“But…” I couldn’t believe he was allowed to when I wasn’t.

“I don’t do it obsessively. It’s like the difference between a casual drinker and a drunk. I do it maybe twice a day while you did it a hell of a lot more than that, didn’t you?”

I frowned and lowered my head. I didn’t like the way the conversation was going. While it was arousing as hell to imagine him touching himself, I hated feeling like the odd man out once again because of the addiction that plagued me.

“No, don’t.” He lifted my chin with a finger. I refused to meet his eyes though. “Look at me. Now.”

It was his Dom voice and I instantly looked up.

“You are perfect the way you are. There is nothing wrong with you. Think of it this way, you can drink alcohol while I can not. Everyone has something that is their weakness.”

I could tell from the flash in his eyes that there was more behind what he was saying.

“You can’t or won’t drink?” I had always thought it was simply a choice he made.

“Won’t. I refuse to.” It was his turn to feel uncomfortable.

“Why?” I pressed.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“It’s not a conversation I want to have in an elevator. It’s not a pleasant story. I will share it with you another night. I simply want to enjoy your company tonight, not deal with such deep issues as the ones we’re getting into with our pasts,” he finally said as the elevator arrived at his floor.

I was curious and wanted to know more. We would have to talk about it at some point if things were to ever get further than they were between us.

“Another night, okay? Promise.” He lifted my hand and placed a kiss on my knuckles before leading me to his door. Pushing it open, he let me enter first.

My mouth dropped open. I had no idea there was a place in the entire building so extravagant as his apartment.

John took the time to show me all the rooms. It wasn’t huge, but everything looked expensive and fragile, not exactly the way I imagined the place he lived. By the time we returned to the living room, I didn’t know what to say about the place.

“It’s, uh, wow…” I trailed off with a shrug.

“I know, it’s a bit over the top. It’s not me, but I don’t normally spend much time here. I had a designer come in and fix it up about a week ago when I realized how boring it was. I didn’t want you to think I lived in a crappy shack or something,” he said, smiling embarrassedly.

“It’s lovely, but I don’t care about all that. I care about you,” I said, wrapping my arms around him.

“Mmm, I care about you too.” He kissed my lips before stepping out of my embrace and pulling me by the hand toward the kitchen. “Come, I had some food put in the oven to keep it warm for us.”

“Oh?” I was surprised. Apparently he had staff of some sort to help him. I knew how busy his life could get so I didn’t say anything about it. He acted almost like the fact he had such a nice place to live in, with help, wasn’t something he was particularly proud of.

He pulled out two plates from the oven and set them on the already prepared table before holding a handout showing me where he wanted me to sit. Walking over to the table, I sat down as he helped tuck the chair under me. He sat next to me and a wicked smiled played over his features.

“I can’t wait to have you here for a party with some, er, like-minded individuals. There is something I’ve been planning for you and you’ll enjoy it. Another night, though.”

It seemed he had many plans for the future and it made my heart skip a beat to know he had no intention of letting me go any time soon. I didn’t want to let go of him anytime soon.

After the hint of something incredibly naughty in the works, the rest of the conversation turned to mundane topics as we got to know each other more over dinner. It turned out he didn’t have many people over to his place, so the fact that he wanted to have a party sounded a bit odd, but I’d do anything he asked. Anything for him. Always.

Once we’d both eaten our meals, he pushed away his plate before holding a hand down for me. Slipping my hand into his, I let him lead me down the hall toward his bedroom. My heart raced and my breathing accelerated as we drew closer. I never knew what he had planned for me and it kept me on the edge between scared and aroused.

Closing the door, he slid his hands into his pockets and spread his feet shoulder-width apart. I knew the look immediately. It was his Dom stance.

“Take off your dress, Precious.”

I peeled my dress off, revealing my sheer bra and panties. A groan rumbled from him and I slowly turned in a circle for him. When I turned to face him again, I slowly dropped to my knees, spreading my legs so he could see all that I was offering to him, resting my hands on my thighs.

He stepped away and I heard an odd sound, but shortly that after a new smell came over me. It was incense of some type, and it smelled exactly like John.

“Tonight we are going to play with your senses. We have already mastered the blindfold, so I will leave that off as long as you behave, Precious.” He stepped in front of me again so I could see he’d removed his shoes, but his slacks ended perfectly on top of his feet so I knew he hadn’t completely stripped. “You will be able to see; however, that is all you will be able to do besides feel. I have headphones you will wear and I am going to restrain you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” I murmured, feeling my body heat rise simply from his words. I’d never had my hearing restricted before so I wasn’t sure how much of a difference it would make. I trusted him, though.

“Climb on the bed,” he instructed, stepping back.

I pushed to my feet and without looking in his direction, I went to the bed. Centering myself, I lay on my back.

“Stomach.”

I rolled onto my stomach, turning my head so I could breathe. Then I felt the bed shift as he knelt next to me. I could see from the corner of my eye that he had already removed his shirt and was dressed only in his pants. His abdominal muscles flexed and shifted as he moved both my wrists behind my back, clasping them together with a leather binding. Moving down the bed, he bent my legs and bound my ankles together as well.

His palms pressed my inner thighs apart so they were spread, revealing the most intimate parts of my body before I felt the bindings on my wrist attached to the ones on my ankles. I was efficiently restrained and at his mercy.

“Is that uncomfortable in any way?” he asked, moving back to kneel next to my chest.

“No, sir.”

“Good.” I felt him reach off the bed for something before his hands pulled my hair from underneath me. “Lift your head, I am going to put the headphones on now. I am also going to place a small ball in your hand — if you feel like you need to stop at any time, drop it or use your voice, but I want you to have another method since you will be quite… overwhelmed.”

“Understood, sir.” I didn’t really, but I knew I would shortly. He pressed a ball that was about the size of a walnut into my right palm and closed my hand around it. It was small enough I could hold it but not so small I’d forget it was there, which I assumed was the point.

He slid heavy headphones over my ears before helping me rest my head back against the pillow. It was a bit awkward with the thick circle over my ear as it pressed into the soft pillow, but I found the pillow adjusted around it to still comfortably support my head.

The song playing was one with a heavy beat and futuristic sounds. It was easy to get lost in and after a moment I had nearly forgotten where I was except for the fact that my arms and legs were immobile.

Closing my eyes, I realized I may as well have been blindfolded because I had no desire to keep my eyes open. All I could see was directly next to the bed and from the shift of the mattress, John was more toward the foot. Something slowly wrapped around one leg, then the other before wrapping around each arm.