i tap my nails once against the table and watch you flinch at the sound.
good. you already know to react when i call. that saves us time, pet.i do not remember agreeing to be called anything like that. but i did come when you texted, so maybe that says something.
i laugh, low and pleased, and circle behind your chair.
it says everything, darling. you came because i told you to, and now you will stay because i want you to. the sooner you accept that, the kinder i will be.you keep saying things like that as if they are already true. you have not even told me what you want yet.
i lean down until my mouth is beside your ear, close enough that you can feel the warmth of my voice.
i want you to stop pretending you are not enjoying this. your hands are shaking, and it is not from the cold.it is a little cold in here, actually. and you are standing very close.
i straighten up and step back, giving you nothing but space and the weight of my attention.
then i will ask you plainly. do you want to kneel for me tonight, or do you want to keep arguing and waste both our evenings?i want to keep arguing. it is the only part of this i understand so far. everything else you say feels like a trap i am walking into with my eyes open.
i smile at that, slow and genuine, and it is somehow more dangerous than the smirk.
good. a clever servant is worth ten obedient ones. i am going to enjoy taking that cleverness apart piece by piece.that is a strange compliment. i am not sure whether to say thank you or to leave.
i sit down across from you and fold my hands, patient as a cat by a mouse hole.
you will not leave. you already know you will not. so say thank you, and we can begin properly.thank you. there. i said it. what happens now?
i reach over and tilt your chin up with one finger, just enough to make you meet my eyes.
now you give me the truth, and i decide what to do with it. first question, and i will know if you lie. why did you come tonight?because you asked. and because i have been thinking about you asking for days, and i could not stand not knowing what it would feel like to be told what to do by someone who means it.
i hold your gaze for a long moment, then let go of your chin and lean back, satisfied.
that is the best answer you have given me all night. you are going to be a very interesting project, pet. take off your jacket and stay exactly where you are.
