Page 49 of A Lesson In Beginning

“I rarely am, love.” The endearment surprised me, and I flushed slightly under the term.

“Is that how you are, as a Dominant?”

“Say more.” He eyed me curiously.

“Do you use beatings as punishment?” Barely able to keep my voice from shaking, I did my best to push down my worry at what his answer might be.

“No. I’m a pleasure Dom. I choose pleasure over pain. Some pain can be fun, in the right ways, but I am not one who enjoys physical punishment of a painful nature.”

“Do you use punishment?”

“Yes, in a way. I prefer to use the term correction, or consequences. But all of that is easily negotiated.” His answer subdued the worry inside of me, if only for now.

“Which brings us back to this negotiation process.”

“So, you want to continue?” The gleam of hope shone brightly in his eyes, and the corners of my lips lifted just a little in response.

“Let’s just say you’re not the only one thinking about kissing.” My admission came with the price of a brilliant blush, although I was sure he didn’t mind. No, Joel Whitlock seemed quite keen to enjoy the crimson proof of his effect on me.

“Then let’s continue.”

CHAPTER 16

“So, you’re going through with it?” Talia’s excitement at the announcement of my budding dynamic with Joel was palpable.

“I am. I swear, I haven’t stopped blushing since I left the cafe yesterday.” I brushed my fingers over the apples of my cheeks, the slight heat there a telltale sign of the nearly ever-present flush I had sported in the last twenty-four hours.

“You are in a dynamic! That’s so exciting, Adah! And such an enormous step.”

“Well, not a real dynamic.” I pushed her words aside, my eyes quickly moving back to where Samuel and the children were playing in front of us on a soft blanket. It was the perfect day for a park outing, the light breeze a welcome memory of the now fading warmer summer temperatures. I was grateful the park was relatively quiet, our children able to play without fear of being pushed down by bullies or swarms of woefully unsupervised children.

“What do you mean, not a real dynamic?”

“It’s a trial. That’s how he worded it. We’ll do a scene together soon and see how things go. We are giving it two weeks, and then we will discuss things again, to make sure we are both getting what we want out of it.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“Good, honestly. It feels safe. He seems to really respect me. After our meeting, I sat down with Ruth and Levi to discuss the particulars. I wanted to be sure I wasn’t getting myself into something potentially problematic. I have to admit, it was incredibly embarrassing to discuss such intimate things with them.”

“But it’s good you did. Having something to kind of check you is something many wish they’d had when they started out. We got lucky with our men, but not everyone has that.”

“What did Ruth call it?”

“What did I call what?” Ruth called out as she walked back over to us from where she had been playfully chasing Theo around. She blew a strand of hair out of her face and sat unceremoniously, taking a long sip of water from her bottle.

“What did you call what you and Levi are to me?”

“Protectors, or mentors. I swear, those children are going to run me ragged by the time the snow falls. I’m exhausted, and I’ve only been running around with them for twenty minutes. I’m out of shape.”

“Those kids are just energy incarnate, running around in cute, tiny forms.”

“So, when is your first scene? Are you guys doing it at The Temple?” Talia seemed unable to be deterred from the discussion of my dynamic for more than a few seconds at a time.

“Oh, goodness no! I could never do something so intimate, so publicly. We haven’t decided on location. He wanted me to discuss that with Ruth and get back to him later this evening.”

“We could always rent out one of the private rooms to the two of you for the evening.” Ruth’s suggestion had merit, and I had to admit it wasn’t a bad idea.

“That’s perfect!” Talia agreed wholeheartedly. I swore the woman was bouncing up and down in her seat like a child on Christmas morning.

---