The television was on. Game of Thrones was playing on Netflix. Destiny was draped across Aubrey's lap with her head resting on a pillow. She was naked, while he was dressed in a pair of gray sweats and a black tank.
He rubbed ointment into her ass cheeks while watching one of his favorite shows.
She alternated between watching the show and remembering Patty's final words to her:
"If you take anything away from our conversation tonight, I want that message to be that whether your relationship is vanilla or not, mistakes will happen. On your part and on his. This is the case with any relationship. With BDSM, the issue may be that Aubrey calls you out of your name, or spanks you a little too hard. With the vanilla lifestyle...Brian, was it? He might stay out too long with his drinking buddies, or blow some of your savings on a motorcycle, or what have you. Rough patches only serve to strengthen your relationship and each other. If you love each other, you can get past the gripes. In the end, all of those little unimportant arguments don't mean anything. Love, honey. Love is all that matters, in the end."
Destiny moaned contentedly at the massage her rear end was getting.
On the ride home, Aubrey hadn't said much; neither had she. The same was the case for when they entered his condo. When Aubrey saw Destiny wince while sitting down, though, he suggested that they watch television while he treated her soreness.
After the first episode ended, he asked her, "So, what did you think about Lawrence and Patty?" he asked while the countdown for the next episode wound down.
"They are both characters," she told him. "And Lawrence...I have no words to describe Lawrence."
Aubrey laughed, low and deep. "He's fucking crazy."
"He is fucking crazy," she agreed, giggling. "I can't believe the words that came out of his mouth. Both of them. They look like an innocent farm couple or something, but they talk like-like..."
"Sailors?" he supplied, raising the remote control and pausing the next episode.
"Worse."
He laughed again and set the remote down on the couch. "I rarely ever spoke to them outside of the group, but we all exchanged numbers. For him to even meet with me on such short notice...I really appreciate both of them for that. They didn't owe me any favors."
"They seem very sweet."
"What else did you think about our talk with them?" he asked, his voice carrying an underlying intensity.
"The conversation we had with them was very much needed," she answered. "It was...the perfect message at the perfect time. What they had to say...it was very wise. Little gems of wisdom, important life lessons."
He continued to massage her. "I feel the same way."
"What did you and Lawrence talk about?"
His hand went still on her ass cheek.
She raised her head off of the pillow and looked at him. "Aubrey?"
He took a deep breath and started to rub her ass again. "I talked to him about...about us. How I've failed you, the mistakes I've made. My...fears of being a bad father and a bad husband. Everything."
"And what did he say?"
"That I shouldn't let what my father did or didn't do determine whether or not I get married and have children."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"He also said that I need to work through my issues before I can be the Dominant that you need me to be," he told her. "And...he said that it sounds like my training skills are rusty as shit. Or rusty as fuck."
She burst out laughing.
"I don't remember which. One of the two."
She turned her face into the pillow, replaying Lawrence's advice to Aubrey in her mind.
"I love hearing your laugh," he said, his voice growing quieter.
Despite the compliment, she stopped laughing.
"What did you discuss with Patty?"
"Us," she responded in a tiny voice. "What you did. What you called me. She thought what you called me was tame, compared to what Lawrence calls her. We also touched on the marriage and children stuff. Love in general. And she mentioned something about having thrown a remote control at Lawrence before."
Aubrey chuckled. "What?"
"I couldn't believe it, either. She's a spunky one."
"No shit," he muttered.
"Everything she said was on point, though." She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his gentle caress. "Her advice for me was to wait. She thinks I shouldn't be your submissive until I choose who I want to be with. So...I don't know what to do now. I wanted to understand more about the lifestyle, more about you and what you expect from me."
His touch moved from her ass to her lower back. "We'll figure it out."
"You say that like we have all the time in the world."
"Just because I'm not training you doesn't mean we can't have conversations about BDSM, about what I like and expect." His hands kneaded their way up her back, towards her shoulder blades. "I'm... sorry, Destiny."
"For?"
"Calling you what I called you."
She rested her chin on top of her hands.
"It's not something I planned on saying. It just came out. Those words are not indicative of how I view you. I know that you weren't being sneaky. And you're not a bitch. I just...it just..."
"When you said that, it was like you were possessed by someone else," she told him. "I couldn't recognize you." She paused, then asked, "Namecalling...is that something you're into? Something that turns you on?"
"Sometimes. It's not necessary for me to enjoy myself, if it's something that you don't like."
She lowered her eyes and idly traced the design on the pillow. "Would you let me call you names?"
He laughed at the idea.
She cast a glance over her shoulder. "What's so funny?"
He scratched his temple. "Oh, you were serious? That was...that was a serious suggestion?"
She slowly sat up and positioned herself so she was facing him. "Yes, that was a serious suggestion. Do you remember when we switched roles that one night?"
He arched a brow at her. "Yes, I remember."
Her gaze dropped down from his face to the outline of his chest, which she could see through the thin material of his tank. "You liked that, didn't you?"
"I explained to you that I'm not a fan of consistently switching between Dominant and submissive roles."
"But you liked it?" she asked him, rising onto her knees.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "I liked it, yes."
She slid one leg across his lap.
He held her gaze.
"And you dished out some pretty serious namecalling," she said. "You hurt my feelings last night."
"What are you doing?"
"Seeing if you can take the same treatment you dish out," she said matter-of-factly, straddling him.
"Destiny..."
"You can choose not to participate," she said, placing a hand on his chest. "Only...if you choose not to participate, I will sleep in the guest room tonight. If you choose to participate, I will sleep in the master bedroom. With you." Her hand traveled down his abdomen.
Amusement flickered in his eyes.
She feigned an expression of mock-innocence. "Did you need time to consider the options I've provided you with?"
His grin was wolfish, all teeth. "No."
She leaned close and whispered into his ear, "Good."
His eyes lowered down to her breasts, which were thrust towards his face. He impulsively leaned forward and grazed the tip of one breast with his teeth. Then he sat back and looked up at her with mischievous eyes. "You want to talk dirty to me? All right. I'm game. I'll participate."