It was an ordinary house, situated in an average suburban neighborhood. The residents were nice. Most of the properties in the area were middle or upper-middle class, with freshly cut lawns and well-tended flowerbeds. Plenty of minivans and sedans parked in the driveways and along the tree-lined streets. Average. Unassuming. Like they'd all conformed to some unspoken rule of propriety. The kind of place you'd see on a family tv show.
But there were secrets here too. Some of these residents had private ways of having fun. Some smoked pot late at night. A few of the couples were swingers. And others had darker, kinkier secrets...
***
Althea was on her knees. She wore a black leather halter top and panties, a collar around her neck, and her hands were bound together. She looked slightly ill at ease. She tried to remain calm but the nerves were getting to her.
Her youthfulness attracted welcome attention. There was an elegance about her. Her face was pretty, her body lean and toned. Who wouldn't be turned-on by her? The setting didn't require anyone to hide their interest. Or their desire.
There were other women too. They were similarly bound and displayed. They were all being looked over, admired, assessed. Waiting to be bought. They were all gorgeous, and she suspected that they were probably better than her at sex. In short, competition was fierce.
So far, no offers had been made for Althea yet. But of course, the night had only just begun. It was her first time there. The large room resembled a fancy art gallery. Clean, new, with well-dressed patrons looking for objects of beauty on which to spend their money. The commodity on offer here was unusual and certainly taboo; submissive women.
Althea was certainly ready for it. She had been for a while. She desired it. Finally standing there alone was different than she had expected. Being objectified in this manner was humiliating. She felt like a piece of meat on display. She wondered how models survived it.
Confusingly, she was also aroused. She was naturally somewhat-shy and being admired in her scantily-clad, aroused state was both excruciating and exciting. She would never have known these other women or patrons otherwise. It was like living a double life; the life of her dreams and fantasies.
She'd been on display for just over an hour, but it felt like an eternity. Finally a man approached. His expression revealed that this was certainly not his first time. He was a stern looking man in his late 40's. He had a commanding presence. Althea figured that he was a banker, an investor, or some type of influential businessman.
He came to stand in front of her. He didn't say a word as he looked at the card which had all of Althea's relevant information:
Name: Althea
Age: 25
Height: 5'7
Weight: 120-ish
Gender Preferences: Men and Women
Fetishes: She enjoys bondage, submission, and being treated like a kitten
Specialties: Eager to please, a great mouth for sucking, and a tender body to fuck
Level of professional experience: None. Would you like to be her first?
He studied the information like a hedge fund manager looking to purchase a thousand shares of stock. His face remained businesslike, stern. He thought long and hard before finally looking up and making eye contact.
"You're new," he said after a few seconds of contemplation.
"I am."
She tried to hide her nervousness. She silently repeated to herself that this was a necessary part of the process. This was a new experience that would lead her to a new world. Although she had experimented a little with past boyfriends, she had never done anything like this, or felt anything like this. It was never so organized and intentional, never with people this experienced.
And this was a man who clearly was experienced, who knew what he was doing.
"I'm James," he said, extending his hand.
She had to bend over awkwardly to take his outstretched hand in her bound ones.
"I'm Althea."
"Beautiful name. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You too," she answered with a nervous smile. "So, are you interested?"
"I might be. You're gorgeous. You seem like a nice girl. And I like that you're new."
"Why is that? Do you have a thing for new girls?"
The comment was meant to be flirty, but once said, sounded more like an accusation. She breathed a sigh of relief when he simply smiled up at her. Clearly he hadn't taken offense.
"Something like that," he said. "I like to work with submissive women who want to be trained. Build them up from scratch. Create a beautiful experience that's mutually shared."
Althea nodded. "I'm not as new as I look. I've done things. Never professionally though."
"I don't claim to be a professional at this. I'm just a normal guy who knows what he wants. I'm a happily married man, and that has obviously limited my experiences with other women."
"Oh."
Hearing that he was married was strangely disappointing. She tried not to let her feelings show. She had always been against infidelity. She also knew that most kinksters were heavily against cheating. But she quickly reminded herself that this was business. And at least he had been truthful about his marriage.
"Don't worry," he reassured, sensing her distress. "My wife knows."
"Does she?"
Althea almost couldn't hide her surprise at his responding so accurately to her unspoken thoughts.
He gave a reassuring nod. "She approves. We've experimented with a few things over the years. We love each other dearly. We're not exactly swingers, but we're open-minded."
Althea was happy to hear this. A married couple? A loving married couple? New experiences and open minds? Yes please!
Please pick me. Please pick me. Please pick me.
. She wouldn't beg aloud; the sophisticated surroundings demanded more of her. But she was keen. Very keen.
"That's amazing," she said instead. "Your wife is a lucky one."
"I'm the lucky one. I do everything I can to please her."
This was even more intriguing. "So you two share in the lifestyle? You're the dom, she's the sub. And you're looking for a third person?"
"Something like that. We're looking for a third person to join us, yes. But she's not always my sub. We're usually equal. But when we experiment, she does prefer to submit."
"Any acts in particular?"
"Ropes, bondage. You know, being restrained. Those sound like your fetishes too. Correct?"
Althea beamed. "They certainly sound familiar."
"Then it's settled."
"What is?"
He smiled, "You'll see."
With that, he winked and walked away. She couldn't tear her eyes off his retreating back as he casually strolled past the other guests and submissives, seemingly able to effortlessly resist the temptation of the other women.
Althea paid close attention to him as he moved away from her. She wanted to make sure he wasn't considering any other women. She could feel the start of some strange and certainly irrational jealousy: she wanted
him
. She felt certain that if he didn't buy her, she would pull out of the experience, and wouldn't be returning. For some inexplicable reason, and despite the brevity of their exchange, he had made her feel at ease for the first time that evening.
She only felt at ease when she saw him pointing at her as he spoke to one of the madames in charge.
***
The setting was completely different today. Instead of being scantily clad and accessorized with leather and ropes, she was wearing a cotton dress, dress shoes, and a white button-up blouse. Instead of a hall full of submissives waiting to be purchased by dominants, she was in a lecture hall packed with other students.
All she could think about was James having purchased her. What that entailed, how he would treat her, and what the dynamics would be with his wife. The full sum of money she would be receiving was helpful, but not her primary motivation. She had entered into this agreement for the experience and the chance to fulfill some of her kinkier fantasies.
"Althea," the professor peered at her from the lectern.
She snapped out of her daydream. "Yes?"
"It's been awhile since I've heard from you. You're up."
She felt her cheeks turning flush and she tried to flip through the book hoping to create the impression that she had been paying attention.
"Sorry, which case?"
The professor stated the case and Althea did her best to participate. She had already loaded the online case briefs for that day on her laptop, but she was still woefully unprepared, which reflected in her poor answers.
"Did you read the case, Althea?" the professor asked. "If the answer is no, just say so. Spare us all the pain."
"No," she answered, blushing and mortified.