Page 121 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

After a lengthy explanation and plenty of examples, he seemed to have a pretty solid understanding of the concept.

“So let me make sure I understand. ‘Make me’ is code for ‘Please put me on my knees where I belong.’ And ‘I don’t believe you’ is code for ‘Please prove it so I know you’re serious and I know where the boundaries are.’ And ‘I’m in charge’ is code for ‘Please remind me that you are in charge and I am your plaything.’ Am I missing anything?”

I grinned. He was a natural brat tamer. Why the hell had he been with service subs his whole life? “Now you’re getting it. Wanna take a guess at what I mean when I say ‘you can’t make me cum?’”

His eyes flashed. “That... is a very dangerous game to play.”

“Welcome to thedanger zone!” I started dancing in my seat.

“Okay,” he said, and stood up. “I need another drink. You want one?”

“Is the sky blue?”

“What time is it, Alice?” He snapped at me.

Time to tie me down to the couch and remind me you’re in charge of me.“Time for a drink?”

“It’s eight o’clock. You have quite a few hours left of good behavior.”

“Oh... damn that coupon. I’m never giving you one of those ever again.” But I forced the words out of my mouth. “Yes, please, I would love another drink.”

He left to get us both another glass of wine, and while he was gone, his phone lit up. The caller ID said “Tricia.”

Who the fuck is Tricia?

Instantly my mind jumped back to the day I’d been lying in bed with Bruce, and I’d discovered he was cheating on me. Would Reuben do the same thing? He said he would respect my request to be monogamous–

“What’s that clever overactive brain thinking about now, hmm?” Reuben appeared by my side with a glass of wine.

I took it and looked up at him, my expression guarded. “Who is Tricia?”

“One of the girls at The Weston house, why?”

I nodded to his phone. It was buzzing again. Tricia was calling him twice in a row.

He glared at the screen, and said “Sorry Alice, this could be important.”

He set his glass down and answered the call. “Yeah... can it wait...” he straightened. “Okay... okay... no. Absolutely not. Tell him I’ll touch base with him next week when I’m in town. I’ll be there Wednesday... Well, tell him he’s not welcome, and you’ll call the cops if he... okay, put him on. Thanks Tricia.” He looked at me and covered the mouthpiece of the phone. “Keep quiet for me, okay sweetheart?”

Before I could answer, he was speaking to whoever had been put on the phone. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Pete?”

Peter Woodrow was on the other end of that phone. I could hear him talking, though I couldn’t tell what he was saying. But the quiet muffled sound of his familiar cadence was enough. My stomach dropped and I instantly felt my whole body go numb. It was like my body immediately locked myself up so that I wouldn’t feel anything, because pain was coming.

The sounds around me began to fade away, and before long, the only thing I could hear was the quiet sound of my own steady, deep breathing. In, hold, and out... in, hold, and out... In...

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