Page 2 of The Sadist and the Brat

“He stops.” Sadie flung her hands up, then let them fall. “Just…stops. I had to remind him that he’s not supposed to do that unless I use my safeword, but he can’t seem to help himself.”

“Ensuring consent is not a bad thing,” Olivia began.

“No, but still. Once I squealed, because he bit my neck while he was doing me from behind? And hestopped fucking me to ask if I was okay.”

Olivia snickered. “Damn, that’s awkward.”

“Right?” Sadie sighed. “He’s a good guy, but I think we’ve had all the fun we’re going to.”

Olivia reached over to pat Sadie’s knee. “I’m sorry if you are.”

“I’m not, really. I’ll miss the beatings, and the regular sex, but that’s why God invented vibrators.”

“What about the beatings?”

“Eh.”

“Eh?” Olivia’s eyebrows shot up. “What does ‘eh’ mean?”

Sadie shrugged. “I haven’t been that interested in playing lately. I’m…bored.”

“Really?”

“After a while all the spankings start to blur together, you know?”

“Um, no.”

“Oh, what do you know? You’re blissfully in love.”

“And my man is inventive,” Olivia said with a smug smile.

Sadie shook her head. “Such a bitch.”

“You know, maybe it’s not the spankings that are boring,” Olivia ventured.

“I know. It’s the men.”

“I don’t think it is, actually.”

“Surely you’re not suggestingI’mboring.”

“Not exactly.”

“Not exactly?” Sadie repeated slowly and narrowed her eyes in mock menace.

Olivia’s lips twitched, but her gaze was steady. “It’s kind of hard to have anything more than a superficial experience if you never let yourself connect with someone.”

“I connect,” Sadie protested.

“But do you let yourself be vulnerable?”

“I’m a single submissive,” Sadie said, trying not to sound defensive. “I have to be careful.”

“No argument,” Olivia said. “But if you want more than pickup scenes and fuck buddies, you’re going to have to trust someone.”

“It’s not that easy,” Sadie protested.

“I know,” Olivia said, a wealth of understanding in her hazel eyes. “I know it isn’t.”

---