Sub for a Week (12 page)

"That's because most of them break apart."

"Exactly.
This isn't to say we don't have fights or break up, but when you put that much trust in someone, it better be worth the risk."

At least that much was true. I’d seen the damage first hand when a sub betrayed Daniel’s trust, and it wasn’t something small like safe words either. According to what he told me in our sessions, his sub came to him for the pain more than the sex. He was able to meet her needs without a problem.

But when she asked for more sex, and he couldn’t keep up with her high libido, she walked away. In her eyes, a Dom who wasn’t aroused also wasn’t a strong partner. Daniel did his best to explain his side of the story to her, and had even offered to get help for it, but his ex-sub had seen enough.

It’s no wonder he was between subs. Even with our sessions and his growing confidence, the sub
who
walked away probably still had a stiletto heel shoved deep inside his heart.

He has no problem performing now.
That much I could be sure of.
Especially after last night.
He’d been hard, and there was no lack of endurance as far as I was concerned when he was fucking me, but maybe my sex drive was just as erratic as his own. I’d been cursed with a high libido for as long as I could remember, but when I was with Daniel, the events leading up to sex were just as enjoyable, if not more so.

Daniel continued. "In this sense, you and I are the same. We analyze everything to predict the outcome. But not everything can be planned. And the few things we can prepare for are the type of play you want to try and the level of submission you want to achieve." He paused to open the door.
"After you."

The lighting inside the building reminded me of a video store.
Bright enough to see the cases of DVDs lining the walls, but not too bright to send me running back outside.
Looking around the room, I inspected the racks of DVDs, the bit of fiction and
Playboy
magazines.

I set my hands on my hips and gave Daniel a skeptical glance.
"Seriously?
You tell me you want to show me something, and you bring me to a porno shop?"

"This crap?"
Daniel asked. "No, this isn’t what I wanted you to see. But before we continued, I want you to answer this question honestly. I know you work in the field of kink and fetishes, but have you ever been inside a fetish store?"

"Maybe when I was a teen, but I never went into one to actually buy anything."

"Okay, so then you’ve seen blowup dolls and cake pans in the shape of cocks, right?"

"And ones shaped like breasts as well."

"Good. That means whatever you find here shouldn’t come as a shock." Daniel took a few steps into the store and turned down a hall that led to a circular staircase.

"What’s down there?" I glanced down at him, trying to decide if it was better to stay upstairs in the porn area, or venture down into the underbelly to whatever it was Daniel wanted to show me. "What did you bring me in here for anyway?"

"I think it’s about time we get a few toys, don’t you?"

I frowned and made my way down the stairs. "I thought you had everything we needed back at your place."

"Oh, I do, but I think you’re interested in more than just pain play and bondage. There are some toys you don’t want to share between subs," he said matter-of-factly. "For now, we’re just in here to look. But if you find something you like or want to try, tell me."

Steeling myself for whatever ridiculous vibrators waited for me at the bottom of the steps, I followed Daniel into the fetish shop’s lower level. Like the floor above us, this one was filled with racks of all things erotica. Along the main wall behind the register were lube and condoms, and beside that, a rack of costumes for all forms of role-play.

"See anything?" Daniel asked as he walked up behind me.

"Junk?"

"You aren’t looking hard enough." He stepped over to a rack off to my left. "What about these?"

Unable to see what he was pointing at, I joined him in front of what appeared to be an assortment of oddly shaped dildos.
"Dildos?"
I shrugged. "They don’t do anything for me."

"Not those," Daniel corrected me, pulling something from the shelf. "These?"

"And that’s not a dildo?"

It was shorter than a dildo.
Thinner than one as well.
But the shape screamed pussy pleaser.

"In a way, yes," Daniel said with a shrug.

"Then what is it actually meant for?"

"Anal."

I sucked in a breath. "That little one you have there I can kind of see, but what about that?" I gestured to a toy that was bigger than any cock I’d ever seen, or would ever want anywhere near me. "What the hell is that for?"

"Also anal."

"You’ve got to be joking."

"I wish I was. In all honesty, that isn’t even the biggest one they carry."

I picked the toy off the rack and felt its weight. "That must be over a pound. Who the hell buys these things?"

"Gays.
Women who love anal.
Anyone really."

"So you’re saying that this … butt plug?" He nodded, and I continued. "You’re trying to tell me that this will fit inside my butt?"

Daniel’s eyes widened, and he took the toy away from me.
"Hell, no.
Not without a lot of practice, patience and lube."

"Then why show me?"

He held up one of the smaller butt plugs. "This one is more your size."

"Okay, but why are we looking at butt plugs? I told you I’m not interested—"

"You aren’t, but your body is. Look, we don’t have to use it, but I’d rather have it on hand in case you ask for it. I need to restock my supply anyway, so it's a win-win."

I leaned over so only he could hear me. "Isn’t that what you’re for?"

"Fingers yes.
However, I prefer not to do anal with someone who’s never done it before unless she’s gone through some stretching." He set the butt plug back on the rack. "Like I said, we don’t need to use it. It’s just something to have on hand in case you do."

"But we only have a week."

"Again, that’s entirely up to you. I only asked you to take a week off work because you're so new. If you drop, I want you to be close by so I can help. If after this week you want to continue our training, I have no problem with that. In fact, I’d prefer it."

I picked the butt plug off the rack again and held it at my side. Daniel glanced at it, but didn’t object. "And why’s that?"

"You have your toe in the lifestyle now. Chances are you’ll want to do
a some
more experimentation with a Dom you can trust."

"And I assume you’re that Dom?"

"I don’t have to be, but if you want to continue with another Dom, let me know. I can vouch for those within our community. The last thing I want, however, is for you to get stuck with a poser or a Dom who’s new to the community and thinks using a flogger is the same thing as using a whip."

"I’m afraid to even ask."

"Basically, there are areas on the skin that are safe to hit with a flogger and others that shouldn’t be touched at all." He pressed a hand against my back, close to my kidneys. "Like here. It’s strictly a no strike zone. Same thing goes for anywhere close to the spine."

"What about breasts?"

"They can be safe, but it all comes down to how much force the Dom uses behind his strikes. Hitting to make the skin red is fine. In some cases, bruising is okay as well. However, the one thing a Dom should ever do is leave welts on purpose. No matter if the Dom breaks the skin or not, the bruising or any discoloration at all must be taken care of and monitored."

"I had a sub once who mentioned scars."

"The mark of an inexperienced Dom.
Yes, we can cause pain, but it’s only to a point. The biggest thing we have to remember is to stop before it can get that far."

"Wouldn’t a sub ask you to stop if it got that intense?"

"Some might, but others enjoy pain, and even when a Dom who knows she’s had enough decides to stop, she still might beg for more."

"So that’s why it’s important to know their body language."

"Yes. It also helps to know the sub extremely well before a Dom tries any kind of intense play."

That’s why he didn’t want to play tonight.
Granted, he hadn’t used the flogger on me, but as promised, my muscles were still pretty stiff.

"That explains the break between sessions," I said, glancing around the room before looking back at him.
"Lube?"

He nodded to the one wall. "I have some at home, but it never hurts to have some extra on hand." Daniel grabbed a bottle of lube off the back wall and set our items on the counter. "Need anything else while we’re here?"

I checked the room again, but the things that did catch my eye were the same toys I’d seen in Daniel’s apartment. "No, I’m good."

He handed his card to the cashier and glared at me. "We’ll see about that."

With a plain brown paper bag in hand, we headed back outside through the rear entrance. My stomach turned at the thought of what we had inside that bag. We’d bought a butt plug.
For you.
Only if I was ready.
I didn't think I was.

Thinking about the night before, I wasn't sure what caused me to squirm when Daniel rubbed lube around my anus. It could’ve been that I was actually aroused by him doing it, the fact that it kind of had the same sensation as my clit, or maybe it was because of how forbidden it was.

Anal had always rubbed me the wrong way. I got why gays did it, but what about women? Why use the back entrance when you can just go in through the front?

"So, back to your place then?"
Daniel asked once we reached the car.

"Please."

He helped me get in and closed the door behind me. Even with the strange toy sitting in my lap, I still didn’t want the night to end. I was allowed to stay at his place if I wanted to, which I did. But would staying there mean I’d have to submit even more?

What if he expected me to try anal? What if I refused?
What if you like it?

Doms were all about pushing boundaries—Daniel had said it himself. Anal wasn’t a hard limit because I didn’t like it, but because I’d never tried. I knew then that it was probably in the cards before the end of the week.
Not much left to do but wait and see.

Chapter Seven

Sitting on Daniel's sofa, we passed the time between dinner and digestion while watching the live feed from Journeys. Early on a Monday night, I didn't actually expect to see much, but it was a lot better than watching public television.
Commercials is
more like it.
It's the main reason why I hadn't bothered with cable. I'd be paying for advertisements.

The live feed switched from the bar to a wider view of the main room. I'd never actually seen Journeys from a bird's eye view, so I took my time studying the image before it had a chance to change again. Daniel handed me a glass of wine, which I set on the coffee table.

"Is it odd that I have no idea why you have the feed running on a Monday night and that I'm actually watching it?" I asked, looking at him before checking the screen again.

"Not at all.
I guess you could say
it's
live TV," came Daniel's reply. He set a hand on my knee. "See the man behind the bar? He's been with Journeys for just a few months, but he's become one of my best sets of eyes down on the floor."

I squinted at the bartender as he wiped a rag over one of the counters. "How do you mean?"

Daniel shrugged. "He can pick out the posers before they even start to play. This saves us a lot of grief. The sooner we can get a rotten Dom out of the dungeon, the better. Not only does this keep the sub safe, but it also makes the other couples comfortable."