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“Then what?”

“Well, we go from there.”

Even if she had the collar on, I think Kathleen would still pull away from me and contemplate the underside of my covers. “Let me think about it.”

“All right.”

When she doesn’t answer me for a few minutes, I join her beneath the covers and snake my arms around her, bringing her as close to me as I can.

“You okay?”

“No.”

“What now?”

She doesn’t resist me, but I can tell I’m not her favorite person. “Where are we going from here, Ira?” Fuck my life, she brings this up every other day. “Okay, so once I’m ‘trained,’ what does that mean? It doesn’t mean I’m a sub.”

“You’re my sub.”

It’s dark beneath the covers, but I still see her eyes staring back at me. “No, I’m not.”

“Huh?”

The covers pop up, and we’re hit with the light of the room. Kathleen’s hair is tangled, her body sweaty, and her thighs in desperate need of soaking in my tub. We don’t move. Not until I hear her out.

“You’re not training me to no longer be a Domme. I’m not making a radical shift in my life. I like subbing for you, Ira, but that doesn’t mean I want my life to revolve around it. I don’t even want our sex life to revolve around me wearing that collar. It’s an addition, not a lifestyle.”

“That’s what I meant…” Isn’t it?

“No, it’s not.”

Apparently not!

“You going to put words in my mouth, love?” I tease her, but I mean it. “I don’t think of you as a submissive woman. Far from it. I’m supposed to be helping you, remember?”

“Like you don’t get anything out of it.”

“Of course I do. Who said I didn’t like you submitting to me? I’ve fantasized about it long enough.” I hope this isn’t going where I dread it’s going.

Fuck me. It is.

Kathleen pinches my nipple. I wince, batting her hand away without a thought. “You get to pinch me, but I don’t get to pinch you.”

We’re silent.

“You’re the one who came to me, Katie. I don’t recall ever going to you and asking for you to dominate me.”

“I know. I just want you to know my thought processes.”

“Fair enough.”

“Ugh.”

“What?”

She pushes away from me, tossing back the covers and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her naked body glows in the light. The shine of sex. The sheen of a woman who should be relaxed and enjoying life.

“I hate it when people say that. ‘Fair enough.’ Gee, thanks for deigning my words intelligent enough to grace your ears. Thanks for dismissing everything I said at the same time.”