Page 50 of S is for…

It was a naive and romantic emotional reaction to the small moment they’d shared last weekend.She squashed the feeling, and refused to dwell on it.Or admit that she’d thought about that kiss at least twice a day for the past week, much to her own chagrin.

Diann had stopped when she spotted him, but Julen kept coming, until he was less than an arm’s length away, his gaze serious and focused on her face.

“Julen.”She forced herself to sound calm and collected rather than stupid and breathless.

“Diann.”

The implications behind him being here, outside the Subs’ Garden, finally hit her.

“Oh.”She swallowed against the disappointment.“I actually have to go.”She pointed up, though there was no intercom system above her, only sky.“I got a summons.”

She realized she’d phrased that like a legal term, rather than “I was called” or “I’m meeting someone.”To be fair, the intercom announcement did use the word summons.

“I know.”Julen raised a hand toward her, but paused, confusion or uncertainty crossing his features.“I’m the one who summoned you.”

Diann exhaled in relief.“Oh good.I thought when I saw you here…”

Now Julen smiled, just a little.“You were hoping we’d be paired tonight?”

She fought the urge to prevaricate and sidestep.She wanted to scene with Julen, and admitting that meant being vulnerable.Outside of an active BDSM scene, Diann found it deeply difficult to be emotionally vulnerable.The urge to avoid the question was strong, but she didn’t want to lie to Julen, even if it was with a sidestepping comment.

“Yes,” she said simply.

“Good.”

To her surprise he turned so they were facing the same direction, and offered his elbow.

Diann slid her arm around his, and together they walked through the club to the Iron Court.Each step weighed a little bit more than the ones before, and her breaths were slow and deep by the time he unlocked their playroom.

Julen hesitated, one hand still on the knob.She released his arm, not sure why he’d stopped moving, but assuming he needed his arm back.

Without looking, Julen grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together.

Diann felt the touch along every nerve in her body.Her scalp prickled and her toes curled inside the simple slippers.

Okay, this was getting ridiculous.She wasn’t a teenager holding hands with a boy for the first time while her hormones raged.She also wasn’t new to BDSM, and hyper-sensitive to every touch from a Dom because of it.

There was no reason for her to be this tuned to Julen.

He backed out and closed the door.Diann arched a brow.

“We should talk and plan first without all the…stuff.”

He sounded almost flustered.It was distressingly cute.

“Do you want to go get a drink?”she asked.

Julen finally looked at her, assessing.“You don’t sound particularly excited by that idea.Don’t like drinking before a scene?”

“No, a pre-scene drink is nice.I just…” She arched a brow at him.

His gaze darkened as it slid from her eyes to her lips, and lower to the V of the robe that showed off her sports-bra cleavage.

“I want to make sure I know you before we start.”

She melted a little inside.“Just because I like a pretty extreme form of submission doesn’t mean I won’t tell you what I need during.”

He hesitated, and she had to admire him for his caution.He’d fucked up with Laney last weekend.She could have reminded him that Peter had fucked up with her, but rather than quietly using her safe word, Diann had gotten in his face.Maybe if she promised to get in Julen’s face, or slap him the way she hadn’t slapped Peter, he’d feel better.

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