Page 24 of Temptation at Randy's

“Okay, good.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Sometimes I worry the stuff I like is very… soft, maybe? In comparison.”

“I think many people share that worry,” Claude mused. “From stuff I’ve heard in munches and read online.”

“Yeah.”

I lurked online from time to time, but I must not be in the right spaces. Maybe I should ask Claude for some links.

Information was power, or so they said. The one thing I got from my lurking was that being educated and doing your own research was essential. I didn’t want to end up being the clueless sub that clueless authors wrote books about. Misrepresentation was never good.

“You’re good, honest.” Claude must’ve taken my silence as needing more reassurance.

I couldn’t say I didn’t.

“Okay, but…” Maybe I should’ve drank more water. I kept having to lick my lips and clear my throat because everything felt so dry. There was too much I felt self-conscious about without the need to add more to the mix. “I think I just need some more clarity on what you want from me? I know we texted about it a bit, but…”

“No, I get it.” Claude swallowed. They dropped the empty plate they’d had balanced on their lap on the table before sitting down again, knees close to their chest. “Other than what I told you, though, I don’t have like a list of yes or no areas. It depends a lot on the day, and just how I’m feeling at a specific time.”

They blushed. I hadn’t even known that was possible, but it was their turn to keep their eyes down and look self-conscious.

It didn’t take a lot of thinking to move closer. I didn’t want to crowd them, and Claude was the one who tended to get in my space, but I couldn’t not offer some kind of comfort.

“Hey.” I waited until they looked up at me. Their face was flushed, eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I just don’t want to… cause harm, that’s all. You can just tell me what’s okay and what’s not. Or just move me around like a puppet if that’s what you need.”

Actually, the idea of being Claude’s puppet held a lot of appeal, but…

Nope, not going there. Not the time.

“I’m sorry.” Claude sighed. Their gaze held mine while they tried to take a breath that wasn’t too shaky. “I’m more comfortable with my body than I used to be, but talking about it is still new.”

“It can get awkward, for sure.”

My answer made them chuckle. It was the goal. I liked how that felt, the warm glow in my chest. I’d done that; cheered them up. It was silly, but it wasn’t. It felt big, important.

“Yeah.” Claude looked up before their hand found mine. “I do want to kiss you again.”

“Just kiss?” I felt the heat creep up my cheeks the second the words were out. “I’m fine with just kissing, I mean.”

“Good to know.” Claude smirked. “But… No, I wasn’t thinking just kissing.”

I bobbed my head up and down. It was the only move that made sense.

No, I wasn’t going to ask what exactly they were thinking about. Part of it was anxiety. Another part was… they were trusting me. It made sense that I did the same, right?

“Nice.” Wrong word. Wrong word, wrong word, wrong word. “I mean…”

“I get it,” Claude interrupted me.

I was about to apologize, to try and not come across as the complete mess that I was.

It was a blessing that they sat up more properly, shifting until they were on their knees. In this position, they stood taller than me. It was only a visual effect, but the imbalance made me breathe out in relief.

I always suspected if I got the courage to explore kink, it would be from the submissive side of things. I guessed I’d gotten that right—more right than I’d thought, even.

If I was home, I’d be dissecting everything about it. Here, though, it just made sense. The only thing I wanted to dissect were my reactions to them. Their lips met mine again. Claude’s kisses were soft. Teasing. Playful. Their tongue flicked out, but they didn’t try to shove it down my throat.

I always thought being tongue kissed was the end-goal. This felt more satisfying, though.

My entire body felt alive, and they were barely touching me. When they did, their hands teasing the collar of my shirt, a shiver ran down my spine.

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