“I haven’t ruled it out.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “Bad sign.”
“Is it?”
“In my experience, yes.”
Julia glanced toward the door. “And what experience would that be?”
“Watching people spend twenty minutes standing in the foyer trying to decide if they want to stay.”
Despite herself, she smiled. “How does it usually play out?”
“I’d say 80/20.”
“That many run?”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “That many stay. Making it through the door is the hard part. Then curiosity, optimism, and usually pure stubbornness take over.”
That last one earned a soft laugh.
“First time here?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
His smile softened. “I remember mine.”
She doubted that but appreciated the effort. He didn’t crowd her space or immediately ask what she was into. They talked for a few minutes instead. About the weather. Traffic on the way in. The house. Nothing particularly important.
It was easy. Comfortable. He carried himself like someone comfortable in the lifestyle and familiar with rooms like this.
Not Leland.
The thought arrived uninvited.
But then, nobody was.
The awkward silence finally arrived.
“So. We both know why everyone came here. Interested in a scene? I’ll take care of you.”
She didn’t entirely believe him but nodded.
They negotiated bondage, no blindfold, nothing too extreme. Her hard limits tonight were no sex and her panties stayed on.
He agreed. Maybe too quickly.
He led her to a corner of the room and had her kneel on the soft mat spread out on the floor. Soon she was bare except for her skimpy black panties. He cuffed her wrists behind her then rolled her onto her side and cuffed her ankles. Her pulse picked up. She’d never been in a hogtie before.
“Anything pinching or binding?” he asked, almost as an afterthought.
She took a moment. Nothing felt strained. “I’m okay right now, sir.”
“Excellent,” he murmured. “We’ll get started.”
Julia frowned. What had they been doing up to this point if not starting?
He dangled a pair of tweezer clips attached to a chain in front of her. No biggie. She’d worn clovers before and didn’t object.
