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fit together what she knew about him, to look beyond what he was saying and doing to what was underneath. W hat code was driving that smile, that touch.
    “If I had to guess,” she said, watching his face for his reaction, “I’d say that to you normal sex is what others would call sex games.”
    One eyebrow went up.
    “B ut to you they aren’t games or actually, they’re more than games.”
    “Forgive me for saying this, and it’s terribly sexist, but you’re so pretty , it’s easy to forget how smart you are.”
    Carly nearly snorted. The joke would be on him once he knew her better. She knew how to dress up when she needed to, but most of the time she rolled into work in jeans, a gamer tee, wearing no make-up, her only accessory the headphones that hung around her neck. There would be time for him to meet that version of Carly, but for now, she was glad she was dressed up. It made her feel powerful.
    “So what do you say, Carly? Will you play ?”
    “I want to know the rules beforehand.”
    “That’s fair. It’s very simple. You’ll do what I say, when I say it.”
    “This sounds like a very stupid game.” The little flickers of desire died. Do what he said? How Neanderthal and uninspiring. “I expected something better from you, Preston.”
    “You don’t know what I’ll ask.”
    “I can guess.”
    “Can you?”
    Carly propped her chin on her hand and considered. “I’m guessing you’re into dominance and submission play.” He jerked at her words and Carly thought gotcha . “I wouldn’t have guessed it if I’d met you in passing, but now that I’m talking to you , I see it. Maybe it’s more than that, maybe you’re in to full-on BDSM.”
    “I enjoy administering a spanking now and then,” he admitted with a nod.
    Carly pressed her knees together as the image of her turned over Preston’s knee drifted through her mind. She really should have taken the time to masturbate before coming to dinner. If she had, her hormones wouldn’t be screaming at her, demanding that she throw herself at Preston and beg him to fuck her.
    “And what about you? You seem to know more than a little about it.”
    “I’ve experimented sexually, though not extensively. D/s seemed to always end up as one person doing all the work, the other having all the fun. Besides that, the majority of RPGs have some elements of D/s built in to them, either in the dress, mannerisms or rules. We did a lot of research as we built some of the early games because we didn’t want to alienate players. We wanted them to feel at home. Home meaning with women dressed as a cross between warriors and sex slaves.”
    “People with only a surface understanding of D/s can sometimes fall into the lazy lover trap.” He planted an elbow on the table and leaned forward. “I’m not one of them.”
    I bet you’re not . Carly tried to seem cool and collected, but it was hard. Her heart was racing, and she was so aroused she was almost lightheaded. The sexy banter, the almost casual conversation about such forbidden things, was completely different from Lance’s direct, aggressive seduction, but she found it equally arousing.
    “So, Carly, will you be my submissive?”
    Carly took a deep breath. “I will.” She held up her hand. “But with conditions.”
    “Topping from the bottom already?” He grinned. “Go on.”
    “No sex. If we’re supposed to be in this ménage a trois , I think all three of us should be there the first time we have real sex.”
    “Agreed.”
    “Second ly , I want a time limit.”
    Preston checked his watch. “It’s nearly six. We’ll play until ten. How does that sound?”
    Four hours wasn’t long, but she was betting he could pack a lot into that time.
    “Agreed.”
    Preston leaned back and raised his hand for the waiter. She expected him to ask for the check, but instead he requested the dessert menu. He ordered cake, while she ordered the fruit tart. When their espresso arrived, she sipped as she