Page 35 of The Menagerie

“’Kay. I’m mostly familiar with padded cuffs, but we can try out some of the other stuff.”

At Mal’s nod, Rowan types out a note to remind himself to do some research later on. He’d been particularly interested in reading about shibari before he’d joined, and he can only imagine how good Mal would look with ropes digging into his skin.

“Do you like being tied down to stuff or just tied up so you can’t move?”

“Both. Depends on what we’re doin’. But it goes with the whole manhandling thing. You tie me up and throw me around, I’m gonna be ready to blow pretty much immediately.”

Fuck.

Mal continues, “Though it’s equally satisfying to be held in place and not given what I want.”

“Yeah. For sure.” Jesus, this guy really is gonna kill him. “What about other kinds of toys?”

“’M good with most stuff. Plugs and beads are my favorite. Dildos every once in a while, but I like the real thing better. I’m good with, like, nipple clamps, pumps, and gags too, but nothin’ that causes a lot of pain. And no fuckin’ chastity devices or CBT either.”

Rowan stops writing. He knows what chastity cages are, but, “CBT?”

“Cock and ball torture.”

Involuntarily, Rowan winces. “Eww, yeah, all set with that.”

“Good. Some Doms wanna show how fuckin’ tough they are by causin’ pain. Which is fine if the sub’s into it, but usually they’re just lookin’ for a reason to be a dick.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Rowan catches Mal’s eyes, decides—unrelatedly—to change the background color of his list to golden yellow. “Seemed like you liked dirty talk too.”

Mal downs the rest of his water. “Gotta. That’s half the fun.”

“What kind do you like best?”

“Got a bit of a humiliation and degradation kink, but nothin’ extreme. Praise too, but prob’ly after we get to know each other better. Kinda fuckin’ disingenuous or whatever right off the bat.”

Rowan forces himself not to drool at Mal’s words. Even though it’s turning him on, he can’t help but be a bit embarrassed by how he’d talked Mal down at the end of the gangbang. It clearly wasn’t a dealbreaker at least. And was probably more of an exception to that rule given that it was a part of what Rowan thought he might need for aftercare and not part of the scene itself.

“How about outfits or role-play?” That’s an area Mal hasn’t touched on yet.

“Outfits, yeah. Not usually something I like to bring up right away, but since you asked, I like jockstraps a lot. Panties too, if I’m in a certain kinda mood.”

“Oh.”Fuck.The mental of image of Mal in a jockstrap or lacy panties sears itself into his mind. He’s absolutely going to be jerking off to it later.

“That a good ‘oh’?”

Rowan remembers how to swallow after a few seconds. “Yeah. Very good.”

“You bi? I like panties, but I ain’t a chick.”

“I’m gay. I’m not into overly femme guys, but I bet you’d look fuckin’ hot in pretty much anything.”

He watches Mal’s eyelids half close, gold barely showing through the sultry gaze. Like he knows exactly how fucking hot he is and exactly how much he’s affecting Rowan with a few suggestive words.

“Not into role-play, though,” he says, snapping Rowan back to himself. “We can do somethin’ if you’re into it, but it’s usually too fake for me.”

“N-no, not really. I’m good.”

“’Kay.” Mal pauses, then states casually, “Big into choking too, but that’s obviously off the table for us.”

Rowan nearly drops his phone. He knew it.

Mal had practically melted into him when he’d so much as grazed his fingertips over his neck. The thought of actually getting to apply pressure and feel his pulse in his fingertips and watch his eyes roll back—fuck. He wants it. But it’s unrealistic to expect it, and not only because it’s forbidden at the club. Choking and breath play is the ultimate sign of trust in a Dom/sub relationship, at least to Rowan. Your partner’s life isliterallyin your hands.

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