“One … iced … tea,” he recited as he wrote on his notepad. “Would you like lemon with that?”
“Yes, please.”
“With … lemon,” he murmured as he wrote. “Okay. I’ll be back with your drinks.”
“Thank you, Damon,” Tabitha said.
I loved that she didn’t point out the obvious. I was sure that kid probably had some really shitty days because people could be impatient and cruel at times. Tabitha glanced out the window again before returning her gaze to me.
“I can’t believe Josh was a professional surfer,” she mused and smiled. “Did you ever see him surf?”
“I’ve seen him surf, but not when he did competitions.”
“Do you know if he still competes?”
“He doesn’t. He tweaked his back years ago.”
“Ah, that makes sense with his lower back,” she added.
I loved hearing that she remembered about Josh’s lower back hard limit. It had been a while since they’d had a session together, so her remembering that detail was encouraging she’d remember all of mine. This morning, I’d taken some time and wrote out some of what I’d now considered hard or soft limits. James had suggested to me a few days ago to start working on it when I wasn’t aroused or turned on. He’d said what I’d write down then would vary from what I’d write down if I was horny and turned on.
“I often see Sam with his hand on Josh’s lower back. Sometimes he’s lightly rubbing it and other times it’s just still,” Tabitha observed.
“Yeah, he has flare-ups every now and then. He has the pain managed with ibuprofen, and that works in conjunction with Sam.”
Both of us laughed quietly and looked at Damon when he’d approached.
“One iced tea … with lemon,” he said as he cautiously placed the glass down in front of Tabitha. A small smile tugged on my mouth as she politely accepted the wrong beverage. “And one Coke.” Damon placed the Coke in front of me and then put two straws on the table between us. “Would you like to place your order now, or would you like a few minutes to look over the menu?”
I raised my eyebrows and looked at Tabitha. I had been here plenty of times and always ordered the same thing. This was her first time coming here, and she had just opened the menu as we talked about Josh.
“Um, do you need a few minutes, Tabitha?” I asked.
“No, I’m all ready,” she said and closed the menu. “I’ll have the half rack of ribs with the french fries, please.” As Damon wrote on his notepad, she looked at me.
I was impressed she was able to order so quickly and that it was the same as my usual order.
“Make that two, please.” I pulled my eyes away from hers and looked at Damon.
“Got it. I’ll be back with some biscuits.” Damon collected the menus and left. As soon as he was far enough away, we switched glasses.
“You picked your food fast,” I pointed out. “But it’s the same thing I always get. It’s good, and you’ll love it.”
“I’m glad it has your seal of approval.” She sipped on her Coke and kept her hands off the table when Damon came back by with biscuits and small plates. “Thank you, Damon,” she said as he quietly left. “I took a look at the menu online once I knew where we were going tonight.” She smiled as she reached for a biscuit.
“You like to be prepared.”
“Of course. Working as an attorney has helped me to be organized and always prepared. Besides, I would much rather spend an evening talking to you instead of indecisively staring at a menu.” She winked at me.
“I like the fact that you take pride in being prepared. I can see how that trait is a necessity in your job, but also how helpful it would be in Oxygen.” I took a bite of my biscuit and washed it down with some iced tea. “If you don’t mind my asking, do you always prepare for sessions ahead of time?”
“If I know who I’m going to have a session with, I definitely think about it before I get to the club. If a particular type of session has been pre-arranged, I try to think of details as to what it might entail, including the safety and any certain needs of my bottom. For example, I’ll talk with the bottom ahead of time to get a feel for their personality, find out their safe word, and I’ll ask them about anything they think I should know.”
“That’s good. When you walk into a room, you already have some important things out of the way and aren’t in the dark.”
“I’m already taking someone into their dark corner. The more light I have on the situation, the better for both of us.”
“Like Josh,” I said as an example. Tabitha had had multiple sessions with Josh. “I know you’re able to meet his needs because he keeps coming back to you.”
