N ap time had become her favorite time of day. They’d synced their schedules to spend a few hours together in the afternoon. She still called it nap time even though they did very little sleeping.

She tried to close her legs, but the spreader bar prevented her movements. “Benny, don’t you dare.” Beth tossed her head back against the pillow as he pressed a vibrator against her clit. The after effects of her first orgasm lingered in the area. Her legs still quivered.

“It’s a vibrating cock ring. I’ll put it on and make us both come so hard.” He moved the device around her swollen lips, soaking it.

Not being able to close her legs was driving her insane. Giving his mouth and fingers full access had been one thing. But she’d never consented to toys. She clawed at his shoulders. “It’s too much. Oh Fuck!”

Just like that, she split apart again. This time her body arched off the bed, and she kept screaming. She screamed until the last wave subsided. He removed the bar and her legs relaxed.

For a moment she was able to adjust her hips, but then he was between them and inside her. She wailed with pleasure. The fullness of his cock and the added vibration was a lot to handle. He didn’t relent until she came for a third time. Only once he was satisfied that she’d never be able to walk again did he finally come. He pulled out and spurted his cream all over her stomach and breasts. A small amount landed by her lip. She licked it away.

Several minutes later, she caught her breath. She rested her head over his heart, content listening to the sound of his rhythmic beat. Her fingers traced the contours of his tattoos. She would’ve loved to hug him and cuddle like that forever, but she had another class and he had a meeting.

“Why did you pull out? I’m on the pill.” Her body was sticky.

He chuckled. “I wanted to see my cum all over your perfect body.”

“Caveman-style. I never figured you for the marking your territory guy,” she teased.

“I’ll play caveman with you anytime.” He rolled off the bed and stretched. The muscles in his back flexed as she admired him.

The first time they met up in the afternoon she’d expected to spend time spooning, talking and maybe catching a few minutes of sleep. Benny had other ideas in mind. He’d suggested another exercise to work on their communication. It involved sharing their secret fantasies and acting them out. It took their trust exercises to entirely new heights.

This was the first time they’d ever used battery operated props. She doubted it would be the last.

“Count me in.” She stretched on the bed and looked down at the mess he’d left. “I’m going to hop in the shower.”

Beth raced into the bathroom. She liked Benny’s steam shower and all the jets, but she didn’t have time to enjoy them. When she emerged from the bathroom, Benny was already dressed and ready to leave.

The exercise in the ice shack had opened her eyes. Every exercise had brought them closer together, and the fear diminished with each passing day. Unfortunately, it hadn’t disappeared altogether. Which made sense since it was her heart on the line. As happy as Benny made her, the nagging feeling it could all fall apart again never fully went away. She chewed her lip as she watched him get ready to meet with one of his trainers.

As he laced his shoes, she stared at his perfectly round ass. He was the sexiest man on the planet, and he was hers. Why couldn’t she accept that? She wanted to punch herself for not enjoying the moment.

Benny turned and caught her staring. He smiled and came towards her. “I’ve been thinking, you shouldn’t have to rush out the door because of my commitments. Your class doesn’t start for another hour. You are welcome to stay here and study. You’d have the place to yourself.”

She stood and kissed him. “That’s sweet of you to offer again. But I wouldn’t feel right waiting around here without you. I don’t mind the library.”

He rocked on his heels and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’m not trying to be sweet. It’s selfish really. I want you here. I like the thought of coming home to you. So, will you take this?” Benny pulled a small brass object from his pocket and held it out to her.

A key.

Her heart jack hammered in her ears. “You’re giving me a key to your place?” Her eyes widened, and she stepped back. It was too soon. She wished there was some sort of rule book to follow. But there wasn’t. She could tell her reaction wasn’t what he wanted.

“It’s not a big deal.” He shuffled his feet and put his hands back in his pockets. “This way when we meet up you don’t have to wait around for me to finish with practice. You can come and go as you please.”

“Benny, this… it’s a big deal.” She closed the distance between them and rubbed his arms. “We need not rush anything. I like how things are. We’re doing good.”

“We’ve been back together for over a month. I don’t feel like we’re rushing into this.” He pulled the key from his pocket again and placed it in her hand. “This key is yours. Take it with you or leave it here. It will always be yours.”

She had a feeling he was talking about more than the key. She broke out into a sweat. “Can we talk about this later? I should get to my last class.” Beth put the key on the coffee table.

He watched her set it down and didn’t say a word. His lips formed a thin line. Her rejection had wounded him. She hugged him tight, trying to remove the sting from her refusal.

“We can talk about it tonight at our therapy session. Don’t forget we have our first meeting with the counselor,” he said.

It was impossible to forget. She’d rescheduled their appointment seven times. For some reason, the idea of telling a stranger about their issues would somehow give them more weight. It would bring problems she hadn’t noticed to light and make the ones she already knew about become insurmountable

“Yup. I’m looking forward to it.” For a woman who wanted to someday be a psychiatrist, she was having a major aversion to the profession.

He laughed. “No, you’re not. But I think it will help us. I’d prefer it if we traveled there together, but I’ll leave that up to you.” Benny kissed the top of her head before stepping towards the door.

“Let’s meet there.” This way she could use the time to get her head on straight.

“If that makes you happy, consider it done. Try to enjoy the rest of your afternoon.” He opened the door for her and she stepped into the hall.

The rest of her day was spent half listening to her professor and one hundred percent dreading their therapy session. Her anxiety grew with each passing hour. By the time she got to the building she thought she might throw up. She was torn between canceling the session all together or re-scheduling. But then she saw Benny waiting for her outside and couldn’t do either.

“Are you ready for this?” He seemed cool as a cucumber.

She took his hand for support. “Aren’t you nervous at all? I’m a wreck,” she said.

“It’s kind of like sex. It’s gets a lot easier after your first time.”

She laughed at his analogy. “Only you would say something like that.”

“Made you smile though. Right?” He waggled his eyebrows, and it worked to calm her a little.

They entered the building and were greeted by an empty reception area.

“Hello. You must be Benjamin and Elizabeth. Please go in and sit. Brenda will be with you shortly.” The receptionist looked to be in her mid-fifties. Streaks of salt and pepper mingled with her shoulder-length black hair. Her smile put Beth at ease.

There was no reason to be nervous, yet her stomach was in knots. Things between her and Benny were going great. Better than awesome and she was in love. Though she hadn’t been able to say the words out loud yet.

Beth nodded at the woman and Benny gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Thank you,” she said.

Benny opened the door, and she stepped into the office first, expecting to see beige walls, a desk, a couch or chairs and little else by way of decorations. Instead, the walls were painted a bright buttercup yellow, and they were covered with framed art. There was a round table with chairs, two love-seats and a giant beanbag chair in the corner.

“Not what I expected,” she whispered. They sat down on the love-seat and she pulled his hand onto her lap. “It reminds me of a child’s play area.”

“More like an adult play area. Is that one of those sex-chairs in the corner? I like this place more already.” He let go of her hand and placed it possessively on her knee, causing her to jump an inch from the cushion. “Do you think you’ll be less nervous if we roll around on that thing for a while? Cause I’m willing if you are?”

Benny chuckled and Beth burst out laughing as Brenda walked into the room. She could have been twins with the receptionist; the two looked so much alike.

“Laughter is a great sign of health. I can tell we will have a lot of fun tonight,” Brenda said, taking a seat at the table. “Come join me.”

Fun wasn’t the word Beth would use to describe therapy, but as it turned out, she as wrong.

They kicked off introductions with artwork. The result wasn’t a masterpiece, but they laughed a lot while creating it. They painted each other’s attributes and Beth had to introduce herself the way Benny painted her and vice versa.

“What do you hope to gain from your time here?” Brenda asked.

Beth looked to Benny for answers, but he only nodded. “I don’t know.” She directed her attention back to their counselor. “Validation I’m not an idiot for trying to love this guy again,” she answered, gripping Benny’s hand hard.

“Only you can validate your decision. Why are you here Benny?”

“Because I love this woman and she needs proof. My words are not enough. My previous actions still scare her. There’s nothing I won’t do for her. By making her happy, I get the life I want.”

“Interesting. Tell me what happened in the past that brought you to this point.”

Brenda listened and offered constructive advice with zero judgment. She liked the exercises they’d introduced as a way to rebuild the trust, and she suggested some additional items they hadn’t tried. The rest of the session went far better than Beth had imagined.

As they booked a follow-up visit, she didn’t feel sick anymore. The rock that had been there for a month was shifting. Beth felt ready to take on the world, with Benny at her side.

“Let’s go back to your place. We don’t need to be alone.” She never had to be alone again.