Sofia noticed him the day he moved in. He was, after all, her next door neighbor. Their condos had matching balconies that overlooked the river, and the same outside walkway from the front door.

She watched the moving van pull up, movers jumped out to carry furniture and boxes up the stairs. He was there to oversee it. Directing them.

His furniture was interesting. She thought it looked like he had bought it a Pier One or World Market, some place like that. She admired a cupboard, a table and chair set that she could have bought herself. But “probably his ex-wife picked it out, or his last little girlfriend,” she thought, then laughed at her own cynicism.

He was even more interesting than the furniture – at least, he looked interesting. He was maybe her age, she guessed, or a bit older. She had just turned 60. He could have been 70, but he didn’t move like an old man. He reminded her of a wolf somehow, his hair and beard shades of dark gray, and something in his posture. “Dangerous,” she thought, pulling her attention away from the window.

“No need to pay attention to some man you don’t even know,” she chided herself. She got one more cup of coffee and settled herself in the sun room to read her favorite blogs and contemplate the day.

Sofia had not been really interested in a man since her last relationship ended, almost 5 years ago now. He had died quite suddenly, a heart attack, when they had not even known he had heart problems. But the relationship had been dying too, not with any fireworks or drama. It had just seemed to shrink. All the passion and delight of the first few years together seemed to fade away, leaving a nice companionship.

She had mourned him, still missed him at times, and had not wanted to put any energy into getting involved with anyone else. “Too old for that nonsense,” she reminded herself now, thinking about the new man next door.

A “ding” from her ipad alerted her to a new message from her old friend, Lori. She read:

Hey, Guess what! I’m coming to your neck of the woods! Ok, it’s not woods, I know… But seriously. I have some vacation time coming, and I desperately need a break. A friend gave me a bunch of frequent flier miles that he can’t use, and someone else actually offered to let me stay in their time share down there near you real cheap. How cool is that??? I’ll be there next week – well, a week from tomorrow. Maybe we can check out “the scene” while we’re there?! I bet it’s been a while for you!

“A while,” she thought.

The message went on to offer details – when Lori was coming in, exactly where the condo was, and promises that she wouldn’t take up all of Sofia’s time. But Sofia’s thoughts had drifted to “the scene.”

She had met Lori through blogs. They had known each other for years now, but had only spent time together in person on a few memorable occasions. They had come together through their interest in BDSM. “Just two submissive girls,” Sofia thought, middle aged back then, new to the world of kink.

Memories flooded her. Rope and fire, Doms and protocol, leather and belts and ~~ she felt tears welling up, threatening to spill over. Shook her head as if she could shake the memories away.

Another ding from the computer – Lori again – “Did you see my message – is everything ok? You’re not gonna be out of town or something are you?”

Sofia laughed. Quickly she responded, no, not out of town, yes, excited that Lori was coming, yes, she’d have to see what was going on locally, it would be great.

She hit send and sighed. Done. This was turning out to be an eventful day.

II

“Fetlife.” Sofia gazed at her computer screen and sighed. “I haven’t logged in here for so long,” she thought, “never dreamed I’d be back, and looking for events. But – it doesn’t look like anything is going on here. Oh, wait, up the road a bit – how far away is that? An hour, maybe. Oh, my. Looks like there’s a lot going on there.”

“Hey, Lori,” her message started, “See what you think about this…” she bit her lower lip as she copied the link, pasted, and hit send. “Here goes nothing…” she said aloud.

And Lori had responded enthusiastically – a night at a nearby dungeon was exactly what she had in mind. Apparently they were hosting a munch at a restaurant, followed by a play party.

“And, ” Lori messaged, “It looks like they have other events during the week – and something the next weekend too!! Wow! How cool is that?”

“Way cool,” Sofia replied, “way cool…”

The days passed slowly. Sofia was semi-retired, so she didn’t spend 40 or 50 hours a week busy, but she still had work to do, and meetings connected with her volunteer activities. She was clearing as much as her calendar as she could for the week Lori would be there, and getting more excited each day.

Occasionally, she spotted her neighbor. “The Wolf” she had named him, to help her remember that he was dangerous. A couple of times, they passed each other as she went out to walk, and once she ran into him at the grocery. They nodded, spoke a few words, and kept going. If she was a bit more aware of her body after seeing him, it didn’t mean a thing.

So the days passed slowly til suddenly it was Friday and she wondered where the time had gone. Lori’s plane got in at 3:00 and she was going to rent a car and drive down to Sofia’s place. It would just be a short trip from there to the place Lori would be staying for the week.

Sofia started watching for her old friend about 4:00, and it wasn’t long before she spotted her coming up the stairs. She threw open the door and ran out to greet her. They hugged the way women do when they’ve been close for years but haven’t seen each other in forever.

Sofia looked up from the hug to see The Wolf standing in his doorway watching them. She realized they had been blocking the path and quickly stepped back out of the way. He smiled, nodded to her.

Then Lori spotted him. “Oh!” she smiled, “I’m sorry. Didn’t even realize you were there. Old friends, you know how it is.”

He laughed, a warm laugh, Sofia thought, nothing weird or annoying, and she smiled.

“No problem,” he said, “I didn’t want to interrupt. But I’ll get out of your way now.” He walked toward the steps, politely adding, “Have a good one,” as he left.

Both the women watched him go. As he disappeared down the stairs, Lori turned to Sofia. “Wow,” she said in a loud whisper, “That’s one of your neighbors! Whew! He’s – kinda hot isn’t he?”

Sofia grinned, “Well, hmmm, he’s ok. If you like that type.”

Lori snorted, “Who wouldn’t like that type! Don’t even try to tell me you don’t. But, God, it’s good to see you!! You look great… Show me your condo, and then come look at where I’m staying, ok?”

“Yes, absolutely, come on in,” said Sofia, “Come check the place out, what would you like to drink? I’ve got some snacks ready too.”

The Wolf stood at the bottom of the stairs, grinning. He had just gone down to get his sunglasses out of the car, and could easily hear the conversation above him. “Cute,” he thought, shaking his head. He had noticed the dark haired one, his neighbor, several times since he’d moved in and wondered what her story was. He hadn’t seen any men coming or going, and, “Maybe she prefers women,” he thought with a shrug.

III

Friday night was devoted to dinner and settling in. Lori’s borrowed condo was right on the beach, so they walked and chatted and planned. They agreed that they each had something they felt comfortable wearing to the munch and the party. They even had shoes that would work. But a trip to Victoria’s Secret was in order the next day.

“Not that I’m taking any clothes off,” Lori laughed, “But it’s always feels good to know that you’re sexy down to the skin.” Sofia agreed, smiling at the idea of taking off clothes in front of people at this point in her life. Not likely.

“Oh, let’s go to the spa in the morning,” Sofia suggested. “We can go to the one on the first floor of my condo – they do a great massage and facial, and I need a pedicure for sure.”

“Yep, manicure too,” Lori said glancing at her nails. “Perfect.”

They ended the night early – it had been a long day for both of them. Sofia drove home feeling excitement stir in her stomach, almost too much, she thought. Still, it was great to see Lori again and to have someone to share adventures with.

Later, after scheduling their spa time, and drinking her cup of tea, Sofia was ready to sleep. But she lay awake a long time, remembering her experiences in the BDSM community. ”All the adventures,” she thought, and sighed.

Her last thought as she feel asleep was of The Wolf next door, wondering what kinds of adventures he was interested in.

The next morning was sunny, just a bit cool, and Sofia enjoyed her morning walk by the river. She was glad that she’d been able to stay active. Between yoga and walking and dance, she rarely felt stiff and she still moved with some grace.

Showered and dressed, she waited impatiently for Lori, who was actually right on time. The spa was first on their agenda. Sofia was a frequent patron of this spa, and they were welcoming to her and Lori, offering hot tea, water, and a light lunch as they had their faces, feet, hands, and bodies tended to.

Lori claimed the massage might have been the best she’d ever had, “Although,” she admitted, “I think I always say that. But really, I love this place.” They were both relaxed and felt renewed as they headed for the mall.

Victoria’s Secret

”I love Victoria’s Secret,” Sofia said as they walked briskly through the mall. “I know that’s silly, but I do.”

“Why is it silly?” asked Lori.

“Oh, you know. I should be too old for this nonsense.”

Lori just shook her head. “That’s silly,” she said. And they plunged into the store, the distinctive scent and sights of the lingerie store surrounding them. Saleswomen approached, but they waved them off, “No, we want to browse a bit first,”

And they did. “So many choices,” moaned Lori. “I think I have to try this on,” holding up a red teddy with a plunging neck.

Sofia giggled, “I love that! Look at this one!” It was a lacy corset, black, and, she thought, perfect for a submissive woman. So there was a flurry of trying on and taking off, saleswomen bringing other sizes and making suggestions, until they were both totally satisfied with their choices.

“Oh my god,” said Sofia, as they got up to the counter to pay, “Look there. No, don’t look, he’s looking this way, now, now look. Right across, coming out of that store. It’s my neighbor. The Wolf.”

Lori looked up, as directed, and grinned, “It is! This is a small town, isn’t it?”

Sofia groaned, “Yes, totally tiny.” She had seen other people she knew today, nodded, said hi, but that had not bothered her. She felt funny having The Wolf see her come out of Victoria’s Secret carrying a bag that proclaimed she had bought something.

He had stopped in front of the store and was talking with a young man next him. His son, maybe, Sofia thought. And they weren’t moving. She sighed. Maybe he wouldn’t notice them.

But they had to leave and of course he did, he glanced up just as she and Lori walked out, glanced up and smiled when he saw her. Of course, thought Sofia, he would. Lori said hi, and next thing she knew they were chatting about the weather and how crowded the mall was, while Sofia wished she could disappear.

But – oh, yikes, Lori had just introduced herself!! And The Wolf smiled as he shook her hand, “I’m Lucas,” he said, Lucas Carmichael. And this is my son, Jordan. Jordan, this,” and he nodded to Sofia, “is my next door neighbor. I’m so sorry, I don’t know your name,” he said.

“Sofia. I’m Sofia. It’s nice to meet you Jordan, and Lucas, you too.” And she stopped, she wanted to get away, she could have sworn he was looking at her like he could see the damn corset in her bag. But, no, she thought, surely I’m just making that up. “Lori, we really need to go,” she said, then to Lucas, “I’m sorry, I hate to rush off, but we’re running a bit late. Welcome to the neighborhood, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll see you again.”

And she started walking away so quickly that Lori had no choice but to follow. “Yes, nice to meet you, sorry, we are running late,” she said, smiling at the two men as she left.

She hurried to catch up to Sofia. “Hey, what was that about? Are we really running late?”

Sofia slowed a bit, “Well, yeah, we’ve still got to change and drive an hour. You know. I hope I didn’t sound rude.”

“Nooo,” said Lori, a bit uncertainly. “Not rude, just – you’re not usually that abrupt.”

As the women left, Jordan turned to his dad. “Well, doesn’t look like that one is a big fan of yours,” he laughed. “Sofia, right? The other one, Lori, seems friendly enough. But looks like Sofia couldn’t wait to get away from you.”

Lucas was thoughtful, watching her hurry away. “No. definitely not a fan,” he said. “Very interesting.” And he thought, “It seems like little Sofia might be afraid of me. I wonder what that’s about.”

IV

Sofia pushed The Wolf – ok, Lucas – out of her mind and enjoyed getting ready for the evening. Lori had brought everything she needed to prep at Sofia’s place, and there were 2 bathrooms, there wasn’t any problem with them getting in each other’s way. It was really nice, Sofia thought, to have someone to talk to and to make sure her makeup was even and her dress looked ok.

Finally, they were ready. Sofia was wearing a dark maroon dress that hugged her curves to the waist and then flowed to mid calf. It had a modest v-neck and short, loose sleeves. She carried a light, summer wrap that flowed when she moved, black with a maroon and lavender flowers design. She thought it looked a bit Japanese and made her think of kimonos and geisha girls, which was what she intended. But her shoes were strappy sandals with a wedge heel.

Lori also wore a dress, a little black dress that showed a bit of cleavage and had a hem line that stopped just above her knee. Her heels were a bit higher, and her summer sweater was gray.

Looking at themselves in the mirror, Lori laughed. “We look mah-ve-lous dahling, simply mah-ve-lous.“

Sofia laughed too, “We do, for a couple of old ladies. Let’s get this show on the road!”

The Munch

“Oh my god, I’m too nervous to go in there!” The two women were sitting in Sofia’s car in the parking lot next to the restaurant. “I can’t!” Sofia was giggling as she said it, but still…

Lori was nervous too. But, “Ok, ok, we drove all this way. We can do it. Um, maybe we can do it? No, we can, I mean, yes, yes, we can.” They both giggled then.

“Ok,” Sofia got serious, “ok. This is not a big deal. It’s dinner with some nice people.”

Lori said, “Right! Nice people who just happen to like to – like to…” and she started giggling “do really kinky things with each other. In public,” and they both dissolved in giggles again, “oh my god, what are we doing?”

“Ok, we’re going in there. We drove all this way, we can always leave if it’s truly awful, but it won’t be.” Sofia looked in the mirror on her car shade to make sure her lipstick was still there. “Come on. Let’s do it.”

They were quiet as they approached the building and told the hostess they were here for a private party. “Oh, of course,” the hostess smiled, “Right this way.”

The room was large, with a horseshoe shaped table in the middle and some smaller tables on each side of the room. The hostess led them to the table, but only a few people were already seated and they hesitated to sit down, looking around a bit awkwardly instead.

They were quickly approached by a younger woman in a long black dress with a slit up the side nearly to her hip. “Hello,” she greeted them warmly, “I’m Emily, welcome to the munch. We’re just getting started, not quite warmed up yet so to speak,” and she laughed. “You’re welcome to sit down if you like, but come sign our register first, we always like to be able to connect on Fetlife after the munch. And if you’re thinking about going to the party afterwards, you can go ahead and pay the entrance fee and all that.“

“Of course,” said Sofia, and she and Lori followed Emily to one of the side tables. They got signed in, payed their fees, glanced over the rules for the play party, and were chatting with the young man in charge of the registration book while other people arrived and greeted each other, some of them settling into seats at the table, while others wandered the room.

As they turned back toward the table, ready to take their seats and look at the menu, Sofia gasped. Seated at the head of the table was Lucas. And he was looking directly at her. She covered her mouth was one hand, but couldn’t bring herself to turn away. He looked at her for what seemed like forever, pinning her with his gaze. Then, with a hint of a smile, he nodded his head and somehow that released her. She could move again.

She looked around to discover Lori looking at her, “What?” she asked, “What -“ but Sofia cut her off.

“Shhhhhh,” she said softly, looking at the floor, pulling Lori with her toward the table. “Don’t look now, but guess who’s here? You won’t believe it.” She stifled a giggle, “Out of all the munches in all the Southern states, he had to walk into my munch,”

“Who – what – oh my god,” said Lori as she spotted him. “It’s him!! The Wolf! I mean, Lucas!”

“Shhhhhh,” said Sofia, “Come on, let’s sit down here, at this end of the table, right here,” And she headed for a couple of chairs as far away from him as she could get. No sooner were they seated then she glanced up at him again. He was talking to the woman next to him, but as Sofia watched, he turned and looked directly at her again. This time he didn’t acknowledge her at all, just looked at her for a long moment before he turned back to the woman at his side.

“Oh, fuck,” muttered Sofia, suddenly aware of heat between her thighs, “I am in so much trouble.”

V

Sofia pushed The Wolf – ok, Lucas – out of her mind and enjoyed getting ready for the evening. Lori had brought everything she needed to prep at Sofia’s place, and there were 2 bathrooms, there wasn’t any problem with them getting in each other’s way. It was really nice, Sofia thought, to have someone to talk to and to make sure her makeup was even and her dress looked ok.

Finally, they were ready. Sofia was wearing a dark maroon dress that hugged her curves to the waist and then flowed to mid calf. It had a modest v-neck and short, loose sleeves. She carried a light, summer wrap that flowed when she moved, black with a maroon and lavender flowers design. She thought it looked a bit Japanese and made her think of kimonos and geisha girls, which was what she intended. But her shoes were strappy sandals with a wedge heel.

Lori also wore a dress, a little black dress that showed a bit of cleavage and had a hem line that stopped just above her knee. Her heels were a bit higher, and her summer sweater was gray.

Looking at themselves in the mirror, Lori laughed. “We look mah-ve-lous dahling, simply mah-ve-lous.“

Sofia laughed too, “We do, for a couple of old ladies. Let’s get this show on the road!”

The Munch

“Oh my god, I’m too nervous to go in there!” The two women were sitting in Sofia’s car in the parking lot next to the restaurant. “I can’t!” Sofia was giggling as she said it, but still…

Lori was nervous too. But, “Ok, ok, we drove all this way. We can do it. Um, maybe we can do it? No, we can, I mean, yes, yes, we can.” They both giggled then.

“Ok,” Sofia got serious, “ok. This is not a big deal. It’s dinner with some nice people.”

Lori said, “Right! Nice people who just happen to like to – like to…” and she started giggling “do really kinky things with each other. In public,” and they both dissolved in giggles again, “oh my god, what are we doing?”

“Ok, we’re going in there. We drove all this way, we can always leave if it’s truly awful, but it won’t be.” Sofia looked in the mirror on her car shade to make sure her lipstick was still there. “Come on. Let’s do it.”

They were quiet as they approached the building and told the hostess they were here for a private party. “Oh, of course,” the hostess smiled, “Right this way.”

The room was large, with a horseshoe shaped table in the middle and some smaller tables on each side of the room. The hostess led them to the table, but only a few people were already seated and they hesitated to sit down, looking around a bit awkwardly instead.

They were quickly approached by a younger woman in a long black dress with a slit up the side nearly to her hip. “Hello,” she greeted them warmly, “I’m Emily, welcome to the munch. We’re just getting started, not quite warmed up yet so to speak,” and she laughed. “You’re welcome to sit down if you like, but come sign our register first, we always like to be able to connect on Fetlife after the munch. And if you’re thinking about going to the party afterwards, you can go ahead and pay the entrance fee and all that.“

“Of course,” said Sofia, and she and Lori followed Emily to one of the side tables. They got signed in, payed their fees, glanced over the rules for the play party, and were chatting with the young man in charge of the registration book while other people arrived and greeted each other, some of them settling into seats at the table, while others wandered the room.

As they turned back toward the table, ready to take their seats and look at the menu, Sofia gasped. Seated at the head of the table was Lucas. And he was looking directly at her. She covered her mouth was one hand, but couldn’t bring herself to turn away. He looked at her for what seemed like forever, pinning her with his gaze. Then, with a hint of a smile, he nodded his head and somehow that released her. She could move again.

She looked around to discover Lori looking at her, “What?” she asked, “What -“ but Sofia cut her off.

“Shhhhhh,” she said softly, looking at the floor, pulling Lori with her toward the table. “Don’t look now, but guess who’s here? You won’t believe it.” She stifled a giggle, “Out of all the munches in all the Southern states, he had to walk into my munch,”

“Who – what – oh my god,” said Lori as she spotted him. “It’s him!! The Wolf! I mean, Lucas!”

“Shhhhhh,” said Sofia, “Come on, let’s sit down here, at this end of the table, right here,” And she headed for a couple of chairs as far away from him as she could get. No sooner were they seated then she glanced up at him again. He was talking to the woman next to him, but as Sofia watched, he turned and looked directly at her again. This time he didn’t acknowledge her at all, just looked at her for a long moment before he turned back to the woman at his side.

“Oh, fuck,” muttered Sofia, suddenly aware of heat between her thighs, “I am in so much trouble.”

VI

“No, go ahead and take it, I don’t need a box,” Sofia assured the server. She had only been able to eat about half her salad, excitement and nerves keeping her from swallowing another bite, now that it was almost time for the party. It was eight o’clock, and even though the party didn’t officially start til nine, the munch group was going to walk down to it and wait in the foyer til time to start. Some of them would use the break to change to less vanilla outfits.

While Sofia and Lori had not brought any kinkier wear themselves, they were looking forward to the transformation of the people they were getting to know. Sofia wondered if Lucas would be changing clothes, speculating mentally on what he might wear, and then told herself to shut up. She had her own decisions to worry about, what Lucas wore was of no interest to her.

And she was a bit worried. At the door, they had the option of accepting a colored bracelet to wear that would signal their availability – or lack thereof. Submissives in particular were encouraged to select either a green, yellow, orange, or red bracelet. Lucas had explained how the color system worked as people were finishing their dinner.

Green bracelets meant you wanted to play, and interested parties were welcome to start a conversation and open negotiations. Of course, that didn’t mean anyone could just do anything to you, consent was an essential part of this process. But green meant you were actively accepting offers. Sofia was sure she was not green.

Yellow meant maybe. You were a bit hesitant, for whatever reason, but not completely against the idea. Sofia thought she might, possibly be a maybe. She couldn’t imagine actually playing, but it wasn’t impossible, And it might be fun to talk about it anyhow. After all, you weren’t obligated to do anything.

Orange meant you belonged to someone or were submissive to someone or under another person’s protection. The Master, Dom or protector would need to be approached before any offers could be made. Sofia was clearly not orange.

Red meant no. Nope, don’t even wanna talk about it. Sofia thought she might be red. Either yellow or red. The problem with being red was that she might miss some really amazing experience. She didn’t want to miss anything. But what if she picked yellow, and no one suggested anything to her? She was pretty sure that’s what would happen. How would she feel then?

She fretted about it while she chatted with people. The woman on the other side of Kurt, the uber driver, was friendly and introduced her and Lori to some of the people around them. As the group got up, ready to leave, Sofia pulled Lori aside.

“Are we sure we want to do this?”

Lori’s eyes got wide – “I do!” she said. “Are you getting cold feet?”

“Oh. Um, no. No, not really, I just – what color bracelet are you going to get?”

Lori nodded, understanding now what the sudden anxiety was about. “I think – I think I’m going to get green. What the hell. But I’m really curious to see if anyone even wants to talk to me, right? And who knows when I’ll get a chance to do it again.” She paused. “What about you?”

Sofia laughed. The group had started moving toward the door and the two women fell into place among them. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m thinking yellow or red. I am really a big ole scaredy cat you know.”

“No,” Lori shook her head, “That’s one thing you’re not. You’re just more cautious. Smarter, maybe. Less willing to be vulnerable? I don’t know. But you’ll do what’s right for you. I know that.”

Reassured, Sofia followed the crowd down the sidewalk and around the corner to the dungeon.

Before the Party

From the outside, it was an ordinary building. No neon signs screamed “Get your Spankings Here!!” No bars on the windows suggested that people might be naked and restrained inside. In fact, the foyer was warm and welcoming. A bit like a hotel lobby, with small groupings of seats and a few cafe style tables. A check-in desk at one end fit with the rest of the setting.

Sofia and Lori settled themselves at a table and were joined by a Dom named Henry and his submissive Diane. They were maybe in their 40’s, friendly and comfortable to talk to. They had started chatting on the walk down and joined the two women to continue the conversation. But they had barely sat down when Henry mentioned that the walk had made him thirsty.

Diane immediately stood up. “Sir,” she said, “May I get you something to drink?’ He looked her up and down, slowly, and smiled.

“You may,” he said. “Perhaps you should put your collar on first. And change clothes.” He handed her a small bag that he’d been carrying. “Go get ready,” he said, serious now. “You may wear the robe. And bring me some water, please.”

Diane nodded, “Yes, Sir,” she said, with some enthusiasm.

“Ladies,” Henry said to Sofia and Lori, “would you like some water too?”

Sofia wasn’t sure what the right answer was, or if there was a right answer, but her mouth had gotten incredibly dry watching the little scene in front of her, so “Yes, please,” she said, barely stopping herself from adding “Sir.” “I’d love some water,” she added. Lori agreed that water would be wonderful, Henry nodded to Diane, and she hurried off.

Henry continued chatting, pointing out different people in the room, explaining who they were and filling them in on some of the dynamics unfolding. “Diane and I have been together over 10 years now, we met at a munch. I think this keeps our marriage alive. Exciting. She’s an amazing submissive. Has the heart of a slave really.”

But Sofia was only half listening. She was watching Lucas make his way around the room. He stopped briefly to chat with different groups, then moved on. The other Dom, Ms. Daniela, had settled in a comfortable chair and people were approaching her to talk.

And suddenly Lucas was in front of their table. “Henry,” he said in greeting, and Henry stood, shook hands with him. “Good to see you.”

Then he looked at Sofia. “Sofia,” he said, and she shivered. She started to stand, but he gestured for her to stay where she was. “Don’t get up,” he said, “I just wanted to assure you – and Lori,” he added, glancing at the other woman, “that what happens at munches and parties is always confidential. If someone you met here were to run into you – at the mall, let’s say – they would never acknowledge that they’d met you here.”

Sofia smiled, felt herself relax, that was reassuring. And nice of him to go out of his way to say that. “Thank you,” she said, “And of course the same is true for you. Say if i ran into you – at the mall, or somewhere.”

He grinned then, and she caught a flash of danger as he added, “Of course, they might invite you to have coffee, but that would be a whole different thing.” Before she could react, he added, “I hope you enjoy your evening. I’m sure I’ll see you inside.”

He turned to Henry, “Tell Diane I said hello in case I miss her later – oh, wait, here she is,” and he was right, Diane had returned, carrying a tray with napkins and bottles of water. She was wearing a robe that zipped down the front from the neck to her knees, the collar visible above it.

Diane smiled, greeted Lucas, and he moved away as she began serving the water. Sofia watched him go, and blushed when he looked back and caught her watching him. He grinned again, and all she could think was a line from a very old TV show. “Danger, Will Rogers, Danger.”

VII

“Wristband?” The woman behind the desk was friendly but a line was forming. The doors had just opened and lots of people wanted to get checked into the event.

Sofia closed her eyes and said,”Yellow. Yellow, please.” She felt like she had just jumped in at the deep end of the pool. She watched the woman fasten the bracelet around her left wrist, wondering if she had made a huge mistake.

But too late to worry. Lori was moving forward and Sofia followed. They had already talked about whether or not they would stay together, agreeing that they would start out together and check with each other before wandering off. If they did separate, they’d touch base at midnight. Cell phones weren’t allowed in the play area, so they would have to identify a physical place to be at 12:00.

The lighting was dim. Music playing, appropriate dungeon music. Sofia almost giggled, wondering if you could find playlists for dungeons on google. She was a bit overwhelmed by the equipment, and the people in all kinds of clothing. Leather, corsets, and tutus, and some nakedness. Trying to orient herself, she started making a mental list of the things she noticed.

• A St Andrews cross
• Several spanking benches
• A chair – oh, what did they call those chairs? It was clearly designed to restrain and open… no, she couldn’t remember. But she’d always been curious about them.
• A couple of padded platforms

And that was just the things that she recognized. Oh! There were posts with whips and floggers and such hanging from them. And off to the left, a large raised area, like a stage. Sofia stood with her back to the wall as more people entered, just watching and trying to absorb it all.

Lori, standing next to her, sighed loudly. “It’s been a helluva long time,” she said. “It all looks strange and a little bit scary.”

Sofia nodded. “Look,” she said, “There’s some chairs over there, by the stage. Maybe we should sit down for a minute?” The two women joined a few other people seating themselves.

Sofia spotted Diane with Henry over to one side. Diane was taking her robe off – beneath it, she wore stockings and a garter belt. Sofia was almost shocked for a second, but then she smiled. Diane had the body of a middle-aged woman, but Henry seemed as pleased with her as if she were in her 20s. “I had forgotten how much I loved that,” Sofia thought. “That simple acceptance of bodies as they are.”

In another area, she saw a couple looking at the equipment on a post. They talked for a minute before the man took the crop in hand and gestured for the woman to mount the spanking bench. Sofia shivered, she loved spanking scenes so much, she had to turn away. She was more aroused already than she had been in a long time.

On the stage in front of them, a woman stepped up. “This is the stage for demos, and I’m Karyn, submissive to Sir Jake, ” she said loudly “First, I want to remind you that we have Dungeon Monitors for a reason. If you see something going on that worries you, don’t hesitate to grab one and ask for help. They’re wearing red armbands so you can identify them. Also, if they tell you to do something, please do what they’re asking, even if you want to complain about it later. They are here for your safety. Will our dungeon monitors stand up and wave please?”

Looking around the room, Sofia saw a number of people waving, all wearing red armbands.

“Now, my lovelies,” Karyn continued, “If you’re planning on doing a demo, make sure you’re signed up over there -” pointing to a table off to one side. A man seated behind the table looked up and waved. Some people began moving toward the table.

“If you want to volunteer to participate in the demo – perhaps you’re eager to try a caning from Mistress Molly or see how you look in a rope halter by Master Lucas – this is your chance. Sign ups are happening now. Later this evening,” Karyn went on, “We’ll have some needle play with Nurse Donna and wax play with Sir Mark.”

But Sofia had quit listening. A rope halter. That brought back some wonderful memories. Before she could get lost in those memories, Lori nudged her. “Hey, she said, “I’m going to walk around. Want to come or you staying here?”

Bringing her attention back quickly, Sofia said, “Oh! Oh, I don’t know! Wait, yes, I’m coming too.” Mistress Molly was taking the stage, cane in hand, and Sofia jumped up to follow Lori. In her hurry, she stumbled on a cord that was taped to the floor, and would have fallen, but fell into someone instead. Looking up she realized, of course, it was Lucas.

“Steady, easy there,” he said, catching her and helping her straighten up again. She was shaking – with shock or embarrassment or from the warmth and strength of his hands, she didn’t know which. Lori had stopped and was looking back at her questioningly. Sofia shook her head at her, it was fine, she’d catch up with her in a minute.

Lucas looked at the floor, at the cord that was not taped down as well as it should have been. He called over a monitor and asked him to make sure the cord was fixed more securely. Sofia watched, feeling protected in a way she had not been for a long time.

As the dungeon monitor went for tape, Lucas turned his attention back to Sofia. “Where are you headed so quickly?” he asked, and then, answering his own question, “Oh, I bet you were going somewhere with Lori. Looks like she’s gone ahead.” Sofia nodded, wondering how Lori had disappeared so quickly.

“Would you like me to go with you to find her? I’ve got a little time before my demo starts.” Lucas was standing very close to her and it made her nervous, but the idea of walking around looking for Lori by herself made her nervous too.

“Yes, thank you,” she said, “If you’re sure you have time, that would be nice.”

“I do,” he assured her. “Mistress Molly will be caning people for close to an hour, and there’s a break before I start. Is this your first time here?” He laughed, “That sounds like a bad pick-up line, doesn’t it? But you said you’d been out of the scene for a while, is that right?”

Sofia laughed too, “Yes, I did say that, and yes, it’s my first time here. And it’s not the worst pick-up line I ever heard!”

Lucas began walking, commenting, “Well, I’m glad it’s not the worst one you’ve heard!” As they walked, he pointed out different people around them. Sofia felt herself blushing even though that was silly. They were at a play party for goodness sake, she knew people would be getting naked and doing all of these things! But she’d hadn’t imagined watching it unfold with Lucas next to her.

At last they spotted Lori. She was with seven or eight other people watching a woman on a St. Andrews cross being flogged. The woman was moaning – in pleasure or pain or both. Lucas said, “Look, there’s your friend. That’s Amelia on the cross. She loves the flogger, and Marcus loves flogging her, so that works out.”

They stood quietly watching for a minute, and Sofia felt even more aroused. Her nipples tingled and she was hypersensitive to Lucas next to her. She could feel his warmth, and an almost electrical charge between them. He leaned closer. “There are lots of questions I’d like to ask you. I want to know what you like and don’t like. I want to know why you chose a yellow bracelet. I want to know who you are. Not right now though. If you’re ok, I’ll leave you with your friend for now.”

VIII

Sofia felt like an idiot, standing there with her mouth hanging open in shock, and she made an effort to smile so she didn’t feel so ridiculous. She hadn’t imagined it, Lucas really was interested in her, at least a little bit.

He smiled back, “I’ll look for you after my demo – well, I’ll leave you alone if you’re in the middle of something. But come see the demo if you want to. And have fun.”

“I will,” she said, “Have fun, that is. I don’t think I’ll get involved in anything, but I might come watch your demo.” He nodded encouragingly and turned away. She watched him go, then turned back, looking for Lori. But Lori was no longer in sight.

“That’s ok,” Sofia thought, “I’m a big girl, I can do this on my own.” She wandered for a bit, stopping to watch some scenes from a discrete distance. So much flogging and spanking going on. Then she wandered into an area set up for fire play. She watched, fascinated.

“I might want to try that,” she thought “But not today.”

Wondering what it would be like to let someone set you on fire, she turned away, and almost ran into someone in front of her. “Oh, sorry,” she said, just as the young man said, “Oh, I’m sorry!”

She looked up at him and smiled, “No problem.” He was maybe in his 30s, brown hair and brown eyes, attractive in a bland way.

“Well, hello, there,” he said, “You’re new here aren’t you? I haven’t seen you around before.” Not waiting to hear her response, he added, “I’m Jeff, not Sir Jeff or Master Jeff, none of that for me. I’m just Jeff.” He laughed. “Now, who are you? I see you have a yellow wristband, let’s go over here and get a soft drink or some water so we can get to know each other.”

He took her wrist and turned to the right, but she hesitated and he paused. “Don’t you want to talk to me?” he asked. “I’m harmless, I promise.” And he smiled, disarmingly.

Sofia was acutely uncomfortable, she did not want to go talk to him, but it seemed silly to refuse. What harm could there be in getting some water with him? But she didn’t like the way he was holding her wrist and she didn’t want to go anywhere with him.

“Oh,” she said, “I can’t – I want to go watch the rope demo, I’m sorry,” she said, feeling relieved that she had a good excuse. (“Although,” she chided herself, “You could have just said no without having an excuse.”)

“Well, you’re not in the right place for that,” he said, shaking his head. “Come on, I’ll show you where to go.” And he changed directions, still holding her wrist.

She pulled her arm away, but he waited for her and insisted on leading the way back to the demo stage. Mistress Molly was still caning someone. Sofia didn’t see Lucas anywhere, and then was irritated with herself for looking for him. Jeff ushered her into an aisle, which she also didn’t like. She really preferred to sit on the end. He had maneuvered her in before she quite realized what was happening.

But, she realized, there was no one in the row at all yet, so she kept moving til she was at the far end of the row, putting her on the outside and him inside. “Hey, wait,” he said, a couple of times, but she pretended not to hear him, smiling to herself at having won the seat she wanted.

He settled himself next to her and leaned over, “Hey, are you a submissive?”

She paused. She didn’t even want to talk to this guy. “Good grief,” she fussed at herself, “You’re 60 years old, don’t you know how to get rid of a pest?” But apparently she didn’t.

“Yes,” she said, reminding herself that submissive didn’t mean weak. “And if you’re not a “Sir,” you must be a sub too.”

Clearly, Jeff didn’t like that assumption. “No, I’m not!” he said, “Definitely not! I like to think of myself as a kinkster, just out here having fun, kind of anything goes. I’m really just a nice guy. But I can do just about anything, just about anything you want, I’m up for it. I can beat your ass or lick your pussy…”

And instinctively, Sofia turned her head away from him, holding up one hand in a “stop” gesture.

“What’s the matter?” he said. “That doesn’t sound good to you? Maybe I’m not good enough for you?”

“No,” Sofia said, “that’s not – I mean, no, I don’t want to have this conversation with you. No.” And she began looking around for a monitor. Not that she was afraid of Jeff, but she didn’t want to cause a scene. And he was gross. Just gross.

Before she spotted a monitor, a young woman wearing a corset and an amazingly short skirt approached her from the aisle. “Sofia?” she asked.

“Yes!” Sofia answered, realizing how relieved she was to have this woman show up, even while she wondered how she knew her name. “Yes, I’m Sofia.”

The woman smiled, nodded, “I’m Mandy, Lucas asked me to see if you’d come answer a question he has. He’s getting prepped for the demo, but he said it was important. Do you mind? He’s up front.”

Sofia hesitated just a moment. But the pressure of knowing Jeff was waiting for her, along with her natural curiosity, tipped her into agreeing. As she stood, Jeff demanded querulously, “Where are you going? I thought we were going to talk?”

Sofia smiled apologetically as she followed Mandy away. “Maybe some other time.” And was even more annoyed with herself for not just saying no.

Lucas was sitting on the edge of the stage, off to one side. He smiled. “Hey,” he said, “I might owe you an apology – we noticed Jeff following you and I know that he can be a bit pushy. Harmless, but annoying to some people. If you were having a good time, then I apologize.”

Sofia shook her head, “No, not a good time, I wouldn’t say that. I was about to tell him to leave me alone.” She thought that might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but she was ok with that.

“So you didn’t need me interfering at all – and I didn’t interrupt you when you were having fun. Good. I wanted you to meet Mandy too. I know you’ve got Lori for company and you’ve probably met some other folks, but it’s always good to know someone that you can be sure is trustworthy. Mandy’s good people.”

Mandy grinned. “So is Lucas,” she said. “He’s been like a father to me,” and when Lucas raised an eyebrow at her, she giggled, “Ok, maybe a big brother. Whatever. But kind of a teddy bear anyhow.”

Lucas looked at Sofia. “That’s right,” he said drily. “Just a big ole teddy bear.” But his eyes lingered on her face, and then moved to her wristband, and back to her face. She felt warm.

“I wouldn’t say that,” she replied slowly, her eyes on his. “I wouldn’t say you’re a teddy bear at all.”

IX

Applause from the audience broke out, Mistress Molly was taking a bow, the young man who’d been caned was fixing his clothes and bowing, and the break began. “Come on,” said Mandy, “let’s get some water and we can watch Master Lucas do his rope magic. Well, if you want to, I don’t want to be all pushy like Jeff!” She laughed.

“No, that sounds like fun,” Sofia agreed, wondering just a bit where Lori was. But as they got to the concession stand, she saw her friend at a small table with several other people. They were chatting and laughing, and when Lori saw Sofia, she grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Sofia returned the gesture, relieved that Lori was having a good time.

“Water or soft drink?” Mandy asked.

“Oh, water, please,” said Sofia and gratefully took the bottle Mandy handed her. “So have you known Lucas a long time?”

“A few years,” said Mandy, “ever since I moved down here. I’m from Illinois originally, but I’ve been here, well, I guess it’s 5 years now. Master Lucas was one of the first people I met in the scene. I was, you know, I was kind of a hot mess back then.” She shrugged. “Still am sometimes, but back then I was just out of a bad relationship. A really bad relationship. And I kind of fell for Master Lucas. I know, he really is old enough to be my father, but he was so kind. And he could have taken advantage of me big time. But he didn’t. He just – he just became my friend and kind of watched over me.”

She stopped and glanced at Sofia. “Let’s sit here a minute,” she said, gesturing to a small couch. “I know this is a lot to dump on a stranger, but I do want to tell you about Lucas and me. And lots of people know the story so I’m not telling you anything secret or anything.”

Sofia was fine with that. She settled herself and tilted her head in her most “I’m interested,” posture.

“So like I said, I was kind of a hot mess. See, I’m really a Little – well, I’m still figuring that out all the way, cause I think I might be a slave too, but back then I didn’t even think about maybe being a Little. I thought I was a slave and I wanted a Master or an Owner or – I really, really wanted a relationship or maybe just someone to pay attention to me.” She paused and looked away.

“Of course,” said Sofia gently. “Of course you did – and really, don’t we all want that?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Anyhow,” Mandy shrugged, “I was ready to throw myself into some relationship, and I did. But I didn’t know what I was doing, so I’d be incredibly happy for a while, and then incredibly miserable for a long time. I got into some stuff that I didn’t really want to be doing and – yeah, it was just ugly.

“Anyhow, the first relationship took about a year to get really bad. And when it got way out of hand at a play party, Master Lucas stepped in. He stopped the guy – I won’t call him a Master, he doesn’t deserve that title, he’s not even a real Dom. Anyhow, Master Lucas kind of, I guess you could say he rescued me. And he introduced me to Mistress Molly and a bunch of other people who were really nice. So that was great.”

“It sounds like it!” said Sofia.

“Oh, wait,” said Mandy, “that was just the beginning. So we’re going along and everything’s fine, except I’m so lonesome, I just about can’t stand it. It seems like everybody’s got somebody except me. So next, I throw myself at Master Lucas and make a big fool of myself trying to get him interested in me. But he really just wasn’t – not that way. And I’m glad now, but he had to get real clear with me about it, and that wasn’t exactly fun.”

“Oh, no,” said Sofia, “that must have been a really hard time for both of you.”

“It was,” said Mandy, “for sure. But that’s not the worst of it. After that, I got involved in a couple of other relationships that turned out bad, and both times, Master Lucas ended up having to say something or rescue me somehow. It was ridiculous.”

Sofia frowned. “Well, he must be quite the knight-in-shining-armor,” she said a bit disapprovingly. She hated that type of man, guys who always thought they had to play the hero.

“Oh, no,” said Mandy, “It wasn’t like that – he’s not like that at all! Seriously, both times, I was in real danger of getting hurt and he stopped them.”

“Well,” said Sofia, “I guess, but it sure seems like he jumped to my rescue with Jeff today. And I don’t think I was in any actual danger.”

“Oh, oh, wait,” said Mandy “That was part me. We were both watching Jeff try to move in on you and I said he should make him stop. He said no, he said you were a ‘bright competent woman’ and didn’t need his help. But we kept watching and then he said he didn’t want to go over there cause it would look like he was claiming you and that wasn’t fair to you, being new and all. But if I wanted to run interference, I could tell you he wanted to ask you a question. So that’s what I did. But that was mostly me. Although – he was watching!”

Sofia wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or disappointed, so she decided she didn’t need to be either one. It had happened and it was helpful and that was good enough. And maybe he wasn’t some freaky gotta-be-a-hero type.

“Anyhow,” said Mandy, “I know this is turning into the longest story in the world, but after the third time he rescued me, Lucas had a really serious talk with me. And he told me about this therapist he knew and kind of talked me into going to see her. So I did, and – I know this sounds crazy, but it changed my life.”

“No,” Sofia shook her head, “Not at all, I mean, I actually used to be a therapist myself. And I’ve had a therapist too! I know that can make a big difference.”

“Oh, that’s great,” said Mandy, “That you were a therapist, I mean. Cool! Anyhow, I think Lucas is great. And you know what – we need to get back out there, I bet the demo’s already started. Do you like rope?”

Sofia grinned, “Actually, I do.”

“Then come on, Master Lucas was going to use me as one of his demo model, but you could do it instead. You deserve to have some fun, and I know that Jeff’s not any fun, and neither is listening to my sad story. Come on – don’t you want to do it?”

X

“Wait, what?” said Sofia. “Be the rope demo? I don’t know about that – hang on.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” said Mandy, “Let’s go sit down before we miss the whole thing.” There were several seats in the front row filled with bags and blankets and Mandy cleared a couple of them so she and Sofia could sit. The audience was very quiet, Master Lucas was doing some elaborate rope work on a woman with her hands behind her back. It was lovely to watch.

And it stirred some memories for Sofia. The feeling of rope on her skin, sometimes soft and sensual, sometimes coarse and rough. The intensity of being able to let go, to allow herself to be bound and constrained. She sighed.

And then it was over. Applause from the audience, and Master Lucas began slowly untying the woman, taking his time, with the same care he had used when he was binding her. Sofia watched, lost in her own memories.

At last, Master Lucas was finished, wrapping the woman in a blanket, he led her to a seat and talked with her for a minute. Then he approached Mandy and Sofia.

He smiled at Sofia, nodded to Mandy. “I’m about ready for you,” he said. “This is going to be my last demo tonight. Although – Sofia, would you be interested in being my model instead of Mandy? Mandy’s done this a million times and if you like rope at all, you might enjoy it.”

Mandy said, “That’s what I told her! I told her she could do it instead of me!”

Sofia felt like a deer in the headlights under Lucas’ gaze, and Mandy’s enthusiasm didn’t help. She was about to say no, thanks, but stopped herself. Wait a minute. She was here What the hell. Why shouldn’t she do it? And quite suddenly, she couldn’t see any reason not to do it.

“I am a grown ass woman,” she thought to herself, and almost giggled. “I don’t have to answer to anybody. I can do any damn thing I want to do.” And she looked directly at Lucas and said, “Yes. Thank you, I think I’d love to. If you’re sure you want to use me.”

She could have bit her tongue for that choice of words, she didn’t mean “use me” damnit, but it was too late to take that back. And his gaze was serious as he said, “I’d be honored to have you be my demo model. We’ll need to talk a few minutes first.”

Taking her hand, he led her onto the stage. “Folks,” he called out, “We’re going to be about 5 minutes before the next demo, so just relax. Get some water. Talk to your neighbors. We’ll be back.”

Turning to Sofia, he said, “Are you nervous?’

“A little bit,” she nodded.

“That’s ok,” he said. He was still holding one of her hands, now he took the other one. “I’m going to ask you some questions, ok?”

She nodded, but he said, “Is that yes?” and she said, “Yes,” just stopping herself from adding, Sir at the end. He went on, “I need you to use words, please, it’s really important that I understand your answers. Does that work for you?”

She nodded and then laughed, adding, “Yes, yes it does.”

“Good.” He was standing fairly close to her, and all of her attention was on him. He began a series of questions, pausing each time for her response.

“Have you had experience with bondage before? Yes? Would you say it was a good experience, did you enjoy it? Ok, good. Was there anything about it that you didn’t like? Ok.”

“Now I’m going to ask you some questions about your health. Do you have any medical conditions I should be aware of? Any physical discomfort or pain? Are there any areas of your body that you prefer not to be touched? Any areas that you don’t want restrained?”

As she answered “no,” to each of the medical questions, she felt as if he were wrapping her in a blanket of care. “This is just routine,” she reminded herself, “it’s not personal, he’s just going through the list of things you’re supposed to ask.” But it felt intensely personal.

“Let’s talk about what kind of tie I’m going to do. I can do a simple top halter, or I can do a full body harness. It’s totally up to you. I don’t want to restrain your arms since we haven’t played before. If you want to leave your dress on we’ll do a star halter, or you can take your dress off and we’ll do a full body harness. I have some new rope that would be perfect for that.”

He turned away from her for a moment, letting go of one hand, and picked up a hank of rope, neatly wound. It was purple. “This is new,” he said, “I just finished treating it this week. Soft,” he said, pulling one end of it free so she could feel it. “It’s jute,” he said, “I really like working with jute, although I use hemp rope too.”

Sofia smiled, his explanations about the type of rope was endearing. She loved it when people were really interested in all the aspects of what they were doing.

“But it’s up to you,” he said, and she brought her mind back, “Whether you want to keep your dress on or not.”

And Sofia’s heart missed several beats, “oh, shit,” she thought. “My dress. On. Or off. Omg, how did I miss that question? Stupid rope, got me all worked up. Off or on.”

Lucas waited patiently.

And Sofia was just about to say “on, I’ll keep it on,” when she remembered Eleanor Roosevelt and her words about facing fear, doing one thing every day that scares you, and May Sarton and Terry Tempest Williams talking about adventure and living with gusto, daring to do the thing. Even Brene Brown. Even frigging Brene Brown would tell her to go for it.

So she smiled, just a little smile, and looked directly into his eyes as she said, “I’ll take my dress off.”

XI

For a moment, Sofia panicked. She was going to take her dress off? Maybe Lucas didn’t even want to her to! But he said, “Good. Brave girl,” and she felt relief – followed by another moment of panic – oh my god, now she had to take her dress off.

Lucas grinned as if he could see the emotional roller coaster she was on. “Come here,” he said, and led her behind a small screen at the back of the stage. He turned his back to her, adding, “Let me know when you’re ready.”

Carefully, she pulled the dress off, grasping it at the bottom and pulling it over her head, trying to be careful of her hair. Then she wasn’t sure what to do with it, so she just stood there awkwardly holding it until finally she said, “I’m ready.” Lucas turned and took the dress, hanging it over the top of the screen.

Sofia hesitated, suddenly aware of every flaw in her body. Skin blemishes. Extra fat in places she didn’t want it. Wrinkles. She was so glad she’d bought the lacy corset though! At least she had cute underwear, she thought, and took some consolation from that.

Lucas took a step closer. Delicately, he touched the edge of the top of the flimsy lingerie. His finger brushed her skin as well, and she bit her lip, acutely aware of his touch. “Pretty,” he said, and she relaxed.

“If you want to stop at any point, just say so. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” she said, and again, she wanted to add Sir, and didn’t.

“I expect you to tell me if anything is uncomfortable, if you feel any tingling or numbness, or if anything hurts. Nothing I’m going to do today should hurt. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” she said, “That’s clear,” but this time she couldn’t resist, and “Sir,” slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. She hoped he hadn’t heard her, or that he wouldn’t comment on it. But he smiled.

“Yes. It’s good to address me as Sir for now. Of course I’m not your Sir,” he added, “but there is always some power exchange with bondage and I’m glad you’re able to acknowledge it. I won’t misuse your trust.”

She was dismayed to realize that his words brought tears to her eyes. She could feel herself moving into a more submissive frame of mind and was aroused and didn’t know where the tears were coming from, and once again, she knew this man was dangerous.

Before she could respond – not that she had any idea what she would have said – he took her by the hand and led her around the screen to the front of the platform. As he began to unwrap the hank of rope, stroking her skin with it, talking softly, she felt as if he were spinning a web around her. The rope was hypnotic and his voice was soothing. She forgot there was an audience, forgot there was anything except Lucas and the rope.

The rope wrapped her, behind her neck… around her shoulders, then her chest. Encircling her, above her breasts… crossing her body… below her breasts… As if the rope hummed as Lucas pulled it across her skin, loosely first, then taut… lifting her breasts. Snug, secure…

Her waist, the rope encircled her waist, and he passed it through her legs, directing her to open her legs a bit wider. Some part of her mind knew there were people watching, knew that Lucas was standing so that she was on display. But it was his rope on display, his skills revealed. The rope, pulled tight against her pussy, almost too tight, it pressed against her if she moved, and he tugged on it once, making her whimper with pleasurepain.

He smiled, “Sweet,” he said, and pulled on the rope again.

It seemed to go on for a very long time, but when he stopped, she felt it was not long enough. He took a step back; she felt chilled where he had been standing. His body heat no longer warmed her.

He stood behind her, “Pretty,” he said, and she felt his breath on her neck. “Very pretty.”

She kept her eyes downcast, smiling to herself, as he described the ties he had used, answered questions about knots and types of rope work. She felt pleased, proud even. She was acutely aware of the rope touching her. Containing her.

He turned her to face him, displayed the back – her back, she thought, giving herself a mental shake. She was – her thinking was blurred, she knew, but it was a lovely, float-y way to feel, and for a second she imagined a sign saying “Sub-Space” pointing at her. She smiled.

He lifted her chin, looking into her eyes, which broke the spell a bit, and she shivered. He turned her to face the audience again, as they clapped.

Then he was unwrapping her, and the rope seemed to sing over her skin, whirring as he pulled it off. Each time a part of her was uncovered, she felt a sense of loss, and when the last bit of rope caressed her and was gone, she could have cried. Her knees buckled and for a second, she thought she would fall, but Lucas steadied her with an arm around her waist.

She felt bereft. Un-tethered and a bit lost. She mentally shook herself, thought, “don’t be ridiculous,” and felt a bit better.

Lucas said, “I’m going to wrap you up now,” and he did. Draping a blanket around her, he led her to a chair. Mandy brought her a bottle of water, unscrewing the lid before handing it to her. Sofia drank half the bottle and sighed.

Lucas crouched in front of her. “Are you ok?” he asked, making eye contact.

She felt a bit float-y still, but, “Yes,” and nodded, “Yes, I am.”

He watched her face a minute, then, apparently satisfied stood up. “Wait here, I’ll be back.”

She half watched as he moved around the stage, picked up his rope and stowed it away in his bag. Mandy brought her dress and Sofia thanked her, thinking it seemed like a complicated process to put it back on.

So she sat quietly, remembering the feel of the rope around her body. She touched her shoulder. The rope had left its mark on her skin, and that made her smile. She could feel it, like a welt, “only it goes in,” she thought, “it’s not raised.” She wondered if there was a word for that.

People talked and moved around her. In other parts of the room, there was flogging and she heard the crack of a whip, some one cried out. She smiled, content to be where she was, waiting.

XII

Lucas finished packing his rope, zipped his bag, and came back off the platform. Sofia watched him walk toward her, still feeling a bit spacey. So she startled when a voice said, “Sofia!!!”

It was Lori. Lori and some man and another couple. Sofia smiled, “Hey, Lori.” Lori scooted a chair over to her.

“They said you were doing the rope demo with Lucas!! I can’t believe I missed it! Was it wonderful?”

Sofia smiled, nodded. She wanted to say more, but she was suddenly very tired. She stifled a yawn.

“Listen,” Lori was buzzing with excitement, “They’re going – oh! This is Harold, and Lisa and Bill,” she said, gesturing vaguely at the people behind her. Sofia nodded, waved one hand in their direction in greeting. Lucas had joined them and was talking to the one she thought must be Harold.

“We’re talking about going to get something to eat,” Lori went on, slowing down a bit as she focused in on Sofia. “I was going to see if you wanted to – but I don’t have to go – hey, are you ok?” Worried, she paused.

Sofia smiled again, thinking that she really needed to pull it together. “I am,” she said, “I am ok.” She paused, thinking how to explain. “Just a bit spacey. You know… Lucas was doing a rope demo and, you know.”

Lori laughed, “Ok, yes, I guess I do know.” Then Lucas pulled up a chair too so he was on her level and the other guy, Harold moved closer.

Lucas turned to Lori. “Did youall drive down? How are you getting home?”

Lori nodded, “Yes, Sofia drove and I guess she’s driving – oh.” She stopped and looked at Sofia. “Um. I don’t think Sofia’s driving home. I guess I am.” But she sounded uncertain.

Sofia started to say that of course she would drive them home, but when she tried to picture it, it seemed like a bad idea. She yawned instead. She felt a bit like a cat, as if she only had to curl up and wait and someone else would take care of her.

And that was almost exactly what happened. Lucas talked to Lori and Harold, and the next thing Sofia knew, they had arranged for her and Lori to spend the night in an apartment over the dungeon. Lori and Harold were going to an all-night breakfast place with the other couple. “Is that ok with you, Sofia?” asked Lori, anxiously. “I can bring you something to eat.”

Sofia nodded, “Yes, that’s fine. I’m not hungry right now,” but as she said it, she realized that she was hungry. “Or maybe I am. Mashed potatoes. That’s what I want. And some fruit?’

“You got it,” said Lori, giving her a hug. “We won’t be too long.” And they were gone.

Mandy came over then and offered to walk Sofia to the bathroom, where she could also put on her dress. Sofia readily went with her, slipped her dress, and began to feel a bit more collected, although still not fully back to herself. She held on to the blanket.

And Lucas tucked her up on a couch. From there, she could comfortably watch the demos, which had continued. There was a buzz of excitement as the wax play started, but then she might have dozed a bit. The next thing she knew, Lori was back, bringing food, and Sofia was suddenly starving.

She devoured the mashed potatoes and fruit cup, still curled up on the couch, then looked up to find Lucas watching her. “What?” she asked, rubbing her mouth with a napkin. “Do I have food on my face?”

He laughed. “No,” he said. “But I think you just inhaled your dinner.”

“Oh.” She was embarrassed for a minute, and then she shrugged. It wasn’t her fault she felt like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“Do you want to watch the demos? Or walk around? Or go upstairs now?” he asked.

She looked at him, thinking. Go upstairs, walk around, or watch the demos. Go upstairs, walk around, or what? It seemed like a lot of choices. But he was waiting patiently. So she said, “Go upstairs,” and she knew as soon as she said it that it was the right choice. She yawned.

The apartment was nice, but impersonal. Lucas led her into the larger of two bedrooms. He opened a drawer and told her to pick a nightgown. There was a fuzzy grandma gown, a blue negligee, a forest green gown and pajamas that might have had feet in them.

The en suite bathroom had extra toothbrushes, still in their packages, toothpaste, an array of lotions, body wash and condoms in the drawers. Lucas left her to make her own selections. He asked her if she wanted to shower, but she shook her head, no, she really just wanted to go to sleep.

She washed her face and brushed teeth, put on the gown, wondering if Lucas would be gone when she came out. She smiled to see that he was still there, comfortably settled in a an oversized chair.

“Are you ready for bed?” he asked and she nodded. A sudden doubt hit her and she almost panicked – surely he didn’t think she wanted to — But, “Come on, he said, “I’ll tuck you in.”

He pulled down one side of the covers. She saw that he had placed a glass of water on the bed stand beside her. She scooted down in the bed, lying on her side as she almost always did, and he pulled the light covers up over her.

“Lori is going to stay here too – she’ll be here later,” he said. “Mandy brought your purse up, and I assume your phone is in there. I’ll be here, but in the other room.” He touched her cheek lightly. “You did good tonight. Get some sleep now.”

She nodded and yawned. “I will. Thank you, Lucas.”

She heard him go, the door shutting behind him, and she lay awake for a few minutes, feeling snug and secure. Then she was asleep. She didn’t wake even when Lori came in and crawled in beside her.

When she awoke, the sun was streaming in the window and Lori was sound asleep. Sofia got up and wandered out into the living room. The door to the other bedroom was open, and she could see there was no one there. She made her way to the kitchen, looking for coffee. On the counter, was a note from Lucas. His handwriting was large, a clear script.

Coffee’s ready to go, just hit brew. Hope you slept well.

I had to catch an early plane to a conference and won’t be back for a couple of weeks. Take care of yourself. Text me when you get home so I know you made it ok, please. 1-555-739-5151

Lucas

Sofia read the note three times, dismayed. She had not realized how much she was looking forward to seeing him today. “Damn him,” she thought, pressing brew on the coffee, “How dare he get me all interested and just leave??” Then she laughed at herself, because of course that was ridiculous.