all of those people in the club. So who’s ‘abnormal’?”

She huffed slightly. “You know what I mean. What if I’m too vanilla for you?”

That’s kind of cute. She’s worried about not being the “bad girl” stereotype.

Instead of laughing, he gave her an encouraging smile and a reassuring squeeze of his hand to her waist. “If you weren’t what I wanted, just as you are, I wouldn’t be here. You never have to worry about pleasing me, little Flame. My pleasure always comes from the power dynamic of giving my sub what she needs.” He smoothed a stray tendril of hair back behind her ear. “Right now, you need me to reassure you that this is okay for you to want so that the experience can be positive. Am I right?”

“Yes.”

“See? A Dom pays attention, reads cues, and works to know what he needs to know. Anything you want is okay, Flame,” he reassured her.

Eventually, the tension in her spine began to ease. “Feeling better, princess?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“All right. Now, we’ll start with the easy ones. Red is red. We’re not worried about what’s already on that list. What’s red for you tonight that is otherwise yellow or green?”

Her face burned pink. “Mistress Tabitha said conventional sex was red for you.”

“She is correct. No conventional sex with a partner I’ve just met. But that leaves room for a lot of other things that still qualify for pleasure and release.”

Tension seemed to release from her body. “Good.” She took a breath and released it before continuing, “Nothing anal. No whips.” She looked down at his chest. “I don’t know that I’m ready for any toys tonight, or paddles, or anything like that. Yellow on those.”

He raised her chin with his fist so she could see his face and he could see hers. “All right. Anything else?”

Relaxing a bit further, she sucked her bottom lip under her top teeth, which he quickly rescued with a brush of his thumb out of fear she would bite into it and draw blood in her nervousness. He waited out her answer, no expression on his face. “Spanking,” she whispered.

He nodded in response. “Plenty of other punishment options, but I somehow doubt they’ll be needed. Anything in particular you do want to experience tonight?”

She was blushing again, but her breathing had elevated, and her pupils were dilating. She swallowed hard. “I’d like to be blindfolded. Tied.”

Oh, definitely.

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