It wasn't that he wasn't right — he was, after all — it was just that I needed to be more cautious. He assumed that my expression change was due to his lecturing, but I examined my feelings and found that his words had nothing to do with my unease. When we were nearing the conclusion of our eight weeks together, he casually mentioned that I was looking for a Dominant. Both this morning and tonight, when he stated words to that effect, I felt a little stab of anguish.

Logic would have dictated that I end things before I gave him the opportunity to shatter my heart, and I...