Page 24 of The Player's Club
My entire body reacted to those words like a match lit a fire. I slowly set my coffee mug down because my hands started shaking.
“Me too,” I admitted, my mouth dry.
Mac’s heated gaze seemed to see straight through me. “I thought so,” he said in a low voice.
I swallowed. My heart pounded like crazy. “So what do you want, then?” I asked.
“You saw what I liked at the club. I want that. With you.”
The thought of letting Mac tie me up, whip me, gag me, punish me—and then bring me to the heights of pleasure? My brain didn’t even know how to compute that information. My body, on the other hand? It felt ready, even if it truly didn’t know what it was getting itself into.
“You want me to be your submissive, then?” I asked.
“I want to explore things with you, yeah. But there aren’t set rules. We can make our own. I know what I like, but I want you to like it, too.” A seductive smile crossed his face. “Not just like. Love. Want with your entire being.”
“What if I want to tie you up?” I quipped.
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t be against it, if you really wanted to. But like I told you before, I prefer to be the dominant in a relationship. Do you think you could handle being a submissive? I take it that it’s something you’ve never done before. “
“No, I haven’t.” I shook my head. “And I’m not sure I could handle it, to be honest.”
“Does it appeal to you? At all?”
I lowered my gaze to my coffee mug. “Yeah,” I said softly.
“Our relationship would be discussed extensively before anything happened. I’d draw up a contract—”
“Seriously?”
Mac didn’t laugh this time. His face was dead serious. “Yeah. I don’t fuck around with stuff like this. Anyone who says they’re into BDSM but doesn’t iron out every detail has no fucking business in the community. That would be extremely risky. The contract protects both parties.”
I licked my lips. “I guess that’s reassuring.”
“As my submissive, you’d submit to whatever I wanted. But we’d discuss what your limits would be, along with a safe word.” His lips quirked up. “It’s all about pleasure in the end. Nothing is actually supposed to feel bad, even if you experience a little pain. Although submissives submit, they actually call all the shots. They get to say when they’re done or when they don’t want to do something. And aftercare is imperative after every session.”
I had to admit I was intrigued. Combined with my intense attraction to Mac, I was tempted to . . . well, submit.
Besides, if I wanted out, I could leave, right?
What about Todd?
That thought was a dash of ice water spilled over my head. Fuck me, how could I forget about my boyfriend?
Sure, lately we hadn’t been acting much like a couple. We’d barely texted since I’d returned to LA after our disastrous weekend in San Francisco.
Worst of all, I hadn’t missed Todd at all. I’d been so focused on Mac that Todd’s lack of interest hadn’t even fazed me.
“And just as important,” Mac was saying, “your privacy and mine. Neither of us would talk to anybody about our arrangement. The only reason people talk in the BDSM community is when somebody behaves badly. Otherwise, discretion is paramount.”
“That makes sense,” I replied. Lord knows, I certainly didn’t want anyone finding out about this.
I felt torn between what my body wanted and what my head thought I should do. And what would it mean for my heart if I gave in to this temptation? Would I be able to walk away unscathed?
“So?” Mac took my hand. “Thoughts?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I do have a boyfriend.”
Mac released my hand. “Right.” His expression turned grim.