I laughed nervously, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation due to my own, newly developed, desire to consider a kinkier lifestyle. Clearly, I enjoyed exhibitionism. We’d proven that on the boat more times than one. I’d even enjoyed the smacks to my ass that Eli dished out playfully every now and then. Could I possibly be more like Baker and Seth than I realized? Even more importantly, would Eli even consider giving something like BDSM a try? He’d stressed to me more times than one that he didn’t play the games that Seth and Baker played, but I didn’t know if that meant he wouldn’t want to ever give it a try or if it was simply something he hadn’t tried before. I had no idea, but knew I was willing to give it more consideration in the future—much, much more consideration.
“Maybe. How tight is your leash?”
“Tight, baby. Really, really tight,” Baker answered. “As in, so tight that if I left here without telling Seth where I was going, even if I was helping a friend, he’d spank my ass until it was a beautiful red.”
I frowned at him. “And that’s a good thing, right?”
“Right. It’s most definitely a good thing. You should try it sometime.”
A ridiculous sounding laugh tumbled from my lips. “Nah. Don’t think that’s for me.” Even to my own ears, it sounded like a lie. Holy shit! What was I turning into? I had a feeling that Eli may have opened Pandora’s Box where sex was involved.
“Whatever,” he answered with a roll of his eyes. “Now, what did you have in mind? I enjoy keeping Seth on his toes by being naughty. Tell me your plans.”
I grabbed my backpack and said, “I’ll tell you on the way. Let’s go!”*****A little over an hour later, I pulled my sports car into the parking garage of Eli’s apartment complex. Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it that—it looked more like something that would rival Trump Tower…only with elegance and class. I’d driven by the spectacular building for two years without knowing that our company built and owned it, with Samantha and Eli each owning a penthouse suite on the upper floor. A bit of computer hacking when Eli arrived back in town had opened my eyes to how much wealth my boyfriend’s family possessed.
Wow…my boyfriend. That sounded really nice.
Baker whistled through his teeth. “Dayum! This is a nice place. Eli lives here?”
“Eli and Samantha both have apartments on the top floor.” With a shrug, I added, “I guess they had them set aside for when they were in town on business since neither of them lived here before you came around.”
“Psst! We both know it wasn’t me that brought Eli sniffing around!”
“Does Eli know you’ve packed up your entire closet, one very unfriendly cat, and enough computer shit to fill a large bedroom and are moving into his place?” As he talked, I pulled into a spot near the elevators for the penthouse and he checked the newly placed band aids on six of his fingers and a wrist. For somebody that got their ass flogged on a very regular basis, Baker was extraordinarily wimpy when it came to cat scratches.
“Nope. It’s a surprise,” I answered. I flung my car door open and reached into the backseat to grab the cat carrier and a piece of my luggage. My cat really was an angel, but Baker had scared her half to death. She’d been a feral cat that had taken me almost a year to allow me to touch her. What could I say? She was picky on who she let stroke her gorgeous fur. I’d already talked to Eli about her, and he was fine with me having a cat. My heart soared as I lugged the carrier and my luggage toward the elevator. Baker, on the other hand, hadn’t moved an inch. Figured.
“What? Aren’t you going to help me carry anything up?”
His feet shuffled. “Ari, you know I love ya, but I’m not sure this is the best thing right now. Moving in together is something you and Eli need to discuss. One of the most frustrating things I found about Seth was that he assumed things that I wanted instead of asking me. Every damn time he presumed, it never ended well. Don’t you think moving in together should be something you and Eli discuss before we move in all your belongings and your evil, devil-serving, cat?”
Laughing at his reservations, I said, “Grab a couple of suitcases, Baker. Trust me, I’m not just moving my shit into Eli’s personal space without his permission. He asked me last night, but I declined because I was a scared fool. I didn’t exactly tell him no, but I most certainly didn’t say yes. I was afraid of committing because of my own insecurities. That bullshit is behind me now. I realize that I’ve been the one with the problem. I lied to Eli about my age and then on the boat, I lied about my sexual experience…or at least led him to believe something different than reality. That shit is behind me now. When I want something, I’m going after it…and I want Eli.” My eyes narrowed at him. “Now, pick up some luggage and help me. I’d like to be settled in with my clothing, at least, before Eli gets home.”