Page 21 of Risky Bet

“You don’t feel duped or anything do you?”

She shook her head. “I had a feeling you knew how to play fairly well, or you wouldn’t have made me the bet that you did.”

He gave her a sheepish grin. “It wasn’t a sure thing that I could beat you, just so you know.”

“Poker is never a sure thing. I knew the risks. But really, for me there were no risks other than to my ego.”

“You talk about your dad in the past tense is he out of the picture?”

Rylee grimaced. “He’s in prison for fraud among other things. It’s complicated. My mom doesn’t speak to him, but I visit when I can.”

Memphis nodded, and Rylee knew he wasn’t sure what to say.

“It’s fine. I know it’s weird,” she said with a tense smile.

“So, let’s talk ground rules,” he said abruptly changing the subject.

“Probably something we should have talked about before we started making bets. But OK.”

He scowled at her. “Don’t be a smart ass or we’ll start this negotiation off with a punishment. We’re doing something unconventional here, and we’re both learning as we go.”

She nodded and sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Ground rules,” he said again as he leaned over and put his glass on the side table. “We talked a little about your hard limits, but what about soft limits?”

“This nudity thing is definitely on the list,” she muttered. “It’s off-putting.”

He reached down and tweaked a nipple. “That’s kind of the point, Ace.”

She just frowned despite the jolt of desire his touch sent straight to her clit.

“Any other soft limits?”

“This part is hard for me,” she said with a shrug. “I’m not new to the lifestyle, but I’m also not super involved. I’ve been to a handful of parties and I get kinky with the sex partners who let me, but it’s nothing too complicated.”

“So, you might say you’re learning as you go?” he asked with a wink.

She blushed and dropped her head. “Yeah. I guess so. What about you? What are your limits?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “What a delightful question. I don’t think I’ve ever had a sub ask me for mine before. There aren’t many. I don’t share my subs. Blatant lies are a deal breaker, and I think the rest of our limits align. I’m not a sadist. I don’t want to see you suffer. I do like to cause a bit of pain with the end result being pleasure, and I do enjoy challenging my subs. And I don’t have an issue punishing subs who disobey.”

“What kind of challenges?”

He grinned. “I guess you’ll have to just wait and see.”

“What do dominance and kink do for you?” she asked as she drank more of the wine. It seemed to make her bold.

“Aside from really great sex? That’s really the key thing. Finding unique ways to exert power for the purposes of intense pleasure for both of us. The trust involved automatically means our connection is going to be stronger, and the sex is going to be hotter.”

“I guess I can see that. So why have rules and punishments at all? Why not just fuck my brains out multiple times a day?”

He grinned. “The trust, Ace. We both hold so much power when we play these games, and that power is definitely a turn on.”

The conversation lulled, and they drank their wine in silence.

“How long have you lived in Vegas?” she asked, unable to bear the quiet any longer.

“Technically, about forty-eight hours.” Her eyebrows knitted together at his response and he chuckled.

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