"No, mon chat, you have not disappointed me." Asher murmurs soothingly, shifting so that he can pull Nathaniel into his lap, running his fingers through Nat's hair, fingertips brushing his back underneath.

"I want to please you, as much as you wish to please me," Asher continues, trying to explain in a way which will make sense to Nathaniel. "But I do not need your submission every hour of the day. If that is what you wish, if you are happy, then I will gladly accept it." He pauses.

"I would like you to try deciding things for yourself, cher. Because you want them for you, not because you think it will please me. How you wear your hair is your decision, mon chat. I like it loose, because I can run my fingers through it. But bound..." he kisses Nathaniel's throat, caresses turning a little less soothing, a little more arousing. "I could wrap it around your throat, or use it to bind your hands."