Jo Leigh - Arm Candy

“She won’t answer me.”

“What?”

“She won’t. She tells me I have to learn some things through experience.”

“But you don’t believe her.”

“I don’t disbelieve her, but I think she’s been spoiled by her own relationship. I don’t think she sees the dilemma.”

“Frankly, I don’t think I do, either.”

“You will, the more we talk.”

“Don’t be so sure. I’m not terribly bright when it comes to men. I’ve never been in love or anything remotely close to it.”

His eyebrows came down for a moment, and he sipped some more of his wine. “I don’t think that’ll matter.”

“No?”

“My questions are about you. About what you want. What you need.”

“I can tell you that in about two sentences.”

“I’m sure. But I hope you won’t. I want you to answer my questions in the order I’m going to ask them. Not before.”

“Fair enough.”

He smiled.

She ate the last piece of bread on her plate. After she’d swallowed, she tapped the table. “Well?”

“What?”

“Ask.”

“Oh, no. Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m having a really good time.”

She laughed. “And questions will spoil it?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Just how offensive are these questions?”

It was his turn to laugh. “Not at all. Although, they are personal.”

“So I’d assumed.”

“We’ll start later.”

“When, later? I’m exhausted. All I want now is bed. I have to be up at five.”

“Which means I have to be up at five, right?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Tomorrow morning is makeover day. I’ll be at Bloomingdale’s. Owen won’t be.”

“So when do I report for duty?”

“Tomorrow evening. It’s the big opening party. I’m afraid it’s black-tie.”

“No problem. I’m all set.”

“Okay, then. Just be available from about five on.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She knew he would handle the party well. He was every bit the sophisticate, although not in the least obnoxious about it. The conversation had flowed with surprising ease. But still. “No, it’s not going to work,” she said.

He immediately sat forward. “What?”

“I’m never going to get to sleep wondering what the hell you’re going to ask me. So you have to. Ask. At least one question. Dinner’s about done, so it can’t ruin much.”

He leaned back, not looking pleased. “All right. If you insist.”

“I do.”

He looked down for a long moment, long enough for her to grab her fork so she could stab him with it if he didn’t for Pete’s sake say something. Then he lifted his head and his gaze met hers. “Do you like being tied up for sex?”

Five things you’ll NEVER hear one woman say to another woman:

1. Oh, look, that woman and I have the same dress on! I think I’ll go introduce myself!

2. His new girlfriend is thinner and better-looking than I am, and I’m happy for them both.

3. I’m sick of dating doctors and lawyers! Give me a good old-fashioned waiter with a heart of gold any day!

4. He talks our relationship to death! It’s making me crazy!

5. Why can’t I find a guy who’ll have a wild carefree night of sex and then just go his separate way for once?

Source: Thompson, Dave “Things You’ll Never Hear”

http://www.ijmc.com/

JESSICA STARED at Dan, the words he’d spoken echoing in her head. He sat languidly against the dark brown leather, his right arm on the seat, his left still on the table. “Do I what?”

“Like being tied up for sex?” He leaned forward, moving both hands to his wineglass, his eyes dancing with the light from the flickering-candle centerpiece. “You know, being dominated. Letting yourself be taken, giving the control over to your partner.”

She took her own wine and drank it all, then put the crystal goblet down carefully. “You said you wanted to ask questions about women. Not about sex.”

He shook his head. “Sex is part of it. A big part of it. Of course, it’s true, I hadn’t planned on opening with this question, but evidently it was on my mind. So, what the hell.”

“What the hell?” She crossed her legs, folded her hands on her lap. “I know I agreed to be candid, but for God’s sake, Dan, this is a bit much.”

“Oh,” he said, surprise evident in his voice and his expression. “I thought you understood. It’s all going to be personal. Intimate. That’s the point.”

There was still a bit more wine in the bottle, and she poured it all in her glass. If it wasn’t for the day she faced tomorrow, she would have asked for another bottle.

“I’m not asking to make you uncomfortable. Honestly. I just need to understand you.”

“And whether or not I like being tied up is going to give you special insight?”

He nodded. “Maybe not special, but insight, definitely.”

“Why would you even think-”

“Because you’re so strong,” he said. “I watched you work today, and you’re a woman who likes to be in control. At least in the workplace. Which made me think that in other areas, you might find it a relief to give up that control.”

She’d heard that, herself. Actually read about it. Mostly in regards to powerful men, who went to expensive sex clubs where a dominatrix would put them through their paces. After another sip of wine and a deep breath, she met Dan’s gaze. “Well, I’ll tell you, Dan. I’ve never been tied up for sex, so I can’t honestly say I like it or I don’t.”

“Ever thought about it?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Now that’s not going to work. Either we’re doing this thing, which I now doubt, or we’re not. If we do proceed, you’re going to have to believe me, or what’s the point?”

“No. I didn’t mean I doubted your word. I meant-”

“Okay, then. And yes, really. I’ve never thought about it.”

“I see.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I’m not. Well, maybe a little.”

She laughed, more out of surprise than anything. “You’re a very unusual person. You know that, right?”

“Unusual? That’s a nice way to put it. But yes, I know. I’ve been that way forever. Probably because of the way I was brought up.”

“Which was?”

“My parents didn’t believe in traditional education. I didn’t go to school.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I was homeschooled. But even that wasn’t done in the traditional way. My parents were devotees of a man named John Holt. He believed that children are sponges, and that curiosity is innate. Given the opportunity, kids will explore every subject they can. But most kids aren’t afforded the luxury of being able to learn freely. I was.”

“How did you decide what to explore?”

“Whatever caught my interest. I liked bugs, so I went out and caught all kinds of bugs. I read books on entomology. I went to museums in Africa, Asia and right here in New York. So I know a lot about bugs.”

“But that supposes you knew how to read. That you knew what to look up.”

“Right. My folks taught me to read and write. Very early, evidently. And I went to libraries and museums before I could walk.”

“And that’s how you learned everything? What if you’d decided you didn’t like math?”

“That’s the whole point. Anything can be interesting if it’s presented with passion. I saw early that money was a powerful tool, so learning how to count it came as a natural consequence.”

“But there were subjects in school I hated.”

“I’ll bet your teachers had a great deal to do with it. Remember, the key is passion. It’s infectious. You want to participate when someone’s having a blast. My parents made sure I was exposed to people who loved what they did.”