Page 114 of Creatures Like Us

Iholduptheneedle and the barbell. “Are you ready, baby?”

Noah lies on his back on the bed, torso naked and splayed out for me, his dusty pink nipples mine for the taking.

I know, I know. We were supposed to be more thoughtful about this stuff. Less insane, if you will. For the record, Noah was the one to order the tools, and I didn’t even know he’d done it before he held them up this morning with a wicked smile on his lips. Needless to say, I popped a boner right there and then in anticipation of what’s about to happen. How I’m about to mark him. The vulnerability of it, the control.

I can’t help but grind against him a little as I straddle him now, watching him squirm. Once again, I’ve looped the chain around his wrists and tied them to the bedpost. I love seeing him like this—helpless and wanting—but that control he gives up to me is a gift, and I make sure to treat it as such.

My domination now comes from a different place than it used to. Not from a place of revenge, but a place of love.

“Just do it,” he says, jaw clenched tight. “Stop making me wait.”

“Why? Getting cold feet?”

“I just don’t like waiting.”

“Well, I want to savor this moment, baby. Will you let me?”

“I’d let you do anything.”

I smirk, and he smirks back, because he knows I asked the question just to have him say that.

I pinch his left nipple with my fingers—I’m wearing gloves, at least; that’s something, right? I did a fair amount of googling beforehand, but now that it’s really time to do it, I can’t help but feel a little nervous.

I try to push that nervousness aside by imagining the silver jewelry piercing through the sensitive flesh of Noah’s nipples. How sexy it’ll be playing with them. How gorgeous he’ll look.

“I want you to tell me what you feel when I do it,” I mumble, rolling the nub between my fingertips. “Describe the sensation to me, the pain. Let me hear you whimper, baby.”

“Okay,” he gasps, squirming under my grip. “I will.”

“Good boy.”

He whimpers at that, and my cock strains between my legs, the hard length of it meeting his own. I think we’re ready.

We’ve angled the floor lamp directly at the bed for better lighting. Gloves are on, the tools are disinfected, and I’ve wiped his chest clean. We should be fine. If I’d have done this a few months ago, when we were too wrapped up in each other andpretty much incapable of rational thought, I would have done without all these precautions, but we’re different now. Normal, I’m not so sure, but who even wants to be normal, anyway?

I open the clamp and close it around Noah’s left nipple. He gasps, chest heaving.

“Cold?” I ask.

“Y-Yeah.”

“Now breathe in, and you’re going to feel a little pinch.”

He inhales sharply as I slide the hollow needle through the space between the clamps. There’s more resistance than I expected at first, but once I’ve pierced the skin, it’s like cutting through butter. Adrenaline floods my veins as I push the needle through until it pops out at the other side.

Blood rushes loudly in my ears, and I feel a little dizzy. I let go of the needle, and it sticks out awkwardly on the sides. Noah stares down at his chest, breathing hard.

“Talk to me, baby,” I say. “Did it hurt?”

“Yeah,” he replies, but his voice is steady, making me feel like I’m the one who’s the most affected by this. “Yeah, it hurt.”

It’s a bit like when you see someone throw up and you feel the need to throw up yourself. That dizzy, out-of-control feeling. I have to keep focus though. I have to see this through for us both.

“I’m sliding the barbell in now. Are you ready?”

Noah nods, and I pinch the jewelry between my fingers with shaking hands. Fuck, I can’t be shaking while I do this. I have to be steady. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. We both want this. I made the suggestion, but Noah wouldn’t have ordered the tools if he didn’t want this.

Okay. Jewelry in hand, I slide it onto one side of the needle and grab the other end while I carefully slide the needle out. At the same time, I push the barbell in. Noah groans, face tightening, and when I screw on the end of the barbell, he bites his lip.