CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

Ranger picked up the document and handed it to her. He took a pen out of his pocket and offered it. "Here, I want you to circle those things that you feel are important and want to keep. Everything else goes."

"Everything?" Steph asked softly.

"Everything." His voice was firm but reassuring. "But please give me your reasoning behind your choices. I'm not going to judge, or be angry. I just need to know where your head is at."

Hesitantly, Steph took the pen and slowly read through their agreement. She surprised herself when, after bypassing them at first glance, she circled the three primary rules. Even Ranger showed some bewilderment at her choice.

"I need rules. I may not follow them all the time. But I need to know that they are there." Steph tried to answer his un-asked question.

"Babe, if you agree to these rules, you will need to follow them all the time; not just when they suit your purpose. And don't forget that breaking the rules will result in very uncomfortable consequences." Ranger cautioned her.

"How uncomfortable?" Her voice childlike.

"Well, my preferred punishment for seriously breaking the rules is usually a good, sound spanking." Hard as he tried, Ranger couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. Damn! The thought of her across my lap and a rosy-pink butt for the taking…Not gonna happen. She'll never agree to it. Case closed.

"Spanking! I was never spanked as a child. Why would I agree to be spanked as an adult? Humiliation stalks me now. Why would I invite it to move right in?"

"Punishment for unacceptable behavior is a main concept in a Dom/sub relationship. Its purpose is not just to show the Dom's control, but to help the sub re-enforce her willingness to give up power. Also, the added threat of some pain, makes remembering to follow the rules easier. Most times, the rules were made to help the sub to grow or encourage her to break self-destructive patterns. They are, and never should be, simply to emphasize her Dom's power over her. Sound familiar?" Ranger had quoted Claude Reynaud's words verbatim.

"Very," Steph answered coldly. "Let me think about this a minute and move on."

She liked the monogamous part and being totally submissive during their 'scenes' turned her on far more than she ever could have imagined. She still however, missed some good old spontaneous vanilla sex…especially when she initiated it. The fear of "topping from the bottom" had to go. The time frame bothered her the most. Not just that their sexual encounters were turned into scheduled appointments, but the whole idea that they only had until December to get their 'act together'. Steph nibbled on her bottom lip as she reviewed the edited agreement with it's crossed out paragraphs and scribbled notations in the margins. With a sigh that originated somewhere deep in her soul, she handed him the finished product. She took a big swig of her now warm beer and a bite of cold pizza and waited for his response.

Ranger enjoyed watching her tackle her task with her characteristic intensity. She's like a hound with a bone when she committed to something…or someone. A good quality most of the time, it has been known to get her into some deep trouble. Is it my job to help her out of trouble, or teach her how to not get there in the first place? Guess there's never a good answer to that question. I just know…trouble or not…I need her in my life and by my side. "Let's see the final results."

As he reached for the paper, Steph's eyes got big and she snatch the papers back. "One last thing…or things…whatever, I have to add this." Explaining as she wrote, "If I agree to the Big Three rules, you have to have some rules too."

"Babe, D and s doesn't work that way," Ranger started to protest.

"Well this isn't what you would call a straight-up D/s relationship. Is it?" She wrote frantically and secretively. He tried to peek, but her head kept blocking his view.

"There, finished! But don't read the back until we've talked about all the stuff on the front. OK?" She was her old animated self. It made Ranger smile.

"OK, let's see what you've got." His mood became very serious as he read. What had been circled or crossed out, had notations and explanations written in the margins. She has been giving this some serious thought for quite a while. Why didn't she say some of this earlier? 'I'm tired of being afraid all the time'…her words came back to haunt his thoughts. Shit, this was way too soon after the mess at the Hermitage. I should have given her…given us…more time. No wonder she is scared. She's seen me as Kane. She thinks that animal is buried in me and just biding its time to come out. I'm not him. I need to prove that to her.

"I see you are keeping the rules. Let's both hope this decision doesn't come back to bite us both in the ass. No more sex on schedule. I couldn't agree more. I agree to you sometimes being the aggressor but never during a planned scene. During our 'play time' I am and will be the boss. Understand?" He gave her an assertive stare. Steph nodded in full agreement. She even gave him a slight expectant smile. Hmm, maybe there's hope for us after all.

"The question of monogamy was never off the table. That's a given. I can see a verbal tease to keep things interesting. But no touching…ever. Your body is mine alone to touch and enjoy. Just as mine, now, is yours…and yours alone." He leaned toward her and gave her a quick passion-filled kiss to emphasize the "mine".

"Now for the big reveal," he dramatized his words as he turned the paper over to read Steph's rules for him. Ranger sat silently and isolated. He was completely lost in the few words that she had written...

TRUTH: I know that you have never lied to me. But, by not telling me things, you have lied by omission. If I am to be a part of your life, then I am part of all of it. Tell me the truth no matter how ugly or how much danger you think it will put me in. I need to know all the parts of our life together, not just the good parts.

TRUST: You can trust me. You can trust me not with just your secrets, but your hopes and dreams and fears. Trust that I will hold your heart next to mine, and treat it as my own. I will not judge. I will not meddle. I will not take harsh criticisms personally. But you must trust me as much as I trust you.

LOVE: The love I feel for you is infinite and unquestioning. I don't know if you are capable of feeling the same towards me. But I need you to try. Love isn't a death sentence to your individuality. Love isn't a prison. Love allows you to be just who you are. Love allows you to be fallible and still treasured…and I treasure your love more than life itself. I need to know, and be told, that you feel the same way about me.

These are my three Golden Rules. They're my Big Three. Breaking these rules will result in extreme and painful consequences.

When Ranger could finally speak, his voice was a little raspy. "And just what kind of punishment do you plan for me, if any of these rules are broken?" He was trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to lighten the moment.

Stephanie would have nothing of it. This was her future,and the topic was serious. "There will be no punishment."

"No punishment? But rule-breaking deserves punishment." Where is she going with this?

"There will be no need for punishment because; if these rules are broken…there will be no more us. If you…if we…can't follow these three simple rules, then we shouldn't be together."

SLAM! There it was…reality…in all its heretofore unmentioned dread. The purpose and glue of their relationship was there, simply stated in less than two hundred words. Words that could weigh immeasurable tons or words that could free their souls. What do I want? What do I truly want? This isn't like a collaring where I take full control over my sub. This is total commitment…body and soul. There was the briefest moment of hesitation before Ranger picked up the pen. He signed his name, big and bold, right under Steph's.

The pen went flying. The papers went flying. And his arms were full of Stephanie. There was hugging and kissing and some tears (on both their parts). Steph broke from his embrace and danced in spinning circles around the room. "Yes! Yes!" she sang as she spun. Her pink robe came slightly undone by the whirlwind. The release of tension produced something else for the both of them...passion.

Ranger caught her in mid-twirl. He backed her up against the wall that stretched between the living room and the bed room.

"Do you remember the first time we were together?" Steph asked.

"Yep, we were right here against this very wall. You had a few more clothes on, however." He whispered in her ear as he nuzzled than nibbled her neck. He reached inside her robe to stroke her breasts. Her nipples were hard and welcoming. With her arms locked around his neck, Ranger picked her up and headed for the bedroom.

Removing her robe, he placed her gently on the bed. He undressed quickly; never taking his eyes off of her. MINE! She wants to be mine. I want her…always. MINE! Animal thoughts…claiming thoughts…loving thoughts…they all raced through his mind at lightning speed. But those thoughts were the only things that were speedy.

As he knelt on the bed, Steph reached her arms up over her head and grasped a post on her headboard…voluntarily and instinctively assuming a bound and submissive pose. She wiggled her hips to encourage Ranger's response.

"You really do like this. Don't you?" he asked playfully. Her broad smile and cat-like mew were her only reply. "Let's see what I can find to help this along." Ranger was in his element – a Dom at play.

He got off the bed and walked to where her robe lay, puddled on the floor. Removing its long sash, he returned to his submissive lover then bound first her wrists together and then to the headboard. Kneeling between her legs Ranger pulled her whole body towards him; making her arms taut and tight above her head. Resting on his arms, he started kissing her from her forehead. Gentle, butterfly kisses were mixed with teasing darts of his tongue. Every inch, every beautiful inch of her body was going to have homage paid to it.

Steph could feel the heat eating at her from the inside out. She needed this. She wanted this. She needed him. She wanted him. "Please Carlos, now I need you now."

"Hush Babe, we've got all night. I'll get you there. And I'll be right there with you…with you now and always. This is a dangerous game we are playing but, hey, now we've got rules!

This is the end of Dangerous Games - Book One. Thanks for following along on a most bumpy ride...Ln