“I see.” I waited for her to go on, but she didn’t. I would enjoy breaking that control of hers. “Would you like another drink?”

She’d had two, but I’d offer a third if she needed it. I didn’t want her drunk, but I did want her to be able to let her inhibitions go. Instead of answering me, she signed her name to the contract and looked at me directly.

“I’d like a bottle of water, a moment alone, and then I’d like to begin. If that’s alright with you?”

Her left eye twitched, and I knew she was nervous, but she wouldn’t give in to that state. Where should I begin with her, I’d wondered.

“That sounds acceptable. You will find me in the room assigned to us when

you’ve finished.”

“Thank you. I won’t be long.”

“Take your time.” I left the bar the moment she did and found the room we’d been assigned. Our sort of play was a common enough theme that the establishment had set up a room that had been cleaned and sanitized, with everything we might need available. I walked in to find all was in order, that the toys we might need during our time together were new and in packaging to ensure sanitation, and that we had a fridge with snacks and a few drinks. I also went into a closet to the side of the room and found new pajamas available.

I decided to put on a black silk pair then went to the bed to wait for Stephanie. The room had a table to one side with lubricants and massage oils in individual packs, as well as condoms. The rest of the room was meant for play.

I’d explore it more later. For now, I wanted to get to know this pretty little angel and settle her in to what was to come.

I wouldn’t rush her, but when the time came, I’d push her right over the edge. That was the moment a woman was at her most beautiful, when she finally snapped and gave in to her own desires, her own needs, and let her mind go.

I connected my phone to the Bluetooth speaker system, started a playlist, and adjusted the sound until the music was a soft background noise. I dimmed the lights until the large room was a place of mystery, full of shadows and dark places. I noticed a memory foam rug beneath a set of rings on the wall. I’d seen the shackles in the drawers, ready for use. Would Stephanie be ready for that tonight, or was this a girl who only wanted to play at being a sub?

From the way her eyes had flashed at me and the arch of her eyebrow on more than one occasion, I knew that Stephanie would be one of those women who would fight back. Even though she’d agreed to be a sub, she wouldn’t be able to help herself, and then we’d have even more fun as I taught her to obey.

I was hard already at just the thought of it all and tried to distract myself. I didn’t normally react so quickly to a new conquest, but something was different about her. I brushed the thought off and let my head fall back against the bed. I’d waited weeks to find a new playmate and a property here, but I could wait a while longer.

She didn’t want to be vaginally penetrated, but there were ways around that, ways to give us both pleasure without actual coitus. Such an ugly word, but appropriate in the situation. No, we didn’t have to have penetrative sex to get each other off, and I’d delight in the myriad of ways we could accomplish that.

I’d noticed her fingers, long and delicate, the skin smooth without the tendons that turned so many feminine hands into claws. It was a huge turn-off for me, those hands. They reminded me of my adoptive mother, and well, it just freaked me out, so I avoided women with those kinds of hands. Stephanie’s hands were beautiful, though, so no worries there.

I began to get impatient as I waited for her to join me in the room. Was she taking a shower or something? What was taking her so long? I could be a patient man, but I was impatient for more than one reason, and not just sex. I’d like to look at her a little more.

I wanted to see her body completely nude. I wanted to see her with her

makeup smeared across her face, hands tied above her head and linked to a wall, as she begged me to make her come. And they were all things I’d do, if she allowed it.

There were a few more things we needed to talk about before we got started

with this, and I waited for her to come in, a list in my head already. I knew what she didn’t want, but what did she really want?

She was a virgin, but that didn’t mean she had no idea about the world of sex. Plenty of virgins masturbated, watched or read pornography, or had vivid sexual fantasies. I needed to know what hers were, what limits she wanted to push, before I could take this further. I needed to have an idea of what her goal was.

We only had three days to reach those goals, so we had to be quick, but not too quick. Push too hard, at the wrong time, and you’d push your sub away. Do this with some control, with an understanding of the needs of the sub, and you’d have a sub for life.

The door opened, and she came in, now in a plain cotton gown that left her

shoulders bare and ran down to the middle of her calves. Perfect innocence with a shy, but sexy appeal. Even the eyelet lace on the top concealed more than it revealed, but the effect was spectacular. Her hair was down, but her mask kept it pinned to her head.

I looked at her, in the gown that highlighted innocence but promised so much more hid beneath, and became hard again. The tilt of her head down, the lack of confidence now, the way she quietly came in and turned to shut the door, all spoke of nervousness, uncertainty, and I could smell submission in every move she made.

With her hands balled together in front of her, Stephanie came to me and waited at the side of the bed. “What do we do now, Mr. Dark?”

Sweetly asked, and my response was equally as sweet. A reassurance that all was well as I pulled her to sit beside me. “We’ll do whatever you like, Stephanie.

The night is yours.”

She pulled her lip between her teeth, her hands still balled in her lap, and looked at the walls. “I’d like to know what all of those things are on the walls.”

“They’re for chaining and clamping a sub in place. I can have you on your knees as you wait patiently for me. Or standing up with your arms over your head. I could even have you in between. Up high on your knees, instead of low and relaxed. That makes things easier.” I emphasized the last two words and her eyes blink rapidly.

She’d caught that then. I knew she’d be responsive. I hadn’t really touched her yet, and even now, her bottom resting against my thigh was the only place we’d touched. “There’s water in the fridge there if you want it, and some snacks.”

“I might have water, thank you.” She moved to pull a bottle out and took a

sip as she sat on the far side of the bed. She put the bottle on the table beside of us and sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t really know what to do. Where to start.”

“It’s okay, Stephanie. Come here.”

I held my hand out, and she came closer to me. With only a hint of roughness, just enough to make her breath shake, I pushed her head back and buried my hands in her hair. Her mouth opened, waited, and her eyes were full of apprehension, but also delight. I kissed her then, a rough kiss that held a gentle lover’s touch. I forced her lips to open under mine and sucked her tongue into my mouth.

She moaned and leaned into me as she tried to repeat what I’d done, her hands in my hair, her mouth open to take mine. She was supposed to submit, though, not reciprocate. I pulled away, her face wet with my kiss. “Let me show you, Stephanie. Don’t try to follow me. Just let me lead us.”

She shook her head in acknowledgment, and I decided it was time to shred a

boundary. If she couldn’t see, she couldn’t feel so safe. Her vulnerability would heighten her other senses, and she’d have to rely on me.

I pulled a long swatch of silk from the bedside table, and she looked at me confused. “But I already have a mask on.”

“So you do, but this is not a mask, this is a blindfold. You won’t be able to see. I’ll have to be your eyes for you.”

“I understand.” She waited, her hands folded submissively once again in her lap.

I moved behind her to put the blindfold on and ran my hand down her cheek.

Her head followed the touch while she waited for more. “Now, tell me what you want, Stephanie. What you really want?”

“I want to lose myself,” she said it quickly, as if she’d thought about it countless times already. “I want to forget the world exists and just feel.”

“That’s good. What else?” I sat behind her and waited for her to answer.

“I don’t … I don’t know what you mean.” She turned her head in the direction she’d heard my voice and waited for an answer.

“How do you want to go about achieving that nirvana?” I said the words softly, to hypnotize her, to relax her. “Do you want me to spank you, to beat you into subspace? To the very edge of your limits?”

I let it all sink in, and the fact that she didn’t turn away or take a breath of fear told me something. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, though, it wasn’t my favorite thing to do to a woman. If it got her off, though, that was what I’d give her.

I stroked a finger down the bare skin of her shoulder, down her arm, and around to cup the fullness of her breast. Her breath hitched then, and I knew I had her full attention. Her face turned toward mine, and I licked her mouth until she opened, a soft sigh the only sound she made.