The Agreement (7 page)

"And you have someone for me?

She nodded. "A friend. An actual professor.
He's a great teacher and totally discrete."

"He'll have to be really trustworthy. He'll
have to show complete discretion and he'll have to agree that I remain
anonymous."

"I understand. I'm meeting with him later
this week. In the meantime, I have this." She reached into her huge
briefcase filled with files. "It's a template I use to get subs thinking
about what they want. Fill in the blanks, cross things out, as if you were
really interested and get it back to me. I'll give it to him and he can think
about how he'd train you if you really
were
his new sub, and then you
can meet and discuss it."

"He knows this is all just
theoretical."

"Of
course
, sweetie," she said,
but there was this tone in her voice that said otherwise.

I took the contract and flipped through it. The
first paragraph said it all:

SUBMISSION CONTRACT BETWEEN
_____________________ hereinafter referred to as "Master", AND
_______________________, hereinafter referred to as "slave" in this
Submission Contract. Said Contract refers to total dominance and control of
Master in his relationship with said slave.

A total novice to this world, I had only my very
upsetting experience with Kurt. Sure, I read a few novels and non-fiction books
since we broke up, spent some time on the website reading, but I was still new
to this
.
Lara knew the ropes. She'd done this dozens of times and had
connections.

"What's this Dom like?"

"He's a
god
, Kate. He's absolutely
gorgeous. Experienced. Buff.
Hung
," she said and wagged her
eyebrows.

"How do
you
know?"

"I trained him myself. He's healthy. Safe.
Smart. Wealthy. He's everything a submissive like you could want."

"I'm
not
a submissive."

"Not experienced, no. But I suspect there's
one buried deep inside of you."

I shrugged, not wanting to argue with her.
"He's not into pain, is he?"

"He isn't a sadist, if that's what you
mean, although he would probably spank you for punishment. He's just a plain
old sexual dominant, into a bit of bondage, especially leather, but mostly D/s
and mindfucks."

"
Mindfucks
?"

"You know, getting right into your mind,
knowing exactly how to get you off so you experience the most pleasure. He's
studied psychology. Wanted to be a psychoanalyst. He's not into pain."

"How old is he?"

"Mid-thirties."

"He isn't married?"

"Divorced."

"What does he do? You said he's a
professor. What does he teach?"

"Uh,
uh
," she said and shook
her head. "I've given you as much as I can at this point. Just know that
he's a friend and a real professional. Top in his field. Seriously, if you
needed his services, you'd want him. Just hope you never need his
services."

"That's cryptic. Is he an undertaker or
something?"

She grinned. "No. Far from it. No more,
Kate. You want anonymity. So does he. Maybe one day, you'll sign that for
real." She pointed to the contract, "Then you two can know each
other, but now? No. He needs anonymity as much as you."

"All right." I read over a few more
pages. "I'm just so curious." I thought of the excerpt she sent.
"Who wrote that piece you emailed me?"

"Not telling." She shook her head.
"That's just something that some of us use to explain to new subs how Doms
see sexual domination."

I felt a bit saddened to think I wasn't meeting
the writer and I wondered what he was like, this man who liked to control a
woman's sexual pleasure. After reading that excerpt, I couldn't get the idea of
sexual submission out of my mind. I told myself this was just to gather
research for an investigative reporting piece for
Geist
. But I was
really just so damn
titillated
…

"Look, you know my situation," I said,
anxious that I remain completely anonymous. "Can you imagine if it ever
got out that
the
Ethan McDermott's daughter is interested in this, even
if it's only academic?"

"
Academic
…" She rolled her eyes
at me. Then, she waved her hand. "Don't worry. Your Dom is pretty well
known in his own profession, so there's
no way
he wants this public
either. The two of you will be fine. He can tell you things from his side,
maybe introduce you to some of his former submissives, if they're interested in
being interviewed, take you to a few functions."

I was apprehensive but still, a thrill went
through me at the thought of meeting a real-life Dominant. The truth was that I
couldn't stop thinking about this world. I wanted to understand why so many
women were attracted to this lifestyle and why I was as well. What did it say
about women and the feminist movement that so many women wanted to be sexually
dominated?

But as the daughter of a prominent judge with
aspirations for the House, this was
just
research. It had to stay that
way. I was just a student looking for material for a paper, not a curious
might-be-submissive looking for a Dominant. This was just research.

"What have you told him about me? Did you
tell him I'm just a researcher like I asked?"

"I did, but Kate, be honest with
yourself," Lara said, shaking her head. "You're really interested.
Seriously. He'll see right through you. He's really
really
smart.
Besides, if you like him and if he likes you, things could work out…"

"No way," I replied. "Tell him
I'm seriously freaked about him knowing who I am. Tell him," I said and
held up my cup, "that I'm just doing research."

"
Just
you wait and see." She
winked at me. "You'll be signing a contract for real in no time."

I made a face. "Lara," I said,
defensive. "No contracts. This is just an agreement so I can do research.
I don't want him getting any ideas."

Lara smiled again. "It's
you
who
will probably get ideas. This is quite a stretch from the article you sent me,
but whatever you say. Oh, and if you want the password to that website? It's
leather4you
."

Leather4you. I wouldn't forget it.

Lara packed up her files and shot back the
remnants of her espresso.

"Just as long as this is all anonymous,
Lara." I read over the contract one more time. "Scandal is the last
thing my father needs."

"This man is a professional. I know him
personally, and I trained him. He has to keep his two lives separate. Just like
you." Then, Lara walked away, her lawyer-sized briefcase on wheels pulled
behind her.
 

Later that night, I used the password Lara gave
me to the website where the Dom's letters to his sub were archived. I eagerly
entered and opened the first letter.

A letter to my sub.

I come to you, my little one, where you sit
naked in wait for me in the darkness, a blindfold covering your pretty wide
eyes. You've been waiting for almost half an hour as I commanded, and your
senses are all primed. The noises of your apartment that you never noticed
before are so much clearer now that you're vision has been blocked – the
hum of the refrigerator in your tiny kitchen, the sweet strains of classical
music on the music system in the apartment above you, street noises outside
your building, cars starting, a horn blaring in the distance. Even the sounds
of your own body are clearer now that your eyes are covered. The rush of blood
through your veins, the pounding of your heart in your chest, the air flowing
in and out through your open mouth – all these sounds are enhanced.

The scents around you are more intense –
the vanilla of the candles on your bedside table, the floral of your own
perfume on your pillows, the ozone from rush hour traffic filtering in from
under your open window, your own arousal from the warmth between your legs.

Your naked skin is sensitive now, exposed to the
ambient temperature change. The silk of your pillow is cool against your calves
as you sit waiting. A cool breeze wafts in from your open window, and your
nipples pucker. You think of my mouth on them, my tongue wet and warm, and a
stab of lust flows through you.

My key clicks in the lock, the door creaking
open, my footsteps loud on the hardwood floor, the thunk thunk as I remove my
boots.

I open the refrigerator and remove the bottle of
vodka you keep just for me, pour the liquid in a shot glass, and then my lips
smack in satisfaction. It's my favorite Russian vodka infused with anise,
called Anisovaya. I have only one shot, for I must keep my mind clear so I am
in total control of everything – you, the scene, and most of all, myself.

Then, the zhrrr of a zipper and the swish of
fabric sounds so loud. Your body tenses for a moment as you anticipate my next
move.

I stand in the doorway and watch you.  You
picture me there, my eyes on you, my body naked, my thick cock already hard.
You're breathless, your body ready for me. Your heart is beating so fast,
imagining what I will do to you after I use my leather restraints to bind you.

What I will make you do to me.

You're so ready, your body aching with need,
wet, swollen, throbbing with desire. I stand beside you and you turn your head
at the sound of my breathing. My clean skin and the hint of my male musk
arouses you, sending a jab of lust through your chest to your clit.

I lean down to you and my hair brushes your
cheek, the whiskers on my chin tickle your skin, my tongue is wet on your neck
where I lick you, my mouth soft at the base of your throat where one day I'll
place my collar.

I kiss you very briefly and you taste the anise
on my tongue.

I whisper your name and just the sound of my
voice makes your body clench. My cologne and a hint of anise on my breath fills
your nose. By now, the scent arouses you because I have a shot of the vodka
when I come by and have my way with you. You associate the scent of anise with
pleasure and your body warms even further, your flesh swelling, your pussy
becoming wet.

Leather slides against leather as I uncoil the
bindings, which I will use to tie your hands to the headboard and your feet to
the base. You'll be open to me, vulnerable.

I've known every part of you – every naked
inch, inside and out.

I can't wait to bind you with my leather
restraints and make you cry out my name as you come, again and again. Then, I
will really kiss you, smothering your moans with my mouth...

I would have loved to read those letters all
night but I had an early class in the morning. I couldn't sleep, and since I
couldn’t run because of my ankle, I got up once more and made a pot of tea,
reading the pages of my book until I felt asleep long after midnight.

~~~

I spent the next few days going through my daily
routine, getting up, going to classes, working on my article, coming home,
rinse, repeat. Dawn and I didn’t see much of each other because she was busy
with her own coursework. Still, as busy as I was, I thought often of Drake
Morgan, wondering why he'd warned me off, regretting that he did.

That Friday, I dressed in my prettiest clothes
– a cream cashmere sweater and black pencil skirt, black hose and heels,
my black leather jacket over top. I sat at the same café where I met Lara,
preparing to meet the gorgeous man-god Dom she promised me. She said it was
only a few blocks from her law firm's office and so I went once more and
waited, sitting at the same small table with my back to the wall, having
arrived fifteen minutes earlier so I could calm my nerves.  The night
before, I read another of the Dom's letters to his new sub. I couldn't get it
out of my mind, the words so intense, the promise of pleasure in his
description of what he would do to her so enticing.

While I waited, I re-read the letter over,
thinking about what I'd ask this Dom I was meeting.

To my new sub.

When we are together, I expect you to surrender
control to me in all things. You do so because you trust me completely. You are
able to let go of all shyness and self-doubt without fear that I will judge you
or harm you. I will only draw out of you what you can give, using your body and
your mind to bring us both as much pleasure as we can possibly feel together.

When we part, you are your own woman and I
admire your independence. We only meet to slake our thirst for what we give
each other, for the special relationship we have established that satisfies our
unique needs.  For me, that means Dominance; for you, submission.