Page 24 of T is for…

“I both know you and trust you. Everyone else in the club is a stranger, so during pre-scene negotiations, that’s a factor.”

“You hold back?”

“Yes. Not a lot, but I do. And I get very detailed during the negotiations. Timing is a surprise to me, but for the most part I know exactly what to expect.”

“And you don’t want that anymore.”

“I don’t want that with you.”

“Even though I’m not the kind of Dom you thought I’d be.”

“Yes. Maybe because of that. I haven’t had a scene that was primarily sexual in a long time.”

“Normally it’s focused on the power exchange?” A line appeared between her brows. “Or focused on pain? Are you a masochist?”

“Everyone here is a masochist to some degree,” she countered. “And yes, I’ve had impact-play focused scenes.” Tara cleared her throat. “You have my checklist, right?”

That’s what she’d overheard some of the other subs saying—that their assigned Doms would have been given a copy of the checklist they complete when they joined.

“I do.”

“So, you know my hard limits.”

He nodded.

“Can we just use that?”

Nathan leaned back, arms crossed over his leather-covered chest. It made his biceps stand out. His muscles weren’t bulky, but there was meat on those arms, and she had this insane urge to sink her teeth into him. To bite him hard enough to leave an impression, and to earn herself a spanking.

“We can, on one condition,” he said.

She waved a hand, inviting him to continue.

“You talk to me,” he rumbled.

Tara blinked in surprise.

“During the scene, you talk to me. Tell me what you like, tell me what you’re thinking. Tell me what you’re hoping or fearing I’ll do next. No rules about when you can or can’t talk. If for some reason I think it will be better if you’re limited in your ability to speak, I’ll gag you.”

Regular, open, honest communication.

On the surface, it was an easy thing to agree with. Except that level of communication was actually more intimate than any physical touch.

“If I have to ask you how you’re doing every two minutes because you aren’t communicating with me, I’ll stop. If you respond to my questions with only ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir,’ I’ll stop.”

“I…”

He raised a brow, waiting.

“I can try. That’s going to be hard.”

“I know it is. And I know you go quiet when you’re thinking. But I don’t want you living inside your own head for this.”

“If I fail, and you stop the scene, is that it?”

He snorted. “Shit no.”

She relaxed. “Okay, I’ll do my best.”

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