57. Morelle

57

MORELLE

M orelle stared at her laptop screen, her cheeks warming as she read the next section of questions. The earlier parts about favorite foods, vacation spots, hobbies, favorite movies, favorite books, and moving scenes from movies and books had been mostly impossible to answer because she hadn't seen any Earth movies or read any Earth books. The videos she'd watched back on her home planet and the stories she'd read were so entirely foreign to human culture that the Perfect Match computer wouldn't know what to do with them even if she could somehow feed them into it.

Still, all of that was nothing compared to these intimate inquiries, which made her previous struggles seem trivial.

"Do you prefer to be dominant or submissive in intimate encounters?" she read aloud, then quickly glanced around even though she was alone in the bedroom. The multiple-choice options included strictly dominant, mostly dominant, switch, mostly submissive, and strictly submissive.

She had no idea. Her limited experience with Brandon had been fairly balanced, with both of them taking turns initiating and leading their encounters. Did she have a preference?

Should she have one?

The next question asked about preferred locations for intimate encounters. The options ranged from traditional bedroom settings to exotic outdoor locations to public places with risk of discovery.

Her blush deepened. She'd only experienced intimacy in the bedroom and bathroom, but the idea of making love in nature held a certain appeal. She could imagine a magical meadow steeped in shadows with only the moon and stars providing illumination. A blanket on the grass, next to a body of water…

She shook her head. Focus. There would probably be a section on that later. The questions needed to be answered in order because they affected those that followed them.

Mother above, this was much more complicated than she'd thought it would be.

"Role-playing scenarios that interest you—select all that apply," she read. The list that followed made her eyes widen. Some were fairly tame, like professor/student, healer/patient, or encounters with strangers. Others were more elaborate, involving complex power dynamics and fantasy scenarios she couldn't even visualize.

"What is a pizza delivery person?" she muttered, puzzling over one of the options. She knew what pizza was, but why would anyone pretend to be delivering pizza to initiate an intimate encounter? It had to be quite popular if it was included in the questionnaire.

The bedroom door opening made her jump.

Brandon poked his head in. "How's the questionnaire going?"

Her heart was still racing from the surprise intrusion, even though it shouldn't have. Brandon had given her privacy to work on the questionnaire and had gone to work on his ideas in the living room, but he'd promised to check in on her from time to time to see if she needed help.

"It's...informative." She shifted the laptop slightly, not quite hiding the screen but not openly displaying it either. "I'm learning about many Earth customs I wasn't aware existed."

"You know that it's almost midnight." He crossed to the couch and sat beside her, leaning to glance at the screen. "Ah, you're using the Kra-ell translation. If you need help understanding the options, you’ll have to read them to me or switch back to the original English. "

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Have you gone through the questionnaire before?"

"No, but I heard it was quite racy. I'm curious to see how it earned its reputation."

That was a relief. For some reason, it made it a little less embarrassing to work on it together when it was the first time for both of them.

She scrolled back up to a section she'd intended to return to later. "What exactly is meant by light bondage versus moderate bondage? And why would anyone want to be tied up during intimate moments?"

Brandon smiled reassuringly, but there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "It's about trust and surrender. Some people find it arousing to give control over to someone they trust completely or to be trusted with that kind of control over someone else."

"Oh." Morelle considered this. "Like when you told me to put my hands above my head and hold them there?"

"That was a hint of that. What we did was very mild compared to what some of these options are suggesting."

She scrolled down. "'Sensation play incorporating temperature variations. What does that even mean?"

He seemed unsure. "I'm not an expert on fetishes, but I assume that it could involve ice cubes or warming oils…" He trailed off as Mo relle's eyes widened with interest. "Is it something you think you would enjoy?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. The adventure would let us experience different sensations safely and find out if we like them or not."

He nodded, even though he hadn't yet agreed to join her on a virtual adventure. Still, talking about it as if it was a given was a great negotiation tactic. It would acclimate him to the idea without him even realizing what was happening.

Was that underhanded of her?

Maybe a little, but it was for a good cause. Brandon was a creative person, and he should not limit his experiences because of irrational fears. She was convinced that a virtual trip would recharge him and give him a lot of new ideas.

Morelle scrolled to another section. "Exhibition and voyeurism scenarios. What does that mean? Watching others or being watched?"

Brandon nodded. "In the virtual world, you can explore those fantasies without involving other people. It's actually an intriguing possibility."

She frowned. "Which one interests you? The watching or being watched?"

"Being watched. I like a little fake danger."

"If it's fake, it's not dangerous."

He chuckled. "I guess that's the beauty of the virtual experience. In the simulation, the danger will feel real. You will feel anxious, but in reality, it will be safe. "

Morelle wanted to do a victory dance, but she stifled the urge and limited herself to a small smile. "You sound like you actually approve of it."

"I'm warming up to the idea." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We can schedule a meeting with William tomorrow, if he has time, and get an extensive explanation of how it all works, or as extensive as I can understand without my eyes glazing over."

She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. "I love you."

He dipped his head and kissed her lips eagerly, passionately, as if he couldn't wait to get her naked in bed.

She felt the same. He wouldn't even have to warm her up. She was already burning from reading those questions and letting her imagination run wild.

When they came up for air, his eyes were glowing, and his fangs were slightly elongated. "So, am I forgiven?"

She frowned. "Forgiven for what?"

"Keeping my suspicions from you and sharing them with Kian first."

The questionnaire had been so absorbing that she'd forgotten all about being angry at Brandon. The truth was that she'd already forgiven him last night, but she'd needed some time and distance to put her feelings of disappointment in proper perspective. After all, she'd kept things from him as well. She hadn't told him about Ell-rom's talent. Kian was the one who had revealed the secret.

"I've mostly forgiven you already, and now that you are willing to conquer your phobia for me, I can no longer be angry at you."