Author: Alison Tyler

About: "Safe" originally appeared in the collection "B is for Bondage." In this BDSM story, a submissive woman is punished at her Dominant's desire. But who really holds the reins in their pain-pleasure relationship? And just how safe does a safeword make you feel?

Excerpt:

He bent down to whisper into my ear, "Choose your safeword."

This wasn't anything we'd talked about before. Jack read me so well that I put my trust totally in him. I didn't ever think I'd want him to stop before he was ready. "It can't be no," he continued, "because sometimes no doesn't mean no."

I nodded, swallowing hard.

"It can't be please, or stop, or anything that might come to your lips accidentally. You have to think of a special word, and then you have to tell it…"

Of course, I thought he was going to say "to me." What other words would complete that sentence? But Jack was different. Jack was always three long strides ahead of me.

"You have to tell it to him…."

Jack motioned to a man standing nearby. Someone I hadn't even noticed yet, my eyes busy roaming the crowd, looking for like-minded subs. This man was dressed for the part of the Dom. Leather pants. Tight black shirt. And a crop in one hand.

Did he know Jack?

Were they friends?

My mind raced faster than ever, whirling with possibilities. Jack owned a place in New York. I knew that. But I hadn't considered that might mean he was a regular at clubs like this, clubs that catered to the darkest of sexual fantasies.

"Go on, now," Jack hissed, tossing the handle of the leash to the man. "Make sure you tell him, kid. He won't stop otherwise."