Jesse's apartment did not look like what she had expected. She was imagining that he lived in a bachelor pad that would be littered with old beer cans and pizza boxes. That's what Matthew's place had looked like before they had moved in together.

He did live in a bachelor apartment, but everything was clean and in order. He had a large television hanging on the wall and a sofa with multiple blankets hanging from the back. His bed sat in the back corner. The kitchen counters were clear of clutter. The only thing that looked out of place was the colourful crayon drawings on the fridge.

Lorelei had been so distracted by looking at his apartment that she did not initially notice that Jesse bent down after taking off his shoes. She jumped when his rough finger grazed against her ankle. He was silent as he unfastened the strap to her heels. Lorelei struggled to not look confused as he helped her out of her shoes.

"Do you want anything?" he asked. "Water?"

"I'm fine," Lorelei said.

She had been silent during the walk to Jesse's apartment. She was sure that he could feel the tension in her muscles as he kept his hand on her lower back. Part of her wanted to turn and run away, but a bigger part of her wanted to find out what the night had in store.

Lorelei sat down on the couch, and Jesse sat so closely that his thigh was rubbing against hers. Her heart pounded as she took in the scent of his cologne. She knew that if she leaned forward, her face would be buried in his neck. She focused on her breathing as she tried to not hold her breath.

"Are you nervous?" Jesse asked.

"No." Lorelei cursed herself silently as her voice came out in a squeak.

Jesse smiled and moved his arm so that it was around Lorelei's shoulders. He grabbed her bare skin and kneaded his fingers into her flesh. The gesture was rougher than she expected from his so far gentle touch. She knew that this was just the beginning.

"We don't have to do anything," he said. "Do you know what safewords are?"

"Kind of," she said. "They were in the book."

Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Don't go by that stupid book," he said. "Safe words are really important. I will always listen to them. There are usually two: yellow is to slow down and red is to stop. Do you understand?"

Lorelei swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat. She was curious what he would do to her that was so bad they would need a safe word. She wondered if she had just gotten herself into a situation that she should have never been in.

"Yellow and red," she repeated.

"Exactly," he said. "It is important that you use them when you need them."

Lorelei nodded. Jesse tightened his hold around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He pressed his lips against the side of her temple. Lorelei forgot to breathe as his lips lingered for a moment.

"You've told me about bondage," he said softly. "What else have you wanted to try?"

Lorelei shrugged.

"I don't know much," she said.

"We'll go slow," he said. "And we can start when you are comfortable. It does not have to be tonight."

Lorelei looked up at Jesse. Her heart was beating so fast she thought that it would burst out of her chest. Her mind was screaming at her to get out of that apartment, but she felt a pull toward Jesse and seemed to be stuck to the couch. She could not convince herself to stand. This is what she wanted ever since she saw his profile.

"I want it to be tonight," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Jesse raised his hand and brushed the back of his knuckles against Lorelei's cheek. He was silent for a moment as he stared into her eyes. He tightened his hold on her shoulders as he leaned down to kiss her.

It was unlike any kiss she had ever experienced with Matthew or any other boy. His lips were hungry as his mouth claimed hers. She let out a soft moan, and that fueled him to kiss her harder. His tongue swiped across her bottom lip, and she parted her lips.

Lorelei's hands were pressed against Jesse's chest. Her thighs clenched as his tongue ran over hers. She grabbed fistfuls of Jesse's shirt, desperate to cling to him.

Jesse's hand dropped from her face and went to her thigh. He pulled her across his lap so that she was straddling him. Lorelei ignored that her dress was riding up and that the top of her thighs was exposed.

Their lips broke for a moment and Lorelei giggled. Jesse raised a brow, but Lorelei knew that he was not offended by her laughter by the way his lips were spread into a smile.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

Lorelei knew that she could not tell him the truth. She could not tell him that she thought it was absurd that she was in his apartment and willing to let him dominate her. It was Molly that made her download that dating app. He would probably be horrified to know that Lorelei had told Molly all of the details about their date at Roasters and that she had sent screenshots of some of the messages he sent. She already knew she would be calling Molly as soon as she got home.

"Nothing," Lorelei said.

"When a girl says nothing, it usually isn't nothing," Jesse said.

Lorelei did not want to explain herself, so she leaned down and kissed Jesse again. He did not complain as he kissed her back. His hand slid up her back and grabbed the back of her neck in a possessive hold. Lorelei could feel the heat pooling between her legs as he claimed her.

Jesse pulled back and their lips parted. Lorelei went in for another kiss, but he tightened his hold on the back of her neck, keeping her in place.

"Stand up," he said.

"What?" Lorelei asked.

"Stand up," he repeated.

Lorelei climbed off of Jesse's lap with wobbly legs. She stood in front of him. He leaned back into the couch as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Take your dress off," he said.

Lorelei hesitated. Jesse loosened his tie and flashed her a smile.

"It's okay," he said.

Kissing Jesse was one thing, but she knew nudity would make this real. She let out a deep breath as she reached for the zipper with shaky hands. She unzipped the dress and let it fall so that it pooled at her feet. She had to fight off the urge to cover her bare breasts with her arms as she was now only wearing a thong.

Jesse's smile grew as he looked at Lorelei. He leaned forward, and he put his hands on her lower back. He pulled her forward causing her feet to shuffle a couple of steps. He pressed his lips against her stomach. Lorelei trembled as his lips slowly kissed down to the top of her underwear. He pulled away and looked up at her.

"You're so gorgeous," he said.

He stood and pulled her into his body. His hands slid down and roughly grabbed her ass. Lorelei got up on her toes and wrapped her arms around Jesse's neck. Her body pressed against his. Jesse bent down, and Lorelei thought he was going to kiss her but instead he buried his face into her neck. His lips trailed from her ear down to her shoulder. Lorelei closed her eyes and rolled her head back to give him more access.

"You smell delicious," he whispered into her ear.

Lorelei was glad she followed Molly's suggestion and coated herself in a layer of vanilla-scented lotion after taking a shower. She smiled and knew she would have to thank her friend later.

"Get on my bed," Jesse said. "Now."

Lorelei nodded as she stepped away from Jesse. She walked with shaky knees over to Jesse's bed and was excited for how the night was going to turn out.