Chapter 61: Intro for Newbies
** Harper **
"I’m just a newbie exploring untrodden grounds ... So anything goes, but maybe be gentle on the shock level?" Harper casually avoided answering May’s question directly.
May gave her a meaningful look. "I find it hard to believe that anyone mentored by Eli could be called a newbie." Her eyes slid toward the man. "He’s quite seasoned across various niches, despite being relatively new to our team. Isn’t that so, Mr. Pro?"
... Mr. Pro? Harper glanced his way curiously. Was that a compliment to his literary editing skills, or ... something else?
"Don’t mislead Harper here," Eli said to May. "I make customized plans to work with all my clients. Her eyes are still quite innocent."
Oh. Harper’s innocent eyes widened. Just what level of "pro"ness were they talking about, if she was still considered innocent? That was such a blow to a self-proclaimed steamy romance author.
May considered the statement with equal doubt. "Hmm ... If that’s the case, she can start with this one. It’s a pretty solid introduction."
She handed Harper a small paperback. On the cover was a woman’s arms tied up in an intricate pattern of rope knots. The title, somewhat expectedly, was Bound.
Harper recalled a couple of books where she’d seen scenes of cuffing and tying someone to the bedpost. Clearly, she wasn’t that innocent like Eli and May thought she was. "I think I’ve read stuff like this before," she clarified, eager to mend her image. "The basic bondage play, right?"
"More like the ultimate bondage play, starting from beginners and graduating at advanced level." May offered a professional smile. "That’s part of why I asked if you’re reading just for fun or with a purpose to learn. Kinks are trendy these days and a lot of books are doing it to get attention, but most of them only go about it superficially, and sometimes they even get the details wrong. This author, on the other hand, is an experienced sub in real life. Her scenes are accurate and very, very spicy."
That was a new perspective Harper hadn’t considered before. But it made sense, now that she thought about it — anyone could imagine how it’d feel to be tied up and gagged, but to get the nuances right, especially for the readers who might already be experts themselves, would require either lots of research or real experience. It was the same idea behind the ups and downs of her own web novel.
"Thanks, I do appreciate a proper introductory course." Harper flipped the book to the back cover, curious to see the author bio and acknowledgements. "Is this one of the books you’ve edited? The author must’ve been pleased to hear such high praises from her editor."