Page 63 of Stand Your Ground

Livia squeezed my hand. “We’ll take it slow.”

Marcello nodded. “That’s always the best way to begin.”

With a final wave, the couple left us, and then Livia turned to face me fully and slid her hands up over my chest before hooking them behind my neck.

“Alright, Rook. Keep those safe words handy.” She grabbed my hands and started walking backward then, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Time to play.”

Watch and Be Watched

Livia

Carter was tense as I pulled him through the main play area and down the dark hall to one of the voyeur rooms.

I could feel it in the way his shoulders squared, the way his hand twitched at his side like he wasn’t sure whether to reach for me or fold into himself. His eyes were hungry, gaze devouring everything before him, but his jaw was tight, breath shallow.

Once we were tucked behind the invisible side of the one-way mirror, I leaned in, brushing my lips near his ear, hoping my voice would anchor him.

“I brought you here to watch tonight,” I murmured. “To learn. To feel.”

His eyes flicked to mine, those golden flecks swimming in the dark brown as his pupils dilated.

“I want you to see what it looks like when people let go. When they play. When they ask for what they want without fear they’ll be punished, or laughed at, or told they’re wrong for wanting it.”

I reached for his hand, threading our fingers together, grounding him in my touch. I wasn’t usually one for a touch so intimate, but in this moment, I was not just his teacher — but his Domme in a way. I needed to make him feel safe before I brought him fully into the scene.

“You told me about Coach Leduc, about how you were made to feel like every mistake was the end of the world. You said every misstep was proof you weren’t good enough.”

His jaw twitched, but I held a long nail against his chin, not letting him look away from me.

“I want you to know that doesn’t exist here,” I whispered. “Here, you’re safe to stumble. To be awkward. To not know the answer. To ask questions. To get hard at the wrong time. To say you’re scared. To try something and change your mind.”

I squeezed his hand.

“Here, you get to feel what it’s like to fail without consequence.”

He exhaled like he’d been holding his breath since we walked through the door.

I let silence stretch between us for a beat, then added, “And maybe if you’re a good boy…” I pressed up on my toes, lips brushing his cheek as I smiled. “You’ll get to play, too.”

Carter angled his head toward my lips, and for a moment, I lost myself in how he stared at me, how his eyes were filled with an unspeakable gratitude.

I leaned in more, eyes flickering to where his lips were parted slightly.

And then I swallowed and pulled away, trailing my finger along his shoulder as I walked around to stand behind him.

“Let’s watch, shall we?”

Inside the room we were secretly gazing into, a couple had just burst through the door, both giggling and clinging to each other as the man kissed the woman and backed her into the closest wall. They knew we were there, of course — or at least, they knew there was the possibility of someone watching. That’s what the voyeur rooms were for.

Some liked to watch.

Some liked tobewatched.

For a while, Carter seemed somewhat unfazed as we gazed in at the couple. The man was dressed in a suit while the woman wore a short dress with an apron over it. As he started to undress her, they played out their scene.

“We have to hurry, my husband will be home any minute,” she panted against the man’s lips as he tore open the buttons on her dress.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this. He’s my best friend.”