CONSENT: Book 1 in The Dangerous Games series

Chapter 42

When I arrived home I practically ran upstairs to my room and began pouring over the list Gage had given me. It was interesting to see his highlighted answers and it gave me some insight into the things that he experienced. The farther I read the more intrigued I became. Everything from anal beads to voyeurism stared back at me. There were many things I'd done, more things I'd like to try as well as things I'd never even consider. Shit just got real. My phone pings and vibrates on the bed beside me. 

Text Message:

Gage: Stop overthinking. Just answer each one honestly darlin'. Take them one at a time,

don't let it overwhelm you as a whole. We may not even do some of the items you

mark as acceptable.

( How did he know I was overthinking??)

Gage: This is way more than some fuzzy handcuffs and lace underwear. This is the real

deal baby girl. But I promise you I will never do anything you aren't comfortable

with. So take a deep breath and start at the top of the list. I'll talk to you tomorrow

darlin'.

KitKat: Okay, I will. Have a good night Gage.

I sit back against the headboard of the bed and look at the papers splayed out before me. I can't believe there are so many options. "THOMAS!" I yell out. I'm almost positive I heard him come up the stairs a moment ago. "Thhooomaasss!" I called out again, dragging his name out in the process. "Damn woman! Don't get your panties in a bunch. What's so important that you're yelling through my house like you're in a field calling the farm hands in for lunch?" He walked into my room to find me sitting on my bed. With my legs folded like a pretzel I'm surrounded by papers covered in yellow highlighter. "What the hell are you doing, writing a thesis?" He came to the edge of the bed and picked up a sheet, running his eyes over it appraisingly. "Um... not exactly," I said vaguely. "Oh shit, you're in the big leagues now little girl," he remarked with laughter. I just sat and stared at him, waiting for him to get his amusement under control. After a minute his laughter subsided. "Are you finished now?" I chided. He stood there, no longer laughing, but an exaggerated smile was plastered across his face. I could see his glee simmering just beneath the surface. "For now," he answered in smartass fashion. "Good, are you in the middle of something or can you help me with this please?" I indicated the pile of papers on my bed. "I guess I can if you really need me to."

He ran his eyes over another page before turning his face to mine. "I'd be willing to help you do this and this," he pointed to sections on the list, "but I refuse to do that." I reach out and snatch the paper from his hand as he falls into a fit of hysterics. "Can you please be serious for a minute dipshit? I need to talk to someone about this. You're the only kinky freak I know to ask." His laughter tapered off as he noticed my expression, however he still looked amused. "I'm flattered but oddly offended at the same time." He must have read the embarrassment on my face. "Thomas please try to be serious," I tried one more time. He sighed deeply before gathering all of the pages together. He put them in order then sat down opposite me.

"Okay, what do you need me to do? It looks like you've already answered them all," he said, indicating the yellow highlighter. "Those aren't my answers." He scrunched his eyebrows before realization washed over his face. "These are HIS answers. Well, well...isn't this interesting..?" He began studying the pages with renewed interest. I snapped my fingers in front of his face and his eyes instantly jumped to meet mine. "Focus please, I need your help going through these. Some of that stuff I know nothing about. I could use a sounding board if you're up for it." Thomas appraised me briefly before clearing his throat. He glanced at the paper in his hand once again. "Okay, this looks like a basic list to establish your interests and limits. These two main columns here look the same, however you are filling them out for separate reasons. In the first one you indicate how you feel about the listed act being done to you. The second one is how you feel about doing the activity to your partner." I nodded in understanding. It sounded simple enough. "The yes/no columns appear to interpret the same way. The first column refers to you while the second set indicates your desire to perform said act on someone else. If the answer is yes, is it an essential part of the experience for you? If not, are you curious about trying it? Then rate on a scale of 1-5 how strongly you feel about the act. A five would mean you love it while a one means you really don't like it but would be willing to do it if it enhanced your partner's experience. Lastly you have your soft and hard limits. Soft limits can be things you are afraid of or nervous about. Those are things you may decide to try in the future, I consider it a 'maybe list'. Hard limits are things that you aren't willing to try. It's basically your 'no way in hell, you got me fucked up, don't even think about that shit' list."