“You’re talking, but I’m not sure I understand what you’re trying to tell me,” James Said

“Have you ever been with subs who top from the bottom? And I don’t mean purposefully manipulative.” Mikael stressed that point.

James was slightly surprised by the question, but nodded. “I have. Though I don’t let them do it for long.”

“Why do they do it? Why do they try to control the play even as they give up control of their body?”

“They’re not ready. They don’t trust the Dom. They don’t know how to let someone else be in command.”

“Possibly, but it’s also a way to make sure their needs are met. It’s human instinct—they’re making sure they get what they desire.”

“That’s fair, though a well negotiated scene should guarantee that everyone’s needs are met.”

“And what if the sub doesn’t negotiate?”

“You mean what if they rely on their checklist alone?”

“No, I mean what if the submissive won’t, or doesn’t, tell the Master what they want?”

James sat back and considered. “Then it is up to the Dom to discover what they really desire and need.”

“Exactly.”

kind of emotional interrogation is not

But you’re good at it. I heard about what happened with Xavier and Mae. If you hadn’t talked to Mae, helped her figure out her feelings, would she

barely made it

could read

the sideboard. Maybe it wasn’t

ask is that you do the same with this sub. Don’t take her at face value.

Who was Mikael talking about? He thought he knew most of the members of

“Open it.”

peeled back the

* * *

in D.C. He missed California weather. He

jerk of the head when they looked away. His appearance was just another tool in his arsenal. When he

two cellphones and

“That’s me.”

chairperson wanted

to help maintain or increase funding

had lunch with his mother, one of the most powerful women in Washington even in her sixties, then headed for the offices of

* * *

the windows, making her office a well decorated sauna. She longed for the cool of the evening. She longed for

highs, princess dog collars, frilly panties, and white leather restraints embossed with black hearts. The rapidly growing empire drew a wide variety of buyers, from those steeped in the “Daddy/little” subculture where it had

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