A Subtle Fire

I wasn't in the habit of answering personals ads but this one had caught my eye. Firstly, who even writes personal ads in the local newspaper anymore? These days those pages are filled with thinly veiled escort services or phone sex lines all vying for attention. Secondly, the ad stuck out, not for its boldness, but for its subdued undercurrent of impropriety. Ten low key words in 8 point Times Roman amid a sea of all-caps and exclamation points:

"resolute woman seeks cooperative man for discrete and restrained relationship."

The only nod to the modern world was the inclusion of a nondescript email address.

Every word had been carefully weighed but the message was crystal clear: here was someone looking for a bondage sub. The use of the word discrete suggested to me that she was either in a vanilla relationship or her job required her to keep her public and private lives neatly compartmentalised, perhaps a teacher or a doctor. That could also explain why she was advertising in the local paper instead of hooking up at one of the bdsm haunts in town.

I understood. At that time I was dating my long term girlfriend, a ridiculous term when you're both in your forties. Both of us were happy living apart and having our own space so marriage was never on the cards. We had a happy, affectionate relationship and the sex was still great after all the years of knowing one another. We'd fooled around a few times with tying each other up, bought a couple of blindfolds and a toy cat 'o nine tails but she was never really into it. It just wasn't her thing and I was content with that. Or so I thought.

Seeing the ad changed everything. It made me remember why I'd wanted us to try the bondage play in the first place: I loved that feeling of helplessness and loss of control when tied up and disciplined. I think that's what had turned my girlfriend off. She couldn't understand why someone would want what I was asking for and she couldn't bring herself to actually hurt me. I remembered that we'd quarrelled, made up by screwing our brains out and got on with our lives. I'd buried the feelings out of reach. Until now.

I knew I had to email this "resolute" woman straight away. I introduced myself as Tim and addressed her as Mistress making it clear that I thought I could be the right man for her needs but that I was new to the scene and basically had no idea what I was doing. She replied the next day enquiring about me and my desires. It just felt natural to open up my deepest feelings to her even though she was a complete stranger. We seemed to hit it off and spent the next few weeks exchanging more and more intimate emails.

Finally our email conversations got to the point where she extended an invite for me to visit her in person and prove that I was worthy to serve her by taking the first in a series of tests. She gave me an address and told me to expect the "scene" to start as soon as I entered the door. She asked me for a safe word so she would know when I'd truly taken all I could bear and in a slight panic at what that might really mean I randomly chose peach, having just eaten one during lunch. It seemed to amuse her since she signed off with the instruction to arrive on Friday at 9pm exactly followed by a peach and hand clap emoji.

At the time I didn't really consider that there could be an effect on my existing relationship. I didn't feel like anything had changed between us. We still met up, ate together, shared jokes, watched tv, sniffled through sad movies and fucked like we always had. We'd never declared our relationship to be exclusive but as far as I knew we had both been basically monogamous throughout our time together. On occasion one or other of us had flirted with someone else at a club or, in my girlfriend's case, had some intimate close contact dancing but usually we'd laugh about it next time we met and then make out if the story was steamy enough.

Older me, looking back now, is shaking my head at how naive I was. My only excuse is that at the time I assumed it would be a one off and I'd be done, having scratched that itch.

On the Friday I met up with some old friends from a previous job for a couple of drinks, mainly in the name of Dutch courage, but at 8:30 I left them in the bar and made my way to the address I'd been given. It turned out to be a very expensive apartment in a renovated warehouse. I pressed the entry intercom button and said clearly "it's me" into the microphone. She buzzed me in and then finally I stood at the door to the apartment, butterflies tumbling inside me in anticipation.

I'd dressed smartly but neutrally in a blue shirt, chinos and chelsea boots figuring that I'd probably be losing them within the first ten minutes anyway. I had no idea what she looked like or what she would be wearing. I took a few deep breaths and knocked on the door. I heard footsteps approach, unmistakably high heels on a wooden floor, and the door opened.

She was a few inches shorter than me, perhaps 5'10, but that was with the advantage of the 4" high heels she wore. Her legs and body were toned like a dancer's with firm, strong thighs and flat belly. Fishnets led the eye upwards to a black lace-up bodysuit made of a slick material that pressed and lifted her small boobs together. Her arms were bare apart from a tattoo of a chinese dragon that led down from one shoulder. Her left hand held a riding crop, waiting at her side.

But it was her face that made me catch my breath. She was naturally very pretty, wearing the bare minimum of makeup to accentuate her eyes and cheeks. She had a round face peppered with freckles and an enchanting smile. Short jet black hair cut into a bob framed her features perfectly. She could easily have passed for thirty even though I knew she was closer to fifty.

I barely had time to register this before she ordered me inside.

"Stand there," she said, indicating with the riding crop. "Feet apart and hands behind your back. Don't look at me unless I give you permission."

I complied, feeling nervously excited. She closed the door and I heard her turn the lock, sealing us in.

"Do you remember your safeword?"

"Yes Mistress, it's peach."

"Yes, peach, so apt," she said with amusement in her voice. "When will you use your safeword?"

"When I can't bear it any more." I replied.

She swung the crop and it stung me on the side of the face and I cried out without thinking. It was only later, when I understood how practiced she was with the crop, that I knew she'd controlled the position and force to perfection.

"You will always address me as Mistress."

"Yes Mistress, I won't forget in future."

"When will you use your safeword?"

"When I can't bear it any more Mistress," I repeated correctly.

"When you can't bear what?"

"The pain Mistress."

"Yes," she replied. "Use your safeword when the pain is unbearable or if you find the situation too intense. I will stop and give you time to recover yourself or bring it to a close. Don't be afraid to use it."

"Thank you Mistress."

"Do you know why you are here?"

"To prove myself worthy of serving you Mistress"

"And if you fail to prove yourself worthy?"

"I will cease all contact and will never see you again Mistress." We had discussed this by email in the run up to tonight.

"Correct. Now strip and place your clothing by the front door. You won't need it until you leave."

I kicked off my shoes and socks, removed my shirt and trousers leaving my boxer briefs on for the moment. I folded everything and placed them on the floor beside the door. Steeling myself I removed my briefs and stood back in place with my hands behind my back, naked in front of a woman other than my girlfriend for the first time in many years.

I felt her critical gaze on me even though I could only see her feet. Self consciously I held my stomach in. I wasn't fat but my body lacked definition and in comparison to her glowing toned skin I felt pasty and flabby.

The tip of the riding crop touched my arm and then tapped firmly against my chest.

"When was the last time you exercised?" she asked

"I haven't exercised for a while, Mistress," I said, "I used to do some weights but I got out of the habit."

"If you pass tonight's test then I shall expect you to exercise properly. Your body will belong to me and you will not disrespect my property by treating it like this."

"Yes Mistress."

The crop moved around my body touching and patting various parts until she tapped it on my penis which twitched in response. She lifted it up on the riding crop, moving it this way and that to check it over. I felt my face redden.

"Uncut... interesting," she said

She flicked her wrist again and whacked my penis twice with the tip of the crop. I gasped at the sudden pain.

"On your knees now," she snapped. "Face against my shoe."

I folded up onto my knees, grateful for the protection it offered my penis although acutely aware that my rear end and balls were now exposed. I pressed my nose and lips against the leather toe of her shoe. The crop tapped its way across my body, a little dance down my back and along my side sending shivers down my spine. She pulled her foot away and I heard her walk behind me followed by the feel of the crop against my buttocks. It tapped rhythmically and then slid down to rest against my hanging balls. I tensed myself, prepared for an explosion of pain. I felt a bead of sweat drip down my forehead and along my nose.

"I could have you crying for mercy in thirty seconds," she said flatly. "Your whole body is shaking. Are you sure you're strong enough to serve me?"

"I am Mistress, I want it more than anything."

I felt the crop leave my balls and I braced as best I could. I heard it swish through the air and I heard myself cry out. There was no pain. She brought the crop to rest against my scrotum again.

"I haven't even started yet and look at you whimpering on the floor. I don't think you're cut out for this at all. You should get your clothes and leave."

I felt her step away but I didn't dare lift my head to see where she was. I processed what I'd heard. She hadn't ordered me to leave. She was testing me, giving me one last chance to step back to my vanilla life. Red pill or blue pill.

"Please give me a chance to show you that I can do this Mistress. I've wanted it my whole life and I don't want to throw away this one opportunity I have to be my true self. I'm scared, yes, but it's because I'm on the brink of a chasm and I don't know how deep it goes. Mistress, please guide me and I will forever be devoted to you."

She made no sound. I knelt there in the unbearable silence.

"Please... Mistress" I murmured.

Then I heard her approach me and the crop was under my chin lifting my head up to look at her. She towered over me but our eyes met and held for a long moment.

"You may stay," she said. "Take a shower and clean yourself thoroughly. There is a razor and cream in the bathroom which you will use to remove all your body and facial hair. I want no trace remaining. Use the oil after. Then return to me and await my instruction."

She turned and walked through the door at the end of the hallway, closing it behind her.

Shaved? I wasn't especially hairy and apart from my face I'd never shaved any part of my body before. I'd watched women do their legs and arms before and even helped my girlfriend shave her pussy one time, but I'd never had a blade that close to my sensitive areas before.

Still, I'd just resolved to see this through so there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to hunt down and shave every hair I could find. It was going to take some explaining when I next saw my girlfriend but I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.

In the event shaving my legs, arms, chest and shoulders was easy. I managed my armpits with only a small nick and subsequently spent quite a lot of time easing the razor around my cock and balls. I had no idea how to do my ass and ended up bent double on my side looking between my legs at myself in the mirror. But in the end I thought it looked great. I took a shower, washed everything twice then applied baby oil to all the areas I'd shaved. She'd left me a toothbrush which I used and by the time I left the bathroom I was pink, glistening and minty fresh.

I entered the door at the end of the hallway and found myself in a large open space which contained a kitchen area at one end, a bed at the other and a seating area in between. The windows were enormous, rising from floor to ceiling and offering a view of another darkened building opposite, perhaps an office. Huge wooden ceiling beams ran across the room about eight foot from the ground. The wall to my left was entirely covered by a mirror that in daylight would have made the large space seem vast.

The room was subtly lit by a combination of small lamps and a ring of candles on a coffee table. My Mistress sat on one of the long couches with her legs up on the seat. With a flourish she drained the champagne glass she held in one hand and, sliding her beautiful stockinged legs along the couch, stood up.

"Stand by the mirror," she ordered. "Hands behind head, legs apart, eyes forward."

I did so and saw myself in the flickering candle light: more naked than I had ever been before. She approached me, standing close.

"This is your presentation position," she said. "When I tell you to present you should stand like this."

"Yes Mistress," I replied, feeling the excitement of her presence.

Her hand slid down my chest feeling my smoothness. She touched my armpit and then felt along my arms, seeming satisfied. She stood directly behind me, her breath on my neck. Her hand came around me and touched my hip. I could feel, and thanks to the mirror, see myself stiffen at her touch. I could see her behind me watching my erection grow in the mirror as she slid her hand over my smooth crotch. She took hold of my balls and rolled them across her hand.

Then she grasped my shaft, still slick from the oil. She slid her hand slowly along my length and grasped the end. Then she pulled back my foreskin to reveal the engorged head of my cock, smiling as though she had a new toy to play with. Her free hand travelled the length of my body feeling my smoothness while she continued to massage my cock back and forth agonisingly slowly.

I groaned in pleasure and a small drop of precum appeared at the tip of my cock. She caught it with her thumb and rubbed it over my sensitive head.

"Does that feel good?" she was whispering to me.

"Yes Mistress," I sighed.

"Tell me how good you feel."

"I feel so good Mistress. Your hand wrapped around my cock feels so tight and warm. Every movement you make sends shocks of pleasure through my cock and into my balls."

"I know you want to come, don't you?" she said as the hand on my cock sped up its movement.

"I do Mistress. You're turning me on so much, I just need to come."

"I'm not sure you should yet," she breathed, kissing the back of my neck. "What if I let you come and then you can't get hard for me later when I need you inside me?"

"I can do it, I can be hard for you Mistress. I'll always be hard for you." My knees were feeling weak at the thought of her hot pussy enveloping my cock.

"I don't want you to disappoint me," she said quietly, "But you're so close aren't you?"

"Yes Mistress. I'm very close."

"I bet if I put my soft red lips around your stiff cock right now you'd come straight onto my tongue wouldn't you?"

"Yes Mistress. Oh my god, I can't hold it back Mistress" I groaned.

Abruptly her hand was gone and she took hold of my arms instead to prevent me from reaching down and finishing what she had started. I cried out in anguish, my chest tight and my breathing ragged. All the while I could see her in the mirror smiling behind me as my cock throbbed, eager for release.

Eventually the feelings subsided and I relaxed a bit, aware that she had left me momentarily. When she returned she was carrying a metal bar with straps at either end and a long length of red rope.

She knelt at my feet and fastened the straps around each ankle so my legs were spread wide by the bar. I was very aware that my rock hard cock was right next to her face as she worked. She looked at it and wiped a long trail of precum off before kissing it gently on the tip.

"Mmmm," she said sexily and stood up with the rope in her hands.

"Put your hands together here," she said, indicating the space between us. I did as she said and she swiftly tied my wrists together by looping the rope around each one several times and then threading the long end between them to bind them close. Later I learned that this was a simple double column tie, one of the basic knots in her repertoire.

She took the free end of the rope and threw it up and over one of the beams above, pulling down until my hands were lifted above my head. She adjusted the position and tied the end to the knot on my wrists so I couldn't move them back down.

"How does that feel?" she asked when she judged she was done.

It didn't feel too bad. My feet were flat on the ground but my arms were stretched above me so that bending my knees slightly would cause my weight to taken by my wrists. "I'm comfortable Mistress, although I don't know how long I can keep my arms like this before they start to ache."

"Good. I think you'll be able to hold the position long enough."

I studied myself in the mirror. My legs were spread wider than my shoulders and my cock thrust obscenely out from my hairless crotch. My body looked taut with my arms held above me, tied off by the beautiful red rope. I felt vulnerable and afraid of what was going to happen next.

I had my answer soon enough. She sashayed toward me holding a leather flogger at her side. It was about thirty inches in length in total consisting of a solid handle and about two dozen leather strips that swung sensual shapes as she walked.

She held it up before me, extending it between her two hands.

"Since this is your first time I will be using a low intensity flogger on your back. The tails are made of lighter leather which reduces their impact," she explained. "Be assured though that you will feel this even though the tails are thin. See how long they are? That means they move faster through the air and will sting when they land."

She dragged the tails across my chest, brushing them against my stiff nipples. Tingles of erotic energy shivered through me. Then the leather was scratching across my throat and she held the flogger up to my lips. I kissed it automatically and I could see it pleased her. She moved closer to me and led the tails down my hips and across my crotch. I could feel her breasts pressing up against me as she reached up and kissed me. My heart exploded with the feel and taste of her. My tongue pressed against her lips but she denied me access and pulled back.

Her hand took hold of my straining cock and stroked it slowly in a tight grip.

"Did the leather feel good against your skin?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"It holds a secret flame within it. Did you feel its heat?"

"I did, Mistress."

"You need to feel it burn against your body don't you?"

I nodded. My throat was dry.

"I will unleash the subtle fire inside you..."

I could barely speak any more. I was on the edge once more and she knew it.

"Are you ready?"

"Please Mistress..."

"Watch. Feel."

She removed her hand from me and it felt like she'd taken a part of my soul with her. She took up a stance behind me, one leg forward, her arm holding the flogger behind her and to the side. The flickering candlelight played shadows over her skin. She flicked her arm up and the leather tails flew into view.

I saw them strike before I felt them. I was disconnected somehow as though I was watching someone else through a window. Then the sting of two dozen tiny whips reverberated down the right half of my back and I swung against the rope holding my wrists.