Page 20 of Pain Play

Terry chuckled, feeling a bit ridiculous. “True. And anyway, it would make more sense to do something like that in the tub.”

Phil placed his hands on his hips. “Do you think we could return to my original plan for tonight?”

Terry cleared his throat. “Yeah. Sorry. I guess I was—ow!” Terry grabbed his chest where Phil had just twisted his nipple.

“Do I have your full attention now?”

“Very full.”

Phil smirked. “Oh, you’ll be full all right. No worries there.”

“Good to know.”

“Good to know,Master. And I don’t recall asking for a response.”

“Right.” Terry shuffled on his feet before he could stop himself. “Sorry. Right, Master.”

Phil cupped his cheek, still holding his gaze. “You reallyareflustered. In the future, I expect you to come to me before you reach this level of agitation. I need to be made aware if your emotions are out of whack or if anything else is bothering you. That’s the only way I can be effective as your Master.”

The urge to reach for Phil, to bring them together so they were skin to skin, was difficult to control. They were on high protocol and he’d already messed up a couple times. He didn’t want to disappoint Phil any more than he already had.

“To be totally honest, I wasn’t aware of it myself.” He bit his lip. “At least, I don’t think I am? It’s that I’m so used to handling everything on my own, keeping my little irritations inside and trying not to make a big deal out of everything, that it didn’t occur to me that you might want to know.” Terry snorted. “I’m sure you don’t want me bugging you every five minutes just because I’m annoyed the mail is late.”

Phil shook his head. “If it’s necessary, I do.”

Terry held in a chuckle because he could tell how serious Phil was, that his words hadn’t been said lightly. But he couldn’tgrasp the why of it. He didn’t know anyone, not even his mother, who wanted to be regaled with a bunch of whining and complaining on a daily basis.

“That’s really cool of you to say, but you can’t literally mean that. You’d never have a moment to yourself.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Phil’s lips and he brushed some hair back from Terry’s face. “I do mean it. I want you to know how sincere I am, the truth of what I say. But I would also expect you to work with me on finding ways to help you cope with life’s frustrating moments. Then, when something very serious comes along, you won’t even hesitate to come to me. I guarantee that if you called and were upset because the mail was late, I’d find a way to help you make it better. Even if I was away from home, I’d give you a task or something that would take your mind off your worries so you could get some relief.” Phil rubbed Terry’s shoulder. “This is our journey together. You’re my life and first priority in everything. If you say you need me for any reason, I’ll honor that.”

Once again, Phil’s words had not only astounded him, but jacked up his emotions.I swear, if he makes me start weeping again…“Thank you. I can’t even begin to express how much that means to me. And I believe you. I know you’re not making random promises you have no intention of keeping. I figured that out right after we first got back together. It’smewho’s holding myself back right now.”

Phil’s smile grew bigger. “I can work with that. For tonight, if you agree to allow me to explore a new soft limit with you, I believe I can help you settle so you can enjoy our last couple days off before we both get back to work again.”

Terry worked extra hard to remain still. “Okay. Which soft limit is this exactly?”

At the sight of Phil’s grin, Terry was almost sorry he’d asked.

“The hot wax.”

Terry swallowed hard. “Oh yeah. That one.” He pictured it in his head. Or rather, he pictured what he’d seen on a BDSM porn site he’d visited while Phil had been out one day. The two Dom’s tormenting the sub in the film hadn’t held back, and it was clear the sub was feeling every second of it hardcore.But that was a fake scene. Not like what me and Phil share.

“Okay. I’ll agree to it. But you’ll talk me through it, right? At least this first time?”

“Yes, baby. Every step.” Phil indicated to the bed. “Go lie on your back. Then raise your arms above your head and spread your legs.”

After taking a deep breath, Terry followed Phil’s orders. He settled on the cool vinyl, the material quickly warming to his body heat. He held in a snort at the slight squeak it made against his skin as he adjusted his butt to get his back in a more comfortable position. Phil attached leather cuffs to his wrists so that his arms extended from one corner at the top of the mattress to the other. He repeated the same action with his ankles, encouraging him to open his legs as wide as he could. The bonds held Terry tightly, making him feel even more vulnerable and exposed.

Terry sucked in a sharp breath, tensing as the first thick, white candle came into view. “Uh, hold up. First question and an observation, Master.”

“Go ahead.”

“Will I need a tub of burn cream after this? And since my safeword is candle, I was thinking that might present a problem.”

The seriousness of Phil’s demeanor comforted him. Phil might joke with him on occasion during a scene, but also seemed to know when Terry needed him to be straightforward.

“Not at all. These candles are specifically manufactured for BDSM play. And I’d already considered the issue with your safeword, but thank you for reminding me. If you feel it’s a problem, then for this session you can switch to red. Is that agreeable?”