Page 19 of Axe Marks the Spot

“I know, I just really like my nuts.”

My cheek twitches as I hear the exasperated nurse or doctor reply, “I know, but you can’t eat them because you’ll keep ending up here in the ER. I’m going to get you something for the pain; I’ll be right back.”

As we pass the room, the woman who I can now see is a nurse pops out from behind the curtain in evergreen scrubs that hug her curvy body. She pulls her phone out from her pocket and starts to walk toward us while typing something on it.

I know she’s going to touch me before it happens. Her arm brushes mine, and she apologizes without looking up. My steps don’t falter as I look back.

I’ve seen that brown hair with blond highlights before. She’s the woman I ran into yesterday at the games.

“Hey, was that Lindsey?” Levi asks the nurse pushing his wheelchair.

Lindsey. LC with a heart. [email protected].

“Yeah, that was her. Poor thing has her hands full with the ER today. Must be a full moon,” the older nurse says with a chuckle to herself.

I look back over my shoulder again, but she’s no longer in my sight. Well, damn. What a coincidence that Lindsey, my possible client Lindsey, is the woman who ran into me yesterday. That she’s also a nurse and I’m here on a day that she’s working seems serendipitous, too.

The back of my neck prickles as I remember the way her body felt against mine at the games, how her nipples responded to our closeness. Now her comments about my nose make sense. That’s what she recognized.

I wonder if she put it together after the alcohol cleared from her system and if she’ll say anything. If Levi figured me out, she could easily if she looked at more than my nose yesterday. The peony and sparrow tattoos on my neck along with my silver-and-dark-brown beard aren’t exactly easy to forget, especially if you’re watching my videos like she was. But she didn’t exactly take time to study my attributes yesterday.

Though I sure as hell noticed hers.

The doors of the hospital slide open, and we step into the warm early evening air. I tell Levi I’ll go grab the car, leaving him with the nurse while I walk away. I pull out my phone and see I have a new email notification.

Lindsey C

Re: Re: Questions (This is WhyAmIHere33)

Okay, I want to work with you. What is the next step?

A grin spreads on my face.

It occurs to me that taking on a client who lives and works in my town puts my anonymity at risk. But besides this kids’ program I agreed to do, my weekly grocery run, rare bank stops, and the dinner I pick up at the diner on Sunday evenings, I don’t come into town.

Then there is the little fact that I find myself attracted to her. If I were to describe my type, Lindsey is it, and one thing I do not do is fall for my clients. I’ve had some people say they wanted to hire me to help them with their daily lives only to reveal later they had hopes of starting a sexual or long-term relationship with me. I ended those dynamics immediately. Because as I told Lindsey, I do not offer sex as a service, virtual or otherwise.

This boundary keeps professional lines in place. Sex can muddy the waters, especially when a relationship is virtual. It’s harder to read people’s physical cues and emotions. It can make people mistake arousal for trust as well, and when your entire dynamic is built through a screen, the last things you need are blurred lines and broken boundaries.

Besides all that, my online persona is sexual, which can further confuse things. My Loopr account is an outlet for me, a way for me to explore that sexual part of myself and another source of income beyond my Domming services. It’s why I’m very clear with my potential clients about what I offer and what I don’t. Beyond that, I create content that explains my two sides to my audience so I’m not misleading anyone.

The weight of my phone in my hand is noticeable as I look up at the hospital’s façade, imagining the voluptuous brunette inside.

I don’t know much about Lindsey, but sometimes I get a sense about people just from the questions they ask. And after putting together our run-in yesterday and seeing her minutes ago, I truly do think she needs what I have to offer. No matter what happens from here, I’m going to make sure she gets the support she needs.

And the attraction? I can manage it. It’s not like we’ll see each other again. This will be just like all my other virtual D/s dynamics.

8

Lindsey

THE SOUND OF MY phone pinging jolts me from sleep. You’d think my body thought a murderer was in the house with the way I sat up on the couch, heart beating rapidly in my chest. But no, no murderer. I’ve been on edge since I emailed DomInTheWoods, waiting for him to email me back.

I check the time—I’ve only been asleep for fifteen minutes, which explains why I feel so groggy. I got home from work and plopped down on the couch, too tired to do anything else.

My shift felt longer than usual with my lingering hangover. Not only that, we were busy tonight, and every free moment that I did have, my mind wasn’t on work.

Prior to my shift, I journaled vigorously on the questions he’d sent me. With each stroke of pen to paper, I discovered things about myself that I’d never even thought about. Like the fact that I personally enjoy when I earn approval, awards, or praise.