destroyed with that one sentence. “This is where you
tell me you have kids, or some incurable disease, or—”
“ It's
nothing like that,” I cut him off quickly, before his mind
wandered too far off the mark.
“ Well,
lay it on me.” Garret gestured toward me, obviously still
expecting something horrific.
“ I
want to tie you down,” my voice was small and shy.
“ That's
it?” he asked in disbelief and then let out a tense laugh. “How
much more tied down can a man be than in marriage?”
“ No,
I mean . . . I want to tie you to the bed . . . and spank you.”
His
blue eyes shot up to the ceiling as an ear to ear grin crossed his
lips. “That's it?”
“ Yes,
that's it. If you let me do it, then I'll say yes to your proposal.”
I wanted to smile back, but he had no idea what he was really in for.
“ Alright,”
Garret sighed deeply, happy. “I can eat in peace then.”
While
his nerves seemed to have calmed down, mine were still twisting my
stomach into nausea. It wasn't as simple as I had made it sound. What
I wanted from his body was far more intense than the light playful
spanking I was sure he had in mind. I yearned to hear him whimper
beneath the stroke of my hand, see his pale skin turn pink from welts
I placed on him.
“ Have
you ever let a woman tie you down before?” I asked finally,
unable to do more than bat my food around on the plate.
“ Once,”
Garret admitted. “It was fun.”
“ What
did she do to you when you were tied down?”
“ I
don't kiss and tell.” He smiled teasingly.
“ Did
she spank you?”
“ No.”
“ Did
she whip you?”
Garret
set his fork down, giving me a quizzical look. It seemed that my
point was finally sinking in. “Did you used to be some kind of
dominatrix or something?”
“ Would
it scare you if I said yes?” A wicked grin crossed my lips at
his interest.
“ I'm
not sure. I've never really been into rough play before.”
“ We
can take things slow,” I averted my eyes, afraid he might try
to back out. “Like you did with me. It took a long time before
I could tolerate your touch, but now I love it.”
“ I
don't think pain is quite the same thing.” I could tell Garret
was liking the idea less and less by the minute.
“ Have
you ever tried it?”
“ No.”
“ Then
how do you know you don't like it?”
“ I'm
not a fan of pain, in general,” he said, huffing down the rest
of his food as if he feared he might lose his appetite.
“ Well,
if you want to marry me, then you have to at least give it a try,”
I said firmly, standing to leave the table.
“ Where
are you going?”
“ To
my car. I need to get some things, and then I'll meet you in the
bedroom.”
Garret's
expression was deadpan as I left the dining room. I wasn't sure if
his unhappiness stemmed from the prospect of what was to come or from
the fact that I had left him to clear the table and do the dishes.
The truth was, standing up to him had taken everything in me. My
heart had told me to melt down and drop the subject, but my body
refused to give in. Most men said they had needs. Well, I had needs
too.
With
my night bag in hand, I waited patiently in the bedroom. Well, maybe
not patiently. My palms were sweating from anticipation of his
rejection. What would I do if he refused to agree to be handcuffed to
the bed? He would have a valid excuse not to want me to do it. After
all, at the same time I had been getting over my self-esteem issues,
Garret had been working on his trust issues. Surely, allowing me to
tie him down would push his boundaries.
My
heart thundered against my chest as I listened to Garret's footsteps
approaching. Be strong, Mia , I told myself. You're a sexy
beautiful dominant woman. You can make him bend to your will.
Garret
looked stressed as he rounded the corner, his eyes instantly landing
on my night bag, though there was no suspicion in them. It was
becoming normal for me to pack a bag when I planned on staying the
night, which
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