Page 32 of Daddy's Naughty Dog Trainer

"And is that a bad thing?" I ask, genuinely wanting to know.

He considers this, his pace slowing. "No," he says finally. "It's terrifying. But not bad."

I laugh softly. "Well, that's something, I guess."

Sean stops walking, turning to face me fully. "I want to try, Jessica. To be less rigid. Less controlling. I can't promise I'll be good at it right away, but I want to try. In the bedroom, I am going to dominate the hell out of you, princess. But, I’m willing to let go of some of the day to day control. To loosen up a bit. I want this to work."

The simple sincerity in his words touches me deeply. "That's all I'm asking for. That we try. Together."

He reaches for my hand, entwining our fingers. "I might need you to let me know if I’m crossing boundaries. I promise not to send you a color coded schedule of how I see our relationship progressing," he says.

We resume walking, hand in hand now, Lucky trotting happily ahead of us. The silence between us is comfortable, charged with possibility rather than tension.

"So," Sean says eventually, a hint of his familiar commanding tone returning, "about our arrangement."

"What about it?" I ask, pulse quickening at the shift in his voice.

"The rules, the dynamic we were exploring." His eyes meet mine, darkening slightly. "Is that something you still want?"

Heat floods my body at the memory of our last intimate encounter. "Yes," I admit. "That part was working very well."

A satisfied smile curves his lips. "I thought so too."

"But," I add quickly, "with some adjustments."

"Such as?"

"Clear separation between that dynamic and our regular relationship. When we're..." I search for the right words, "scening, you're in charge. Outside of that, we're equals."

He nods, considering this. "That seems reasonable."

"And," I continue, emboldened, "no using the Daddy Dom dynamic to shut down real discussions or disagreements."

"Agreed," he says readily. "Anything else?"

I think for a moment. "Regular check-ins. To make sure we're both still good with everything. That the boundaries are working."

"Communication," he summarizes. "Always important."

"Exactly."

He squeezes my hand gently. "I can work with those terms, princess."

The heat in his eyes as he looks at me sends a pleasant shiver down my spine. "Good to know, Daddy."

We complete our circuit of the park, the conversation shifting to lighter topics. By the time we reach my car, I’m relaxed and feeling good about us. I can’t wait to catch the girls up on the situation. Even if that means eating crow for overreacting and jumping to conclusions.

"Would you like to come over later?" Sean asks, his voice carefully neutral despite the heat in his eyes. "For dinner. Nothing more, if you're not ready."

"Dinner sounds nice," I say finally.

"Seven o'clock?" he suggests. "I'll make pasta."

"Perfect." I smile up at him, suddenly feeling shy again. "See you then."

He bends down, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. "I'm looking forward to it."

Later, as I shower and change for our dinner date, I find myself feeling cautiously optimistic.

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