She stepped close and reached down, picking up his discarded boxers from the floor. The fabric was still warm. “Head down,” she commanded. He obeyed. She folded the cloth slowly, deliberately, and tied it tight around his eyes. “Now you don’t get to look at me,” she said softly. “You get to feel. That’s all you’ve earned.” He shivered, arms tightening slightly in the bindings above. Blind now. Waiting. Cass brushed the cr...

Katie The sun was high and the breeze off the ocean was just enough to keep the afternoon heat from being unbearable. I stretched out on the lounger, feeling the sun warm my skin as I sipped my mojito, enjoying the sweet tang of lime and mint. Across from me, Bex was lounging in her bikini, flipping through a magazine she was barely paying attention to. We’d both been silent for a while, just soaking in the bliss of the v...

The living room was a cacophony of activity. Our nieces squabbled over dolls, while the nephews turned the sofa into a foam dart battlefield. Daniel, my husband, reclined on the other sofa, laughing with his brothers over exaggerated childhood tales. I nestled into an armchair, phone in hand, a quiet observer amid the chaos. The screen’s glow offered a calm reprieve. No one noticed the quiet woman in the corner, not even...