Chapter 17 - 17

I started muttering about stupid chauvinistic male creatures as I dialed Lizzie who thankfully picked up after three rings.

"Hey girl, what's up?" she asked.

"I need you to come over and bring ice cream," I curtly said and hung up before I got her answer. In this case, I didn't need one, it was a ritual of ours whenever we had a really bad day or we'd broken up with our boyfriends, to have a girl's night. With that done I stormed into my bedroom and grabbed out my sleepwear, I took a quick shower muttering the entire time about stupid men who thought they owned the world.

Still steaming after the shower both physically and emotionally, I stormed into the living room and found the perfect man-bashing music to put me in the mood as I proceeded to pick out a few movies to go along with the theme of the night. I jumped when there was a loud pounding on my door interrupting the pounding music.

"Door's unlocked, Lizzie," I shouted over the music that I quickly turned down. I swung away from the stereo with a smile on my face only to feel it die when I saw who was there.

"What are you doing here?"I spat out at the man who was the cause of all my grief right now.

He was carrying two bags and, despite his disheveled look, he was gloriously sexy as hell. He looked like he had run here straight from the office or, judging by his slightly unbuttoned shirt, home.

"Lizzie called and wanted to know what the hell I had done to piss you off. I explained to her that apparently I had said the wrong thing to you and you, I guess you do this every time you get pissed, you didn't wait around to listen to me," he said as carried his two bags into my kitchen as if he owned the place.

"Lizzie was so worried she risked a punishment from Jordan to go behind his back and call me. Now, do you want to tell me why she felt the need to do that?”

"No, you need to tell me why I should agree to your little contract here."I came back at him angrily as I slammed the papers down in front of him.

"I understood keeping things quiet and I was okay with taking the physical. I'm not, however, okay with you getting to play with any women you want to.”

While I was talking his eyes dropped down in what I assumed was shame. I felt satisfaction in knowing I was getting my point across.

"I see," he said quietly.

"I sure hope to hell you do," I replied crossing my arms and trying to show him that I really meant business even though I was shaking inside.

"I do have one question though?" he asked in the same quiet tone.

"What?" I spat back.

"Did you happen to look through the questionnaire portion?" his quiet tone unnerving me more than if he had stood up and started shouting at me.

I gave him a confused look. "No, not yet. I hadn't gotten that far."

"Look at section 8," he said as he handed me the paper.

I looked down at the paper to the section he pointed at. It was related to sex itself, it read 'giving to other partner's male/females' left room for you to circle which sex you would allow. Right beside it had a space that instructed you to put approve and disapprove and put down that was a hard limit or a soft limit. It had two sections, one for the Dom and one for the sub.

"Oh…" I said surprised.

"Yeah, big oh. Mia, this has never been about me making someone do something they truly do not want to do. This is a power exchange, Mia. This is where it begins, the only time I would let someone else touch you, is if you okay it as well. The only time I would let someone else scene with you is if they can do something that I do not feel comfortable doing, something they have more experience with it. For example, piercings, if you wanted to get a piercing, I would have you see Master Tom."He explained.

For a moment I looked at him oddly wondering why a simple ear piercing required a selected Master. But when Reed's eyes stopped on a few select intimate parts of my body I realized it was not my ears we were discussing.

Vehemently, I shook my head. "No, thank you. You can put that in hard limits right now. Then cross it off my list entirely.”

He smiled.

"I kind of figured that. Just to let you know I have no intention of seeing anyone else, physically or socially, and if it'll make you feel better..." he said on an almost badgered sigh.

He grabbed the agreement and crossed off the parts where it only spoke of the sub and added the Dom to it. I smiled my relief at him and promptly signed it as well.

"Do you want me to help you with the rest of your list?"

I nodded. "But first, I really need a glass of wine."

He laughed and shooed me onto the couch as he continued to mull around in my kitchen until he found the wine glasses and then he pulled the half-empty bottle out of the refrigerator. He sat down next to me on the couch and put the wine glasses on the coffee table.

I pulled out the other paperwork and read through the contract for The Dungeon, his club. There was a bolded letter that stated the inherent safeword for the club was ‘Red'. Right next to it was a blank space for me to put in my own safeword. After thinking for a moment, I wrote a word down quickly. Reed looked at me and smirked a bit.

"Bananas?" he read with a dry chuckle.

I looked over and gave him an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah, I hate bananas and I figured if I hate something enough it would rank up there with bananas."

He nodded seriously.

"Well, then I guess any fruit play is out."

"No, just any banana play."