Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Meaning?”
“I fell in love.”
“So did I.”
“If I didn’t love you, maybe I’d be okay with taking you through all the steps of the lifestyle for the wrong reasons, but you mean more to me than that. I couldn’t do it. If it’s any consolation, ending things with you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
She scoffs softly. “You didn’t even do a very good job.”
“You’re right about that. I couldn’t let you go, Skye. I went running to your parents, hoping I could find some clue as to why you wanted the breath control so much. Then, once you arrived, you know the results. I couldn’t stay away.”
“Neither could I, obviously.”
“But I promised myself I wouldn’t take you back to the lifestyle until you could answer the question I posed. You see, Skye, the lifestyle isn’t about punishment, even though I will punish you from time to time. But it’s my choice to punish you. Not yours.”
“I understand all that, Braden.”
“I believe you’re beginning to.”
“Beginning to?”
“That’s not an insult. It’s just an accurate statement. You said yourself that this is a journey.”
“It is. I also think your lifestyle is a journey.”
“I don’t disagree. But it’s a journey I must have control over. I choose what we do, and you can then choose whether to consent to me or say no.”
“I understand. Truly. Perhaps I said those words before and didn’t actually understand, but now I do.”
I nod. “Then perhaps we’re ready to go back to the club.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The club. Black Rose Underground.
My haven.
So much more to share with her.
“What else is there at the club?” she asks, her voice coming out nearly breathless.
“Oh, Skye, there’s so much more. You’ve only been to the bondage room.”
She gulps. “What other rooms are there?”
“Some rooms are for light play only.”
“Light play?”
“Yes. Basic spanking, light bondage. For example, how I bound your wrists with my necktie at my office.”
“What’s bondage, then? Is it light play?”
“Bondage, other than light bondage, is heavy play. What you saw at the club is considered heavy play.”
“Especially the neck binding, right?”
“In my opinion, anything involving the neck is edge play.”
“What’s edge play?” she asks.
“Anything that involves a risk of physical or mental harm.”
“Mental harm?”
“Yeah. I steer clear of edge play, for the most part. It doesn’t interest me much. Most of it isn’t allowed at Black Rose Underground.”
“But I saw the breath control.”
“Not everyone considers breath control edge play, so I allow it, but all practitioners have to sign a special consent form before they can do it at my club.”
“I see. And I didn’t sign that form.”
“You didn’t, but it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t going to do it anyway.”
“Your hard limit.”
“Yes,” I say.
“What else is considered edge play?”
“Anything that draws blood.”
She gasps. “People actually do that?”
I nod. “Knife play, gun play, fire play. I don’t allow any of that.”
“Gun play? Fire play? People do that?”
I nod.
“Is that another hard limit for you?”
“I’ve already told you that I only have one hard limit, Skye.”
She nods.
She may still be intrigued by breath play, but she understands more about herself. And she’s accepted that it’s off-limits—at least with me.
“What other kind of heavy play is there at the club?”
“There’s suspension play. Flogging and caning. Animal fetishes.”
She drops her jaw. “You mean sex with animals?”
I laugh. “Of course not. Some people like to be led around like they’re animals. Horse play. Dog play. Things like that.”
She widens her eyes. “People do that? To each his own, I guess.”
“I take it you don’t want to try that.”
“Hard pass on that one.”
“Not a problem. It’s all up to you, Skye.”
“Do you…like that kind of play?”
“It’s not one of my favorites, but I’m not averse to it if it interests you.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Fair enough. There’s sensory deprivation. I’ve introduced you to that already on a minor scale. There’s also LARPing.”
“What’s LARPing?”
“Live Action Role Playing. It’s huge in the gaming community. The club takes it to a sexual level.”
“Meaning…”
“Like Superman having sex with Wonder Woman. Stuff like that. Sci-fi is big. Sex with aliens. That kind of thing.”
“So you have a room where…”
“Where you can watch people engaging in alien sex? Yeah. Except they’re not real aliens, of course. Some of the costuming is pretty elaborate, though.”
Her jaw drops again. “Oh. My. God.”
“I told you before that clothing is a fetish for some. So is costuming.”
“But not for you.”
“No. I prefer to be myself when I play. I’m Braden Black and no one else.”
“Good, because Braden Black is who I want to have sex with.”
“Anything sound intriguing to you?”
“What kind of things do you see in the LARPing room?”
I shake my head. “I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told you.”
“Can I see it?”
“Sure. The next time we go to the club. What else interests you?”
“Not LARPing. I’m just curious how that works, but I don’t want to do it myself. I prefer to be with you. As me.”