For a moment, Felix felt terribly confused, and he didn't know why. Part of it he could attribute to the warm surge of arousal as the rope curled and knotted around him like a caress, whispered between his legs, pressed and teased where he wanted to be touched. It wasn't until Shannon's fingers were no longer touching his skin, and he stood alone, blind and bound in rope, that Felix realized what felt so strange: Shannon asked him if he was all right.

Felix had been trained with blows and drugs and sensory deprivation. While he understood that it was normal to check in with a submissive, and he did this himself when he took a dominant role, he wasn't accustomed to being treated with the same consideration. He almost didn't want to answer, if only to savor the taste of Shannon's question.

"It's all right," he said softly, his expression relaxing. "It's... very good, in fact."