Page 60 of Volatile

“First of all, thanks for coming,” she said to Ivy, “and for bringing me to Mr. Blazek. I was pretty reluctant in the beginning, but I feel like he’s helped me so much. I learned a lot.”

Ivy’s face beamed. “Of course, sweetie.”

Lily’s chest rose, taking her quite a while to exhale. “His name is Joshua.”

Jon gazed at Ivy; she was glowing brighter. “I’m so happy, Lily. We can finally make things right and move on. And his last name?”

“I love him,” Lily said, disregarding her question.

“That’s crazy. No, you don’t.” Ivy’s smile dropped a bit. “You’re just scared and confused.”

“No, I’m not. Please don’t tell me how I feel.” Lily glanced at Jon, and he nodded for her to continue. She was being remarkably calm. “We’ve been keeping our distance from each other, but I can’t do it anymore. My heart hurts. I miss him and want so badly to be with him again. And I need you to accept our relationship.”

“Your heart hurts? And what about the rest of your body when he’s through with you?”

“That’s not fair, Ivy.”

No, it wasn’t, but he didn’t want to intervene unless necessary. He’d rather them work this out on their own. He’d step in if things got ugly.

Ivy shot him a look. “What’s going on, Jonathan? I thought you helped her. She said so herself.”

Lily frowned, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two of them. “Um, he did, Ivy. Just maybe not in the way you would like.”

“You’re telling me you want to be with this jerk? You should have your head examined. Oh wait. That’s what you were supposed to be doing during all these sessions. Not making plans to go back to an abusive man. Again, what the hell is going on here?”

Damn it. “Ivy, settle down and let Lily say what she needs to.” Unfortunately, his time of silent observation lasted about as long as a fucking lightning strike.

“I want us to be tight again, Ivy, like we’ve always been. I need my sister, but I also need you to accept that I’m different from you and that’s okay. I’m submissive, and Joshua is my Dominant. Mr. Blazek said he explained that part about me.” Lily glanced at him, and he nodded. “But beyond that... we love each other. We deserve for our relationship to have a chance without you trying to destroy it.”

Ivy leaned closer to Lily, her voice softer. “I had a friend once in your situation. It did not end well. I couldn’t save her from nearly getting the life beat out of her, but I can definitely save you. Trust me when I say you do not want to get involved in this stuff. Please.”

“And trust me to know what I want. Joshua loves me. What we share is beautiful. He cares about my well-being, and he’d never hurt me like that.”

Ivy straightened, gripping the chair arms. “Oh really? And I suppose him choking you was just his little way of showing how much he cares.”

“It wasn’t like that. It....” Lily’s expression pleaded with Jon to explain.

“It’s called breath play,” he said, and Ivy whipped her head towards him. “It’s a practice sometimes used in BDSM to foster a greater connection between the submissive and their Dominant. By allowing the Dom to control the sub’s breathing, it displays unconditional trust. It can be a very pleasurable experience for both of them, but—”

“What the fuck?” Ivy’s mouth dropped.

“As I was saying, it can also be highly dangerous. Lily and I have discussed the risks, and she agrees it’s something she won’t be trying again. Joshua agrees as well.”

“Oh, he agrees, does he? How gentlemanly of him to agree not to strangle my sister.”

“Ivy, please,” he said.

Her last words had come out a bit hysterical. He didn’t fault her for having a hard time wrapping her head around it, but he was hoping for more discussion and fewer accusations. He realized that he was pushing her off the high dive before she knew how to swim, but he couldn’t magically transform the edge play at hand into something milder just to make it easier on her. It was what it was.

“Please, what? You were supposed to be helping her, Jonathan. Not enabling her. How can you excuse any of this? What kind of therapist are you?”

It felt like all their time together spent in tune had just gone up in a puff of smoke. Like it’d all meant shit. Obstinate Ivy was back. The one who only saw what she wanted to see and to hell with everyone else. He liked her fire, but not the destruction it caused when left to rage uncontrollably.

“He did help me!” Lily stood up. “You have no idea. He genuinely cares.”

“I’m not sure I can trust your judgment on what constitutes caring after just hearing what I did.”

Lily threw her arms up, looking defeated. She’d kept a respectable tone but probably came to the conclusion that nothing was going to change Ivy’s mind. She slumped back into her chair.

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