Page 44 of Deviant Obsession

“You’re gonna freak. Just um, just don’t bite my head off.”

Nat raises an eyebrow as if to say, ‘you know full well I won’t judge’, but little does she know my next words could give her an aneurysm. “It’s…it’s Dean, okay? Dean and his twin brother, Ethan, who works at Deviant. Well, actually…their ex-stepdad owns the place.”

"Holy shit." Nat’s eyes go out of focus as she sinks onto our tiny couch. "Holy actual shit.Dean?Dean, the asshole who you absolutely hate? That Dean? And he has atwin?And their stepdad owns the BDSM club? Is that where you go to see them?Fuck me sideways, Rhea! How long?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes. For a few weeks now. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I don’t know if I was feeling embarrassed or what.” I sigh, surprisingly relieved to finally have it out in the open. My phone buzzes in my bag. Probably Dean wondering why I haven’t told him that I’ve left yet. "Look, I really need to?—"

"Oh no." Nat pats the couch cushion beside her. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me everything. And I meaneverything, Rhea."

I glance longingly at the door, my cheeks flaming impossibly hot at the prospect of having to voice the details. "He's waiting for me..."

"He can wait a few more minutes. Sit your busted ass down and talk to your best friend."

Despite my anxiety about keeping Dean waiting, I can't help but laugh. I perch on the couch edge, those bruises Nat seems to have guessed about making me flinch a little.

"So..." Nat leans forward, resting her chin on her hand like she’s tuning in to her favorite TV show. "Twins. At the same time, or...?"

"No! God, no. Separately. Very separately."For now.I chew my lip. "They're very...different."

"Different how?"

Another text buzzes. I take a deep breath, knowing there's only one way out of this conversation.

"You really want to know?"

Nat's grin turns wicked. "Every. Single. Detail."

"Well, Dean likes restraints," I begin hesitantly, watching Nat's eyes widen until they might pop out of her skull. "Total control. He never lets me see him during our scenes. Always blindfolds me first thing."

"Scenes?" Nat squeaks. "Like...like Fifty Shades-type shit?"

I nod, finding it easier to talk now that the initial confession is over. "At the club. In the private playrooms."

"Private play—" Nat fans herself dramatically. "And Ethan?"

"Ethan's more...experimental." My phone buzzes again, making me jump. "He likes to try new things. Always testing my limits. He’s into the whips and the paddles and stuff…"

"Girl!" Nat smacks my arm. "And you've been keeping this from me? For fuckingweeks?"

"I didn't know how to tell you! It's not exactly casual breakfast material. 'Hey, pass the coffee, by the way I'm submitting to two incredibly dominant, identical twins whose ex-stepdad owns a BDSM club.'"

Nat throws her head back with a loud cackle. "I mean, I’m mad at you, but I see your point. This must feel like absolute insanity for you of all people. Of course, I noticed something was up. You've been walking around in this weird daze, looking all flushed and distracted. I just figured you were stressed about midterms, or maybe Professor Shaw."

"Well, I am stressed about midterms. Just...notonlymidterms."

"I’ll fucking say! Whips and paddles? Holy hell. So that's why you stopped wearing skirts!" Nat's eyes light up with understanding. "I knew something was weird about that. You used to live in them."

I shift uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, turns out rope leaves marks. Not to mention crops and canes, so..."

"Canes?" Nat's voice rises an octave.

"Among other things." I can't help the smile that creeps across my face. "Ethan's very creative with how he leaves his patterns on me."

"And Dean?"

"Dean's more...methodical. Everything has to be just so. The ropes have to be perfect, the positions exact." A shiver licks down my spine as I think about his particular brand of control. "He doesn't stop until everything's precisely how he wants it. And then…then he, uh, gets me off… over and over again till I can’t take anymore."

"Jesus, Mary, and Old Joe,” Nat breathes, studying my face like a complex mathematical equation. "And you’re into that? Both of them being so...intense?"