Page 67 of Volatile

“Thank you.”

He opened the door for her, and she slumped inside. She looked exhausted like she’d burned through every last drop of adrenaline.

After he was inside as well, he turned towards her, but she wouldn’t look in his direction. She kept her eyes plastered to the windshield.

“Nothing about that session with the three of us worked out the way I’d hoped, but that doesn’t mean we can’t move on from it, Ivy. We can find a way to rebuild what we had.”

“Oh sorry. Didn’t you get the memo by now? I’m not submissive.”

“I’m not asking you to be.”

“And I’m not in the market to be dominated.”

“I just want back what we had, Ivy. I enjoy you for you, and you sure as hell seemed like you were enjoying me for me. I’ll say it as much as I need to: Yes, I consider myself a Dominant, but I’m also the same man you’ve been happy with. This shouldn’t change anything.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Jonathan, because it changes everything. Finding out about you is too much for me to handle.”

“So you had no problem accepting what I’ve done in my past, but this is too much?”

“I can accept mistakes, but being... what you are is a conscious choice. You don’t have to treat women this way, but it’s what you like. And that’s what I can’t deal with.”

“I disagree.”

She finally looked at him, and he wanted so badly to pull her closer.

“It’s not a choice; it’s who I am. Just as Lily can’t change her nature, I can’t either. I’ll always have that need in me. Not to mistreat women, but to treasure them.”

“By treasure you mean control.”

“I would never force anyone against their will. If it’s not offered to me freely, I don’t take it.”

“But you brainwash them to think that’s what they want. It’s convoluted.”

“No, I give them what they need, and in return, I get what I need.” She turned her face towards the side window. “Look, I imagine it’s difficult for you to understand. You’re not submissive and don’t have those same types of drives. But we can still make this work, Ivy. I know you feel for me the same way I do for you. Nothing has changed there.”

“If what you say is true, that this dominance thing is something you can’t change, then how can you be happy with someone who’s not submissive?”

It was probably the most genuine thing she’d said so far, and there was no disgust in her voice. He wanted to honor that with a sincere response. He rested his hand on hers, and to his surprise, she didn’t yank it away.

“Every Dom has their own way. I’m considered different than some because I don’t use physical restraints or punishment as a means to exert my dominance, except in a play setting.” She flinched a bit at that but didn’t speak. “What I look for in a partner is true commitment. That’s my control. That’s what keeps them bonded to me. I want them to please me because it pleases them deeply. I want them to remain locked in one position for a long length of time so I can give them inconceivable pleasure, not because they’re tied up and unable to move. Questions so far?”

She looked at him with a scrunched-up face. “About the other women you’ve pleasured? Yeah, no thanks.”

“About anything.” She shook her head. “I would never hurt or degrade you, Ivy. Physically, mentally, or emotionally. I don’t get off on inflicting hard pain. I won’t mark your body unless it’s during the wild sex you’re so fond of.”

“Jonathan....” She bit down on her bottom lip.

“I’m just stating the facts. We’re highly compatible in bed. It’s much easier to build around the passion than to try and create it out of a lack of chemistry.”

He ran his thumb over the top of her hand. “I won’t tell you what to think or how to act because that’s not what you need. But I do require respect, just like in any good relationship. And while I think my collar around your neck would be sexy as hell, I would never make you do something you’re against. And as long as the world knew you were mine in every way, I could accept that. The only non-negotiable is protecting you. I need to know you’ll listen to me when it comes to your well-being. With a submissive it’s easier because they want to be owned. But with you, if you’ll just trust in me enough to keep you safe, that’s all the power I’ll need.”

“Owned? That’s how you’re going to convince me this stuff’s okay?”

“Would it make you feel better to know that you’d be owning me right back?”

“I don’t think it works that way.”

“It works exactly that way. And if it didn’t, we could change it to whatever we wanted. We make the rules. I know we haven’t been together long, but it’s long enough for me to want to see where this goes. I want to explore what we could be, Ivy.”

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