4.53 – Submissive I

4.53 – Submissive I

The process of giving Ana her weapon back was about as flustering as the first time, since Natalie knew her team was waiting just past the door as they took care of it. As she'd expected, getting the thing out was an ordeal, and it drew some noises from Natalie that she wasn't particularly proud of. Ana, at least, also lost her composure at re-equipping the item.

"I can't believe you're actually going to make that thing bigger," Natalie muttered, while they were getting dressed, about to rejoin the team.

"Of course I am. Extra mana. Besides, it's good practice."

"Good practice for what?"

"You. It might be big, but it's nothing compared to your monster."

Natalie gaped at the stony woman.

"What? It's bound to happen eventually, isn't it?" Ana said idly, still pulling on her robes. "There'll be another challenge at some point." She hummed. "Maybe we should practice beforehand, even. Why have the dungeon push us into it?"

"You're ... messing with me," Natalie finally said.

"Perhaps." Her lips twitched. She finished adjusting her clothes, then took a few tentative steps, her back arching as the buttplug stirred around inside her.

With their team's mage battle-ready, they set off into the dungeon. Unfortunately, they'd been turned around rather fiercely: their tumble through the mirror, then the exit chutes, had left them lost. That wasn't all that rare inside the dungeon, but still a problem—it was always preferable to have a quick path back to the exit portal.

Fortunately, after a half-dozen encounters or so, they ventured into the main room they'd started in. From there, they ascended to the surface and headed to campus. It was dark out, but not past curfew, by the time they'd said their goodbyes and returned to their dorms.

Back in the comfort of their home, Natalie peeled out of her armor, stored it, then took a much-appreciated shower. Jordan did the same.

Natalie was in bed, in her pajamas, and distractedly staring up at the ceiling when Jordan flipped the lights off and crawled into bed with her.

"So," she said, snuggling in. "You look distracted."Checkk new novel chapters at novelbin(.)com

Natalie wrapped her arm around Jordan. It felt way too natural—too right—to pull her best friend in and hold her. Her stomach flipped in that tragically familiar way. She still hadn't confronted her earlier revelation: her feelings for Jordan. And it might be some time before she did. She just had too much going on. And it was too risky. Or were those just excuses?

Natalie sighed. "Just thinking."

"Obviously. About what?"

"Everything."

"Ana?"

"Ana?" Natalie echoed in surprise. Jordan had, unsurprisingly, hit the nail on the head.

"Yeah. What happened down there, anyway?"

Natalie shifted in place. She'd known this conversation was coming, but somehow, she still wasn't ready for it. Because she didn't know how she felt about it all.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Being used? Someone's toy? Taken, however they want? Dunno, it's just fun." She flushed at her own bluntness—but Jordan had always been willing to humor Natalie. "But when I get to make you blush, that's also great. Where'd this come from?"

Natalie bit her lip. Instead of answering, she let go of Jordan's wrists and used both hands to grope her. Jordan waited patiently—if shivering under Natalie's touch—as she got her thoughts in order.

"Be more specific. What do you like about it? Why do you like it?"

Jordan thought about it, but she eventually shrugged. "How am I supposed to answer that?"

Natalie shrugged. She wasn't sure.

"It's just exciting," Jordan said. "Not having control. As much as having control is, at least for me. It's not something I can put into words. You like what you like."

That was fair.

"What about when I'm being mean?" Natalie asked. "Insulting you? You're fine with me doing that, right?"

"I've literally asked you to," Jordan said dryly. "So of course I am."

"Then, why do you like being insulted?"

Natalie could tell Jordan was starting to suspect where all of this was stemming from, but she kept humoring Natalie.

"I dunno," Jordan said. "Maybe it's signals in our head getting mixed up. Being demeaned, degraded, having your face pushed into the pillows. That squirming in your stomach. It's, like, insecurity that feels good, somehow? It's hard to explain. It's not everyone's thing." She raised her eyebrows at Natalie, a silent question: is it yours?

Natalie continued to deflect. "And I've never gone too far, right?"

"No." She squeezed the top of Natalie's hands, and it was an oddly intimate gesture, seeing how Natalie was cupping her. "If you did, we would talk about it. Figure it out and make sure it doesn't happen again." She laughed, suddenly. "That's what's amazing about being best friends with benefits. We trust each other. Aren't scared to talk things out." She leveled a look at Natalie. "Now, seriously, though. Spill it. Where'd this come from? Did my big, strong Natalie get bullied around by a huge meanie of a mage? And now she's feeling weird about it?"

By how she had started the sentence, she'd expected Jordan to be serious. Natalie huffed. She was actually grateful, though, that Jordan was being playful—she already found this uncomfortable, even with Jordan, who she trusted unconditionally. Being too serious would make Natalie's skin crawl.

"It was a weird situation," Natalie muttered. "And I don't know how I feel about it. That's the point."

"Why you liked it so much, you mean?" Jordan guessed. "Which part? Being in Ana's body, that she was in your body, or that she took control?"

"How do you even know that happened?"

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Look, Nat, I love you to death, but you're not hard to read. I can put two and two together."

Natalie tried not to die on the spot at the casual use of the L word. Jordan also seemed to grow flustered, though maybe it was Natalie's own reaction, the way she froze up.

Natalie employed her tried-and-true distraction: she pulled down Jordan's pants.

Though, how did she answer the question? What part had she liked more?