Page 35 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“Oh, I see,” I said, changing my tone and nodding my head with faux understanding.

“Do you?” His brow lifted as he gave me a side-eyed glance.

“Of course. He let slip that he’s a Dominant, but I had no idea he wasyourDominant. That makes so much more sense now!” I chuckled to myself.

“Wait, that’s not—”

“No, I get it. I just had no idea that Niko swung both ways. But if you’re Niko’s subby little bitch boy, then who am I to interfere? I truly meant no harm, Jax. I can promise you—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second. I amnotNiko’s subby little bitch boy. We are both straight, for the record, but regardless, it’s not cool to degrade someone for beingsubmissive. Those of us in the lifestyle take that kind of shit really seriously. So don’t ever say something like that again.” His eyes turned to me, shooting daggers through his blue-eyed gaze as he pointed his finger at me in a warning.

“So, he’s likeintothe whole kinkyFifty Shades of Grayshit, huh?” I said, delighted I had hit my mark. Instantly, regret washed over his face, but I didn’t care. The truth was out, and I was not about to stop now. “Just how into it is he?”

“I’m not telling you any more than that, Maddy. I’ve already said too much.” He began fiddling with papers once more, refusing to meet my gaze.

“Jax, come off it. You’re a legit genius. Stop acting like you don’t know what you’re looking for, or busying yourself with fake work to avoid the conversation. It’s beneath you,” I scoffed.

“It’s not my story to tell, Maddy,” he said, finally meeting my gaze. “Hell, I wasn’t kidding when I said I valued my life too much to tell you. Niko would have my head.”

“You let me worry about Niko. He won’t talk to me, so I need someone to just tell me the damned truth at this point. You have no idea how hard it is to be in a strange place, with strange people, and not be able to get the truth. It doesn’t feel good.” My moment of candidness seemed to do the trick. His posture relaxed, and his eyes softened with pity as he sighed heavily.

“Okay, I can understand that. Fine. What is it you want to know?” He gestured to the chair behind me, bidding me to take a seat. Something told me this wouldnot be a short conversation, and fuck if I wasn’t more than ready for the truth.

“Finally,” I sighed, pulling up the chair and making myself comfortable. “So, Niko admitted he’s a Dominant. What does that mean exactly? Like, he’s into beating women for kicks, or how does that work?”

“That’s a big question, and pretty much everything you just said was wrong. It’s about way more than that. Essentially, what you need to know is that everything that happens in BDSM is consensual and pre-negotiated.” He answered, leaning back in his chair.

“Pre-negotiated? So you talk everything through beforehand? That sounds kinda boring if you ask me. Plus, it’s not like Niko negotiated shit with me last night,” I scoffed, immediately losing a bit of respect for the man. If pre-negotiating was so important, why was nothing discussed between us?

“Well, it’s not that simple. What you two did last night wasn’t BDSM,” he explained with a wave of his fingers.

“Felt pretty kinky to me,” I pouted.

“Kinky sex and BDSM are not the same thing. Did Niko do anything to you that you didn’t like?” Jax asked, one brow lifting in question, as though he already knew the answer.

“No, but—”

“Did he hold you to any rules you didn’t accept?” he interrupted. I thought back to the events of last night. Sure, he told me to be loud, refusing to let me muffle my sounds, but that was hot as fuck.

“I don’t think so. I mean, he was pretty commanding.”

“Let me rephrase, then. Did hepunishyou if you did not obey?” he asked pointedly.

“No. He didn’t punish me. It was more like… I don’t know. We pushed and pulled each other. There was more goading than anything. It’s hard to explain. But he didn’t punish me. And he didn’t do anything I didn’t want.”

“I have a feeling that if he had, you would have clocked him!” Jax barked out a laugh.

“Fuck punching. I would have ripped his balls off. There’s no way I’d let someone do something to me I didn’t want,” I said, joining him in his laughter.

“Exactly. What Niko did last night wasreadyou. He didn’t hold you to anything, because you two did notagreeto anything. And that is the key with BDSM. What you did last night was kinky, hot fun, sure. But it wasn’t BDSM. There’s a huge difference.”

“So, it’s like doing fun shit in the bedroom versus something more serious and predetermined.” I knew I was basically parroting back what he had previously said, but this time it was with understanding.

“Exactly. And with the fact that you are both brats…” he trailed off with a shrug.

“Niko is a brat?” I asked, surprised. Jax simply pinned me with a look. “Yeah, you’re right. He’s a total brat. I would have said ass, but I see your point.”

“It’s kind of his thing, but you’re going to have to get any other information you want from him.”

---