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Submissive? You have got to
be out of your ever-lovin’ mind! She’s shy, but she doesn’t go around
submitting to people. And it sure as hell doesn’t sound like you saw her as a sister ,
if you were speculating on what she might be like in bed. Gross. I am done with
this conversation.”
    Tess started to get up, to leave on her own and find a cab
home, but stopped cold when Jake circled her wrist with his fingers.
    “Sit back down, Tess,” he said softly.
    And she sat. Even with no idea why, she did it.
    Chewing on her bottom lip, she stared down at the Formica
tabletop and tried to figure out what was going on. He wasn’t holding her
tightly enough to prevent her from going if she really wanted to. So why wasn’t
she out the door?
    “You can have that talk with your sister another time. You
can discuss it to your heart’s content. I hope you do. But for right now you
will sit here and you will at least listen to what I have to say before you
leave, do you understand?”
    She could hear the implied young lady again, as
clearly as if he’d spoken it aloud.
    After a second’s pause, Tess nodded, feeling muddled. Things
seemed surreal. Or rather, reality had been reduced to the invisible cord
between the pulse in her wrist, where Jake’s fingers still held her lightly,
and the pulse between her legs, which seemed to be throbbing in time.
Everything else faded into the background.
    “I don’t think she’s submissive , I think she’s a submissive—there’s a difference. To me, it’s the same thing as speculating
about whether somebody might be gay. It doesn’t imply I do or don’t want sex
with that person. And I could be wrong about Lindy anyway. But you, Tess…you’re
in another league. I could smell the kink on you back then, and it’s still
there now. It amazes me that you don’t even seem to know it. You’ve gone this
long and you’ve never admitted it to yourself. Which means you’ve never really
had your needs met.”
    “There’s nothing to admit,” she stated, not ready to concede
that even this, his hand on her wrist, was better than any foreplay she’d ever
had. “My needs are just fine, thanks. You’re delusional. And a pervert.”
    “And yet you’re still sitting here. Just because I told you
to. Just like you used to be the first one to yell ‘how high?’ when the coach
said ‘jump’ in gym class.”
    “I had a thing for the coach.”
    “No. You had a thing for coaches . And not just
coaches either. Our yearbook advisor. The principal. You weren’t a front-office
aide senior year because you liked the secretaries so much. No, you definitely
have a type, even if it’s not the type you’ve ever dated.”
    He flexed his hand around her wrist, letting his fingertips
graze lightly at the sensitive skin just above her palm. Leaning closer still,
he pitched his voice even lower. “You’re very turned on. Your pupils are
dilated, you’re breathing fast. Your nipples are hard. I’m willing to bet
you’re already soaking wet, aren’t you? Tell me.”
    “Yes,” Tess blurted, then closed her eyes and groaned at her
own idiocy. They were in a restaurant, for Christ’s sake. “Fuck. I mean—”
    “I’ve also been meaning to talk to you about all the
language, Tess.”
    “Oh what? Are you gonna wash my mouth out with soap?”
    That seemed to trigger something in Jake. His lips pressed
into a thin line and when he finally spoke, his voice was straight out of her
dreams. “No, brat. In fact, unless you tell me otherwise when I get back from
paying this check, I’m going to take you home, tie you up on my bed, flog your
ass until you don’t know your own name anymore and then I’m going to fuck you
into next week. Like we’ve both wanted for years. And if you’re very, very
cooperative, and at least a little repentant, I might let you come too.”
    Apparently pleased with Tess’ response of drop-jawed
silence, Jake rose from the booth to pay the bill at the