Note: Two things!

1. This chapter is NSFW for a little nudity and some brief kinky roleplay.

2. I’ve decided that third person chapters have become just as (if not more) common in this story than the journals, so starting now, I won’t be differentiating/calling them Interludes anymore… Now every chapter will just be a chapter, whether it’s a journal or not 🙂 (But don’t worry — the journals certainly aren’t going anywhere!)

Thank you and welcome to the YA arc 😀

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“Fuck… that’s so good.” Phoenix muttered breathlessly. He could already feel himself getting close… but he knew he had to be patient.

He loosened his grip, allowing Gigi to pull her head back. She was panting slightly and gasping for breath as she looked up at him with her big brown eyes. It had to be the hottest thing he’d ever seen.

Phoenix ran his thumb tenderly across the slick surface of her lower lip. “Good girl.” His voice was a low growl. “Did you like that?”

She nodded. “Yes, sir.” Her voice shook with false fear as she spoke.

Despite how meek and timid she appeared, there was a glimmer in her eyes that betrayed her… a hunger he was all too eager to satisfy.

“Good.” His lip curled into a smile as he ran his fingers through her thick black hair. “Because I’m not done with you yet…”

He stepped backward then, gesturing toward the bed. “Get up.” Phoenix commanded. “And bend over.”

He watched in satisfaction as Gigi did exactly as she was told.

————————————————

Phoenix traced the tips of his fingers up and down the smooth skin of Gigi’s bare back. He’d already removed the bindings from her wrists and gently cleaned her up with a warm washcloth a few minutes ago.

Now he lay beside her in the silence of the bedroom, admiring her beauty and worrying… just like he always did.

“So… You’re sure you’re okay?” He asked softly.

The beautiful woman beside him laughed. “Like I told you the first four times, yes!”

“You’re sure though?” His brow furrowed in concern. “It wasn’t too much?”

“Nope. Trust me, I’d tell you if it was.”

“And I didn’t hurt you?”

Gigi shrugged, smiling. “Maybe just a little bit… but isn’t that kind of the idea?”

“You know what I meant!”

His girlfriend scooted herself closer to him and silenced him with a kiss.

“So… it was really okay?” Phoenix asked as she pulled away from him and rolled off the side of the bed to start getting dressed.

“Baby, why do you do this every time?” Despite her smile, there seemed to be a bit of genuine frustration mingled with her amusement. “We have a safe word for a reason.”

“I know…” He bit his lip, rising from the bed and retrieving his discarded boxers from the floor. “But what if you forget it or something?”

“I won’t.”

“What if I forget it?”

Gigi rolled her eyes as she changed into a more practical bra. “Phoenix, I love you. But you need to chill, okay?”

“I know.” Phoenix sighed. “I’m probably annoying the shit out of you right now. I just… I’m still getting used to this. That’s all. It’s still a little weird for me.” He confessed.

Gigi’s face fell in disappointment. “Look, maybe… Maybe this is just too much for you or something. And if it is, I get it. I just thought it might be fun to mix things up.” She paused before continuing. “I mean, it’s really fucking hot when you take control like that… It’s different. And sexy.” Her lip curled into a seductive smile for just a moment before her pout returned. “But if you’re not into it…”

“I am into it.” He assured her. “Can’t you tell?”

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right — it was different being the one in control for once. It made him feel so powerful. He loved every second of it, maybe even more than he was willing to admit.

But it was still so far out of his comfort zone too. They had only just begun their foray into these sort of roles about a month ago. He still felt weird about it sometimes, and there were times when the things Gigi suggested they try were a little too much for him… But he was willing to suck it up and just do it.

Because for her, he’d do anything.

“Mmm… Believe me, I can tell how into it you are.” Gigi winked. “I just mean I want you to be comfortable about it too.”

“I am.” He assured her. “You know me… Roleplay’s totally my kinda thing.” Phoenix teased. “I just…. I think regular sex can still be kinda nice too sometimes.”

“It is still nice.” She agreed seriously. “I mean, it worked out pretty well for us the past four years, huh?” Gigi smiled playfully at him, then let out a small sigh. “Look at me, I’m over here so busy trying to sample every flavor on the menu that I almost forgot how good plain old vanilla can be too.”

“Hmm…Vanilla…” Phoenix repeated, smiling. “Isn’t that just a fancy word for ‘boring’?”

She shook her head. “Not boring! It’s familiar and dependable, and very, very sweet.” Gigi pressed her lips gently against his cheek.

“Wow, I guess call me Mr. Vanilla then…” He couldn’t help but laugh. “Want another taste? Maybe without all the, uh, extra toppings for a change though…”

“Mm… I’d love some.” Gigi gave him another quick kiss. “But we’re supposed to meet Jasper and Tam at the restaurant in like, half an hour, aren’t we?”

“Oh shit, that’s right! It’s Friday… Game night.”

She nodded. “Yup.”

“Alright, I guess we’d better go then… But maybe tonight when we get back…?” He suggested hopefully.

Gigi laughed. “Mmm… Keep that ice cream scoop ready, Mr. Vanilla.”

—————————————————

When they arrived at their usual Sushi place, they found Tam already waiting for them at a table.

“Good evening, travelers!” He called out to them in the gravely voice of an old man. “Come, dine with me.”

Gigi giggled. “We’re in public, you know…” She said as she took a seat at the table.

“Yeah, and game doesn’t start til we’re back at your place.” Phoenix teased his friend.

Tam shrugged. “Just trying out some new NPC voices.” He replied, this time in a soft feminine tone that sounded almost child-like. “I’m running three games a week now. Gotta stay on top of my DM skills.”

Phoenix laughed. It was nice to know his friend was still keeping busy. Although his grades were high enough to qualify, Tam had opted not to go to university. Instead, he’d spent the last few years working down at the comic book shop (and DMing a couple D&D nights there too). And he spent the rest of his time picking up DJ gigs at some of the nightclubs downtown.

“Where’s Jasper?” Phoenix asked. “He didn’t try and bail on us, did he?”

Tam shook his head. “Nah, I think his class must be running late or something…” He replied in his normal voice. For a moment, a flicker of… something flashed across his eyes. But it was gone too quickly for Phoenix to identify.

“How’s he adjusting?” Gigi asked kindly. “He seemed to be doing better the last time we talked to him about it, but…” She glanced over at her boyfriend.

Phoenix just shook his head, looking back over at Tam as he spoke. “You know Jasper… All he ever says is he’s ‘fine’.”

Of course, knowing his brother, it was very possible that everything wasn’t fine. It was hard to say. After a year of struggling to find work, Jasper had finally changed his mind and decided to enroll in university back in the fall.

But after taking a year off from his studies, returning to life as a student (and a university student at that) had proved to be a bit more overwhelming than he’d been anticipating. The previous semester had been rough on him, to say the least. Phoenix hoped this one was off to a better start.

Tam was thoughtful for a moment. “His grades are definitely better, at least. I barely saw him the past two weeks because of some project. He’s totally been working his ass off.” Though his expression remained serious, he’d returned to his voice practice… Which made it all the more strange. “It’s kinda hard… But I’m really proud of him.” He croaked in a witch’s voice.

His friend laughed. “Dude, you know it’s like, impossible to take you seriously when you talk like that, right?”

Tam cleared his throat loudly. “What if I talk like this?” He asked, at least two octaves lower this time.

“Oh God, the voices again?” A laugh came from behind them. “Just make sure you still save the special ones just for me…”

Tam rose to his feet, smiling. “Of course, My Precious.” His Gollum impression was uncanny. Phoenix couldn’t help but laugh.

Jasper chuckled as he gave his boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s okay… I know you’re super busy trying to become the next Bruce Banner.” Tam teased.

“Hopefully minus the turning into a big green monster dude though?”

“I dunno… it’d be kinda hot, I think.”

Phoenix cleared his throat loudly, calling their attention back to the table. “Oh, sorry… Was I interrupting something?” He asked with a smirk.

Jasper smiled apologetically. “Hey, Phoenix.” He flicked his gaze toward the dark haired girl who sat by his brother’s side. “Hey, Gigi… Sorry I was running late. I met with my professor after class to go over some stuff.”

“It’s fine.” Gigi smiled warmly at him. “We just got here like two minutes ago anyway.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” Phoenix assured his brother as he and Tam sat back at the table. “That was probably a good idea… Professors love it when you kiss ass like that.” His voice was teasing. “So it sounds like things are going pretty good?”

Jasper nodded. “Getting there, I think… What about you though?” He asked, his eyes suddenly lighting up with excitement. “We’re already a few weeks into the semester… Any big news to tell us about yet?”

Phoenix felt his stomach sink. Nice going Jasper…

“Big news?” Gigi eyed him curiously.

“Yeah… I applied to a couple grad schools, remember?” He forced a small smile. “Still waiting to hear back though…”

His brother shook his head. “‘I mean the big one though! What about –?”

“Hey, anybody wanna share an appetizer?” Tam asked just a touch too loudly. “I’m thinking dumplings?” He eyed Gigi significantly as he spoke.

Her eyes lit up instantly. “Ooh! My favorite!”

Phoenix gave his friend a grateful smile. Thank you, he mouthed when he was sure Gigi wasn’t looking.

Tam just shook his head, shooting Phoenix a look of disapproval. Then he flagged down the waiter to take their order.