Page 19 of The Best Bad Decision

Chapter 6

Atlee

I needed to find my courage because it seemed to have wandered off somewhere.

Casimir was wonderfully patient and good at ignoring my awkwardness but there was only so long we could continue down that path. If we were going to shift into a more physical relationship, I had questions that needed to be addressed.

“How is your crème brûlée?” He was doing his best to steer the conversation in neutral ways but I could almost hear the wheels in his head turning.

He had to be wondering what I was doing, but I really couldn’t answer that question.

“It’s delicious.” What was even better was the way he’d brought it up to begin with instead of arguing with me that of course cake was the best option and I shouldn’t be stubborn. “It would taste better if I wasn’t a wuss, though.”

That had his lips twitching but he kept his neutral expression and shook his head. “Nope. Not going to let you talk about my date like that. He’s working through new information and has a lot to process. Be nice to him.”

There was a slight or else tone to his voice that made me very curious and loosened my tongue slightly. “What would you do if I wasn’t nice to him?”

I should not have asked that, but his wicked grin as his tongue flicked out to lick ice cream off his spoon made it hard to regret it.

“Hmm…carrot or stick?” His teasing tone said he was fucking with me but there was something in his eyes that said he was testing the waters too. He wanted to see my reaction, but I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. “I’d start with a bribe for good behavior. Then if it became necessary, I’d find a creative punishment to make the rule stick.”

Rules.

Punishments.

I liked the sound of the bribe better.

“And some guilt thrown in for good measure.” Setting his spoon down, he leaned back in his chair. “I think along with the bribe I’d point out that being mean to my date would make me very uncomfortable and I’d worry.”

Oh.

“That’s fighting dirty.” My response had his grin flashing again but he shrugged the accusation away.

Probably because it was true and he wouldn’t be apologetic.

“What would a bribe look like?” I’d never had a conversation like this in my entire life but every step forward made it a little easier.

I had a feeling his smiles were affecting it, but he was right, I liked making him happy and he knew it. Usually it was a relationship trait that fucked me over completely, but Casimir wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met.

“Oh…you ask fun questions.” It definitely wasn’t too personal based on the slightly predatory gleam in his eyes. “I might trade questions for kisses…and I’d definitely get creative about where they should go.”

Kisses.

“Would I be kissing you as the reward or the other way around?” How would that work if he was the in-charge party in the situation? “It would be my bribe but…”

Something flashed through his eyes before he nodded, something like pride maybe. “But depending on the situation, and what makes you feel rewarded, it could go either way.”

Blinking slowly, he paused and studied me quietly for a moment. “Hypothetically, if I were dating a sub we’ll call Bob, I’d ask questions to figure out what made Bob feel special and what made him happy. If being told where to kiss me made him relaxed and aroused, I’d used that as his bribe.”

We both knew I liked being told where to kiss him.

The most logical part of my brain couldn’t help pointing out that knowing what made my partner happy and comfortable kept me from getting screamed at and it kept accusations at bay. Other less logical parts of my brain kept trying to snort and be dramatic, though.

So I stopped trying to analyze any of it and only focused on the situation in front of me.

“So if Bob felt relaxed and happy being told where to kiss you, his bribe in this instance might be kissing you on a specific part of your body that you enjoy?” Wait. “You’d be enjoying the bribe, right?”

How far did taking care of someone else go?