Carissa doesn't speak, doesn't move, though her eyes follow him, and it feels correct the same way that hurting her felt correct, that he said what to do and she did it.

(There are so many obvious ways a systemic rule like that could go wrong -)

Brain, shut up.  There is something here he needs to learn, no matter what else is true or becomes true in the world.

Keltham runs his hands over Carissa, trying to imagine - that she's a good or service he just bought?  It doesn't feel right, any more than imagining her as a wax doll.  What does it mean to have someone?  To control her experiences?  To do what he wants with her?

Sex alone doesn't feel like - enough, somehow, especially if he can't fuck her; oral (at least the kind of oral that Keltham has ever heard of) doesn't feel forceful in the same way as fucking.  He does, in fact, want to fuck her properly, that is a thing he wants, but he doesn't want to have children tonight.  He could decide that he trusts in her enough to believe that she'll use contraception, if she says so, but trust decisions are not to be made in such heat.

He could hurt her.  But part of him is terrified that if he just pinches her nipples again, she'll feel bored or unimpressed because that's what he did last time; that part of his brain doesn't go quiet after a gentle nudge and he deems it unwise to silence it more forcibly than that.  He just needs to think of something else to do besides pinching her again; and if he can't, well then, if she's unimpressed with his creativity, it will be correctly so.

Carissa doesn't speak, doesn't move, though her eyes follow him, and it feels correct the same way that hurting her felt correct, that he said what to do and she did it.

(There are so many obvious ways a systemic rule like that could go wrong -)

Brain, shut up.  There is something here he needs to learn, no matter what else is true or becomes true in the world.

Keltham runs his hands over Carissa, trying to imagine - that she's a good or service he just bought?  It doesn't feel right, any more than imagining her as a wax doll.  What does it mean to have someone?  To control her experiences?  To do what he wants with her?

Sex alone doesn't feel like - enough, somehow, especially if he can't fuck her.  Oral (at least the kind of oral that Keltham has ever heard of) can't be satisfyingly forceful in the same way as fucking.  He does, in fact, want to fuck Carissa properly, that is a thing he wants, but he doesn't want to have children tonight.  Well, theoretically he could decide that he trusts in Carissa enough to believe that she'll use contraception, if she says so; but trust decisions are not to be made in heat.

He could hurt her.  But part of Keltham is terrified that if he just pinches Carissa's nipples again, she'll feel bored or unimpressed because that's what he did last time.  No, that's not how she advised him to think; but when that part of his brain doesn't go quiet after a gentle nudge, he deems it unwise to silence it more forcibly than that.  He just needs to think of something else to do besides pinching her again; and if he can't, well then, if she's unimpressed with his creativity, it will be correctly so.

Carissa doesn't speak, doesn't move, though her eyes follow him, and it feels correct the same way that hurting her felt correct, that he said what to do and she did it.

(There are so many obvious ways a system like that could go wrong -)

Brain, shut up.  There is something here he needs to learn, no matter what else is true or becomes true in the world.

Keltham runs his hands over Carissa, trying to imagine - that she's a good or service he just bought?  It doesn't feel right, any more than imagining her as a wax doll.  What does it mean to have someone?  To control her experiences?  To do what he wants with her?

Sex alone doesn't feel like - enough, somehow, especially if he can't fuck her.  Oral (at least the kind of oral that Keltham has ever heard of) can't be satisfyingly forceful in the same way as fucking.  He does, in fact, want to fuck Carissa properly, that is a thing he wants, but he doesn't want to have children tonight.  Well, theoretically he could decide that he trusts in Carissa enough to believe that she'll use contraception, if she says so; but trust decisions are not to be made in heat.

He could hurt her.  But part of Keltham is terrified that if he just pinches Carissa's nipples again, she'll feel bored or unimpressed because that's what he did last time.  No, that's not how she advised him to think; but when that part of his brain doesn't go quiet after a gentle nudge, he deems it unwise to silence it more forcibly than that.  He just needs to think of something else to do besides pinching her again; and if he can't, well then, if she's unimpressed with his creativity, it will be correctly so.

Carissa doesn't speak, doesn't move, though her eyes follow him, and it feels correct the same way that hurting her felt correct, that he said what to do and she did it.

(There are so many obvious ways a system like that could go wrong -)

Brain, stop it.  There is something here he needs to learn.

Keltham runs his hands over Carissa, trying to imagine - that she's a good or service he just bought?  It doesn't feel right, any more than imagining her as a wax doll.  What does it mean to have someone?  To control her experiences?  To do what he wants with her?

Sex alone doesn't feel like - enough, somehow, especially if he can't fuck her.  Oral (at least the kind of oral that Keltham has ever heard of) can't be satisfyingly forceful in the same way as fucking.  He does, in fact, want to fuck Carissa properly, that is a thing he wants, but he doesn't want to have children tonight.  Well, theoretically he could decide that he trusts in Carissa enough to believe that she'll use contraception, if she says so; but trust decisions are not to be made in heat.

He could hurt her.  But part of Keltham is terrified that if he just pinches Carissa's nipples again, she'll feel bored or unimpressed because that's what he did last time.  No, that's not how she advised him to think; but when that part of his brain doesn't go quiet after a gentle nudge, he deems it unwise to silence it more forcibly than that.  He just needs to think of something else to do besides pinching her again; and if he can't, well then, if she's unimpressed with his creativity, it will be correctly so.

Carissa doesn't speak, doesn't move, though her eyes follow him, and it feels correct the same way that hurting her felt correct, that he said what to do and she did it.

(There are so many obvious ways a system like that could go wrong -)

Brain, stop it.  There is something here he needs to learn.

Keltham runs his hands over Carissa, trying to imagine - that she's a good or service he just bought?  It doesn't feel right, any more than imagining her as a doll.  What does it mean to have someone?  To control her experiences?  To do what he wants with her?

Sex alone doesn't feel like - enough, somehow, especially if he can't fuck her.  Oral (at least the kind of oral that Keltham has ever heard of) can't be satisfyingly forceful in the same way as fucking.  He does, in fact, want to fuck Carissa properly, that is a thing he wants, but he doesn't want to have children tonight.  Well, theoretically he could decide that he trusts in Carissa enough to believe that she'll use contraception, if she says so; but trust decisions are not to be made in heat.

He could hurt her.  But part of Keltham is terrified that if he just pinches Carissa's nipples again, she'll feel bored or unimpressed because that's what he did last time.  No, that's not how she advised him to think; but when that part of his brain doesn't go quiet after a gentle nudge, he deems it unwise to silence it more forcibly than that.  He just needs to think of something else to do besides pinching her again; and if he can't, well then, if she's unimpressed with his creativity, it will be correctly so.

Carissa doesn't speak, doesn't move, though her eyes follow him, and it feels correct the same way that hurting her felt correct, that he said what to do and she did it.

(There are so many obvious ways a system like that could go wrong -)

Brain, stop it.  There is something here he needs to learn.

Keltham runs his hands over Carissa, trying to imagine - that she's a good or service he just bought?  It doesn't feel right, any more than imagining her as a doll.  What does it mean to have someone?  To control her experiences?  To do what he wants with her?

Sex alone doesn't feel like - enough, somehow, especially if he can't fuck her.  Oral (at least the kind of oral that Keltham has ever heard of) can't be satisfyingly forceful in the same way as fucking.  He does, in fact, want to fuck Carissa properly, that is a thing he wants, but he doesn't want to have children tonight.  Well, theoretically he could decide that he trusts in Carissa enough to believe that she'll use contraception, if she says so; but trust decisions are not to be made in heat.

He could hurt her.  But part of Keltham is terrified that if he just pinches Carissa's nipples again, she'll feel bored or unimpressed because that's what he did last time.  No, that's not how she advised him to think; but when that mind-signal doesn't go quiet after a gentle nudge, he deems it unwise to silence it more forcibly than that.  He just needs to think of something else to do besides pinching her again; and if he can't, well then, if she's unimpressed with his creativity, it will be correctly so.

Carissa doesn't speak, doesn't move, though her eyes follow him, and it feels correct the same way that hurting her felt correct, that he said what to do and she did it.

(There are so many obvious ways a system like that could go wrong -)

Brain, stop it.  There is something here he needs to learn.

Keltham runs his hands over Carissa, trying to imagine - that she's a good or service he just bought?  It doesn't feel right, any more than imagining her as a doll.  What does it mean to have someone?  To control her experiences?  To do what he wants with her?

Sex alone doesn't feel like - enough, somehow, especially if he can't fuck her.  Oral (the kind of oral that Keltham has ever heard of) can't be satisfyingly forceful in the same way as fucking.  He does, in fact, want to fuck Carissa properly, that is a thing he wants, but he doesn't want to have children tonight.  Well, theoretically he could decide that he trusts in Carissa enough to believe that she'll use contraception, if she says so; but trust decisions are not to be made in heat.

He could hurt her.  But part of Keltham is terrified that if he just pinches Carissa's nipples again, she'll feel bored or unimpressed because that's what he did last time.  No, that's not how she advised him to think; but when that mind-signal doesn't go quiet after a gentle nudge, he deems it unwise to silence it more forcibly than that.  He just needs to think of something else to do besides pinching her again; and if he can't, well then, if she's unimpressed with his creativity, it will be correctly so.

Carissa doesn't speak, doesn't move, though her eyes follow him, and it feels correct the same way that hurting her felt correct, that he said what to do and she did it.

(There are so many obvious ways a system like that could go wrong -)

Brain, stop it.  There is something here he needs to learn.

Keltham runs his hands over Carissa, trying to imagine - that she's a good or service he just bought?  It doesn't feel right, any more than imagining her as a doll.  What does it mean to have someone?  To control her experiences?  To do what he wants with her?

Sex alone doesn't feel like - enough, somehow, especially if he can't fuck her.  Oral (the kind of oral that Keltham has ever heard of) can't be satisfyingly forceful in the same way as fucking.  He does, in fact, want to fuck Carissa properly, that is a thing he wants, but he doesn't want to have children tonight.  Well, theoretically he could decide that he trusts in Carissa enough to believe that she'll use contraception, if she says so; but trust decisions are not to be made in heat.

He could hurt her.  But part of Keltham is terrified that if he just pinches Carissa's nipples again, she'll feel bored or unimpressed because that's what he did last time.  No, that's not how she advised him to think; but when that fear-signal doesn't go quiet after a gentle nudge, he deems it unwise to silence it more forcibly than that.  He just needs to think of something else to do besides pinching her again; and if he can't, well then, if she's unimpressed with his creativity, it will be correctly so.