Dinner

Three days. Three damn nights where every careless turn in my sleep woke me to the unyielding chill of metal.

At first, it had been sheer horror: my body's morning reflexes ended every time in a dull, agonizing throb, as the edges of the cage mercilessly choked off the slightest swelling. The squats this morning had been torture too; the steel rubbed against the sensitive skin on the inside of my thighs with every deep dip. And yet… the crazy thing was catching myself finding an almost intoxicating fascination in this constant, suffocating weight.

It was my darkest, most secret kink, something I’d only consumed for years in incognito browser windows. Being locked up, completely at someone's mercy, controlled by another. Having Loona turn this nightmare into reality filled me with a twisted, deep-seated arousal I could hardly justify to myself. The only problem: she set the pace. She didn't ask for my boundaries. She simply tightened the noose with a casual certainty that stole my breath and made my hair stand on end at the same time.

Slipping into my black dress slacks for dinner, the cool resin sent that cozy, familiar shiver straight through my pelvis again. I straightened up, took a deep breath, and stepped toward the elegantly set table.

My father sat at the head of the table, sipping his red wine and radiating a contentment that nearly broke my heart.

“Damn, John,” he praised loudly, scooping roast beef onto his plate. “I was checking your times on the fitness app. Down four kilos in three weeks and almost ten kilometers on the board every day. To be honest, I’d almost given up hope. Having Loona light such a fire under you… fantastic.” He grinned and raised his glass to my stepsister. “You did good with him.”

“You're welcome, Dad,” Loona replied with honey-sweet, flawless innocence. She was sitting right beside me. Under her tight ribbed sweater, the outline of the thin leather cord was clearly visible. The small key rested directly against her cleavage, invisible to the parents, but blaring like a siren to me.

Opposite us sat Vanessa. She was smiling, but her eyes drifted from her plate over to me suspiciously often. Time and again, her gaze lingered on my posture—how stiffly I sat, how I avoided leaning all the way back against the chair just to minimize the padlock pressing against my balls. Thursday’s incident still hung between us like an invisible veil. Every time she looked directly at me, I felt the heat rising in the back of my neck. She knew full well that it hadn’t been water.

“It just does him good to be led,” Loona chimed in casually, cutting off a piece of meat. Under the table, her foot slid slowly forward. The tips of her toes grazed my ankle, traced their way up my calf, and finally settled against my knee with firm, demanding pressure. A silent command: *Stay still.*

The contact instantly sent a jolt of arousal straight to my groin—only to be violently checked by the rigid cage. A familiar, bittersweet ache that drew an inward groan from deep inside me.

I swallowed dryly and stared down at my potatoes. “Yeah… thanks.”

“Speaking of the future and discipline,” Loona began suddenly, her tone shifting entirely into something calculated. She laid down her cutlery, dabbed her lips with her napkin, and looked back and forth between my father and Vanessa. “I’ve been thinking a lot over the past few days. I’m almost done with my second semester, and the commute to campus is starting to get exhausting. I think it’s time for me to look for a place of my own.”

My father knitted his brows, though he didn't seem surprised. “Well, we’ve talked about that before. Rents near the university are no walk in the park, though.”

“I know,” Loona replied calmly. Then, she slowly turned her head toward me. A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled her lips. “That’s why I was thinking of an apartment share. John graduates this spring. Once he starts university afterward, he’ll need a place anyway. Why shouldn't we move in together? A nice two-room flat. We split the rent, and I can keep an eye on him so he doesn't let himself go again.”

My stomach did a violent flip—half from pure panic, half from that dark, dirty rush that had held me captive for days.

*Our own place. Just her and me. No parents, no protective doors left.* This wasn’t just about a few weeks of punishment. She wanted to cement total dominance over my entire life. The thought made my throat close up—and made the sealed flesh between my legs pulse at the exact same time.

“That… that’s a fantastic idea!” my father exclaimed enthusiastically, slapping his flat hand on the table. “Vanessa, did you hear that? The two of them get along so well now that they want to move in together. A year ago they wouldn't even cross paths, and now this!”

Vanessa froze with her wine glass mid-air. Her gaze shifted from Loona to me. She studied my tense expression, the sheen of sweat on my upper lip, and the white-knuckled grip on my fork. A deep, maternal doubt shadowed her features—she could sense that this didn't smell like a harmonious sibling flatshare at all.

“Don't you think that’s a bit rushed, Loona?” Vanessa asked cautiously, setting down her glass. “John hasn’t even got his diploma yet. Maybe he wants to find his own way first.”

Under the table, Loona pressed her foot harder against my shin. The toe of her shoe dug warningly into my flesh. At the same time, her hand reached seemingly casually toward her neckline and pulled out the leather cord. The small brass key caught the chandelier light, glinting briefly between her fingers.

“What do you say to that, John?” Loona asked with velvety sweetness, looking right at me. “Wouldn’t you think it’s just perfect if I kept taking care of you during college?”

Her gaze was an open promise—and an unmistakable threat all at once. She knew precisely how much I secretly reveled in this submission, yet she gave me no room to breathe.

“Yeah,” I forced out with effort, straining my lips into a smile while the steel chafed against my most sensitive spot. “That… that really sounds like a perfect plan.”