Masquerades and Charades, page 6
Madison gave her a silent questioning look, her eyebrows raised.
Kate's glance flicked sideways at her. "It's just…interesting. That's all."
"Interesting?"
"Well, I would have thought if you were to ask any male's opinion, it'd be Jamie's. You know, since you two dated for a while."
Madison pretended to be interested in a window display. "I might ask him later too."
Kate gave her a strange look.
"What?"
"Have you two talked about the breakup?"
"Yes. Briefly. That night we watched your session together."
"And?"
"And…he said it was because I was boring in the bedroom."
Kate snorted. "So why didn't he just say something to you?"
Madison shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe because he's a sub? Too used to having his mind read by Doms?"
"Maybe." But Kate's expression was doubtful. She sighed. "Too bad. He's so damn fuckable otherwise."
Madison's mouth dropped open. "Jeez, Kate, language! We're not at the club, you know."
"What?" Kate laughed. "I am who I am, club or no club." She tossed her loose hair back as if she were a hair model in a shampoo commercial. "I just wish I could find a good sub for the off hours. Preferably one who does service."
"Service?"
"You know. Clean the house, cook, wash dishes, and do my laundry."
Madison laughed. "Well, maybe if we start getting more clients, we can afford to hire on a housekeeper or chef or something." It was true. Neither of them liked cleaning the apartment or cooking. Unlike Kate, however, Madison at least kept her messy piles in her room. Kate tended to leave trails throughout the entire apartment, especially when getting ready to go out at night. Madison usually just picked up after her by tossing all Kate's stuff on her bed.
"Yeah, but how many housekeepers or chefs would work in the nude and let me flog them when I'm bored?"
Madison burst out laughing. "Oh my God. You're so bad, Kate."
Kate shot her a naughty grin. "You know who would look especially good cleaning our apartment in the nude? Master Connor."
Madison stopped laughing, her cheeks beginning to burn now. She cleared her throat. "He is…pretty good looking."
"Pretty good looking? Are you kidding? He's a walking wet dream. Oooh, or maybe we could have him cook for us, and Jamie could do the housekeeping. At the same time. Naked."
An image flashed through Madison's mind of Connor cooking at their stove in nothing but an apron, while Jamie vacuumed wearing even less. A sigh slipped out past her lips, making her cheeks burn even hotter.
"I knew it! You're into both of them, aren't you?"
"Connor's my boss."
"So?"
"So I'm not going there."
"But if he wasn't? If you just met them both at a dance club somewhere? You wouldn't seriously love getting in the middle of that sandwich?"
Madison's lips twitched as she tried not to smile at Kate's choice of words. Grudgingly she admitted, "They are both sexy. But it is what it is. Short of quitting at Masquerade…" She left the rest unsaid.
Kate gusted out a sigh. "Well, I for one wouldn't turn down the chance to do some personal training with them, if you know what I mean."
"You didn't train with them when you first started working at Masquerade?"
"Not with both of them. Usually it was with Connor and a different demo sub."
Hmm. Interesting.
Kate snuck another sly, sideways glance at her and murmured, "You know, I've noticed the both of them sending you some serious sexy eyes at the club. Like a lot."
Madison's eyebrows rose before she could stop them. She looked at Kate, wondering if her roommate was just making up stuff to try and instigate drama. She'd done it before with guys in her life, but never Madison.
When Madison didn't say anything, Kate groaned. "Oh, come on! You're seriously not intrigued?"
Madison sighed heavily. "Jamie dumped me for being boring. And Connor's my boss. So, it's a nonstarter both ways with them."
Even if she could happily imagine herself getting in the middle of that sandwich, as her roommate so elegantly put it.
And frequently did imagine it. Especially while lying in bed after her latest training session with them.
And sometimes in her dreams too.
"I'm not talking as an actual ongoing relationship," Kate said. "Just…you know, for fun sometimes. And besides, how could Jamie possibly be bored with the new dominatrix you?"
They reached Kate's car mercifully, and Kate stopped nagging her for the moment.
But on the drive back to their apartment, Madison couldn't stop a mixture of emotions from churning in her stomach.
Kate's words kept nagging at her. She'd seen Jamie looking at her with sexy eyes, as Kate called it. And she'd certainly felt the heat between herself and Connor too.
But how much of that attraction was from the BDSM scenarios they were thinking about play-acting out for her training, and how much of it might actually be real?
She closed her eyes, rested her head against the seat's headrest, and imagined herself meeting Jamie and Connor on the dance floor at some ordinary night club somewhere… Dancing between the two of them, both their hands on her body, taking turns kissing her… Taking her hands and leading her out of the club back to Jamie's apartment…
And getting bored with the vanilla sex with her unless she pulled out the flogger and cuffs.
Sighing, she opened her eyes, turned her head, and stared out the window sightlessly.
Even if the chance came, she couldn't get involved with not one but two guys who probably were only attracted to the fantasy girl. Because in the morning-after light when they saw the boring girl she really was, they'd be checking out just as fast as Jamie already had once before.
And unlike Jamie, Madison wasn't certain she could keep her heart out of play time. Not when that play time involved those two men.
CHAPTER 6
Madison
Madison thought she’d get to wear her new outfit at her first real training session— the first one where she'd really get into it. But Kate surprised her, suggesting she not worry about the special clothing for the first training session. Instead, she had Madison wear a comfortable pair of yoga pants and tank top. The clothing would be tight enough not to get in the way of her movements, but comfy enough that she could focus solely on the lesson itself.
Which was how Madison found herself feeling like she was prepped for a yoga class in the same navy blue playroom a few days later in the early afternoon.
Kate had kept her promise to be there, but she leaned against one wall in the room out of the way. Which was good, because with both Jamie and Connor in there too plus all the equipment, the small room felt very full.
She was surprised Connor had decided to personally teach her.
He smiled at the comment. "I'm what's called a switch. Which means I enjoy being a top or a bottom equally well. That gives me the unique ability to tell you what to do as a Domme, and explain why it works for subs."
"And I'll give you lots of feedback in these sessions too," Jamie said as he casually stripped down to his maroon boxer briefs.
She had to fight not to stare at his sudden mostly nude body. Swallowing hard, she turned to Connor. "Okay, so how do I start a session properly?"
"Well, the first thing to remember is that your client is still a human with emotions and feelings. And when you are together in the playroom, it's like having a conversation both verbally and nonverbally. Sometimes you may have regulars that you'll know their preferences, whether they like to ease into the scenario or be jolted right into it from the start. But for a new client, it's best to start with a short conversation. You can smile at this point, be human and friendly but still firm.
"You want to confirm with them what their safe word is. Ensuring your sub's safety is a Dom's number one concern at all times. I like to use the light color system…green means go, but no one ever says that in a session really. Yellow means they're getting uncomfortable, and that's a good indicator that you should check with them and see what changes are needed."
"As in, maybe I'm not doing it right?" Madison asked, a hint of a knot starting to form in her stomach.
"More like you might need to make small adjustments, or try a different toy," Connor said.
"It could be something really simple," Jamie said. "Like if they're lying on a table and you're spanking them, maybe they just need a pillow under their chest or shins to take the pressure off their lower back."
"Oh." Some of the tension eased from her stomach. "Okay. So how do I know which equipment to use first with them? Do I just ask or…?"
"I wouldn't," Jamie said. "Part of the thrill of being a bottom is that you're willingly submitting to someone else's will, but within a safe space and rules. You're basically giving them control of your body. If you have to start making decisions on what equipment to use, or which toys, then you're not really submitting."
She had to consciously decide to stop questioning why anyone would want to do such a thing in the first place. But something of this mental process must have shown on her face.
"Madison, you're overthinking the why," Kate murmured from her position against the wall. "Think of it like this. Say you're the boss of a hundred people at work. Five days a week, you put on an uncomfortable suit and tie, or maybe skirt and heels, and then you have to make a million decisions hour after hour. Big decisions, little decisions, stuff that's going to not just determine whether you keep your job, but maybe also determine whether those hundred people have a job to come back to tomorrow."
Madison nodded. "Lots of pressure. Got it."
Kate shrugged. "So, some people deal with that stress by getting a massage, or playing sports, or drinking, or drugs. Our clients deal with that stress by coming here, and getting to be totally not in charge for a while. Just for a little while, they don't have to decide anything except can I take more of this, or do I want to use my safe word? Not should I have her use the paddle or the nipple clamps, or maybe the flogger, or maybe I should be on the horse, or should I have her put me on the spreader bar instead? They come here. They feel safe. They know we're going to keep them safe within the limits they choose. And we take care of everything else."
Madison glanced at Jamie and Connor and could tell from their expressions that Kate had nailed it perfectly.
And just like that, the remaining tension within her shoulders just fell away. "I get it now. It's like being a therapist. Just because you don't personally need counseling on whatever their issues are, doesn't mean you can't empathize and help them through it."
"Bingo." Connor smiled warmly.
Then he proceeded to walk her through the basics of how the room's equipment worked…how the sub could keep their bondage cuffs on and simply be unhooked from the spreader bars then re-hooked to the bondage horse or Saint Andrew's Cross. Everyone was incredibly patient with her as she tried out each of the flogging toys, feeling how they fit within her hand, how they moved through the air, and how they felt against the palm of her free hand and Jamie's abs, which he let her practice striking, so she could learn how to aim and gauge the effectiveness of the strength and angle of her movements.
Connor had her try out the button that raised and lowered the hanging spreader bar, then Jamie pretended to be a living mannequin so she could practice attaching him to the spreader bars at his wrists and ankles, then raising the hanging bar. Remembering what he'd said while she'd watched Kate's client session, Madison was careful to raise him only until he had to balance on the balls of his feet.
"Why do you like that?" she blurted out to Jamie. "Don't you hate feeling like you're going to fall over at any second?"
Jamie grinned, and she was amazed at how cocky he could still make that lopsided grin look even while completely cuffed and vulnerable. "That's the point. It makes me feel like I'm totally at your mercy. And it's a great distraction, especially when you're stressed in your regular life. When you have to focus on staying upright and not falling over like this, it's really hard to think about the other shit. Once you throw in the physical sensations of being spanked or whipped or stroked or whatever, everything else in your life is just gone. All you can think about is here and now."
She immediately liked the sound of that. Frowning, she nibbled the inner corner of her lips.
"Madison? Do you have a question or concern?" Connor asked, surprising her that he'd noticed or she was so transparent.
Then again, a good Dom would need to know how to read people well.
She shrugged and made her confession. "Well, honestly, now that I'm starting to get it why someone would want to be a sub, I'm just wondering why more people don't do it. I mean, I don't know how long the stress-relieving effects last after the session end, but at least for the short term, it sounds incredibly effective and fast."
Connor laughed, and she tilted her head. His laugh was a low, sexy rumble that somehow had the ability to make her feel like he'd just stroked her bare skin. "I wonder the same thing every single day. Which is why I started this place. It's kind of my own personal good deed for the world. On a small scale, of course."
She grinned. "You should consider franchising."
Jamie laughed. "Wow. Talk about a convert. From what the hell am I getting myself into? to world domination in no time flat!"
She laughed and shook her head. "Okay. So, talk to me about how to use this thing without scarring the hell out of my clients." She held up the cane.
Connor made a humming sound deep in his throat. "Now caning is a lesson all on its own. But I guess if you feel ready to make that leap?"
Licking her lips, Madison nodded.
Connor's eyes narrowed. "Tell you what. Let's move over to the red room so Jamie can lie down. I think that'll allow you to have a better view of the technique to start with."
So they all moved over to the red room, which was the next pair of play and viewing rooms over. Jamie immediately went over to lie face down on the padded table. The cane was still in Madison's right hand, and she was surprised to find that it felt so natural there. Like an extension of her arm, not a tool designed to cause pain.
Connor grabbed two black towels from a hidden closet in the wall. The closet door was opened by gently pressing on it then quickly releasing it. Inside, Connor showed her the towels, spritz bottles of cleaning solutions, extra keys for the cuffs, organic coconut and essential oils, and a first aid kit.
She followed him over to Jamie on the table.
"But first, set down the cane. I'm going to show you how to spank someone bare handed."
Madison blinked up at Connor, aware for the first time how tall he was. "Bare handed? Why?"
"Because when you're working with a first-time client, the best way to prove you are a good Dom is to show your skills without using any toys at all."
Madison swallowed hard but nodded, circled the table, and stepped up to the table at Jamie's hips opposite from Connor. She set the cane down on the table beside Jamie.
Connor showed her how to cup her hands so she wouldn't hurt her palms, then the different ways to strike, from upward blows on a single cheek at a time, to spanking with two hands almost like playing a drum, to single-handed hits on what Connor called the sweet spot in the center.
"Why's that the sweet spot?" she asked, her hands warm and tingling from the strikes against Jamie's ass.
"Because when you hit here in an upward motion, it sends the vibrations to their penis or vagina," Connor said. "You can even make a sub come just from doing this enough."
Whoa.
"You think you're ready to move on to caning?" Connor asked.
Madison nodded.
Connor tugged Jamie's underwear down to reveal his bare butt cheeks.
Madison's lips parted in surprise.
Connor smiled. "You need to be able to see their bare skin during a caning session, to see how their skin is marking."
He talked about how different subs' skin might turn pink or red faster or slower, or hold the color longer or shorter depending on how often they received spankings and how tough their skin was.
Then he laid out the folded towel on Jamie's lower back.
She learned how to find Jamie's tail bone then position the towel to protect it so if she missed with the cane and struck him too high, she wouldn't accidentally hurt his tail bone. Connor repeated what Jamie had said during Kate's session about also avoiding the sides of the hips.
"Doesn't using the towel for protection show that I'm new to this?" Madison murmured.
"Actually, it makes you seem like a true pro," Connor said. "Because it shows that you're aware of the safe areas and unsafe areas to strike, and that you're intent on keeping your sub safe. An amateur might not even know about any of this, much less know to use a towel for protection."
Connor showed her how to hold the cane, with an emphasis on making sure that each strike of the cane hit the right area of Jamie's butt and both cheeks. He showed her how lunging her legs allowed her to control the angle of each strike so the cane landed parallel with his butt, instead of hitting him with the tip.
"Because just getting hit with the tip feels like a stinging needle injection kind of pain," Jamie said, his voice slightly muffled from being facedown against the padded table. He bent his arms, bringing his hands together and resting his forehead on the back of them. "The good strikes disperse the blow across both butt cheeks equally instead in just one tiny area."
"Here's what it should look like." Connor took the cane, got into position, waited for Madison to step clear, and then he struck Jamie's ass.
The sound of the cane cracking on his ass was shockingly loud, making Madison jump.
"Here's another pro tip," Connor said. "If you have them count out loud after each strike, and wait until they exhale before making each strike, you give them the subtle ability to sort of pace things to a level they can handle. And don't forget to have them thank you too. That's part of the role-playing appeal."
