She's A Great Girl, Of Course She Will

She sighed dramatically, flopping back against the couch cushions but somehow keeping her thighs locked around me. "But you?" Her toes curled under my chin, warm and possessive. "You're perfect. Weak enough to stay put, stubborn enough to make it fun." The phone buzzed again—another flurry of texts—and she giggled, kicking her legs slightly to hear the bell chime. "Aisha's freaking out. She says you're officially our group pet now."

I jerked my head away—just an inch, just enough to try and dislodge her foot—but the collar's bell tinged softly, the sound shockingly loud in the quiet room. My entire body locked up mid-rebellion, some primal part of me recoiling at the noise announcing my disobedience. Sanah gasped, scrambling upright so fast her knee dug into my ribs. "Oh my god," she breathed, eyes wide. "You stopped because of the bell!" Her hands flew to her mouth, muffling a squeal. "That's so cute, you're learning!"

My ears burned. She was right—I had frozen when it jingled, reflexively fearing...what? More humiliation? Worse? Sanah was already twisting around, digging through the couch cushions for her phone. "Aisha's gonna die—wait till she hears—"