I chuckle at the look of surprise on her face, as beguiled by that as I am her body. “But I don’t like pushy women, Alice. Not in this guise of fucking. I need you quieter. You want to help me? Trust me.” Her shoulders roll, eyes looking anywhere but me as she takes that on board. “Pushing me will end in you not enjoying this. Not doing as I ask will end up in you not enjoying this. Being compliant will change both you and me. That’s what I’m searching for. It’s what we were in the shower, what you’re hoping to find in me, and what will help.”
She looks at the floor, as if unsure about something. “You cut me.”
“Yes. Expect more of it. I like blood.”
“Why?”
I pause, unsure myself. I’ve never really questioned it. Never took it so openly from someone other than her either. My own, yes. And chains and whips and skin, yes. But cutting, slicing flesh to feast on the taste? No. “Perhaps because it’s the ultimate sacrifice, Alice. The absolute offer of trust.”
Silence again. I’m happy with it, content enough that I relax back into the chair and watch her taking her time to analyse what that means to her. Feeling pressured about leaving here, about going home to her life, isn’t helping her make rational judgement. She’s too hurried. Too needful. And I am searching now. I don’t know why I am, but she’s doing that with me. Perhaps this time without pills is making me consider something unusual to me – reality.
Reaching for my phone, I scroll through to Whit’s number and hit call. He doesn’t answer, but I leave a message letting him know that three of my team will be arriving to discreetly look after her house and her brothers in the next few hours. And then I call through to them and makes sure they understand the prevalence of that security. She looks at me the entire time, as if consumed by the words she’s hearing, mouth tight and face still frowning.
“Does that give you more time?” I ask, sighing.
Her shoulders roll again, body shuffling to get off the piano. “Why would you do that?”
“Because they concern you, and until they don’t, you’re not with me.”
“And now you think I’ll beg and let you do whatever you want to me?”
“I’d like you to.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d like to see who we are to each other. I can’t do that if you keep fighting me.”
She huffs and slides across the surface some more. “You’re the one who tells me to run. It’s not exactly the right tone for finding out about each other.”
“And now I’m asking you to kneel.”
Her feet finally find the floor, long, toned body gently crossing the floor to get to me. “Kneel?”
“Yes. Kneel. Give in. Trust me.”
“Like those people down there do?”
Assuming she means all my people underground, all the ones I give space to, I shake my head and sip my drink again. “No, Alice, they kneel through fear, or respect, or perhaps because they think that’s what I need from them. I don’t need anything from them. I do need something from you.”
“What?”
“Trust.”
“Why?”
It’s a relevant question, even to me, and makes me think for a few moments rather than ignore the constancy of her demand. “I think, for once, I’d like to look after something and attempt remembering who I was a long time ago.”
“Oh.” She looks at the wall behind me, then back at me. “Well that’s not what I expected.”
“Hmm.” I drink and watch her get closer again, her gaze taking in my chest.
“They’re freaky down there. You do know that, right? All of this around us is.” She stretches her legs wide and climbs onto my lap. “It’s all freaky. No sense in freaky.”
I lean back, look up as she gets comfortable. “Like me?”
“Yes. And I’m still pissed that I haven’t come. You cut me and didn’t let me come? That’s not nice. I can’t even believe I let you do it without retaliating.”
My loose smile widens. “Would you like to?”
