Page 15 of Maddox

If anything, Maddox tempted me to explore my little side, something I’d sworn never to do, but I wanted my life back. All of it. Everything Jeremy had taken from me.

Before I chickened out, I called Maddox, and of course he answered right away. So annoying. "Hello?" Maddox's deep voice came through the phone, a note of surprise evident.

I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves. "Hi, Maddox. It's Clare." Even though his phone would have told him who was calling.

"Clare," he said warmly. "I'm glad you called. How are you doing?"

"I'm...okay," I said hesitantly. "I wanted to thank you again for the other night. And to apologize for not responding to your text sooner."

"There's no need to apologize," Maddox assured me. "I understand you needed some time."

I swallowed hard. "I've been thinking a lot these past few days. About...everything."

"Oh?" Maddox said, his tone carefully neutral.

"I want..." I paused, gathering my courage. "I want totry. What you suggested before. About exploring my Little side again. But I'm scared."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. When Maddox spoke again, his voice was gentle but serious. "Clare, that's a big step, and very brave of you to reach out."

"I want my life back,” I admitted. “All of it. And I think... I think you might be able to help me with that."

"I'd be honored to try," Maddox said softly. "But we need to do this right. Set boundaries, go slow. Make sure you feel safe every step of the way."

I took a deep breath, my heart racing. "Okay," I said quietly. "How do we start?"

"First, I think we should meet in person to talk about this," Maddox said. "Somewhere public where you feel comfortable. We can discuss boundaries, expectations, and what you need. Does that sound okay?"

I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me. "Yes, that sounds good."

"Great. How about the coffee shop on Main Street tomorrow afternoon at two p.m.? It's usually pretty quiet there."

"Okay," I agreed, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Clare," Maddox said gently, "I want you to know how proud I am of you for taking this step. It's incredibly brave."

Tears pricked at my eyes at his words. "Thank you," I managed to say.

After we hung up, I sat on my couch, emotions swirling. Part of me was terrified of what I'd just agreed to. But another part, a part I'd been trying to silence for so long, felt a glimmer of hope.

The next day, I arrived at the coffee shop early, my stomach in knots. I chose a table in the corner where I could see the door and ordered a chamomile tea to calm my nerves. When Maddox walked in, my heart rate spiked. He looked calm and put-together, a stark contrast to how I felt.

Maddox smiled warmly as he approached the table. "Hi Clare," he said softly, taking the seat across from me. "How are you feeling?"

I wrapped my hands around my mug of tea, grateful for something to hold onto. "Nervous," I admitted. "But okay."

He nodded understandingly. "That's completely normal. We can take this as slow as you need."

A server appeared and Maddox ordered a coffee and two iced buns. He was polite but didn’t take his gaze from me, even though the server pasted her biggest smile on for him. I stayed silent until the server delivered the order. Maddox cut up one of the buns and pushed the plate toward me and it calmed my nerves a little. It was such aDaddything to do, and I broke an even smaller piece off, even though I wasn’t especially hungry. I managed to eat two pieces before I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "So...how do we do this?"

Maddox leaned forward slightly, his expression serious but gentle. "First, I want to make sure you understand that this is entirely on your terms. We only do what you're comfortable with, and you can stop at any time."

I nodded, feeling a small measure of relief at his words.

"Let's start by talking about boundaries," Maddox continued. "Are there any specific things you know you're not comfortable with?"

I thought for a moment, memories of my time with Jeremy flashing through my mind. "I don't want to be restrained," I said quietly. "Or punished. And I...I'm not ready for anything sexual."

Maddox nodded solemnly. "Absolutely. Those are all completely off the table unless you explicitly say otherwise. Anything else?"

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