Carson invited me to his house that night, as I had expected. It was now or never. I drove over, took the elevator, and was greeted with his smile - even better than I remembered.
"Hello, beautiful," he said, pulling me into a kiss.
"Hi, Carson."
It was like he could see the cloud hanging over my head. "What's on your mind, little one?"
He closed the door behind me and guided me to the couch. He sat in a leather wing chair next to me.
"I need to tell you something," I said, avoiding eye contact.
"Okay," he said simply.
"This morning, after you left, Benjamin came out."
Carson tilted his head back, seeming to sense what was coming.
"He asked to talk, and well, we ended up having sex," I said as quickly as I could, still avoiding his gaze.
The melodious sound of his chuckle surprised me. There wasn't a hint of anger in it. "You just keep giving me reasons to punish you, don't you?" he said casually.
"You're...laughing," was all I could say.
"Emmeline, what did you expect? I knew what I was getting myself into. You told me something happened between you at the party. You still have the mark to prove it. If anything, I should be apologizing. You had a rough night, I should have waited."
"I was there too! I didn't want to wait. I know it's made everything more complicated, but I don't regret it."
"I'm relieved to hear you say that."
"So you're really not upset?"
"How can I be? We didn't make any agreements and I'm guessing you didn't make one with Ben. Right?"
"No."
"Then you haven't made me 'the other man'."
"So what is our agreement?" I asked.
"I won't ask you for monogamy, I know you can't give it right now. There's no one other than Ben is there?"
"No, of course not."
"I'm willing to give you monogamy. For now. Until we've all figured things out a bit more."
"That's really generous. You sure I'm worth all this trouble?" I said with a laugh, expecting him to brush it off.
"Emma, come here," he said firmly. I was surprised by the sudden shift, but got up and took the two steps until I was in front of him. He pointed to the floor. I got on my knees, sat back on my calves, and put my hands behind my back. I looked at the floor and waited.
Sir considered me for a moment before pulling my hands from behind my back and placing them on my knees. He pushed my shoulders back until my back was straight.
"That's 'down' when you're with me. Understand, Emma?"
"Yes, Sir."
He put his hand beneath my chin and lifted it until I met his eyes. "Listen to me, Emma. No matter how this ends up, regardless of where our future lies, you deserve the very best. The perfect situation for you and your partner.
"Anyone who isn't willing to give you what you need is not a person you should be with. Anyone who makes you feel unworthy of the love you want is not a person you should be with. Giving someone else power in your life, to the extent that you do, is complicated enough without choosing the wrong person.
"That's why I'm willing to give you what you need right now. To find out if you're my sub, if I'm your Sir."