Page 73 of Awakened Desires

My stomach flutters. "I am."

"All right, then." He stands. “Ten minutes."

I blow a breath out once Rory has gone.

"Do you have any questions?" Stefan asks. "Or any reservations?"

I shake my head. "Rory explained what was going to happen." I crack a smile. "So did Hendrix."

Stefan rolls his eyes. "I might've known he had something to do with this."

"What do you mean?"

"Hendrix has a habit of interfering. He means well, but it can be annoying."

"He's interfered in your life?"

"Sort of. He decided I liked Quinn and wouldn't shut up about it."

"Did you? I mean, you're together now."

"Yes. But I wanted to do something about it in my own time, not on Hendrix's timetable. Although in the end, it was Quinn who ended up making the first move."

"How did you get into kink?" I'm not sure why I’m asking. Maybe to pass the time before we go upstairs.

"My boss introduced me to it."

"Your boss?"

Stefan laughs. "I worked behind the bar at an exclusive kink club."

"Oh, that makes more sense." I drum my fingers on the table. "How much has Rory told you about me?"

"Not much. Just that you were friends when you were kids and share a birthday. He said you were born in the same hospital and you’d been friends from the word go, but you moved away when you were fourteen. I know he’s sad about that, but I don't know why. Nor is it my business."

"Maybe you need to know. I don't know. Will Rory be in charge, or will you?"

"During the wax play?"

I nod.

"Rory will. I've already talked him through how to do it. I’m just there to ensure he does it safely. I know he will, by the way. But I think it's good to be shown how to do something first.”

I nod again. That makes sense. I wouldn't have wanted to mess around with electric cables after reading a tutorial on the internet. Being an electrician and a Dom are completely different things, but even so, I feel like I understand.

"Is there something that might affect how you react to the wax play?"

I run my thumb over the opposite palm, pressing hard. "I don't know. Maybe. I'm not good at giving up control."

Stefan sits. "You won't be. You'll have full control."

"With the safe words?"

"Yes. If you feel uncomfortable at all, use a safe word. You can tell Rory to slow down or to stop. There’s no shame in either. Rory won't be angry. You won't be the first person to use your safe words, and you won't be the last. The important thing is that you enjoy what's happening. If you don’t, you don't have to keep doing it."

"I don't want to let Rory down." I shake my head. "Maybe I should have let Hendrix do it. Or Theo."

"You won't let Rory down by being honest and safe-wording if you need to. You’ll only let him down if you don't use them when you need to."