Sub for a Week (6 page)

"So you always give aftercare?
Even if she doesn't ask for it?"

"My subs don't ask and receive. I just give it to them. Even if she feels fine, I still treat her as though we had a long session. It's better to side with caution with this kind of thing. You know more than anyone else how delicate our minds can be. Bringing a sub down, even if she didn't achieve subspace, is a huge responsibility, and one I take seriously.
Every time."

"What if you don't have time for aftercare though?"

"Then I don't play."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. There are some Doms that might pass their sub over to another Dom or even to the sub's friends, but that isn't me."

"Okay, I can see that, but what if it's out of your control?
An emergency?"

"It's never happened, but if it ever did, I'd get back to my sub as soon as possible to give her the aftercare she needs. Any other concerns you want to address?"

I thought back on the letter I sent him, but most of what he'd said put my fears to rest.
"No, I think that just about covers it."

"Good. Now, about the gift I sent you..."

"You mean the one you hand-delivered?"

"You saw me, huh?"

"Not really. More like there was no label on the box, so how else would it have gotten here?"

"Point taken.
The cuffs, are they okay?"

I played with the cuff on my right wrist.
"Yup.
No rash or anything."

"And the flogger?"

This time I cringed. I'd experimented with it a little more since it first arrived. It had more of a bite than I originally thought. On my hands, hell, even on the backs of my hands, it felt fine. The same couldn't be said for my legs. The bite was more than an Indian burn, but not so bad that it left marks. At least, not ones that lasted more than half an hour.

"Jules?"

"I'm here."
I rubbed at my one leg, even though the red marks were long gone.
"Looks like it can hurt. The flogger I mean."

"It can, but it can also feel like nothing at all."

"You're talking about the endorphins, right?"

"Not really. I can apply as much or as little force behind the flogger as I want. It won't hurt unless you want it to. And that, my dear, is something we will have to experiment with in person."

I whimpered. Being in person was still two days away, and that's only if Daniel counted the weekend.
Unless it's Friday.
If he planned for us to meet on Friday, I had a little more than one day to go. That I could handle.

"I want you to do something for me tonight,"
Daniel said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Try wearing the cuffs to bed. If they get too uncomfortable, take them off. Sadly, I need to log off.
Early day tomorrow."

I eyed the clock on my monitor.
"Shit. Is it really almost eleven o' clock?"
Where the hell did the time go?

"Nice to see I'm not the only one who lost track of time."

"Jesus, but three hours?
I could've sworn you just logged on!"

"I wish.
Looks like we spent a fair amount of time chatting about subspace.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it at all, but it can suck up an evening pretty fast."

"Obviously.
I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be. It's my job, even as
your
temporary Dom, to put as many fears to rest as I can before we play. And seeing as I intend for us to do something tomorrow, this couldn't wait."

Tomorrow?
My jaw went slack. I checked the date on my computer, but it was still Wednesday.

"I don't have off until Saturday,"
I warned him.

"I figure we can make an exception for something a little more face-to-face. Meet me back at the dungeon tomorrow night.
Same time as before.
I'd push it off until Friday, but we have an event going on, so it's going to get a little hectic."

"But the dungeon isn't the only place we can meet."

"No, it isn't, but it's even ground. Don't worry. I'm not going to tie you up or anything. I just need to see how comfortable you are around me before we can start playing.
Understood."

I licked my lips.
"Yes."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Night."

This time it was my turn to log off first. I wasn't sure if that had actually happened or not. Looking down at my hands and how they shook, it probably did. I was mentally prepared to meet Daniel a few days from now. Not tomorrow. I wasn't ready.
But you've
been wanting
him over here every night.
It was a fantasy.
Nothing else.

But tomorrow ... tomorrow would be real.

Chapter Four

Unlike last time when I dressed in a suit to keep things professional, I opted for something edgy. Searching through my closet, I finally settled on a black dress shirt, miniskirt and a pair of fishnet stockings I'd worn one year for Halloween.

Luckily, everything still fit, but it took a bit of coaxing to get my skirt clasp to stay shut without me holding my breath.
Looks like you're going to need some new clothes.
I was only trying the lifestyle for a week. I could deal with tight fitting clothes for that long at least.
Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.

Groaning, I stomped out of the bathroom and turned off the light. With my hair pulled back and a small black purse in my hand, I walked out of the apartment, down the stairs and into my car. I was actually doing it. I was going to see Daniel. Not at a therapist but as his ... his what? Sub? Was he my Dom now?

Putting the keys in the ignition, I white-knuckled the steering wheel.
We hadn't finished discussing limits. I still had questions.
Relax. It's just so he can see you face-to-face, remember?
Yeah, within touching distance.
Kissing
distance.

For fuck sake, Julia, get it together. It's not a date.
It wasn't a date. It wasn't a date. Or was it? We'd been planning all week.
For Sunday.
It isn't a date.

There was only one way to find out. I put the car into drive and pulled out of my space. My eyes focused on the clock on the dash.
Fifteen minutes.
I was already running late, and I still didn't have Daniel's number. Even if I sent him an email, he probably wouldn't see it until later.

Clenching my teeth, I straightened my posture and turned out onto the street. With any luck, I'd hit all the red lights along the way. Maybe then I'd have enough time to calm down.
Julia, just stop thinking about it and drive.

My mind reeled as I passed under every green light. Not a single one dared to slow me down, much to my disappointment. In fact, I was making great time even on a Thursday night. And I was doing the speed limit too.

Drawing in a breath, I pulled behind Journeys and got out of the car. The walk to the front of the building didn’t feel nearly as long as I remembered. Everything around me may have slowed down, but it was almost as if I’d stopped time. The world stood still.
Silent.
I kept moving.

Squaring my shoulders, I made my way into the front lobby. Similar to my last visit, I approached the reception desk with just as many nerves as I had before Daniel and I decided to give a go at this—whatever
this
actually was.

The petite blonde from the other night looked at me and smiled. "Good evening, Julia. Daniel told me to expect you. You can go on through. He’ll be out shortly."

I squinted at the nameplate on the desk. "Thank you,
Madison
? Sorry, I never caught your name."

There was that smile again.
"Maddie.
Madison
sounds too …
clinicy
." She made a dismissive gesture. "Maddie will do just fine."

I nodded to her and stepped through the door once it unlocked. Without Daniel to block the exit behind me, I stood in the long hall and dared myself to step over the edge of
should I be here
to
I’m going through with this.

I could barely pick up the faint sounds of music at the end of the hall.
Coming from the main room no doubt.
But it was early, so what was it that Daniel had in mind? Surely he hadn’t invited me here tonight for public play. It hadn’t come up in any of our discussions, and I hadn’t asked. He knew I was new to the scene. There’s no way he would’ve expected me to—

"Jules?"
Daniel called from the end of the hall, peering down at me. He started to walk in my direction. "Jesus, you look like a scared rabbit. You okay?" I didn’t move, and when his arm wrapped around my waist, he continued. "Remember, we aren’t doing anything unless you’re comfortable with it. I wasn’t lying last night when I said I wanted to see you in person to make sure you were okay with this. If you want, we can skip this for tonight and get a bite to eat. Or, if you prefer, you can head back home. I’m fine either way. I’m not in this to—"

"Scare me," I finished for him with a nod. "Yes, I know. And I’m not."

"You sure?"
He looked right at me.
Met my gaze.
Held it.
"Your body language says otherwise."

I shrugged and forced a smile.
"Nerves."

He cocked his head, and I could see he wasn’t convinced, but for whatever reason he let it slide. "We’ll be staying in the same room as before."

"The tame one?"

He smirked. "Yes, the tame one. I figured you’d be more comfortable in there until we get into some of the harder play." Keeping one hand at the small of my back, he gestured down the hall.
"After you."

I looked to him, then down the long corridor.

"Relax. I won’t stop you if you think you have to run, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to follow you. You might not be my sub, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t my responsibility. You’re in my dungeon, with my employees. If anything happens to you here that
makes
you uncomfortable, then it’s on me. Understood?"

I bowed my head. "Yes."

He lifted my chin.
"None of that.
Not until we get inside the room."

With that, he loosened his grip on me just enough so that if I had to run, I could do so without hesitation.
Not that you will.
Probably not, but the option was still available, and while it didn’t help my nerves, at least it gave me some peace of mind.

Before we could step into our room, Daniel pulled me to the side. "You sure you’re okay with this?"

I couldn’t meet his eyes. "Yes."

"Julia, look at me." He caressed my cheek until I did as he asked. "Like I said in one of our sessions, making you nervous or anxious is an occupational hazard. However, if I scare you, then I’m doing something horribly wrong. You will tell me if I scare you or make you uncomfortable, right?"

I glanced down at the floor. "Yes."

Now he set a hand on either of my shoulders. "Do you need anything to drink?" When I shook my head, he dropped his hands and opened the door.
"Go on inside.
I’m right behind you."