“You’re humoring me,” Swift remarked, his finger hovering over the big screen that controlled much of their home. “I can tell by the little twitch of a smile you’ve got right there.” He gently tapped the corner of her mouth. “See? You’re doing it again!”
“I’m sorry. Would you rather I roll my eyes and sigh?” she asked rather sassily.
“I might if it gives me an excuse to heat up that incredible ass of yours.”
She flushed. “Swift!”
“It would be a very loving spanking,” he promised and then continued adjusting the controls to give her more access. “Just a few light swats to pink up your bottom before I use my tongue to—.”
“Stop!” She begged, her face burning hot at the memory of all the places his tongue had visited only hours earlier in the semi-darkness of their bedroom. “You’re awful!”
“I didn’t hear you complaining when I had my face buried right in your—.”
“Swift!”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it sounded like with my ears muffled by your thighs.” His playful grin and naughty gleam in his eye made her heart race. He abandoned his task at the control screen and took a determined step toward her. “I think I want to hear that again before I go.”
Even though there was no way to escape those strong hands and long legs, she turned and ran, giggling as she darted into their bedroom. He was only steps behind so she slapped the nearest doorway frame to unlock and open the door and rushed inside. Of course, as soon as she saw the strange space in front of her, she realized she had mistaken the playroom for the bathroom in her giddy haste.
“Well, I’ll be honest, Alys.” Swift caught up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I never imagined you would be the one to lead me in here.” He slipped his arm around her chest, tugging her back against his hard chest with his muscled forearm. “What do you think?”
“It’s...cold? Ugly? Sterile?” She tilted her head back to glance up at him. “It doesn’t feel very playful.”
He snorted. “This is the way the rooms are decorated and equipped in every unit. We’re supposed to make them feel less sterile, but I wasn’t sure what you would like.”
“Some color would be nice.” She looked around the mostly silver and gray room. The dark floor tiles were the same as the rest of their home, but the walls in here were a drab gray instead of the brighter whites and soft blues in other rooms. There were cabinets on both walls for storing—well, she wasn’t quite sure what he intended to store in them. Probably ropes and chains and whips and whatever other strange sexual equipment men up here liked.
As her gaze moved around the room, she finally noticed the hooks mounted on the ceiling. She turned her horrified gaze from the ceiling to Swift. “What kind of deviant things are y’all doing to women up here?”
Swift frowned. “The hooks?”
“I’m from a farm, Swift. I know butchering setups when I see them.”
Now he was the one who looked horrified. “Butchering?”
She gestured to the hooks. “That’s similar to the setup we use when we’re bleeding out and trimming down a steer.”
Swift grimaced. “I guess I never thought of it that way. But—just wait.”
She reluctantly stood there, watching as he opened a cabinet and retrieved a package. He quickly opened it, revealing black leather and some kind of thick fabric straps. He carried the folded contraption to the center of the room and rose on tiptoes to reach the hooks above him. After clicking the rings into place, he stepped aside to adjust the straps, and she got her first good look. “It’s a swing?”
Swift nodded enthusiastically and gave the contraption a jiggle. “You wanna try it?”
She warily eyed the ceiling mounts. “Will it hold?”
He huffed and then strode toward her. “Only one way to find out.”
“Wait. Swift! Oh!” She squealed with shock as he hefted her right up off the floor, carted her back to the swing and plopped her onto the widest strip of leather. She instinctively grasped the nearest straps, curling her fingers around them and holding on for dear life. She tipped back as she lost her balance, but another wide strip of leather kept her from falling. “Okay! It holds. Now, get me down!”
Swift hurriedly complied and set her back on her feet. Sheepishly, he apologized. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m not scared.” She poked at the swing again. “I’m just not sure how it works or why you would want to put me on it.”
“It’s freedom, Alys. Imagine all the fun we can have and all the different positions we can try.”
She stared at the swing. It wasn’t hard to imagine the things he might want to try. She had only had a taste of carnal delights, but she had no problem imagining how much easier it would be to enjoy each other without a mattress underneath them. “What are these cuffs for?”
“They can be used on your thighs, wrists, ankles, arms.” He unlatched one to show her how they worked. “We can try different combinations until you’re comfortable. I’ve got another attachment in the cabinet. It’s a sling that goes here.” He gestured to the spot where it would hook into the swing. “You can recline back completely and not have any sort of compression. I’ve heard some mates like that setup when they’re pregnant.”
Her eyes widened. “People do these wild things while pregnant?”
“If the mate wants? Sure.” He gave her a funny look. “Why wouldn’t you want to enjoy yourself while pregnant?”
“Is it enjoyable?” She considered all the times she had seen her mother pregnant. “The mothers I’ve known were all tired and aching or too sick for this kind of thing.” She waved her hand at the swing and then asked, “You’ve been around pregnant women before, right? You know about morning sickness and heartburn and swelling and all the other awful things I’m not going to say?”
“I haven’t been around a pregnant woman in an intimate way,” he admitted. “But I’ve seen them at parties and they always seemed to be enjoying themselves when—.”
“Wait.” She held up her hand. “You saw pregnant women at parties intimately?” She tried not to show judgment, but it was hard to keep it out of her voice. “You saw couples having relations?”
Swift seemed to realize he had stumbled into a mess because he was hesitant to answer. “I guess we should probably talk about that.”
“About what?”
“Voyeurism? Exhibition? Swapping? Swinging?”
None of those words meant anything to her, at least not in the sexual way he meant. “Explain.”
“So, you know about the club where couples can go to let loose.” He had seen her reading about them in the introductory materials, and he had answered a few of her questions. Of course, it hadn’t occurred to her that things described in the information were done out in public in front of a crowd. “Well, sometimes, couples will invite others to watch them have sex or to join them. Some couples swap partners.”
Alys recoiled. “Swap partners? You mean...?” Her blood ran cold. “Swift, I don’t want to do that.”