Note: Revised version to remove unintended repetition of text between chapters.
Saturday afternoon, Chloe texted to thank me for picking up the tab and for exceeding expectations. She mentioned that not just Katie, but all three of her friends had asked for my phone number - which I wasn't sure I believed. I responded that was fine with me, not expecting anything to come of it. I ran some errands, read a bit and then headed to the bar, which was mostly empty at 5. Just how I liked it.
"Well, if its not the ladies man."
"Very funny Jack. Just give me a drink without the commentary, ok?"
"No, really, how did you end up at a table with those 4? They come in all the time, but no one ever gets close - they really shut the boys down."
"Considering your clientele, that shows their good taste. I met the redhead at a coffee shop" - did I mention that Chloe was a redhead - "learning about microbiology while she pretends to be interested in my views on modern history, having lived through most of it. Never met any of her friends before."
"The blonde seemed to cozy up to you. And weren't you talking about bondage when you were at the bar?"
"Well, Chloe has an active imagination, and I didn't always live in a small town - so sometimes she likes to ask about when I was more interesting. I may have issues with appropriate boundaries, as you know. And I guess Katie was just tired and I was sitting next to her. Maybe I remind her of her grandfather?" We laughed.
"You know their names? More than most get out of them."
"Well, it would be rude to sit with people for that long and not at least introduce ourselves. Drink?"
I read some news on my phone - well, tried to read. I was really thinking about last night and how odd and exhilarating it had been. I mean, Chloe added to my life, but even though we genuinely enjoyed each other's company, I knew ours was a transactional relationship. There were boundaries. But I had a strange feeling a line had been crossed, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Excited? Scared? Confused?
"Howdy - I had a feeling I'd find you here." And there was Katie.
"Caught red handed. Aren't you out a little early on a Saturday night?"
Katie was dressed in a light cotton summer dress, hair pulled back into a low, short ponytail. She was even more beautiful laid back - I never really understood the need for makeup.
"Well, as you predicted, I slept really well last night - after the girls stopped grilling me about what it was like."
"And?"
"And what? I still don't know - it's a bit of a blur. But it was exactly what I needed, once I got over being in public. You were so discreet and - is caring too weird a word to use?"
"Not at all - you should feel cared for. When you don't, you should stop."
"Hmmm, I'll think about that." Jack was creeping closer again. Katie asked Jack for her usual.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, her drinking and thinking, me pretending to read.
"Ok, so how does this go?"
"How does what go?"
"You're going to make me ask, aren't you? Isn't that a little cruel?"
"Yes, I'm going to make you ask - if you really want something, you should be willing to ask for it soberly and carefully. Things can become manipulative way too easily. I'm excited, but I also admit to being a little concerned about the age difference between us."
"Your joking - I'm the same age as Chloe!"
"True, but that is different. We're friends, but it's also a business relationship. Unless that's what you want as well."
"No, no, no. I totally understand why she does what she does, but I've never been paid and don't want to be. I don't judge her - or you. Some of her other clients I wonder about - especially the ones who work at the university. But as I learned last night, you are genuinely interesting. Plus, to be honest, I don't need the money - and I know she does."
"So, the age difference doesn't bother you?"
"I thought it would, but no - not with you."
"Not what I expected in the cold light of day." I took a drink.
She waited. "You're still going to make me say it, aren't you? OK, fine, if I want you to tie me up again, what will happen?"
"First, you'll have to be completely sober. If we get to know each other better, maybe then some wine. But nothing happens without consent and clearly drawn boundaries, which we can't do if you're even a little bit drunk. Second, I'll want to hear you talk more about what you've watched, read, fantasized about, so I can understand your interests and boundaries - learn about what you really want. If all that goes well, then we negotiate terms. Finally, and only if all that works out, we start."
She agreed and what followed was a surreal, interesting, and exciting conversation. She shared how she discovered images of tied up women, her surreptitious attempts to find tv and movies with rope and leather. Story lines that interested her, what she masturbated to. She told me about a few awful experiences with boys - and one with a girl - where she tried things. It was clear that her play partners only thought about themselves. She was just an object for their pleasure.
I told her that some people actually liked to objectify, or to be objectified, but not me. She didn't think she wanted pain - being hit never found its way into her fantasies. I asked her how she felt about discomfort. "Yes, that's the word - I'd been trying figure it out. Discomfort is good. I don't want to be hurt, but I do want enough to suffer a little. Is that a thing?"
"It is, and it's what I'm interested in as well."
"How lucky for me." She leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek.
"We'll see."
She turned on her stool to face me. "So, can we go back to your place?"
"Nope."
"Why not? I'm ready, I'm not drunk, and I've waited for so long." She tried pouting, but that was clearly Oliva's thing, not hers.
"Well, denial and delay of pleasure is part of how I play, but also you've had 2 drinks. You may not feel drunk, but until we've gotten to know each other better, you have to be stone cold sober. It's a rule I won't break. Not even for you and your pleading eyes and pouting lips - which I don't believe anyway."
"Damn, I need more lessons from Olivia" she laughed.
