Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 101427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
That worked great for this surprise.
Hiroko studied me. “Did you wash his stress away?”
“I believe so.”
“How do you feel?”
A shaky laugh left me. “High. Powerful. Horny. And. . .jittery. Is that normal? My hands are—” I held them up and showed the slight tremor. “They’re shaking. Am I okay?”
“You are. You’re just in domspace.” She smirked. “People never truly talk about it. Most focus on subspace, but domspace is just as real and potent. Almost as encompassing as subspace. And there’s nothing like it. You’re lucky.”
“Why?”
“It can take several scenes before a true dom can even reach that euphoric feeling that you are experiencing.”
“Okay. . .now I get it.”
“Did he reach subspace?”
“Oh yes. He said he is high too.”
“Good. The point was to have him hit subspace.”
I bobbed my head. “Kenji said he is on Mars.”
“Well.” Hiroko blinked and then chuckled. “Mission accomplished.”
Cold sweat prickled at the nape of my wet neck. Blood rushed in my ears. A thrill of fear and power coursed through me, and like Hiroko had said it was a very potent cocktail that made my palms sweaty, my heart race.
I flexed my fingers, watching the tremor some more. "This feels sooooo good. But it's also. . .terrifying."
"That's the point. It's that dance between pleasure and terror, control and surrender. It's what makes this all so. . .addictive."
Addictive.
The word echoed in my head. The euphoria was still lingering. A soft hum buzzed under my skin, drenched in adrenaline and arousal.
Hiroko pressed a cup of water into my hand and I didn’t even remember her getting it.
“Go ahead, Nyomi. Sip. Then answer me.”
I nodded and drank. The cool liquid slid down my throat. A little bit of clarity followed.
She gave me a warm smile. “Did he remember the safe word?”
“Yes.”
“Did you check his pulse and color each time you lifted him out of the water?”
“Yes.” I could still feel his pulse in my palm—his heartbeat an answer to my very soul. “It was always either steady or responsive.”
“Did you have your hand by his for the squeeze code?”
“Yes.”
“Oxygen staged?”
“In the cabinet by the door.”
“Towels and robe within reach of a non-slip path that was clear?”
“Yes.”
“Any sign of panic coming from him beyond agreed play?”
I shook my head. “No panic. It was all edge. Lots of willing edge. There was only one thing.”
“What?”
“He would never squeeze my wrist to let him up. Or tap the edge of the tub. It would freak me out. I always had to make sure he didn’t drown. I felt like he was just going to stay under the water until I decided to let him breathe.”
“Okay.” She nodded and lowered her voice. “That means that he has truly surrendered to you. Which means that from now on. . .when you two play. . .you cannot trust him to be safe for himself.”
I blinked. “What?”
Hiroko’s gaze stayed locked on mine. “When a submissive is deep in subspace—especially someone like him—they lose the instinct to self-preserve in the scene. Their body might be screaming for air, but their mind says, ‘Stay. This is my Queen. I will die for her.’”
My body stiffened.
“That’s why you never let your ego get in the way. You must be the one watching every variable, because the Dragon will not tap out. Not when you’ve taken him there.”
The hum in my veins deepened. “That’s. . .a lot of responsibility.”
“That’s why not everyone can top safely. The power isn’t the cuffs or the commands. It’s knowing you’re holding their life in your hands and choosing to protect it while you play with it.”
Protect and play.
The words vibrated in my bones.
“Domspace feels good,” Hiroko went on, “but don’t get drunk on it. That rush you’re feeling—the high, the heat, the tremor—that’s not just sexual. That’s chemical. Your brain is lit up on adrenaline, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. And the higher you are, the sharper you need to think. You must push through the euphoria.”
I swallowed hard. “So I can’t just. . .float with it?”
“You can enjoy it, you should. But you have to ride and steer it at the same time. Because when you’re this deep into someone’s psyche, you’re also deep into their safety. One wrong call? Scene over. . .or worse.”
A shiver slid down my spine, half fear, half desire. “And he’s really. . .safe?”
Her mouth curved. “You tell me. Color?”
“Good.”
“Breathing?”
“Steady between dunks. Spiked when I tease him.”
“Consciousness?”
“Very.”
“Was he able to speak full sentences?”
“He threatened me with his cock when I was leaving just now.”
Hiroko looked like she was trying not to laugh and did so anyway. “Well. . .it sounds like he’s conscious and you may be in danger of. . .quite a good time when you return.”
“I know.” The heat in my chest swelled into pride. “I want him so bad right now.”
Hiroko’s expression sharpened. “Good. But remember. . .this scene isn’t about you. It is about him. And about his winning the war.”