5 Nights (Sinful Delights Romance - Boxed Set) (22 page)

She liked the feeling of knowing his arm was behind her.  "So one visit to a dungeon and you were hooked?" He didn't seem like an impulsive man, her eyes rested on his face questioningly.

"Let's just say that dungeon really impressed me. I spent two years there as a patron.  When I moved back here, there wasn't a club like it.  So after working for my father for seven years, I'd really gotten tired of having groups of people over at my house, and decided to create something that could be used for the public."

The thought of him having a dungeon here was intriguing, if not a little frightening.  "You didn't like sharing your private space then?"  She had no idea what that was
like, but couldn't say she'd feel very comfortable having a group of people bombarding her personal space.

"It wasn't so much that I didn't like it, I consider myself very sociable, but I enjoy having personal space as well.  It just made more sense to give something back to the community that embraced me.  With Sensation's it's easier to offer access during longer periods of times, and it grew beyond anything I'd expected."  The surge of people exploring the lifestyle had grown beyond his imagination, and since it was no longer such a taboo subject, he expected even more growth in the future.

She wasn't sure why she was so fascinated with this subject, but she felt comfortable now.  Pulling her feet up under her on the coach, she smiled. "You seem so relaxed when you talk about this?  When you first started doing all these things, weren't you nervous?"

His response was delayed when Louise entered the room with a tray of snacks and a pitcher of sweet tea.  "Thank you Louise," the woman truly was one of the few constants in his life, he thought to himself.

"You're welcome, now if you young people don't need me, I think I'll retire for the night." 

Louise had definitely picked up the Southern drawl over her years here, and mixed with the Irish brogue, it was quiet charming to him.  "I think we can manage Louise, enjoy your evening."

"It was very nice to meet you," Jessie gave a smile.

"Very nice to meet you, young lady," with a small wave of her hand, Louise left them to enjoy their night.

"She really seems like a good woman," Jessie commented as they were left alone once again. 

"She is, Louise has been with me since I was a child, and kept me in line more than my own father at times."  He chuckled.  "But back to your other question, yes I was nervous in the beginning.  I had no idea what I was doing, and at first I thought this was just a way to get women to do things I wanted." 

He saw her eyes widen at his comment and chuckled loudly. "Believe me I've discovered a wealth of information since those days.  As a young man I just didn't know enough to consider how this could be more than just sex or bossing people around."

She wanted to ask about his father, but was fascinated by the insight into the man sitting before her too.  She reasoned that maybe taking his mind off the other might help him more.  "So you don't boss people around anymore?" Raising an eyebrow she grinned.

"Oh believe me I can be very bossy," he grinned, "but I channel it to help the submissive, instead of just being an overbearing bully.  That's how I see some of these people entering the lifestyle today and honestly it just makes me angry.  There's nothing worse to me than a man who enjoys demeaning women calling himself a dominant."  It was another reason he considered stepping out of the public lifestyle.  Too many posers these days.

"I don't get it, isn't that the entire point of tying them up or bending them to your will?" 

"Not in my world now, when I choose a submissive, it's because I know I can offer her something in return for giving me her gift, and I'm not talking materialistically.  Say for instance with you, if you were my submissive I would help you gain more confidence."

She was that easy to read, she frowned at the thought.  "Why do you think I lack confidence?"

"It's in the way you look at your hands or feet during a conversation, and how you slouch your shoulders."  He hoped he wasn't offending her, but she did ask.  "You're a beautiful woman Jessie, when you walk into any room, you should know that and be proud of who you are."

Being told she slouched didn't make her feel very good, but his compliment to her beauty was nice.  "So I'm a sloucher?" Giving a little smirk, she wondered if he realized how rude it was to say that.

Throwing his head back he laughed deeply.  "No I said you slouched, but that doesn't make you a sloucher to me, it just means you need to gain a little more confidence in your appearance."

"So you would teach me how to have more confidence.  How would you do that?"  She wasn't going to argue the fact.  She knew she didn't feel good about herself. 

"I'd probably make you walk around naked in my dungeon downstairs every single time we met here until you realized how beautiful you are in my eyes." He gave a wink, wondering how she was going to deal with his comment.

The thought of doing that made her heart fall into her stomach and she could only stare at him.  To say the very
least he was blunt.  "You're joking right?"  When she was finally able to find her voice, she had to know the truth.

"No Jessie, I'm not joking at all.  If a woman can prance around naked in front of her lover, then she should have no problem walking around confident when she's clothed."

"What other things would you do, hypothetically speaking of course, if I were your submissive?"  Did she really want to know the answer?  Being naked all the time was already a deal breaker,
wasn't it
?

"I'd really have to think about it Jessie, but I'd discover all your weaknesses and help you rise above them.  To me that's what being a true dominant is really about."

"So once you had accomplished everything you wanted with a submissive, then what, it's over?"  She really didn't understand how any of this worked for him.

"The submissive's in my past have been ones I've trained for others, so a permanent relationship has been out of the question."  Again, he thought of having someone in his life on a long term basis. "But I'd like to think that none of us ever stop learning Jessie, so you never truly finish." 

"So it's not about the sex to you?"  She found that a little difficult to believe, the man was obviously gorgeous, and he had to have needs.

"It's not 'just' about the sex Jessie.  Don't get me wrong, the sexual aspect of this is mind blowing.  For the submissive it takes away all the worries about doing the wrong thing, which I personally believe inhibits women from enjoying sexuality to its greatest potential.  And sure, I enjoy being in complete control of the situation. Knowing that I decide
whether or not my submissive finds sexual gratification is a huge turn on for me." 

She was trying to digest all he was saying and honestly it wasn't as frightening to her as he explained it more.  The thought of a male taking control in the bedroom wasn't a turn off at all.  "But the whole pain aspect, I know you said it was something you worked up to, but what's the point?"

"The pain isn't truly painful.  I know that's a little hard to understand for someone who hasn't experienced it.  Of course again that depends on the two people in the relationship."

She really didn't have any idea what he was talking about, and she glanced at him questioningly.  "Pain is not painful, that seems like a complete oxymoron?"

Chuckling at her response, he tried to explain. "You could ask any dominant what his definition of a BDSM relationship means, and it would probably be different in some way.  There are those that just enjoy pain for pains sake.  I just don't subscribe to that and like to deal more with the bondage and the relationship side of the equation, and focus on the pleasure aspects.  Now I will say punishment does have its uses in this though, and I don't think that part of it is usually pleasurable."

"I'm confused again sorry, so the punishment is actually painful? Why would you punish someone if you truly cared about them?" She leaned over and rested her elbows on her knees then rested her face in her palms.

Sitting back more comfortably on the couch, he considered how to word this so she would understand his perspective.  "People are usually motivated to do the right thing when there is a negative consequence hanging in the balance.  For example most people finish their work on time, because knowing if they don't it could result in them being fired.  With punishment and this type of lifestyle, say I wanted you to learn a certain type of behavior because I knew it would help you in life and you were having trouble remembering what I was asking you to do, punishment could be a quick reminder." 

"I can understand completing a task on time and being reprimanded, but being scolded by your lover? That sounds a little like a parental relationship."

He laughed out loud at her description.  "Trust me Jessie, if I had you draped over my knee the last thing you'd be thinking about was me in a father capacity."  He could actually imagine having her that way and fought to keep that image closed off.

Thinking about it, she couldn't really picture herself seeing him in that capacity either.  "So you punish your lover.  Don't you worry that she'll just get mad and make you sleep on the couch?"  Imagining him spanking her wasn't really as frightening as it should be.  In fact it gave her heart a little flutter.

He was glad she was discussing this.   He noticed how calm she was, that was more than pleasing.  "That's the real difference between this and say a normal relationship Jessie, at least in my world.  Where a couple in a vanilla relationship would probably go to bed angry with each other after screaming out all their frustrations or refusing to discuss them at all, with this that's just not an option."

"Being open and honest from the beginning, teaches both parties how to communicate with each other.  With some of the toys or other implements we use, being anything less than completely honest can not only be painful, but also dangerous.  The point is everything is done for pleasure, but while discovering what truly pleasures a submissive you are learning also about their limits."

She still wasn't sure she completely understood his reasoning, even if some of it made sense.  "So what do you really get out of this Chase?"  It was well and good to discuss what he liked to think he could offer a submissive, but there had to be something he took away as well.

"Outside of making sure that I help my submissive find pleasure, I teach her ways to please me.  I know that may sound strange Jessie, but imagine having every need you had fulfilled, how do you think you'd respond to the man responsible for opening your eyes to that?"

She stopped to consider what he was saying.  "I guess knowing how hard he worked to please me, I'd probably want to give back in the same way."  It did make sense in some strange way she'd never thought to consider before.

"Exactly, that's what makes this type of relationship truly work.  Yes, the submissive gives the gift of submission to the dominant, but in return she discovers passion in herself that she may have never discovered without his guidance.  So being an egotistical alpha male really doesn't fit the definition
of a true dominant.  The dominant does control the situation, but if he's not pleasing his submissive, he won't have one for long to dominate."

It seemed so much simpler than she'd originally thought when reading this in her romance novels.  Everything she had read about showed these men with troubled pasts and their need to be in control of everything to make their lives more meaningful.  With Chase it just seemed like he wanted a partnership that was based on two people giving each other different gifts and complimenting each other's lives.

"Would you like to take a tour of my personal dungeon?" All this talk about his lifestyle had him thinking about sharing it with her. The blunt question was as much of shock to him as he was sure it was to her.

She was admittedly curious about his dungeon, and nodded.  "As long as you promise to let me leave once you have me all alone down there.   I would love to see it."  Grinning at her own joke, she stood up ready for the tour.

"I don't know Jessie, locking you in my dungeon is more than a little tempting we'll have to see." Taking her hand in his, he walked her out of the living room to the basement door.  "Are you sure you trust me to let you leave later?"  He couldn't help joking around with her since she made the comment about being locked up first.

Smiling at him, she nodded.  Oddly enough she wasn't nervous as they made their way down the long flight of stairs.  It definitely wasn't the dark gloomy space she'd expected, and while some of the furniture was a little strange
to her, lit with soft lights it appeared warmer, and more inviting than the room at the club.

"Most of these things you saw at Sensation's.  I do like to think that my equipment here is a little less basic."  He'd decorated the dungeon with the things he enjoyed playing with and left out some of the things that didn't appeal.  It had a cross, spanking beach, and exam table, and then of course the suspension bars.  He actually preferred the softer wool-lined cuffs if he was playing personally, but those didn't work well in the dungeon at Sensation's.

"I do believe a little payback is in order for letting you shackle me to the cross."  He gave a playful smirk, and motioned to the cross.  "Don't worry.  I'll let you leave your clothes on, this time."  Laughing at her shocked expression, he shook his head.  "Nothing will happen here that you don't want Jessie."