Devoured Innocence (BDSM)

Chapter 1

(MATURE// PLEASE FAN TO ASSURE NO DIFFICULTIES WITH READING PRIVATE CHAPTERS. IVE HAD PREVIOUS ISSUES WITH PAST BOOKS! INBOX/COMMENT IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES)

"I want to be chased."

Mr. Hughes stared at me, the brightness of his blue eyes fading as his smile morphed into a serious, straight line. "You like being stalked?"

"There's a difference between being stalked and being chased. A big difference." My own smile faltered a little as I remembered an incident just last week. I shivered.

"How so?"

I blinked and stared back at him. "Hmm?"

"How are they different?"

"How is what different?"

"Stalking and chasing. You said there was a big difference." His eyes were shiny again. He was still impassive, although I thought I saw a hint of a smile. It was distracting. I liked his smile a whole lot better. I wished he'd do it again.

What was wrong with me? How did we get off the topic of my book, anyway? I'd never been so rattled in an interview. I swallowed and forced my lips back into a smile. He finally smiled back, and I felt my cheeks heat up.

I shifted in my chair and crossed my legs, being careful that my pencil skirt didn't ride up too far and reveal the lace tops of my thigh-high nylons and the clips on my garter belt. Clearing my throat, I tried to focus, to find the right words.

"Stalking is impersonal. It's selfish. Uninvited. Criminal. Usually the victim has never met his or her stalker. Chasing is..."

Mr. Hughes sat forward. "Yes?"

I shrugged. "Like the song says, 'I want you to want me.' "

His eyes widened fractionally. "But doesn't a stalker want his victim?"

My smile was genuine now. "Yes, but I don't want my stalker to want me."

"I see."

"Where as, with chasing, if I am interested in a guy, I will make an effort to show him I am. And I want him to make the same effort. You know, flirt a little. Even play hard-to-get. That's the fun of the chase. But once you finally let him catch you, the game is not over. It needs to continue. Maybe not at the extreme that it did early in the relationship, but it still has to be there."

He was looking at me, but his mind appeared to be focused elsewhere. Finally, he said, "So it that why women can be so moody in a relationship? The thrill of the chase is ebbing...or completely gone?"

"Bravo, Mr. Hughes." I resisted the urge to clap.

"So how long does this initial chase usually last?"

I held out my hand and wobbled it back and forth. "Depends on the couple, really. The key is, the guy should not hover. Smothering will turn her off right away."

He adjusted his tie with one large hand, his fingers long and thick, his nails well-manicured. It was a very nice hand. And the tie wasn't that bad, either. It was gray silk with wide blue stripes and narrow red ones. It made his eyes stand out. Just like his white dress shirt and black suit framed his upper body as if it were painted on.

"So, she shouldn't act desperate, and he should not act obsessed."

"Exactly. It's difficult to balance the sides, but if done properly, it can be successful." I sipped water from the glass on the table beside me and then tilted it toward him with a laugh. "You should write your own book on your observations. Let the male gender in on the rules of the dating game."