Page 75 of Bound By Words

Fuck. This game was gonna kill me. But what a way to go.

We took turns drawing cards, performing different acts, or answering questions. Nathan laughed and smiled at my reactions to some things. I knew I was a novice, and this was literally playing a game with kink as the underlying theme, but it helped me understand this lifestyle better. We shared more than just the contents of the cards with each other, and several times, our conversations drifted to topics I’d never expected to discuss with him. Every word out of his mouth drew me in more; our personalities were similar but complementary.

He’d said it before, multiple times, but being involved with kink truly was like building a custom relationship. If I yellow-carded a drawn card, he simply put it in the soft limits pile and moved on. He didn’t judge or convince me why I should try or like something. Everything was my choice about what I wanted.

Negotiation as a word didn’t scream seduction, but as he talked to me about his limits and encouraged me to be open about mine, I found myself even more attracted to him. Consent was sexy.

One by one, the candles on the table started to flicker off, the batteries dying. We quickly changed them out and kept going, both eager to continue.

Nathan gave me a taste of what it was like to be bound by him—creating an elaborate crisscrossing vest around my torso with the red rope in his bag. While he’d released me from the tie after a few cards, I had to admit something was alluring about the feeling it gave me. And the fact that he was the one to do it only made it more exciting. My fingers traced the marks it’d left on my skin, and the rush of adrenaline that followed confirmed that I might like bondage. Especially if I could watch the intense concentration cross his features while he was tying me up.

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been playing, but I hardly remembered the storm raging outside. I’d been so consumed by navigating this game with Nathan that the weather hadn’t even been an afterthought.

Occasionally, he would check the fireplace, stoking the logs or adding another one into the grate before sitting back down to resume play. We quickly ate a dinner of cheese and crackers as we asked each other questions, the conversation never stopping or becoming stilted. If we were in the real world, I would’ve fallen for Nathan fast.

But I still felt the ax of time hanging over our heads, waiting to destroy everything between us. I wasn’t naïve; I knew most long-distance relationships were doomed to fail, but I hoped that things would be different this time when I returned home. If I returned home. With the whirlwind this trip had morphed into, I hadn’t focused on the distant future. What would happen once my name was cleared and I returned to Chicago to resume my real life?

“You still doing alright?” Nathan asked as he closed the fireplace’s heat-resistant glass door, sitting on the cushion behind me instead of returning to his side of the table. Only a few cards were left, signaling the end of playtime, and I wanted to slow down time.

“Mmmhmm,” I hummed as I leaned back into his broad chest. His fingers carefully shifted my hair over one shoulder, his lips softly brushing the back of my neck as he wrapped his arms around me.

“Feeling less intimidated by everything?” he asked quietly, resting his chin on my shoulder, seemingly in no hurry to have me take my next turn.

“I think so,” I replied, closing my eyes as I leaned into his embrace. “This hasn’t been as scary as I thought it’d be. While a few things stalled me, this has been fun.”

“Want to keep going? Or are you ready for bed? You seem a little tired, sunshine.”

Shaking my head, I turned toward him, softly kissing the underside of his neck, his beard tickling my cheek. “I want to finish. There are only a few cards left.” While I’d initially been slightly surprised by the heavy scruff and the longer hair, the rugged look had grown on me. I reached up, scratching my fingers through his beard as he kissed my forehead.

“I know. I need to tame this thing. Maybe once we return to Boston, I’ll make an appointment with my barber.”

A loud ding from the table drew my attention away from his face, and I frowned as I saw a text message scroll across the screen. But the message was quickly forgotten when Nathan chuckled behind me, his hands falling to my waist. “You know what that means.”

KELLY

Connecticut

Earlier in the game, he’d drawn a card that I’d get two strikes any time my phone rang or I received a text message, but it hadn’t done so before now. Service had been spotty since I arrived, and with the power outage taking out the internet, it was surprising that a message came through.

My heart started racing as I pushed up to my knees, Nathan bending me forward as he rose behind me. As I hurried into position, his voice was a harsh whisper in my ear, my hands hovering, ready to brace myself against the coffee table.

“Hands against the edge, arch your back, ass out toward me, and hold perfectly still. Don’t forget to count, or you get another two.”

Another card sitting on the table from earlier in the game. Any time the submissive neglects to count out strikes, they earn two more.

With my fingers gripping the edge of the table, I let my head fall forward as Nathan pulled on my hips until I was in the position he desired. After the first few cards, I’d become accustomed to him manipulating my body where he wanted, relaxing as he coached me with soft commands.

“Breathe, sunshine,” he cooed before he leaned back, slowly running his palm down my back. His touches tonight had been reverent and lingering, further adding to how aroused I became around him. He treated me like something precious while simultaneously using my body for his enjoyment. It was a heady feeling to be with him like this.

My breath caught at the first impact of his palm against my covered ass, a low moan escaping my lips. “One.”

With my eyes closed, I exhaled a heavy breath as I waited for his second strike, but he was teasing me, prolonging the torture. The only sound in the room was my harsh breathing mixed with the low crackle of the logs on the fire as they burned. I’d almost started to relax when he struck again, the impact causing me to pitch forward, barely catching myself before my hips hit the table.

“Careful there,” Nathan cooed as he pressed himself into my back, kissing my neck as I panted. “You forgot to count.”

A flash of heat ran through me at his words, anticipation building as he backed away, smacking the fleshy part of my outer thigh on one side before quickly swatting the other. This felt vastly different from him spanking me while he was inside me. For one, I wasn’t seconds from orgasm, and two, I could tell he was putting a little more force behind it. It still managed to get my pulse racing, regardless.

“Still not counting, sunshine,” he taunted before he struck again, but I’d lost count.

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