The bathroom was warm and cozy. The dim flames from the candles flickered on the walls creating a soft, erotic dance of light and dark. He stepped into the large, egg-shaped tub and held out his hand. I smiled, climbed in and, together, we sank into the warm water. He pulled me to him, my head resting on his chest. I could hear his heart beating and feel the breath moving in and out of his lungs. I could feel the water playfully nipping at the spots where he had gently struck me with the cat o' nine tails just a short while before.
"So what did you want to ask me?" his patient voice interrupted my steadily drifting thoughts.
"Well...I have a lot of questions," I begin with trepidation.
"That's fine. Let's take turns...you get one and I'll get one and we'll go back and forth. If we're going to do this we need to be totally truthful with one another."
"Agreed. For starters, how many women have you had here?"
"In this house? None. Truthfully. I've never brought a woman here before. Actually, I never expected to bring anyone here. This is my sanctuary, my safe space...it's the one place I figured I could never be found and didn't intend to compromise. Now my turn. With how many men have you been a submissive?"
"Just one, actually. For four years."
"Four years? Who was he?"
"Now, now...it's not your turn. Your question will have to wait." I could tell he was smiling and I felt a slight chuckle escape his body. "How many submissive have you had?"
"Let's see...all together...seven."
"Seven? Wow! Was your wife a submissive?"
"No. We had a different kind of intimacy and, of course, there was some kink. But she wasn't into the idea and I wasn't going to force it upon her. Plus...I didn't really have her for very long. The cancer came very suddenly and it seemed like it was all over within the blink of an eye."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."
"No...no. Honesty about all things. I'm sure we won't cover everything tonight, but we're off to a good start. Now my turn. Who was he?"
"The man who trained me. He taught me everything I know. After I was arrested in that heist, he came to me and offered me a deal. I work for his organization, do everything I'm told...no questions asked...and the charges go away. I was looking at a lot of years, so I couldn't really pass it up."
"Of course not. I'm glad you didn't or we never would have met. Did you love him?"
"No."
"In four years as his submissive, you didn't love him?"
"Sex and love don't always go hand in hand. I respected him. I feared him." I could feel him tense up a bit beneath me. Something about my answer made him uncomfortable.
"You feared him? You should never fear your dominant. That's not a healthy relationship. I would never want you to fear me."
"I never said it was healthy. I also shouldn't have been put into a position of becoming a submissive to the man responsible for my freedom in general. But things happened the way they happened. Now...my turn again since you just asked me several questions." He wrapped his arms around me and playfully rocked me side to side as I said, "And your submissives? Did you love them?"
"I had feelings for them. I would say a few were love. I wasn't in love with them. I loved my wife. And, as I've already told you, I'm madly in love with you. But I had strong feelings of caring and affection toward them, as I think is natural with many intimate relationships that last over a period of time. Casual is casual, of course, but these weren't that. How did it start...your relationship with him -"
"Easton...his name was Easton."
"Easton. Rings a bell," He paused. "How did your relationship with Easton start?"