Teaching Maya Read Free

new paint job, but it's finally done. Inaugural ride, Maya, ready?”
    He held the door open for me, and I lowered myself in. The seats were low to the ground, and my dress slid up my thighs as I tried to get in with a modicum of grace. I don't think I succeeded; Ryan's lips twitched with amusement as he shut the door and swung around to the driver's side.
    “Ivar thought we were going to a new Thai place?” I asked. I wasn't subtle at all. I was trying to figure out what the plan for the evening was.
    “ We are,” Ryan said, as he started the car. I'd never been in a car with him. He drove with the same calm competence that he seemed to do everything else with. I wondered if he'd be standing over me with a whip with the same calm. Would I be moaning in arousal while he watched with his customary detachment?
    Ryan was quiet while he drove, and I was lost in my own thoughts. I didn't realize we'd arrived until we turned to pull into the restaurant's parking lot. I shook my head slightly to clear it, and looked around. The smell of ocean salt was in the air, and the sound of the waves much closer.
    “You look lovely tonight.”
    I looked at him quickly. A compliment from Ryan Clayborn was a rare thing. I mumbled my thanks.
    His hand cupped the small of my back, and his fingers brushed against the chain. “Nice,” he remarked appreciatively. “I can think of many things to do with this.” I blushed in the gathering twilight. His hand was warm against my back, and his fingers were now stroking my back very lightly. It was incredibly erotic, and I was instantly wet. Another first for me.
    We were seated outside by a young waitress who could not take her eyes off Ryan. To his credit, Ryan didn't appear to notice. We quickly placed our drink orders, she wandered off to fill them, and we were alone at last, for the first time since last night.
    “Maya. Ground rules first, okay?”
    I gulped. It was starting.
    “Just one. I don't do relationships. I don't want a girlfriend.”
    I nodde d. This was no surprise; in all the years I'd known Ryan, he'd never mentioned a girlfriend. Women always threw themselves at him, and while he was happy to play along, it was always on his terms.
    Ryan looked a little relieved, as he continued. “Good. Now how much do you know about the whole BDSM thing, and do you have any questions?”
    I had spent my day doing some discreet Internet browsing. It had been eye-opening and somewhat terrifying. Had it been anyone other than Ryan suggesting this, I would have run, screaming. I had known Ryan all my life though, and I trusted him.
    I asked the question that was uppermost in my mind. “Are you looking for a slave?”
    He burst out laughing. The waitress chose that moment to appear with our drinks, and I seized mine, mortified. I don't know what reaction I was expecting, but mirth wasn't it. With effort, Ryan sobered up, and we both placed our dinner orders. Once the waitress had retreated, he continued, eyes dancing with amusement. “I'm assuming you spent some time on the Internet? I'm not saying there aren't people who are into the whole slave thing, but it's probably much more the kind of thing that people fantasize about without ever wanting it to be anything other than a fantasy.”
    He took a sip of his drink. “If you've been reading much of the drivel on the Internet, then I'll quickly clarify the way I play. It'll always just be you and me. No bondage clubs, no sharing you with friends, nothing in public, none of that crap. I don't do needles or blood, I won't lock you in a cage for hours on end, you won't have to call me Master, and you certainly will be expected to make eye contact. Let's see, what else? I don't do humiliation. No peeing on each other, or anything in that spectrum. Hmm. What am I forgetting?”
    That little speech had answered most of my questions, and quelled most of my disquiet. “Will I have a safe word?” I asked.
    “ If you want one,” he answered. “You