“Yeah.” I sighed and nodded.
I kind of like her too.
I wasn’t the type of man to fall in love with someone. I never believed that two people could experience a feeling so intense that it made them forget everything else. The women I normally ended up with were damaged in some way and needed a dominant man. They needed the support that a loving touch could bring, and nurturing to find their way back from whatever darkness they allowed to seep into their soul. That was where I thrived. It kept me from having to compromise my own needs, but there was no future in that kind of relationship. It was a step they had to take, and once they were balanced on two feet, they no longer needed me. Even the ones that needed to be broken were only looking for the darkness so they could see the light.
Perhaps it was my own inability to love that caused me to end up with women like that. Love was too fucking complicated. I saw what love did to Shane. If I needed convincing, his life was enough to make me avoid it at any cost. He fell head over heels and when it was all said and done, the only thing he got was a pile of ashes that used to be the flames of love. Nothing about that appealed to me. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Brianna—I definitely did. The night was about something different than love, though. It was about discovery, tasting her own desires, and feeling them bloom in the depths of her innocence. When that was done, I had no idea what we would be left with, but I didn’t think it would be anything more than a memory.
Maybe one day I’ll look for more, but that’s not what this is about.
“All right, man, are you going to go talk to her?” Shane finished his beer and sat the empty beer bottle on the table.
“Yeah, she should be rested by now.” I nodded and got to my feet.
Hopefully she doesn’t run like she did the first time I tried to tap into her submissive side.
* * *
“Ah, you got dressed again.” I walked into the room we had converted into a makeshift locker room and found Brianna sitting up on the bench.
“I can’t keep being a naughty cheerleader if I’m running around with no costume on.” She looked up at me and smiled.
“Good point.” I sat down on the bench and reached for her hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Her smile got a little wider. “I knew that if I walked through the front door again, I definitely wasn’t going to be a virgin when I left.”
“Every room in this Funhouse is designed for you to dive deeper into parts of yourself that you may not fully understand. If it gets to be too much, or there’s something that you’re uncomfortable with, let us know and we’ll stop.” I squeezed her hand. “If it stops being fun, all you have to do is say turn on the lights and everything will immediately come to a halt.”
“You’re giving me a safeword?” She raised her eyebrows and chuckled. “You must have some pretty interesting stuff planned.”
“Things that I believe you will enjoy, but I don’t want to actually hurt you. You can say no as much as you want and beg for us to stop as a part of your fantasy, but we’ll keep going until we hear that phrase.” I lifted my hand from hers and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.
“Okay, I understand.” She nodded and smiled. “If it’s anything like what happened in here, I doubt I’ll be saying anything like no or stop.”
“This will get a little darker from here, but I believe that you’ll discover things about yourself you never knew you could enjoy.” I let my hand graze the side of her face as I lowered it.
“You’ve done stuff like this for other girls?” She tilted her head to the side.
“Not quite like this.” I chuckled and shrugged. “Shane and I got the idea while we were in college, and we brought a few fantasies to life, but those girls already knew what they wanted. This one is a little different than what we’re used to.”
“Why, because I’m weird?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Or did you just need a clever way to take my virginity?”
“No.” I slowly stood and shook my head. “You’re special, Brianna. I hope you see that before the night is over.”
I realize that now. Tonight has to be absolutely perfect.
“So what happens next?” She looked up at me. “Do I just stay here and wait for you two to come back?”
“No, once I leave this room, you need to find something naughty to do. The next time you see one of us, the Funhouse will be back in session. We won’t have any more breaks to discuss things like this, so if there’s a problem, you know what to say.” I tilted my head and chuckled.
“Yes, thank you.” She smiled and nodded. “Hopefully the lights can stay off. I’ve definitely had a lot of fun so far.”
“I hope so too, but don’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with.” I walked towards the door and slowly exhaled.
It’s time to find out whether or not that naturally submissive nature is ready to come out and play.
The next room was already set up, and it would just be Shane and Brianna. I designed it with a dual purpose in mind. I wanted to give Brianna a taste of what was coming before the night was over, and I wanted to help Shane get back in touch with the dominant man he used to be. His desires would never be as strong as mine, but he needed to start embracing them again in order to finally heal the wound his ex-wife left when she divorced him.
He was right when he said Brianna was special. I was blinded to it at first, but my eyes were starting to open. She was hesitant to delve into her fantasies, and that was okay, but the barrier was finally down. Even if she didn’t totally understand her desires, she knew they were there—and she knew what her body craved. Watching those desires come to life in her beautiful honey-colored eyes was going to be intoxicating.