"My duties," I repeated, the words tasting strange.
"Yes. A submissive has duties. But a Dom also has responsibilities. To care for you, to protect you, to push your boundaries safely, to ensure your well-being. To provide the very structure you crave." His gaze was intense, unwavering. "I don't want to control you to break you, Katie. I want to control you to help you rebuild. To empower you through the release that consensual submission can offer."
I remembered the bone-deep weariness of my past months, the constant vigilance, the fear of making the wrong choice, the exhaustion of carrying the weight of my own broken life. The idea of letting someone else shoulder that burden, even for a limited, consensual time, was a shocking thought.
"It sounds… terrifying," I admitted, looking dow
