Author's Foreword: This series has themes of romance, sex, friendship, humor, safe and consensual BDSM, and above all, intimacy and the concept of memory. Any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental. I want you, reader, to come away with more empathy, appreciation, and joy for yourself and others than you began. As I did when writing this.
Note: This installment is lighter on the sex (third scene) and heavier on plot and character development (first and second scenes). I'm as surprised as you are. Don't worry, sexy times lay ahead. All under control. Promise.
***Early Summer***
"First rule," I prompted.
"Be safe and communicate," she responded matter-of-factly. She was kneeling on the floor, staring straight ahead, straight-backed, clothed comfortably, and full of ballet-trained poise.
"Second rule."
"You're in charge, but only because I let you," she said, a slight jitter in her voice betraying her eagerness and excitement.
"I'm in charge, but only so long as you *want* me to be," I corrected gently, "Third rule."
"We take care of each other."
"Perfect. Everything else follows those three things." I walked slowly around her, enjoying how still she was trying to be.
"And can you tell me the basics of what we agreed to do today?" I asked, trailing a hand through her hair, then stroking along the nape of her neck.
"Training me to follow your instructions."
"Exactly. We'll practice coming to me, kneeling, presenting, holding, fetching, things like that. Just the basics. And if you do your best and aren't a brat, you'll get rewarded. And after that, we'll talk about how it went and have some more fun if we want. Now, eyes front. I have something for you."
Kneeling in front of her, I brought out a plain white paperboard box. A little confused yet pleased, she leaned forward and kissed me in thanks before opening it.
Inside was a simple, thin leather collar with a few small steel rings on the sides. It was lined with layers of silk on the inside facing the neck, which I'd paid extra for since it occurred to me she might chafe otherwise. It was all dyed a light, pinkish purple; the nearest I could get to lilac.
"Oh, Luke, It's really nice," she said affectionately, "I wasn't expecting that. I figured it would be all, y'know, rough."
"This isn't binding," I said, stupidly too focused on not screwing up at the time to notice her open-heartedness, "That sort of thing is too much for either of us. Like we discussed. We're just having fun, okay?"
"Mmhm," she nodded, chewing her lip.
"If you want, you can put it on now or whenever we're playing Silence. But you never have to. And if you do put it on, you can always take it off." Her eyes flicked up to mine, and I could see her working to control her breathing. Always so poised. Except right then. I set the open box to one side, the collar still in it.
"Okay," she said nervously, looking down at it. I remember feeling nervous, even scared. But more than that, I wanted her to not feel that way about it. About me. I gently turned her face towards mine.
"Erin," I said quietly, "We're *pretending* I'm in charge. But I'll be following your lead the whole time. You're the one that's really in control here. Promise." She looked down for a moment, and when she leaned forward to kiss me, her face was hot and slightly wet.
We held that welded kiss until she picked the collar up and asked me to help her put it on. I remember the barely-there tremble in each other's hands as we did so. Society said we'd been adults for years. But we were so young.
***Early Summer***
"So you're not dead after all," came the familiar voice. My initial reply was a succinct middle finger over my shoulder.
"You here to help or just talk shit?" I shouted back from where I knelt in the yard. I was at my parent's house, having been voluntold to do yet another project. It was a somewhat cloudy day with a cutting breeze, but I was still sweating hard. Alex strolled across the street and up the small hill to me to survey my inexpert yet careful handiwork.
"Was planning on the second option," he said, "But if it gets you off the chain gang sooner, I guess I got some time. I brought backup, too... kinda." I stood up and turned around to see his younger brother Anthony rummaging in the trunk of Alex's car for work gloves. Tony was still in high school; a rather geeky underclassman that shared his brother's tall, broad-shouldered frame but without any of Alex's natural athleticism or readily apparent good looks. He was an affable kid, if bumbling and desperately goofy-looking, and still maturing out of a doughy pre-adolescence. Naturally, he later became a model.
"Mom said I had to keep him out of trouble today," Alex sighed.
"He gets into trouble now?" I asked incredulously. We both watched him hunt around hopelessly for one of the gloves he'd dropped on the ground.
"Not our kind of trouble," Alex clarified, "I think Mom was just being nice and didn't want to say 'babysit' in front of him. My folks wanted us both out of the house." I tried to hold the laugh in as Tony galumphed over.
"So what're you building?" Tony asked. Amused, I glanced over at the half-repaired retaining wall and various piles of granite.
"Jesus Christ, Tony. A rock wall," Alex said, rubbing his eyes.
"It would be a lot of help if you could get the packing sand from the garage," I said to Tony, "Al, wanna give me a hand with the heavy ones?" As we wrestled a cornerstone into place, Alex and I heard a crash from the vicinity that Tony had wandered off to.
"Is he gonna be okay?" I asked. Alex shrugged as we picked up the next rock.
"Whatever," he grunted, "Not my problem unless he's bleeding or breaks something of yours. Anyway, me and the other guys haven't seen or heard from your scruffy ass in weeks. I assumed you were doing some more yard work bullshit for your folks like usual, but you know how Grant gets. Guy was thinking about filing a missing person report. So I said I'd check on you."
"And it didn't occur to any of you to just call me? But yeah, of course, my bad," I replied with a roll of my eyes, turning a small boulder this way and that to find a better fit, "I've been fine, man. Great, actually. Haven't been trapped here too much either. Just making the most of summer, ya know? Besides, almost all of us go to the same college. Not like you idiots don't see enough of me."
"So when you say you're making the most of summer..." Alex prompted, trailing off expectantly and raising his eyebrows. I threw my hands up in exasperation.
"What a detective," I replied, "Yeah, I've been keeping busy."
"Attaboy!" he said with a leer, "You never say you feel 'great,' so it was pretty obvious. Who is it?"
"You first. You and Lily, uh, staying busy?"
