Page 15 of Whatever Lola Wants

“They’re well. Engaged.”

“I hadn’t heard.” Delight made his green eyes sparkle. “They haven’t been in for a few weeks.”

“I just found out myself last night,” she told him. “Anna tells me they’ll be here tonight.”

“I’ll be delighted to be able to offer my congratulations in person.” His expression shifted, becoming subtly more reserved. “Xander had nothing but good things to say about you. He appears to hold you in very high regard.”

She absolutely needed to make time to call her old friend. “That feeling is entirely mutual.”

“He tells me you’re quite proficient with needle play?”

“It’s one of my main areas of interest, yes.”

His gaze was openly assessing now. “We have several members who’ve expressed interest in it, but no one who has any experience. It’s not one of my areas of interests.”

“People tend to have strong reactions to needles. They either love them or hate them.”

“Yes.” He tapped his fingers together, the only movement he’d made since he’d sat down. “I was planning to find a guest presenter to do a demonstration for our members sometime this summer.”

She smiled now. “I’m happy to do a demo, if you like.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. You brought your kit with you?”

“I did.” She bent and unzipped her leather bag, pulling out the case. She opened it, then set it on the desk facing him.

She sat patiently while he scanned the contents. He reached out a hand, then sent her a questioning look. She nodded, giving him permission to touch. He picked up the medical stapler, his brow raised in question.

“Stapler,” she explained. “For closing surgical wounds. Or other, more pleasurable activities.”

“Interesting,” he said with no inflection, and set it back in the case with the care of a man handling a ticking bomb.

He sat back, apparently satisfied, so she picked up the case, closed it, and tucked it back into her bag.

“What other kinds of play are you experienced in?”

She imagined he knew all that—Xander would have given him a full accounting of her skills. But he wanted to hear it from her, so she’d tell him. “I enjoy impact play, and bondage.”

“Suspension?”

She shook her head. “I don’t work with rope much. I enjoy restraints on their own, or as an added element to a scene. I like impact play, but despite my best efforts to build upper body strength, there’s only so much muscle I can put on. A heavy flogging tires me out long before a bottom is done, so I stick with things that don’t require a lot of muscle, like a cane. And I enjoy sensual play. Wax play, that kind of thing. Knives are also a particular interest.”

“You like sharp things.”

She nodded. “I like sharp things.”

“What about as a bottom?”

She hesitated, and he quirked an eyebrow. “Problem?”

She shook her head. “As a bottom, I like almost everything I enjoy as a top. But I don’t bottom like most submissives.”

“I’m intrigued.”

“I’m an escape artist.”

A gleam of amusement appeared in his eyes. “Really?”

She fought the urge to squirm, feeling uncomfortable for the first time since she’d walked into the room. And from the faint curve of his lips, he knew it. Knowing it was best, she laid it out as simply as she could.

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