you?”
She frowned, making him desperate for her answer. “My body says yes.”
“Excellent. Did you come straight from work?”
She nodded.
“Did you have dinner?”
She shook her head.
“I didn’t either. So after our scene, I’ll cook you dinner and we’ll interpret the results of our experiment. Sound like a plan?”
“I’m a vegetarian.”
“So in the vernacular of BDSM, you safeword at dead animals. Got it. Speaking of which—if you want me to stop, say red. If you are uncomfortable in any way, say yellow. Otherwise, green means go.”
She nodded. “Green it is.”
Chapter Six
“Ready when you are.”
Audrey swallowed. She had agreed to have sex with a man she had just met. Surely there was something wrong with that. She had certainly felt anxiety every other time she had gotten this far with a date. But this wasn’t a date, was it? Nope, this was an experiment. Cal had approached it with clinical detachment, if she discounted what he said about her skin making him dizzy.
Maybe she felt so comfortable because she was in familiar territory, dealing with variables, physical evidence and controlled stimulus. Of course, in a minute she’d be naked, which might affect her comfort level, but she hoped her desire to reveal a talent would outweigh any anxiety.
She stood and stripped, folding each item of clothing and placing it neatly on the couch beside him.
He watched her, eyes holding steady on whatever new skin she bared. What had he called their discussion? A negotiation? It certainly took the pressure off. She wasn’t worrying about how far to let this progress. She wasn’t thinking about whether or not he had a condom or if he really wanted to be doing this with her. It was freeing to have the answers to all of those questions up front. She hooked her thumbs in her panties, pushed them over her hips and stepped out of them.
He stood and she followed him to the table, climbing on when he gestured at the surface. She felt a little bit like she was at the doctor’s office as she perched on the cold leather. All she needed to complete the experience was the crinkle of paper, a hospital gown and a lap drape.
“Facedown.”
She complied. No woman on earth would be able to crawl naked across a table and go facedown without wondering how her ass looked while she was doing it. Martial arts kept her fit, but female was female, curves were curves, and she had more of them than the American feminine ideal. Audrey hoped her ass looked at least as good as the last one he’d seen on his table. As she settled herself flat, she realized she was aroused. Her nipples were hard and sensitive, and she shivered with pleasure as they touched the cool leather table.
“Don’t worry, you won’t be cold in a minute.”
He started with her hands. His fingers didn’t touch her skin as he fastened the Velcro closures around her wrists. She heard the zip and rip as he adjusted the fit. “Okay?” he asked.
“Yes, fine. I mean green.” She giggled, then wished she hadn’t because she sounded nervous and she wasn’t.
He spent less time adjusting the body restraints, probably because it was a straight shot down her prone form. “Try to wiggle.”
She couldn’t move a muscle below her neck, just as he’d promised. She lifted her head to watch him shrug out of his coat. Beneath the coat he wore a white tank top of the wife beater variety. Appropriate. She stifled another giggle. As he turned to cross the room, he stripped off the tank and she glimpsed a stark lightning bolt inked down the center of his back. Also appropriate.
Did they all have them? Tattoos to signify their super powers? Her brother had a king cobra between his shoulder blades. The Doc had the staff of Aesculapius. Cal had a lightning bolt. She relaxed against the table, wondering what Sam had tattooed on her back.
When he returned, he held a slip of black material. “Even though I don’t need to hide my powers from you, a hood
Marguerite Henry, Bonnie Shields