Page 72 of The Deals We Make

“Yes,” I say. “I’m utterly overwhelmed, Ti. But I don’t want you to feel like you need to make me your problem. And I have funny feelings about learning to rely on you when this has an expiration date on it.”

Ti reaches for my chin and turns me so I face him. “How about you let me worry about me? I have an idea. One to turn your brain off. Do you trust me?”

I sing. “What about everything I just said?”

“I heard it. I’m processing it. But nothing I think of is going to change what I want to do next. Do you trust me?”

“I do.”

He nods. “Get out of the truck, Cal. When we get inside, I don’t want to hear anything from you. ‘Red’ is your safe word.”

It’s impossible to process the last few minutes. That he wants to be here. That he wants me to trust him. Butred.

“I’m going to need a safe word?”

Ti smiles in a way that heats my bones. “Hopefully not. It’s a precaution.”

“I’m going to need more details than that. Like, you’re not going to whip me or anything wild, are you?”

Ti shakes his head. “You need a procedural manual, or are you just going to trust that I don’t want to hurt you?”

I shake my head. “In business, I normally negotiate and sign everything before I do anything with anyone.”

“Then this should be a good learning experience for you, that sometimes you can trust another person to take care of you.”

“I thought in most kink conversations, there’s meant to be a lot of conversation and negotiation beforehand.”

He grins. “Usually is. I feel like whatyouneed is to be absolved of all that and just let go because I got you.”

“So, you’re saying this is the sexual equivalent of a trust fall?”

Ti laughs, a deep, throaty rumble. “Sure, it’s a fucking trust fall, babe. Now, get out of the truck.”

I do as he says, but the cool trickle of nervous excitement flows through me. First, I have a very strong suspicion that I’m about to have sex with the man who got me enough out of my head to come twice. And second, there’s a nervous sexual anticipation as to why I need a safe word.

When we reach the door, he unlocks it, but before he pushes it open to let us inside, he says, “Not a word, remember?”

I nod. My mouth is so dry, I’m not sure I could formulate a sentence anyway.

He steps in and switches off the alarm, then closes the door behind me.

The first shock is that Ti undresses me once we’re inside. He drops to his knees to remove my boots, but he doesn’t stop there. I glance around, checking every window, and find that no one can see me.

The second is, he remains clothed as he takes my hand and leads me down the hall to the end room with the closed door, which I had assumed was another guest bedroom.

And it is…of sorts.

There is a bed, but it’s pushed up against one wall. What occupies the center of the space is a round platform. And around it and above it is a series of pulleys and hooks.

And on the wall, on hooks, is red rope and red ribbons.

“You’re—”

“Knees, babe.”

Oh, God. I’m not supposed to talk.

He’s going to tie me up, suspend me, and do who knows what to me.