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Now Arlene was sitting down on my couch after I refused to let her help get stuff from the kitchen.

“Your place looks so cozy.”

“It’s just a place.” I shrugged. I hadn’t put a lot of thought into decorating it, either. It was cozy, but that was mostly due to the landlord’s furbishing and a few trinkets Ben had blackmailed me into putting up. “I mean, your place is cozy, too.”

Hers looked more intentional, too. Was that something I should’ve mentioned when I visited?

Ugh.

There definitely was something behind the taunts that I didn’t know how to socialize with others.

“Yeah. I like soft things.” She blushed as she said the words.

Admittedly, I was too busy noticing the way her hair still looked perfectly styled while I had to tie up mine in a bun before we left the diner.

“That suits you.”

It suited her a lot, actually. I kept my musings to myself, though, and just placed the two plates and forks on the coffee table.

My couch was big enough to where we could both sit down comfortably with plenty of personal space, so don’t ask me why I sat right next to her, where our thighs touched. I noticed the way her breath hitched for a second. I was about to pull back, to pretend I always intended to sit three inches away. But then she looked at me, and her lips parted, and she smiled, and…

And apparently anxious, not very experienced women were my Kryptonite and gave me all kinds of clichéd butterflies.

“I…” Arlene started speaking, but she stopped. Her eyes darted downwards. “I don’t know what’s acceptable here. Which, might sound super inappropriate, and I’m sorry?—”

“Do you want to kiss me?” I had to ask.

“Do you?”

Why was she so surprised? Kissing was nice.

I ignored the fact that I didn’t usually feel so attached to the idea of kissing someone. “I really do.”

Arlene swallowed. I held my breath until she bobbed her head up and down. I didn’t take the lead often, but I liked that it wasn’t even up for debate that I would here.

I understood it was only a kiss, but power still surged through me. I sat straighter, leaned closer. My hands found her shoulder, then traced her jawline.

“Is this okay?”

The air grew charged around us. Arlene nodded again. I hovered over her for a few seconds. I liked this kind of foreplay, teasing with anticipation and expectations. It didn’t come from a cruel place, though.

My lips connected with hers. She was soft, immediately pliant beneath me. I guessed we didn’t have to wonder where she fell in the D/s spectrum. The thought made me grin against her lips as I nudged her toward the back of the couch.

She complied after letting out a soft moan. Her cheeks reddened right away. It made me want to tease her further. I ran a hand through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. She looked at me through hooded eyes, her lips parted.

I studied every line on her face, memorizing it. It was a simple kiss, almost innocent, but Arlene was so open in her reactions that someone else might think I was doing much more than I really was.

It was mesmerizing.

“What’s…?” Arlene swallowed. Her body tensed for a second. I pulled back right away, my head tilted to the side. “I don’t know what to do with my… hands, or anything else.”

A self-deprecating laugh followed her words.

Shit.

“What do you need to know?”

It was hard, but I managed to focus on my breathing, to keep steady. I appreciated her questions—a lot. It wouldn’t work if I shut down. I wanted her to ask.