Sofia had barely finished her nightly rituals – face washing, brushing teeth, 15 minutes of yoga – when Lucas’ message came through. She felt very odd turning on her iPad still naked, and she put a towel over her chair before she sat down, but she did as he’d instructed.

“Hi, Sofia – Just a few thoughts on tomorrow. I’m interested in your candid reaction and opinions, so I can develop an understanding of your likes and limits.
I’m planning for us to have dinner during the break in classes, and we will probably leave before the party starts, although we may delay dinner til then. I’ve included a brief checklist of things I have in mind for tomorrow night. Please think in terms of activities you’d be willing to do tomorrow. Of course, I am not going to harm you or leave permanent marks.

Ok. Sofia nodded as she read. He had such a logical approach to things, and she appreciated his transparency. Then she opened the attachment. It was a checklist, an editable PDF, of course, she thought. She could check the green, yellow, or red column. The list read:

• Orgasm control
• Kneeling
• Bondage
• Spanking
  • over the knee
  • flogger
  • paint stick, ruler, etc.
  • spoon, spatula, other kitchen utensils
  • belt, strap
  • crop
  • whip
• Corner time
• Nipple clamps
• Oral sex (receiving)
• Oral sex (giving)
• Digital or dildo penetration, vibrators (vaginal)
• Digital or penetration (anal) or butt plugs

Omg, she thought. Omg, omg. Am I really going to do this? But she began checking them off. Well, he’s already started orgasm control. Green. Green. Lots of green. None of this is extreme, she thought. I mean, whip. A whip might be bad. And the crop, I don’t want to do that tomorrow. Well, it’s yellow anyhow.

I trust him, she thought. I’m frigging sitting here naked, all by myself, all turned on and not allowed to touch myself, because I trust him. To her surprise, tears welled up. She hit reply, reattached the form, and added a brief message agreeing to his plan. Hit send.

Done, she thought. Done. She was checking Facebook and thinking about going to sleep when his response came back.

Good job – thank you. I’ll pick you up at 1:30. Bring your sweet submissive self and whatever you need for an overnight. Sleep well tonight, keep yourself safe and cozy. Tomorrow, we’ll step into the unknown.

Those words filled her with excitement and she didn’t think she’d be able to sleep. But she did. Curled up on her side, feeling warm and secure, she fell asleep right away.

The next morning, she woke up before dawn, so excited she thought she would burst. Coffee first, then she exercised and did some yoga. She had an appointment at the spa at 9:00, so she went ahead and packed her overnight bag. Answered email, half hoping there was something from Lucas, but there wasn’t. Finally it was 9:00.

The spa should have been distracting, but she kept thinking about Lucas. Wondering what they would talk about on the drive. Hoping it wouldn’t be awkward. Worrying a bit about that night and her body, “which is just old,” she thought with a sigh. She wondered if she should get breast lifts, and decided that was probably not who she really was. Besides, there wasn’t time to do it before tonight.

She worked hard at relaxing during the massage, reminding herself the whole thing was kind of pointless if she didn’t. But she imagined Lucas’ hands on her…

After the spa, she ate a light lunch, showered again, lotioned her body, did makeup, and dressed in the outfit she’d picked out much earlier. She’d packed a different dress, much sexier, for the party in case they decided to go to it, but she wore a skirt with an asynchronous hemline and chemise, topped with a short-sleeved, light sweater. Make-up.

The butterflies in her stomach began to dance.

At exactly 1:30, the doorbell rang. Sofia shook herself out of the breathing meditation she’d been doing, exhaling slowly. She took just a second to breathe, looking for her own balance, and opened the door. Lucas smiled.

“Good afternoon,” he said, taking her in from head to toe. Slowly. Which made her squirm a bit, until he smiled. And nodded, one short nod of approval, and she felt herself warm and open under his gaze.

He took her bag and tucked her into the car, slid in himself. They headed toward the expressway. “Have you had a chance to look at the classes they’re offering today?” he asked.

“No!” she said, “Were they on-line?” and then answered herself, “Of course they were. But no, I didn’t think about it.”

He handed her a flyer. “That’s got them all listed. Take a look.”

Sofia read through the class and workshop descriptions carefully. None of them really excited her, although a few sounded interesting. She and Lucas chatted comfortably about different workshops they’d been to, and what type of classes they liked.

As they got close to their destination, Lucas said, “In the last set of classes, I’d like for you to take the class on Leather Protocol. Master Dan and slave anna do a nice job with that.”

“Of course,” Sofia said and when she saw him raise his eyebrows, she quickly added, “Yes, Sir.” He smiled.

“In that first time slot,” he went on, “I’d like you to take the one on Hard Limits and Negotiation. I’ve never seen them present and I’m curious to hear your impression of the class.”

“Yes, Sir. I’d be glad to.”

He smiled, “For the middle set, you may take either the one on wax play or the one on – what does she call it – The Joy of Submission, or something like that. I’m planning to join you at the dinner break, although we may just have a snack then and wait til after the last class for a real dinner.”

“Yes, Sir.” Sofia looked at the schedule again. The first classes were from 3:00 -4;30, the second set from 4:30 – 6:00. Then there was a break from 6:00 – 7:00 and the last class from 7 – 8:30. The play party started at 9:00. “Yes, Sir,” she said again, smiling.

And then he turned a corner and she saw the parking lot, the building, oh, my. They were here. Really here.