“Favorite thing we did this weekend?” I asked by way of leading off.

She dropped her head back against the couch and sighed. “When you took me yesterday. It was so surreal. All of yesterday was. I can’t even remember parts of it.” She smiled. “Did you carry me to the bedroom? I don’t remember walking.”

“Yes. You were completely out of it.”

“Is that normal?”

“It obviously is for you,” I said. “I was expecting you to crash, though, based on your previous reactions.”

“I want to feel that way again,” she said, with an evil gleam in her eyes.

“Excellent. I want to make you feel that way again.”

She reached for one of my legs. “Why don’t you swing your legs up here and let me rub your feet?”

“No. Let me do this for you.”

“I’d like to return the favor.”

“Remember when I told you how I had ways to handle my own feelings when I came down?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“This is one of them.” I worked on the upper part of her foot. “It helps me.” She didn’t say anything. “It’s not that I did this with my previous submissives, because I didn’t. I’ve just found it helps with you.” I cocked an eyebrow. “Humor me?”

She thrust her foot into my hand harder. “Sure, as long as you make it good.”

I brought her foot to my lips and kissed the soft underside. “Don’t I always?”

She only shivered in response, so I dropped her foot back down and continued rubbing.

“Least favorite thing we did all weekend?” I asked.

“No question,” she said. “I hate crawling. Hated it. Hated it. Hated it.”

“Really?” I asked. Not that her answer surprised me. I’d noticed her look of displeasure a few times.

“Yes, I don’t want to do it a lot.”

“That’s too bad,” I said. “That you didn’t like it, I mean.”

“You liked it?” She lifted her head up off the arm of the couch. “Tell me you didn’t like it.”

“I liked it,” I said, and she just groaned.

“Why? Why can’t you like me kissing your feet? Why do you have to like the crawling?”

“Because when you kiss my feet, it doesn’t show off your ass.”

“What?”

“I said.” I smiled. “When you kiss my feet, it doesn’t show off your ass.”

“You were watching my ass while I crawled?”

“What did you think I was doing?” I asked. I ran a hand up her bare thigh and tickled the edge of her shorts. “You have an incredible ass.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I’ve never seen it.”

“That’s no problem. I have pictures.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Oh, hell.”

I chuckled. “Want me to get them?”

“No.”

“Later then,” I said, resuming my work on her feet.

“Hmph,” she replied. After a few seconds, she spoke again. “So you’re going to make me crawl again?”

“Is it a hard limit?” I asked, instead of answering.

“No.”

“The fact is, Abby, that I’m the dominant in this picture and I like it when you crawl. But I am glad you’re open and honest about your likes and dislikes. I need that information.”

I knew I would ask her to crawl again, just like I knew I’d have her kiss my feet again, even though it wasn’t something I particularly liked.

I worked on her foot in silence for a few minutes, using my hands to relieve and relax her.

“What was the head thing about?” she asked. “That came from nowhere.”

“It was a mental thing,” I explained. “Something to help keep you in the right frame of mind. I thought it would help you focus.”

“Oh.”

“Did it work?”

“I suppose it did,” she said, and I switched to her other foot.

I ran my hand down her foot and cupped her heel. “I want to discuss Friday night.”

“I should have said yellow when I panicked.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “But outside of that, I was a bit too aggressive in my plans, and I’m sorry. I should never have pushed you like that following such a lengthy punishment.”

“I thought you’d be upset with me for not safe wording,” she said.

“That, too, but the safe word wouldn’t have been necessary if I’d made better plans.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“You safe wording could never be a disappointment,” I said. “I can only push you if I trust you’ll yellow or red if you need to. And yes, I expect you to yellow even if you’re panicked and think I’m pushing you toward failure.”

“I wasn’t sure.”

“Promise me you’ll use it in the future,” I said, refusing to discuss anything further until she’d agreed.

“I promise,” she said. “I used green this weekend, didn’t I?”

I thought back to the day before, when I’d flogged her while she was bound to the cross. I’d had a submissive green on me before, and while the use of the word still gave me momentary pause, I’d not reacted the way I feared. Abby saying “green” had evoked feelings of pride and pleasure, for the most part.

“Yes,” I said. “You did. I was so pleased you felt comfortable enough to tell me what you needed.”

“I felt right on the edge of that feeling. You know the one?”

“Subspace. Not from personal experience, but yes, I know which one you’re talking about.”

“I just knew if you went faster and harder, I’d get there,” she said, her eyes drifting to a far-off bookshelf as she remembered.

“And you did?” I asked, wanting to confirm what I knew, but she didn’t answer. “Abby?”

“Huh?” Her eyes came back to mine and she smiled. “Yes, I did.” She slipped her foot from my hands and sat up. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, but I wasn’t finished with your foot massage.”

“I want to say ‘thank you’ with a kiss,” she said, shifting closer to me. “Proper-like.”

Her lips were near mine. I couldn’t help but look at them. “I would say, ‘No thanks are needed,’ but I really want that kiss.”

“Oh, yeah?” she asked, moving to sit in my lap.

“Mmm,” I replied as her lips grazed mine.

She initiated the kiss, and I let her lead, enjoying her tongue as it ran along the outside of my mouth. I parted my lips slightly and tasted her. Her thanks were soft and slow and long. I could have stayed with her in my lap for hours, but I knew she was still sore.

Later, I told myself. Maybe later tonight.

When we finally broke apart, she stayed in my lap, my hands stroking her hair as she leaned against my chest.

“The honeymooners return next weekend, right?” I asked.

“Yes, Friday night. Felicia said something about us coming over for lunch on Saturday the last time she called. I told her we’d see. I wasn’t sure how else to answer her.”

“No need to sequester ourselves. We could go over for an hour or two. We’re always going to have to balance our weekend time.” I rubbed her back. “If you want to go, that is.”

“I’ve missed her.”

“I know you have,” I said. “Just because it’s a weekend doesn’t mean we do nothing but stay in the playroom.”

“Though that would be fun,” she teased.

“Agreed, but I don’t want to push you.” I ran a hand down her back. “Still sore?”

“Just a little.” She shrugged. “Nothing I can’t deal with.”

“Let me know—”

“Nathaniel,” she interrupted. “I’m a big girl and I know my body. I already said I’d tell you. I’ll tell you.”

“Sorry. Just making sure.”

“You’ve already made sure.”

“Let’s change the subject,” I said. “I’ve made a grocery list for the housekeeper. It’s in the kitchen. I need you to look it over and see if you want her to pick up anything else.”

“You don’t do your own grocery shopping?”

“No,” I said, trying to remember the last time I went grocery shopping.

“Never?”

“Not anymore,” I said. “I don’t need to. Why?”

“It’s just weird. Having someone do all that.”

“You’ll get used to it,” I told her. “Besides, between my company and weekend time with you, I don’t have time to run up and down grocery aisles looking for bread and milk.”

“You say that like it’s beneath you,” she said. “You know most people do it and don’t think twice about it.”

“Are we going to argue about grocery shopping?” I asked. “Really?”

She stilled in my arms, weighing her words or actions, perhaps. “No,” she finally said. “I don’t want to argue with you.”

“Good. I don’t want to argue with you, either.” I kissed her again. “Want to go for a walk?”

“Yes,” she said, getting up and stretching. “Fresh air would be great.”

She waited for me that night in our bed, with the sheet pulled up to her neck, a sly smile on her face.

“Hiding?” I asked, crawling in beside her.

“No. Just a little surprise.”