Alice opened her eyes to see him smiling at her.
"Good morning, gorgeous."
"Good morning, handsome lover."
She yawned, stretching luxuriantly, and snuggled up to him. There was nothing better than waking up in his arms, feeling safe and warm and loved. It would be wonderful to do that every day ... no, don't get ahead of yourself, Alice. Just enjoy it while you can. Past experience told her that it wouldn't last. She tried to suppress the negative thoughts as he kissed her tenderly and reached out to caress her breast.
Laughing, she pushed his hand away.
"Can we just cuddle for a bit? I need a shower before we get started again, I'm a right mess!"
She was. Her hair was all mussed up, she smelt of sex and sweat and there were dry patches of his semen still clinging to her thighs and belly. He thought she looked absolutely adorable.
"Of course."
He slid his arm around her waist and she sighed happily. They chatted about plans for the day ahead, unaccustomed to the luxury of having free time together, even if they weren't quite alone, with her German Shepherd, King, lying contentedly on the carpet at the side of the bed. They debated whether to catch a film, or go out for a meal, then she mentioned that she hadn't seen a live band in years. They pored over the local gig listings, and discovered a mutual love of a band who were playing in town that night. Greg punched his details into the ticketing site.
"Sorted. Two e-tickets for tonight, doors open at seven-thirty."
"Thank you!"
She kissed him on the forehead.
"It's lovely being able to do all these things with you. You've changed my life already, you know that?"
"You've done the same for me. I'm happier than I've been in a long, long time, and I hope I can make you that happy, too."
She hugged him.
"You do. I just feel so comfortable with you, as though I have the freedom to be myself, do all the things I've always wanted to but never dared."
She giggled.
"Especially in bed!"
"Like last night, you mean?"
She blushed slightly.
"Mmmm, yes, among other things. I've never let anyone watch me like that, and I was really embarrassed at first, but seeing you watching me and touching yourself was a huge turn on."
"For me, too. I've never experienced anything like that."
She sensed that he was ready to open up a little.
"Not even when you were married?"
He hesitated, then plunged on.
"No. I loved Isobel, and she loved me, but she was never very adventurous in that way, and didn't like anything that was at all ... unusual."
"Clive was the same. Did you ever talk about your fantasies?"
"She said that she didn't have sexual fantasies, and I believed her. She'd just never thought about it, I think. She was horrified when I told her one or two of mine."
"What kind of fantasies?"
It was his turn to be embarrassed.
"Um, well, you know, being a bit rough, spanking - that kind of thing."
"Oh, OK. And she wasn't into that?"
"She hated the idea, and I didn't want to push her into anything she didn't want to do, so the subject never came up again."
"That's sad. I'm sorry."
"It's OK. I tried to tell her that it's really more about erotic imagination, trust and power games than inflicting pain on someone, but it just didn't appeal to her."
Alice was quiet for a minute, then said, slowly.
"You know, I find the idea of giving up control quite appealing. I think I could be submissive in that way. Not in real life, where I'm quite assertive, and certainly not when it comes to Chloe. But with the right person, yes, I could be."
"Why do you think that is?"
"I'm not sure. The obvious reason would be the fact that I've had to be strong and in control of everything for so long, and it would be so good to relinquish that and have someone else take control. Most importantly, it would have to be someone I would trust to take care of me. To be honest, though, there's also the thrill of doing something taboo and naughty. I used to fantasise about those kind of things long before that part of my life. Even as a kid, I was the one volunteering to be the tied up prisoner in our games!"
She smiled at the long-forgotten memories.
"I was very innocent then, and later on I was much too shy to ask for anything naughty. The one guy who made me come before you was an older guy, and he treated me roughly in bed. The trouble was, he treated me like that out of it, too, and I soon wised up and left him. Then I met Clive, and it was all lights off and missionary position, because good girls didn't do that sort of thing."
"That's sad, too. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It means that with you I feel as though I'm just beginning to explore my sexuality, and it's incredibly liberating. How about you, what would you get out of punishing some innocent girl's pert, inviting little bottom?"
He chuckled at her choice of words and coquettish smile, but his heart was racing, too.
"Little minx! Well, you just put your finger on it, so to speak."
He frowned, and addressed her question more seriously.
"I think I'm the opposite, really. For the last few years my life has felt out of control, all the old certainties crumbling away. I suppose I retreated from the world because I felt that my life was over in a way. When I met you, everything changed, and you made me feel that I could be strong and protective and in charge. I don't really know about spanking in particular - typical alpha male fantasies, I guess. Watching too much porn as a teenager!"
"Did they have porn that long ago?"
"Watch it, missy! If your tongue gets any further into your cheek, it'll stick there!"
"So, what else did teenage Greg fantasise about?"
"Oh, tennis stars in short skirts, women who actually liked sex. Just seeing a girl naked. Getting a blow job. I wasn't very imaginative then!"
"And now?"
"Well, all of those things still, obviously! But lots more besides, much darker things sometimes ..."
Now they were getting to the crunch. She just needed to encourage him to be completely open with her.
