Page 96 of Not Safe For Work

As soon as Rick was naked—my God, he was gorgeous—he stood in front of the cross.

“Perfect,” I said, picking up a coil of rope. I stood in front of him, drinking in the sight of his lean, naked body against the wooden X. Then, with a hand flat across his stomach, I nudged him back so he was touching the wood.

He sucked in a breath.

“Cold?” I asked.

“A bit.”

“Good. Arm up.”

He lifted his arm, and I guided it into place on one of the upper slats. Then I wound the first rope around his wrist and the slat. It was tight—he wasn’t going anywhere—but had enough play for him to move and flex a little bit if he needed to.

I picked up the rope and started on his other arm. Once it was secure, I stepped back and looked him over. Fuck yes. He was even hotter now. Ropes around his wrists. Arms immobile. Torso stretched just right to emphasize the powerful muscles and narrow hips. A body like this was made to be tied like that.

“Comfortable?” I asked.

“Not sure that’s the word I’d use, but I’m—” He met my gaze, and then quickly cleared his throat and lowered his eyes. “Comfortable. Yes.”

“Good.” I cupped his cock and balls. “Remember who’s in control here.” Squeezing enough to make his breath catch, I added, “Not a good time to be a smartass, is it?”

“N-no. Sorry.”

I eased my grip and kissed his cheek. “That’s what I thought.” I paused, turning serious. “Anything tingles or gets cold, say so.”

Rick nodded. “Understood.”

“Safe word?”

“Red.”

“And you can use it…?”

“Any time.”

“Good.” I kissed beneath his jaw. “I’m going to tie your ankles.”

He nodded again. “Okay.”

I held his gaze, looking for any reason to believe it wasn’t actually okay. Finding none, I kissed him again, this time on the mouth. Then I returned to the table for more rope.

As I bound his ankle, I glanced up. His eyes were closed, but his breathing was still even and his fingers still loosely curled. So far, so good.

Footsteps turned my head. Master Greg, a gigantic Dom who’d been a member for eons, appeared in the doorway. He scanned the room, probably to make sure he wasn’t interrupting an in-progress scene, and then met my gaze. “You gentlemen need anything?”

“No, we’re good. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” And then he disappeared.

“Owner?” Rick asked, eyeing the empty doorway.

“No. Just a guy who’s been here forever.” I paused to tug on the knot and make sure it was secure. “They always have some people wandering around to make sure things are going smoothly. You know, in case a sub is getting in over their head, or a scene is getting out of hand somehow.”

His eyes widened. “Do they have that much of a problem with Doms who don’t know what they’re doing?”

“No, not at all. I guess… I mean, every sub should feel safe with his Dom, but that extra added safety net is good for that rare occasion when a bad apple makes it in here.”

“What happens when they do?”