Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger

“We’ve been over this. We’re not strangers.”
“—then out of nowhere, wham! Christian Grey appears
and starts snapping his leather riding crop and barking
commands.”
There’s a momentary pause, then Kage says, “I don’t know
who this Christian Grey is, but it sounds like I’d like him.”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. “I need to say something
before we go on our date.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It’s just that you’re very intense, Kage. You’re very…
provocative. Forward.” The heat in my cheeks flares hotter.
“Sexual.”
He waits for more. When I don’t continue, he prompts
impatiently, “And?”
“And I’m not.”
After a beat, he says in a low voice, “I can’t tell if you’re
saying you don’t like it or you do.”
“It’s a little complicated, actually.”
I hesitate, unsure how much to reveal, but decide it’s too
late to back out. If I didn’t want to talk about it, I shouldn’t
have brought it up. “If I’m being totally honest, I do like it.
The things you say shock me, but they also…”
His voice drops another octave. “What?”
My pulse throbbing, I whisper, “Turn me on.”
The silence crackles. I hear him breathing. It’s different
from before. Rougher.
“I need you to know I’ll never hurt you. I need you to trust
that. To trust me, without reservations. Until you can, all this is
up to you. You call the shots. You make the rules. You have
my word I won’t do anything you don’t specifically ask me to
do.”
I balk at the thought of having to specifically ask him for
anything. “See, that’s just it. I’m not, um…”