Author's note: This is not my first effort on this site, but it is my first in this category. Please provide feedback and criticism. I am always interested in all feedback, if for no other reason than to confirm that somebody's reading what I write.
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Mike stared at the computer just as he had for months, but tonight was different. Tonight the screen contained the private message he had been hoping to receive. He'd been trolling various BDSM oriented websites night after night and had finally hooked up with a woman; well he hoped it was a woman, who wanted to meet in-person. They'd been carrying on a conversation about their mutual interest in trying their hand at something new. Both were dissatisfied with the current state of their vanilla sex lives but neither was ready to open up to their partner about their desire to drift over the line experimentally. Each figured that an impersonal meeting with a stranger might be the best way to find out whether or not this fantasy was something worth pursuing.
Mike's sex life had degenerated to a regular once a week encounter with his live-in girlfriend, Annie. She seemed to be happy with their sex life; at least she hadn't complained. Both Mike and Annie were hard-working thirty-somethings who came home each night to their shared digs, had dinner together, and then quietly adjourned to their computers in their respective private spaces in the apartment. Mike spent his time in his "office" indulging his fantasies on BDSM websites. The thought of controlling a lover, of binding and immobilizing a beautiful woman while he explored and used her body made him stiff as a steel rod. Annie was beautiful, built, and very desirable, but he was afraid that if he tried to introduce his fantasies into their bedroom that she would end their relationship and in every other aspect of that relationship they were highly compatible. Unwilling to roll the dice, he kept his fantasies private. Annie's computer and desk were in the main living area of the apartment. For all he knew she spent her evenings updating her Facebook page or chatting with her girlfriends.
It was a simple matter to convince Annie that he was leaving town for the weekend on business. He did just that often, a half-dozen or more times a year. He'd rented a hotel room in one of the nicer hotels in the city just in case his hopes turned into reality. One weekend and he'd be done with it, he thought. Annie need never know. One and done. After that he'd address his concerns directly to her and their relationship in the bedroom would either change or they'd make their way separately. First he had to see if the reality of his fantasies was worth taking such a radical step.
Mike, in the person of Stephen" had told his on-line companion who went by the name of "Angelica" that he would be waiting in the hotel restaurant on Friday night at eight o'clock. He told her to look for a man sitting alone at a quiet table in the back. The table would have a centerpiece consisting of a pair of red roses. He would be sitting with his back to the room and if she still wanted to go ahead with it, she would come and sit silently at his table. From the moment she sat down, he had told her, she would be his to command. They had already discussed the nature of the trust and responsibility that each role player had in such encounters. "Angelica" had written that she understood the need for trust and for his part "Stephen" had assured her that he was a novice who just wanted to give it a try and that he was not some on-line predator looking for an easy score, or worse. He'd suggested that she leave some kind of note at home telling where she was, but not necessarily what she was doing, as a kind of security blanket. (They'd exchanged "LOL's" over that one.) She would always be free to leave if she lost trust or just got cold feet. All she had to do was to wear something sexy under her outfit. He would provide the rest.
Angelica walked into the restaurant at exactly eight as she had been instructed and quietly surveyed the room for her "date." After a few moments she saw a man sitting alone at a table in the back of the room. There were two red roses on the table as promised. It was the moment of truth. She hesitated, straightened her tight-fitting skirt, and strode towards the table, high heels clicking on the hardwood floor. She walked around the man in the chair, eyes down and sat down. She looked up and gasped. "Mike?" she blurted out in amazement.
Mike was as surprised as she was but retained his composure. After a moment or two of silence he looked across the table and as he gazed directly at Annie he spoke. "My name is Stephen," Mike said calmly. "You must be Angelique." His heart was racing but his face did not betray him. What the hell was Annie doing here, he thought to himself. "In another life my name might be Mike, but tonight I am Stephen. If you must know, you do bear a striking resemblance to a woman I know named Annie, a beautiful woman for whom I care very deeply. I was going to tell her about my interest in this alternative lifestyle just as soon as I had tried it out. This really is my first time. I intend to speak with her as soon as I get home, but tonight, I am interested in discovering a beautiful creature named Angelique. If you are no longer interested in my company, then you are free, as we agreed, to leave with my apologies for not being what you expected."
Annie was clearly having difficulty with her surprise encounter with "Stephen." She considered leaving, but remained seated. What would her leaving accomplish? She had taken a giant step even coming here in the first place. Choosing to leave would mean giving up all the psychological ground she had gained. She knew she was safe. The potential for real danger that this clandestine meeting had held was now completely gone. Mike, her boyfriend, sat three feet from her and continued to look directly at her. He seemed so confident. For a moment she imagined herself silently submitting to him, tied, naked, and helpless. What would he do to her?
She spoke. "I'm sorry, Stephen," she said quietly, looking down at the table as she imagined a submissive would do. She could feel his power radiating across the small table. "You too bear a strong resemblance to someone I love. Please forgive me my mistake. I am very pleased to meet you. Would you please order me a drink?" Very well, she thought to herself. Stephen it would be.