“I don’t know about that. What I’m looking at is very sexy,” I grin at her standing in front of me completely naked.

“Ben, I want you to tie me up.” She blushes as she says the words and avoids my eyes. “And I want you to punish me.” The mood in the room changes, becoming electric.

I gently lift her chin to make her look at me. “What?

“I was a bad girl, sir. Please, punish me.” My heart races .

“Do you consider tying up to be a punishment?”

“No, sir. That’s for me.” I love how her cheeks turn even pinker. Her eyes are wide and there is desire in them, but also the thing I have been craving so much. Complete trust.

“So you want me to punish you?” I smirk.

Amelia nods. “But no spanking,” she whispers, dropping the submissive role for a second.

“I know darling.” I kiss her on her forehead. “Lie down on the bed.” I know exactly how I’ll punish her.

Amelia climbs onto the mattress and lays down on her back. Her focus is on me. A glimmer of uncertainty dances across her features, adding a hint of mystery, yet her longing is unmistakable.

I undo the button on one of my cuffs.

“So, tell me, darling, why do you think you need punishment?” I roll the sleeve up to my elbow.

“I should have trusted you. I should have talked to you. I should have believed you,” she sighs. “I’m sorry Ben!” She fiddles nervously with her fingers.

“Put your hands on either side of you and stop fidgeting,” I command with a steady voice whilst I unbutton my other cuff. Rolling that sleeve up as well, I walk slowly to the bed and look down at her as she tries to be a good submissive. I’m not a poet but I wish I were so I could put how she makes me feel into words properly. I always knew I had lost a lot when she walked out of my life, but only now, that I have her back, I realise how much.

“Do you trust me?” My heart beats faster. Although I see the answer in her eyes I’m still nervous.

“Yes, I do, Ben. Sir.” Hearing her say that is almost overwhelming.

The purple scarf wrapped around her hair feels silky soft as I pull it off.

“Hands above your head.” I have barely finished the words when she does as I tell her. No hesitation. Just trust.

I gently tie one end of the scarf around her left wrist then weave the material through the slats of the headboard. Once it’s stretched enough I wrap the other end around her right wrist.

“How does that feel?”

“Okay,” she nods enthusiastically.

“Good,” I place another soft kiss on her forehead. She looks beautiful and I could look at her for hours. “So, you demand punishment. Let’s see.”

I kneel over her, one leg on either side of her hips and closing my hand carefully around her throat, sliding my thumb up towards her chin.

“Do you remember your wish to have someone tie you down and tell you all the things wrong with you?”

She nods, confusion and trepidation obvious in her expression. I bend forward and place my mouth next to her ear.

“Let’s play a slightly different game,” I whisper before gently biting her earlobe. A whimper tells me that she liked that.

“What kind of punishment would it be if I give you what you want? No, no.” I sit back on my haunches and look down at her. “You’re so beautiful, Amelia.” I slide the fingers of my left hand slowly down her throat. “But you’re so much more than just looks. When you’re with me I feel happiness I’ve never felt before. I want to hold you. I want to listen to you tell me about your day. I want to kiss you. I want to just be with you until the end of time.”

Her eyes widen. She realises what I’m planning to do.

“Ben, you don’t have to—”

“Ah, ah, ah; who said you can talk? This is your punishment. No talking.” I pull my tie from my neck, roll it up into a ball and hold it to her mouth which she willingly opens. We both know that if she wants to get rid of it she could just simply spit it out. But it’s the gesture that counts. She’s ready to give in to her submissive side.

“So where were we?” I stroke her bottom lip with my thumb. “Amelia, you think people don’t like you or just tolerate you. Or just have you around because they want something from you but that’s not true.” She shakes her head in disagreement.

“If they cared so little for you, why was the first thing Fi and Coop said to me when I told them about our meeting that I must not hurt you again? Why, if you mean nothing to them, did the girls immediately demand to know what I’d done wrong when you walked away from me? Didn’t they all ambush you earlier despite me telling them not to because they wanted to make sure you were okay?”

A single tear runs down her cheek and my instinct is to stop because I don’t want to hurt her. But she needs to hear this.

“Coop told me I’d be a fucking idiot if I don’t fight for you because you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Robbie told me he wants to marry you.” A muffled chuckle escapes her. “I don’t want you in my life for any reason other than that I love you. You make me feel whole. When we broke up something was missing from my life, and nothing and no one could fill that gap.” I cup her face. “If you knew what I feel when I look at you, you wouldn’t doubt me anymore. There isn't much in life that scares me but the thought of losing you scares me more than dying. You are beautiful, funny, caring, smart, you bring joy to my life. I love your curves, I love your nerdiness, I even love your crazy cat. Most importantly: I. Love. You.”

She blinks away another tear and I gently pull the tie from between her lips.

She opens her mouth but then stops herself.

“Good girl, you can speak,” I whisper against her lips before kissing her.

“I love you too Ben,” she says once I let go of her. Hearing the words I’ve waited so long for starts a fire in me. Our lips melt together in a passionate kiss before I remove myself.

“Now for the second part of your punishment,” I say and wink at her before climbing off the bed. Crossing my arms I look down at her. She fidgets under my gaze but when I raise an eyebrow she stills.

“So beautiful,” I repeat whilst my fingers draw a line between her breasts down to her bellybutton. Goosebumps spread on her skin. “Rule number one, your safe word is ‘Brighton’. And don’t worry: no spanking. What’s your safe word?” I ask as I slowly unbutton my shirt. It’s not that I’m planning to hurt her She’s made it abandonly clear that she doesn’t want spanking or any other form of painful punishment. But I want to give her that safety tool to reassure her. I won’t do anything she doesn’t want me to.

“Brighton,” her voice sounds nervous.

“Rule number two, I say when you can come.” She gasps.

“Sir I’m not sure if I can—”

“You will,” I stop her arguing and stroke a finger over her pussy lips. She moans.

“What’s rule number two?”

“I can only come when sir tells me to.” There’s desperation in her voice.

“Good girl,” I praise and her eyes light up. My shirt lands on the floor as I unbuckle my belt. Amelia’s eyes roam over my body until they find my dick. It’s rock hard and tenting the soft material.

“This is what you do to me, Amelia.” Her breath speeds up a little. This is as much torture for me as it is for her. Painfully slow, I draw my zip down and slide my trousers off. My boxers land on the heap of clothes on the floor and I take a few steps towards her with my stiff cock pointing upwards. I wrap my hand around it and Amelia’s eyes watch closely as I give it a few lazy pumps.

“I can’t wait to make love to you, Amelia.” My hand squeezes my dick a little harder. “But not yet. I think you deserve to wait a little longer.”

Another whimper tells me she’s desperate. She’ll enjoy this.