and I lean on her shoulder.
She picked the movie Dirty Dancing because it’s one of our all-time favorites. The final dance scene always makes my heart flutter.
Damon doesn’t text, so I contact him once I’m ready for bed.
Hey, sexy, what are you doing? I missed you tonight. I wish you were here. I’m climbing in bed to read Bound and thinking of you.
All my love,
Katarina
I expect to get a return text right away, but I don’t. Twenty minutes later, Em knocks on my door.
“Come in.”
The door opens, but it’s not Em who enters. It’s Damon, and he moves lightning fast toward me.
“I can’t do it. I don’t want to suffocate you, but I want to be with you every chance I can.” He sits on the bed. “I got your text and drove right over. You said you wished I was here. I’m here.”
“I’m glad. Climb in bed. It’s late, and we have work tomorrow.” I yawn before saying, “Before I forget. Should I worry about this Mara girl?”
“No. She’s my past. You’re my future.”
Trevor and I are swamped with menus, accommodations, transportation services, and invitations. These things are like time vampires and suck you dry.
I race to Damon’s office at five, ready to discuss book club and pick out a slip of paper from our naughty bag. Did he write the same things as I did? It wouldn’t surprise me. The longer I’m with him, the more I realize how alike we are.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask, skipping into his office.
“Yes. Let’s grab a pizza on our way and eat in your bed?”
“Pizza in bed?” It’s not our norm, but variety is good. “I can do that. We also need a bottle of wine because I’m celebrating. Tomorrow is my last day of school.”
“We have lots to celebrate, like school ending, your graduation, book club, the opening of Ahz, and our relationship. Life is good, Katarina.”
We pull up to my curb less than an hour later with a large pizza and a bottle of merlot.
Inside Damon’s coat pocket is the naughty bag.
“I want to pick the first time,” I say. “You can pick next week, and if this turns out to be too much fun, we’ll pick more often.” The thrill of the unknown ripples over my skin like fire.
“Okay.” He opens the trunk and pulls out a plain brown box.
“What’s that?”
“Some of my suggestions need props. I ordered items that may come up.”
“Now you’ve piqued my curiosity. Should we skip the pizza and dig right into book club?” I race to the door, unlock it, and beat him to the bedroom.
“Not a chance.” He closes the door behind him. Setting the pizza on my dresser, he flips it open. “You’ll need sustenance. Eat first and read later. To prove I’m flexible, you can choose your poison before you eat.”
He holds up the bag, and I reach inside and grab a scrap of paper. Written on it is the word: Bondage. I crumple it and throw it away.
“Hey, you can’t throw away the ones you don’t like. That’s not fair.”
“It said bondage. We’ve done that already. I want to try something new.” I reach in for another and pull out a note that says, ‘Watch Katarina pleasure herself.’
“Oh, my God, Damon, really?” I toss the paper at him and give him a suspicious look.
“I’m so excited you got that one. The odds were in my favor since I wrote it over twenty times.”
“You cheated!” He tipped the scales to his side. Damon is a man that always gets what he wants.
“You didn’t outline any rules. You said to write the things I found intriguing in the book. The subject was discussed, and it’s at the top of my list. You also didn’t put a limit to the number of times we could write something down.”
“Fine.” I strip down naked and sit cross-legged with the pizza box open and lying against my chest, but each time I close it, I give him a peek of what’s coming.
“Do you want a slice? It’s hot and steamy and waiting for you,” I tease.
“What are you doing?” He reaches into the box to get a piece.
“I’m having fun. You wanted to watch, right? What’s in the brown box? Anything I should use?” I pick the toppings off one slice and move the pizza box to my dresser.
I open the brown box and find everything under the sun inside it. The items range from handcuffs to vibrators. Reaching in, I grab exactly