Chapter Text
Rey sighed and flopped back on her futon mattress. It took up nearly the entire floor of her room in the shared apartment. She and her friend Rose had recently moved to the Boston area for grad school, and it was not going to be a cheap experience. Rey had just wrapped up a long shift at the Starbucks on Somerville Avenue near Porter Square before walking back to their new home in Union Square. They had only obtained (very necessary) cleaning supplies and a couple of key pieces of furniture so far. The apartment didn't feel at all like a home yet. She didn't even have any curtains!
It was time to ask Reddit for help. As a programmer, Rey always found Reddit was the least annoying social network. There were a lot of funny people on there too. She was hopeful that some of the local redditors in Somerville could help her get acclimated to her new home. She pulled up r/Somerville on her laptop and scrolled through a couple posts about shutdowns on different parts of the transit system. Rose had not been kidding when she said the T was unreliable! After another minute, she composed a cheery message:
Hi! I'm new to Union Square and am looking for help!
-Does anyone know the best place to buy decor (curtains, rugs, etc) on the cheap?
-Best beer bar? (ok, I know that is going to start an argument, but give me what you got!)
Thanks!
A few minutes later she had an answer, from a user with the handle <MITbeersnob>.
Hello <Shibarey> and welcome to Somerville. There are people who prefer to travel a bit farther from Union to visit Bukowski's, Lord Hobo, Redbones, etc.
Those people are tasteless a-holes. Just visit Aeronaut for brewed enlightenment.
I'll send you a DM in case you would like company.
Rey opened another browser window and began reading up on Aeronaut. Yes, <MITbeersnob> was truth in advertising: the guy was undoubtedly a snob. His private message popped up and, unsurprisingly, contained a photo of a smarmy-looking ginger in expensive clothing. At least it was not a dick pic. She deleted the message and Googled some of the other bars mentioned. Redbones actually sounded fantastic. She realized she was incredibly hungry. But smoked ribs and Belgian ale were probably beyond the budget point she was looking for.
Another response to her message came up. This one was from user <BaccaDesuYo>.
Sorry that I don't know a cheap place for carpets and drapes. If you need kitchenware you should go to China Fair on Mass Ave north of Porter.
While you are over here check out Christopher's or head south to Cambridge Common. They are the best priced bar for people who care about beer not tasting like shit.
Full disclosure I tend bar at Cambridge Common. Good luck on your move in and decorating!
This one was amusing and seemed to get the picture that Rey was not looking to spend a lot of money. She smiled and texted Rose that she was going to check out Cambridge Common, a beer bar near Harvard. Her phone buzzed almost immediately with Rose's response. She was finishing up her lab shift and would join her.
Rey unlocked her bike from the bike rack, fastened on her helmet and began to make her way toward Harvard Square. She thought about how she would address the questions she needed to raise with Rose. Rey wanted to start trying to date. Bringing guys home was pretty easy to navigate with most sensible roommates. But Rey was into some BDSM. Back in England, Rey had never shared information about her non-mainstream hobby with her girlfriends. Now, in an unfamiliar country, she kindof wanted her spunky American friend to know what to expect, and have her back, if she visited some dungeon or invited a new person over to explore shibari.
She was so absorbed in worrying about what would happen to her living situation if the conversation didn't go well, that she almost missed that she had arrived at the restaurant. A non-descript brown facade with large plate glass windows fronted a sidewalk with a few picnic tables and well maintained potted plants. After locking up the bike (not like anyone would steal a polka-dotted 3-speed beater), she entered the restaurant and found Rose already relaxing in a booth.
"Wow Rose, you beat me here!" Rey smiled, hugging her friend.
"Soooo ready to get out of that lab. The upperclassmen undergrads are the worst. I wish we were back in Oxford. Those kids at least knew me for long enough to know that just because you are a foot taller than your lab tech, doesn't mean you should look down on her skills. Ugh."
"I feel for you," Rey commiserated. The duties in her program at MIT Sloan were rather different from Rose's at Harvard, but the problem of making your mark with a lot of people who thought they were the world's smartest remained.
The two friends ordered some sandwiches and regional beers. <BaccaDesuYo> was right about the impressive selection and (for Cambridge at least) sane prices. Rey found herself glancing at the bartenders and wondering if he (or she) was working tonight. She didn't see anyone who looked Japanese, so that one clue of the username wasn't paying off. There was a compact, fit-looking woman with a fringe cut straight across and heavy eye makeup, working alongside a big, burly guy with a huge beard who looked like he might have Latino heritage.
Rey stopped daydreaming when Rose cleared her throat.
"So...I have a date for Friday!"
"Good for you!" Rey exclaimed. "I was just meaning to talk to you about what we want to do for house rules, about people staying over and stuff."
"I wasn't really going to bring him home just yet," Rose said. Rey quirked an eyebrow. "Well, okay," Rose continued. "I might go back to his place. But I don't like people knowing where I live until I'm pretty happy with where things are going. There was that stalker that one summer..." she trailed off, mouth turning down.
"Oh Rosie, I'm so sorry," Rey said, gripping her hand. Rose smiled again.
"Don't worry, Rey, I'm pretty sure Finn is a sweetie. Anyway, what about you? You seeing anyone?"
Rey sighed. "I think I'll get back out there again soon. But it's kinda tricky. I haven't had a boyfriend since Doph."
"Mitaka? Oh, Rey, he was a sweet guy but there was absolutely zero chemistry between the two of you. Did you date at all since then?"
Rey looked around and, satisfied that the restaurant was pretty noisy, decided it was time to fess up. "So, do you remember Jack? That guy who came with me to the Admiral's garden party last spring?"
"That old guy? He was kindof creepy." Rose's eyes opened wide and she covered her mouth quickly with her hand. "I mean...did you date him?"
"Not exactly, it was more..." Rey began at the same time Rose blurted out "Sorry for calling him creepy if you were into him but..."
They giggled. Rey took a deep breath and began again.
"We weren't dating per se. I was interested in learning about the BDSM scene because, well, I had felt like things were too vanilla with Doph? So Jack is a dom, and he was teaching me."
Rose's eyes widened. "Tell me more. Was it hot? Does Jack have secret talents?"
Rey smiled. "Not exactly? So, I discovered I really like rope play but not most of the rest of it? But I got tired of Jack's shit. He has a whole bunch of different subs and he wanted us all to call him Master Porkins and clean his house and shit."
Rose dissolved into a heap of hysterical laughter. "Oh. My. God. Mr. Porkins is soooo not a sexy dom name."
"That's Master Porkins to you," Rey laughed. "Anyway, I figured out I was not into all of it. I just like to be tied up. Preferably by somebody who is actually hot. And doesn't want me to wash his dishes. And is only fucking me, you know?"
Rose smiled in return. "I'm glad you learned what you wanted, but no, I don't "know," lol. I hope you do find your sexy dom rope master who wants an exclusive relationship and likes to do the chores. Naked. But he might be hard to find?"
Rey nodded. "Yeah, and Boston is super repressed anyway. But hey, maybe I will find someone with most of those qualities and then train him how to tie me up? Be his shibari teacher?"
"Shibari?" Rose asked.
"Ah, nobody knows what that is," Rey agreed. "That's the style of Japanese bondage I am into."
"Didn't need to know!" giggled Rose, miming covering her ears. "Let's get another drink. Think that big bartender would tie you up? He looks about as old as Master Porkins..."
"Ugh," Rey shook her head. "No more guys who are old enough to be my dad. And preferably no more beards. But absolutely yes, let's get another round."
**************************************************
Ben flopped down onto Armitage's enormous black leather sectional and pulled his laptop out of his bag. There were many, many better ways he could think of to spend his time. But their advisor, Professor Snoke, Director of the Media Lab, had insisted that they work together on his side projects. So here he was.
There were, however, two upsides to the arrangement. First, Hux tended to stock his fridge with very expensive beer, some of which was actually also very good. No one objected to grad students drinking while coding, so Ben was dedicated to demolishing Hux' beer collection every week.
Second, Ben had discovered Armitage's handle on Reddit. Now he could troll him online on top of the pranks he liked to pull on him in real life. Ben logged into his troll account, <Kyloren>, and searched what threads <MITbeersnob> had recently posted to. Ah, there he was in r/Somerville, being snooty about beer while trying to ask some luckless person out who was new to town. Ben couldn't tell if the person was male or female, but he determined that he was going to make sure they did not meet up with Hux.
He typed a quick response to <Shibarey> as Hux came back into the room and sat at the desk opposite.
Welcome to the neighborhood, <Shibarey>. Ignore <MITbeersnob>, he is an asshole.
<BaccaDesuYo> is totally right about the Common. Did you get to check it out yet?
For home furnishings have you tried freecycle? There is usually some good stuff on there. Let me know if you have any questions.
Ben smiled to himself as he pasted a link to Hux' latest Reddit mansplaining explosion onto the phrase "he is an asshole," and thought about whether he had anything he needed to put on freecycle at the moment.
"Stop daydreaming, Solo," Armitage snipped. "Let's get to work."
Their current project was to do with the lab donor records. Snoke was obsessed with external access to the list. He claimed that he feared rival programs would try to poach their donors, but Ben had a suspicion that there was more to it. Probably something shady that their jackass advisor didn't want the IRS to turn up. Anyway, the program was a script that would automatically destroy records and replace them with gibberish files if they were accessed by anyone other than Snoke.
They were halfway through their afternoon session and Hux was up getting a second round of beers when Ben's phone dinged with a notification of a direct message for <Kyloren>. He read it hastily. It was from <Shibarey>.
Thank you sooo much <Kyloren>. I had already figured out that <MITbeersnob> was a twat but I hadn't figured out that freecycle has better stuff on it here than back in the UK! There it is all prams. Cambridge Common was great. I went with my friend and tried beers from Allagash and Jack's Abby.
There are a couple pieces of furniture on there that I would love to snag but the "pick it up yourself" bit is challenging as I only have a bicycle. Do you happen to be able to advise the cheapest place to rent vans?
Ben still couldn't figure out if the person was male or female, though they sounded more female? But he decided to be a bit flirtatious regardless. Nothing would be more satisfying than sniping someone Hux had tried to pick up on Reddit. If it turned out to be some old dude, he'd just have somewhere else he needed to be. Nobody was going to abduct a 6'3" ex-Marine. So he DM'd back.
Hi <Shibarey>.
I don't know about renting vans because I have a very large truck. If you'd like I can help you pick up furniture. Moving into this town is a pain.
If you need a character witness before meeting up with some random, ask Chuy Bacca. He's the bartender at Cambridge Common who answered your thread. Or feel free to google me -- real name's Ben Solo, I'm at MIT.
Ben had a good feeling about this. He attached a photo where he was hugging his dog Knight. The big furry shiba inu took up most of the frame; Ben's face and bare arms peeked out around him. Obviously <Shibarey> liked shibas too, so they would probably think the photo was cool.
**********************
Rey was still dithering over how to respond to the DM when Rose let herself in the door of the apartment. Or, to be honest, she was not really thinking about what to write as much as she was imagining those muscular arms embracing her. She flushed, then beckoned her roommate over to the pile of pillows that was standing in for a sofa in their sadly undecorated living room.
"Come look who I've been messaging with on Reddit," she said. Rose hurried over and sat herself down on a pillow. Her eyes widened as she took in the attractive stranger.
"Whoa girl, are you sure? Not like a catfishing old dude who stole somebody's Facebook profile photo?"
"Yeah, he told me his name and I looked him up on his lab's website. Pictures match. Plus this photo doesn't show up in a Google image search, so it's not stolen."
"He's hot. Are you meeting up or something?"
"Maybe? Not a date. He offered to use his truck to help me pick up free furniture."
Rose thought for a moment. "If you just need a big vehicle, Finn's dad has a mega-van. It could easily fit a couch. Finn and I will help you. Then you can try and meet up with this guy without immediately owing him a favor."
"And you don't mind owing Finn one?" Rey quizzed her friend.
"Nah, we're labmates. It's different from strangers."
"I see your point," Rey nodded. "When's the van free?"
Rey and Rose worked out the details. Half an hour later Rey tapped out a quick response to Ben.
Thanks so much for the offer. My roommate's got a line on a van, though, so I don't need help with moving furniture after all!!
Perhaps we'll run into one another some other time, though. I'm an MIT student myself (Sloan, technically).
Cheers,
Rey
p.s. Your dog is amazing!
She figured it was only fair to use her actual name now that he told her his.
*******************************
Ben's brow furrowed. Yet another message from <Shibarey> without convincing them to come out...and without ascertaining much of anything about them. The name Rey could be male or female, and Sloan students could be any age. The business school also had so many students that they didn't have profiles of the students on the website like the Media Lab and other science Ph.D. programs did.
Maybe he would be more direct. Direct invitation, direct compliment. Not his usual way of doing things, but he could give it a shot. He quickly composed a response.
Glad you found a way to get your furniture. Any great finds on freecycle?
I'm also happy that you liked the picture with my dog. In return, I have to tell you, your handle kicks ass.
I'd rather make plans than wait for a random run-in around campus. What do you say to coming over for some shiba fun? This weekend maybe?
Sayoonara,
Ben
He hoped playing the dog card would pique their interest rather than the invite to his apartment coming off too strong.
*************************************
Rey's eyes about popped out of her head when she read the message. And reread it. And reread it again. "Rose!" she shrieked. "I think I found the unicorn!"
Rose peeked over her shoulder at the message, her eyebrows gradually lifting toward her fringe. "You go girl...it does seem like maybe you found the one guy who knows what you are into? Isn't that, like, too good to be true?"
Rey thought for a minute. "Look, he compliments my handle, talks about "shiba fun," which yeah is a weird way to talk about it but whatever, and signs off in Japanese. He totally just asked me to come over for rope bondage because my name is <Shibarey>. Maybe I should think about switching to a less obvious handle if I am going to be meeting people from Reddit in real life, but this time I think the name did me a solid!"
"As long as you don't think there's any chance it could be a creepy stalker situation," Rose cautioned.
Rey shook her head slowly. "No, I don't think so. There's no knowing what he thinks is "shiba fun," so I could find another Master Porkins. But I'd rather discuss the boundaries once I've met him face to face, you know? Not invest a lot of time into something that won't even happen if I don't find him really hot."
"You find him really hot. Look at that picture again and tell me you don't," Rose dared her.
"Ok ok...I do. Anyway, I will give you his address and promise to text you if I'm planning to stay over."
"That would make me feel much better. Now go get that hot stuff!" Rose cheered.
************************************
Ben brushed dog fur off his couch pillows one more time. He couldn't stop pacing around his apartment. Rey was arriving any minute and he still knew basically nothing about the person he had invited to his home on a whim, just because they were a dog lover. And because it was some weird way to get back at Hux.
At last a knock came at the door. Ben wiped sweating palms on his jeans and undid the bolt. When he pulled the door open his breath stuck in his throat.
<Shibarey> was gorgeous.
She was a lithe brunette with a brilliant smile, albeit a nervous one, probably matching his own. He didn't register much about what she was wearing once he realized it involved leggings and he should be looking at her eyes to not be creepy. She had a large bag, something between a purse and a duffle, over one shoulder. After a quick introduction he was ushering her into his apartment and closing the door again.
Knight chose that moment to bound out of the kitchen and leap on the visitor. She took it in good form as a real dog lover ought too, allowing Knight to sniff her and giving him lots of petting and affection. Ben imagined her strong, slender hands massaging his shoulders instead of the dog's...really not an appropriate thought for the moment, Ben realized as he felt the blood rushing south in his body.
"All right, boy, let's let her get comfortable, ok?" Ben grasped Knight's collar, encouraging him to give Rey some space.
"Actually, if I might," Rey began hesitantly, gesturing with her hand at her bag.
"Oh sure," Ben responded. "Bathroom's right over here, make yourself comfortable."
"I will," Rey said with a smile. A sultry smile, which Ben definitely did not expect, but there was no other way to describe the way she peeked up at him through her eyelashes and licked her lips.
*****************************
Inside the bathroom, Rey took a deep breath as she carefully removed her clothing and put them in her bag, taking out the rope and ensuring she was well moisturized. She thought back to the first time Jack invited her to his "dungeon." It was actually a semi-detached home in a really boring town near Ely. When she arrived there were half a dozen other young people milling about. Three of them were wearing metal collars and had various edgy piercings. One was dressed in normal street clothes but being pleasured with an electrical stimulator toy. Others were cleaning various swings and other equipment while wearing leather outfits.
Rey had to ask Master Porkins to explain her place in all this. At the sound of her voice, everyone else glared at her. "My slaves know better than to talk. Other than setting up safewords, the only thing you should hear in this dungeon are cries of pleasure and pain," Jack pontificated smarmily. Rey still stood there, unsure what to do. "Well, go get your kit off girl! Your 'place in all this' as you call it is to look beautiful while I tie you up. All right now kitten?"
Rey had grimaced internally. Something did not sit right about words like "slave" for her. But as soon as she took her clothes off and Master Porkins began to tie her up, she forgot everything. The balance between pain and pleasure was beautiful and in the mirrored walls of the dungeon she could see that she looked beautiful in the intricate series of ropes.
But now, in Ben Solo's bathroom, she knew that she had to show that she knew her place. That she was ready and confident. He was so fucking hot, he must have his pick of sexy women to play with. Rey knew that her confidence, her sense of self, and her natural affinity for shibari were her strengths. She just had to get this new guy to appreciate them... So she put her hand to the door handle and turned...
********************************
Ben put on some quiet ambient music and encouraged Knight to work on his chew toy in the other room rather than drooling on the couch like his usual. Rey was taking rather a long time in the bathroom. Standing at his breakfast bar, Ben started to type out an email to one of the guys from the lab (not Hux for once) when the bathroom door opened.
Suddenly Ben knew what it felt like to have a heart attack. Or a stroke, he wasn't sure. The main feeling was complete, desperate confusion. Mixed with complete, desperate arousal.
Because for whatever reason, his charming dog-loving Reddit friend had decided to walk out of his bathroom completely nude. Like, without a single stitch of clothing on her body. Looped over one arm she carried many yards of heavy, thick blue rope. But of her leggings and other attire nothing was to be seen.
Ben swallowed, staring, still unable to say a word. So Rey spoke first.
"What are your thoughts on safeword and boundaries? I've only played with one dom so I'm not sure how it works with others." Noticing his silence, she hesitated a moment. "As long as this is all right? You did want to do shibari, right? Or oh my god, are you a submissive? Did you think I was volunteering to tie you up?" Rey trailed off.
"Shiba-what?" was all Ben managed to croak. He found his way to the couch and sat down. Hopefully at this angle his erection would be less obvious. Though, the naked woman in his living room presumably might want him to have an erection? But, if someone was crazy enough to strip off in the home of someone they've never met, was she really someone he wanted to get involved with?
Rey made a concerned expression -- which, really, seriously, he was looking at her face ok? -- and answered in a confused tone. "Shibari. Like my Reddit handle. Japanese rope bondage. Like I thought you invited me over for? What did you call it -- "shiba-fun"?"
Now it was Ben's turn to furrow his brow. "Shiba...I thought you meant like shiba inu. Like my dog, Knight? The shiba inu in the other room?"
"There is a dog called shiba? Ummm... Whoa. That means... You were not inviting me over to do rope bondage. You were inviting me over to play with your dog." Rey gasped in horror and embarrassment.
"Yep," Ben popped the p. Then he saw how embarrassed she was. Probably not psycho then, just an...honest mistake? A really kinky honest mistake by a really fucking sexy woman? He had better fix this situation, pronto.
"Wait, Rey. There is no harm done," he extended his hands in a calming gesture, as if trying to deescalate things with a wild animal. "It sounds like you don't know much about Japanese dog breeds, but I don't know literally anything about rope bondage. You don't need to feel bad. You can put something on if you would feel more comfortable and we can...exchange knowledge?" Hopefully that would keep her in his house.
Rey smiled in relief. If he wasn't wrong, Ben thought he saw tears shimmering at the corner of her eyes. Close call then.
"I'd like that. A knowledge exchange. And if you like what you hear, perhaps you'd be willing to try a few knots on me at the end?"
"I would find that very interesting," Ben nodded rapidly. Rey turned and walked her exquisite ass back into his bathroom. Ben dodged into his bedroom to rummage around and see if he had any unexpired condoms. Then it occurred to him that he knew so little about BDSM, he didn't even know if his dick was actually going to be involved in the process of "shibari." He exhaled a centering breath, pocketed a condom, shut the drawers and returned to his living room.
***************************
While Rey put some clothes on, Ben brewed a pot of sencha and shut Knight firmly in the guest bedroom with his favorite mangled Yoda plushie.
"You can learn about shiba inus later," he smiled, attempting to reassure his still mortified visitor. "I think I probably like your idea of how we should spend the afternoon, even if I usually would try to take you to dinner before I let you get naked in my living room."
"Oh my God," Rey covered her face again. "You really don't have to do this if it is not your thing. You clearly aren't actually a dom and I don't even know if you like women and..."
"Whoa, whoa," Ben interrupted. "I like women. I like women who know what they like, and I am willing to see if I like it too. Since I like your attitude and you are hot as shit, if you are comfortable trying this with noob me, let's give it a go."
Rey looked at him searchingly for a minute before extending a hand. They shook on it, each breaking into a goofy grin and keeping their hands clasped far longer than was necessary.
"All right," she said, standing up and moving toward him. She handed him the long, heavy coil of rope. It was smoother than it looked. "The point of shibari is to take control away from the submissive in a way that creates basically a work of art. If you're familiar with tea ceremony," she gestured to the heavy black pot sitting on his table, "calligraphy, ikebana, origami...Japanese culture has elevated a lot of things into art forms."
Ben smiled. He'd have to share his calligraphy with her later. "So how do I make sure that you are comfortable while I turn you into erotic art?"
Rey looked down, then back up at him. "Some discomfort is part of the point. But you tying the knots the right way will ensure I don't get, like, circulation cut off or anything. It's also essential if you want to do any aerial poses." Suddenly the image flashed in Ben's mind of Rey suspended squirming from the ceiling while he licked her avidly. He was almost surprised by how arousing he found the idea.
"Fortunately for you I was in the Marines. That means that I have a really securely installed pull up bar to suspend you from," he winked, "and I'm good at all the Boy Scout knots."
"Ok, shall we try some of the traditional patterns?" Rey asked. He nodded.
Over her loose tshirt, Rey guided the rope under, around, and between her breasts. Then she showed Ben how and where to knot it and how to check that the tightness was safe and appropriate.
Ben gulped as he looked at Rey, her pert breasts sticking out even more prominently than usual. He gulped.
"May I...touch you? During our...lesson?" he asked.
"Absolutely!" Rey yelped, almost squirming with anticipation. When Ben ran the roughened backs of his knuckles across one nipple through her shirt, Rey knew she was done for.
She gulped and hastily continued with the shibari instructions. She pointed out how to harness the rope around her shoulders and hips in a way that wouldn't shift and would provide the structure to pinion her arms and legs to.
"I have a question," Ben interrupted, blushing slightly. "How does the rope go between your legs?"
Rey smiled in anticipation. "There's two ways, basically, you can do two loops rather like a climbing harness. They go outside the labia and leave room for penetration, like crotchless panties, but they don't stimulate the wearer. The other way is to run one rope right down the middle. Then you can tie in knots to create more stimulation. Either way you do it, you can get some extra variety by connecting the ropes to my arms or wrists so if I struggle, it pulls on the crotch rope. It's different if you are tying up a guy"--Ben winced slightly--"but I don't really know how to do that anyway."
"That's totally fine. Mind if I try finishing--your harness?" Ben asked. Rey shook her head rapidly.
Ben took his time, first looping ropes twice through Rey's legs and then undoing his work to try it the second way. Brow furrowed, he fashioned an intricate series of different sized and shaped knots to stimulate her sensitive region, then took hold of the rope end. Cinching the knotted rope up through her legs, he gently dragged it back and forth, watching as she let out a series of gasps. He could get used to these sounds.
Eager to test the limits of her enjoyment of their "lesson," Ben reached for Rey's nipples again with his spare hand. Soon he was rubbing and pinching while rhythmically guiding her to ride the rope between her legs. It was only a few minutes before she dissolved into a shuddering orgasm, sagging on her feet. Ben held her tight, moving her to the couch and beginning to loosen the series of knots.
Once Rey was fully unbound he wrapped her in a large soft fleece throw that had been a Media Lab giveaway at some point, then went to get her a glass of ice water. When he returned he saw she was blissed out and almost dozing.
"Ben," she mumbled, "you are a natural. That was incredible. Now you have to let me return the favor." She started to sit up and reached for the fastenings of his pants.
"Whoa, whoa," he said, gently removing her hands. "You are tired. And this has to have been a weird experience for you, with the miscommunication. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and feel like you were lured here on false pretenses."
She looked at him sadly. Even Ben, who had been told he had the emotional intelligence of Mount Rushmore, could tell that she felt like he was rejecting her.
"Trust me baby," he said gently, "I want you. I want you to return the favor. But I can wait until you process that I am not the BDSM master you thought I was, I am just some nerdy dog lover. Fuck, I just thought I would be doing someone a favor by making sure they stopped listening to Hux!"
"Hux?" asked Rey, confused.
"He is my labmate, he goes by <MITbeersnob>."
"Oh." Rey processed this. "So you didn't really even want to hang out?"
"Well, I was happy to hang out, but for all I knew you were some weird old guy or a grandmother with bad teeth! All I knew was you seemed to like the same kind of dog as me! So please, can I drive you home and then set a time to meet up with you again in a day or two? If you want to?"
************************
Rey considered for a moment. The whole situation was weird. She was attracted to the guy, why wouldn't he let her get him off? Maybe it was his way of trying to show her he could be in charge of the situation, like a dom should be? Maybe she didn't care. But clearly, he was not comfortable with more, so she would have to go. Even if it made her sad. Because she did not much know Ben Solo, but she knew she wanted to.
She looked up and in an instant she felt more hopeful. The look in his eyes suggested that he very much wanted to know her too. The bulge in his pants suggested he wanted her to get him off, but that could wait if he insisted. "Ok," she nodded. She slowly extracted her body, naked and patterned with red rope marks, from his soft blanket and shuffled into the bathroom to put clothes back on. When she came back out he handed her a chocolate bar and, guiding her with his hand on her lower back, led her out to his truck, an imposing black Silverado.
The drive passed in silence once she explained where she lived. When he pulled up to the curb around the corner from her apartment, he reached out a hand. She took it, and they both shivered.
"Rey, I'd love to see you again soon. Can we meet for lunch in Kendall sometime soon?"
"I'd love that too, Ben. How about tomorrow?"
A huge grin split across his face. "It's a date. Where do you want to meet?"
"There's a little Greek place..." she described how to get to it. "See you there?"
He nodded and watched as she got gingerly out of his truck and let herself into her apartment building. Then he drove back to his apartment. It was nice, but now that Rey had been in it he knew what could make it even nicer.
That night Ben Solo slept better than he had in years.