LOGINKnox POV
Hours pass and I don’t sleep, not at first. I just watch her, the way her brow furrows slightly even in sleep, how her hand twitches when she shifts. Then, somewhere in the early morning, her eyes flutter open. She doesn’t speak, just looks at me with that sleepy daze like she’s unsure if I’m real or just part of a dream.
And then she moves, slowly, without hesitation. She curls into me and guides my arm around her. I exhale the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, and shift closer, holding her tighter, anchoring her to me. She settles, her face pressed to my chest, her legs tangled with mine, and eventually, I drift off too.
When I wake again, it’s to her eyes watching me. She’s wide awake now, but I see it all in her face—the confusion, the shame, the fear. She opens her mouth like she wants to speak, but I beat her to it.
“Befor
Danielle POVI swallow. “What about… after?” I lift my gaze to meet his. “When a scene ends, what happens then?”“That depends on the people involved,” he says. “But for me? There’s aftercare. Always. Doesn’t matter how soft or rough the scene was. Aftercare’s not optional. That can be anything, wrapping you in a blanket, giving you water, holding you until your head’s clear. Whatever you need. It’s about bringing you back down, making sure you’re safe, making sure your mind catches up to your body.”That makes sense. It sounds right, even if I’m not sure why it makes me feel safer hearing it.I hesitate before asking the next one, but I need to know. “What happens if you’re the one who needs to stop? Not me.”He nods, as though that’s a question he’
Danielle POVSome of what I saw didn’t seem so bad. A few of the scenes even felt… understandable, in a strange way. But others left me unsure. It wasn’t that they looked wrong. Nothing about it suggested something was happening that wasn’t allowed.It was just the intensity. The weight of it. Things I knew, without question, I wouldn’t enjoy.“I’m not sure I can give you all of that,” I say softly, honest in a way that feels heavy in my chest.He doesn’t react right away. He just watches me for a moment, his gaze steady, calm. “I don’t expect all of that, Red. Showing you those scenes wasn’t about expecting you to do any of it with me. It was about letting you see the reality of it. The whole picture.”
Knox POVHer fingers brush the side of the glass without picking it up.“I know it’s a lot,” I say softly. “And it’s alright if you don’t understand it yet.”She just nods again, not trusting her voice, but I see it in her eyes.She’s thinking about everything she felt upstairs, and she’s not ready to say it yet.I lean back in my chair, giving her the time she clearly needs, but I don’t let the silence stretch too long. She’s thinking too much already, and if I leave her to it, she’ll get tangled in her own doubts.“The thing you need to understand first,” I say quietly, “is that it’s not about pain, not really. It’s about control. It’s about trust. For some people, pain is part of that trust. For others, it’s about obedience. Some crave su
Knox POVShe’s handling this better than I thought she would.We’ve been walking these back halls for close to an hour now. She’s seen most of the building by this point, nearly every dynamic and situation they host behind these walls. I’ve stayed quiet, letting her move at her own pace, because it’s not her voice I care about right now. It’s her body.I’ve watched every shift in her stance. Every flicker of her hands. Every change in her breathing. Every part of her tells me exactly what I need to know.At the first window, the empty room, she stood still for longer than I expected. Her eyes flicked from one corner to the next, like she was waiting for something to explain itself. She didn’t get why the emptiness mattered. Not yet. But her fingers twitched against her thigh. She felt something, even if her mind has
Danielle POVWe’re on the bike for nearly thirty minutes before Knox finally slows down. He pulls up to a set of tall, imposing gates that make me glance around, trying to place where we are. This place isn’t like the club at all. If anything, it looks like some kind of mansion, the kind you’d expect to see in a movie. Large, expensive, and intimidating.When he cuts the engine, I stare at him, confused. He swings a leg over and stands easily, as though bringing me here makes perfect sense.“You wanted to know more,” he says, glancing back at me. “An easier way to explain is to show you.”I frown. Show me? I glance back at the building, its sheer size making me hesitate as he lifts me off the bike without waiting for me to decide. His hand stays firm at the small of my back as he guides me forward. When we reach the heavy door, he types
Danielle POVHis hands grip my hips hard, fingers digging into my skin just enough to remind me who’s in control. Before I can say anything, he flips me onto my stomach like it’s nothing. His weight presses down against me, heat radiating off him like a second skin.For a second, I let him have it. His need to claim, to take, to ground himself in control, part of me understands it. But we had plans.I roll back over and shove at his chest, pushing until I can breathe again. “We had plans, Knox.”He leans down, his mouth aiming for mine like he thinks a kiss will silence me, but I slap my hand over his lips before he gets there.“Delayed plans, Red. Very delayed,” he mutters against my palm.“No. We stick to the plan. You promised me a surprise, remember? I want it.&rdquo







