Foot Worship Chapter 11

I pulled my legs together and gasped for breath. Blood was rushing to my lower body. Jerome, indifferent to my situation, pressed for an answer. With no other choice, I moved my hand and roughly pointed to a spot far below my navel.

“Around here.”

“Is that so? Mine would reach this far.”

“Ugh!”

Before I could control it, a sharp sound escaped my lips. Jerome’s finger had pressed firmly above my navel. My entire face flushed red with arousal.

“Will you be able to take it well?”

“…Hut, yes.”

His hand tugged at the napkin tied around my neck. The knot loosened softly, leaving my exposed chest defenseless. The buttons, which had been screaming for help earlier, must have met their end, as they were nowhere to be found.

I frantically gathered my shirt together with an embarrassed look on my face. I was glaring at the shirt, which kept opening up regardless of the situation, when Jerome whispered lowly into my ear.

“Your clothes are quite untidy in many ways.”

“I apologize.”

“Ah… I really can’t hold it back.”

Jerome’s voice dropped to its lowest point. It was frustrating because I couldn’t tell what kind of expression he was wearing. I wanted to turn my head, but Jerome wouldn’t allow it. My lips were parched. Unable to do anything, I stared intensely at the still-life painting hanging in front of me. A panting breath escaped my lips. I desperately wanted to spend the night with him. In this mood, if he told me to crawl like a dog, I would crawl, and if he told me to bark, I would bark.

“But since our relationship isn’t clearly defined yet.”

“…”

“I will hold back for now.”

Jerome pressed his fingernail hard into my earlobe, let go, and sat back in his seat. The tension in me completely dissipated. I covered my chest with the napkin that had been left haphazardly on the table and tried to steady my breathing. I had noticed it before, but Jerome had a tendency to give and take—dangling things in front of me without actually giving them. I mashed the remaining half of the cake with my fork. I was going crazy with impatience, yet he remained calm. Anger rose to the top of my head. His intention to tease me was clear. My heart wanted to get angry and argue, but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“…I have nothing to say.”

“Your face looks quite angry, doesn’t it?”

“Then, may I say one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

Jerome pulled his chair closer. He met my gaze with a calm face, as if he were ready to listen carefully. I rubbed my hands together under the table and gauged his reaction.

“So, that is, why do you keep touching me and then stopping?”

Jerome tilted his head and pursed his lips, moving them slightly from side to side. It seemed to be a habit he had when thinking.

I drank the water placed in front of me and set it down carefully.

“How can I keep touching you without any preparation? We haven’t even agreed on a safe word, which is the minimum safety device. I shouldn’t just handle and manipulate Jin as I please just to satisfy my own desires. That is why I am holding back.”

“Ah…”

“I was the one who first proposed that we meet three times. If I had wanted to just match our bodies once and part ways, I wouldn’t have made such a proposal.”

“…”

“I am sincere about my meetings with you, and I am showing you that I will keep my word no matter what it takes. Does this answer your question?”

Jerome left his seat, saying he would go smoke for a while. I sat still in a daze for a long time. His words about holding back echoed in my ears like tinnitus.

Personally, I was of the opinion that a Dom should unconditionally keep the terms agreed upon with a Sub. It was the same principle as a Sub unconditionally obeying a Dom’s words.

If a Dom, unable to overcome their own arousal or desires, broke the agreed-upon terms and forced play, or ignored a safe word called out by a Sub who had reached their limit, there was a high probability that it would lead to an accident.

That is why Doms and Subs make an implicit agreement. A Dom actually restrains and binds the Sub’s body, but the Sub puts an invisible leash around the Dom’s neck through agreement and promises.

Jerome had shown me a glimpse of his self-control. Even if my desires rose to my throat and I felt like I was going crazy, he would keep his promise to me no matter what. Perhaps this was a matter of the most basic trust. And since we were meeting with the intention of playing, it was only right that at least a very small foundation of trust be formed. When I realized that he was paying attention to such details, my heart softened.

He returned from smoking and pulled his chair closer. For a long time after that, the exploration between us continued. I focused on Jerome much more than before, trying to answer his questions honestly and sincerely. Before I knew it, a relationship that had started from physical attraction was turning into human affection.

“Shall we get going? Did you happen to bring your car?”

“…Yes? Ah, yes.”

“Then wait a moment.”

Jerome left me seated and called a designated driver. I wondered why he would call a driver when I hadn’t even been drinking, but he asked for my car keys as if it were natural. I took them out of my pocket and handed them to him.

“Is your home address saved in the navigation?”

“It is saved as my home, but why…”

“I’m going to take you home, Jin.”

Seeing that the driver had arrived, Jerome stood up first. I scrambled to my feet and followed behind him. Jerome paid the driver and told him to take the car to the saved address. Once the driver had driven my car away first, only then did he escort me and open the passenger door of the vehicle parked in front.

“Get in.”

I got into his car in a daze. Not content with just opening the door, which made me blush, he pulled the seatbelt to buckle it for me and tapped my cheek, which had frozen from tension. Just having him fasten the seatbelt made me feel like my breath was hitching. It felt as if I were being restrained by him. Without realizing it, I grabbed the seatbelt crossing my torso, and Jerome met my eyes and smiled faintly.

“I won’t eat you today, so don’t be so tense.”

“…Ah, it’s not that.”

I watched him with my eyes as he quietly closed the car door and walked around to the driver’s side to board. A strange itchiness spread through my body. I had never had someone take me home while I was sober, so this situation felt foreign and awkward. I stared blankly at Jerome getting into the driver’s seat and starting the car. Then, Jerome reached out and gently cupped my cheek.

“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“…No, it’s just awkward.”

“What kind of trashy people have you been meeting for you to think of someone just taking you home as awkward? It’s starting to make me a little angry.”

“…”

“It would be better to get used to it from now on. Whatever purpose we met for, I’m not going to let you go home alone as much as possible.”

Jerome turned the steering wheel, exited the restaurant parking lot, and smoothly merged onto the road. As expected of Seoul’s roads, there were many cars even though rush hour had passed. I stared out the window with a slightly somber face. Why is Jerome so affectionate? My heart felt heavy because I knew this affection wasn’t just for me. He had probably been just as affectionate to every partner he had met until now.

“…Are you usually affectionate to everyone?”

“Hmm, in what part did you feel I was affectionate? Ah, the taking you home part?”

“That too, but just… I was wondering if you do this for everyone once they become your partner.”

“I think aftercare is as important as the play itself. We both enjoyed it together, but the physical damage is taken much more by the other person than by me. I feel like it would be miserable to drive or take a taxi home alone in that state. And driving you home makes me feel at ease, too.”

Since I had mostly pursued casual encounters or play-only relationships, I had rarely received aftercare. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that I had refused it.

Sometimes, those moments were miserable, but I hadn’t had any major complaints. It was my choice to get scared and run away. But today, for some reason, my heart felt bitter.