Pyrmont, 25 July
Milena sits at the workbench with her back towards me and her hair tied in a simple loose ponytail. Except for her collar, she is nude, focussed on her writing and she doesn't notice my arrival.
I was nervous yesterday, when I immersed Milena in the world of her dark desires. First times are hard, especially in this case. There is a world of difference between her dreamy fantasies and raw reality. How would she react? Would she enjoy it or shy away when reality confronted her sensual daydreams? Tenderness and humour help, but aren't always options given the game we play. Compounded with the awkwardness of getting to know each other's bodies, it could have been a disaster.
The first time can also be overwhelming. A desire fulfilled in reality will best any you've experienced in your dreams. It has a magic you can only enjoy once. I'm grateful she granted me this. Living here tends to leave me jaded about sensual games, but experiences like these make me realise how important and valuable they are.
I gaze at her through the bars of the door, her skin glowing white in the bright light of noon falling through the cell's skylight. Apparently, she wrote on loose sheets all morning because earlier attempts fill the wastebasket next to the table. I presume she's almost done because she's writing in the diary.
When I open the grated door to enter her cell, the sound startles her. She swivels on the stool to face me, blushing from white to a pale red. It won't be her nudity that embarrasses her; she knows to expect my visit. Her eyes dart to the small leather suitcase I'm carrying.
"The next assignment?" she asks.
I shush her with a finger to my lips. "Finish what you're doing, then we'll talk," I say, and beckon her to continue. She returns to her writing while I take a seat in the armchair, put the case on the floor, and wait. The only sound in the cell is the scratching of her pen on paper. It is warm, but not uncomfortable because of my simple, light clothing.
I plan to step up our game and playfully clarify the rules. The ropes I will use to bind her, the blindfold I will sometimes make her wear, they will be like the cell I locked her in before. With the collar already symbolising her surrender to my command, the plug will be the key to unlock the game.
Besides Milena's thirst for revenge on her husband, it was her courage that enabled her to take the first steps on this path of desires. Her need for revenge, together with her wounded pride, could pose a problem. Both are negative emotions I shouldn't evoke to challenge her. Not resentment, but desire and curiosity should motivate her decision to expand her sensual boundaries. Boundaries that I'll explore with a request or a choice, but never with a command. Choices she will not always appreciate, but which offer her a sense of security.
I will leave some boundaries untouched for now, even if the painting suggested otherwise. I won't involve others in our game, and I won't take her where she wears the jewel. When she wears it, we enter the game of dark desires. Without it, she is my equal with time to reflect on her experiences, marking her path and boundaries when her fantasies meet reality.
That is the plan for now, but as my former commander said, no plan survives confrontation with reality. I know what she fantasises about, but I don't know what her actual limits are, which makes me nervous. I don't want to run into them this early in our game.
With my eyes closed, I concentrate on my breathing to find the lucid serenity essential for my role. Much will depend on my ability to assess her and improvise accordingly. When scratching of pen on paper stops, I open my eyes again. She cleans her fountain pen before closing the diary.
"Do you want to read it?" she asks, with her back still turned towards me.
I want to read her eyes, so I rise and walk towards her, laying my suitcase on the table. She stiffens as I grab her ponytail, but she doesn't resist as I force her to look at me. She blushes again, with the hint of a smile, but she doesn't flinch. Our roles are clear, and I let her go.
"Yes, I want to read it, but not now. How do you feel?" I ask and lean against the workbench, appearing as casual as possible. I hope it eases her anxiety.
"Strange, rested, liberated," she hesitates, "excited?"
"Horny," I say. "Try the word."
"Horny," she duly repeats, still blushing, as her gaze wanders to the diary. I'm curious how she wrote her account with the limited vocabulary she appears to allow herself. First things first, though.
"How do you feel about the leap you took yesterday?"
"Good. Even now," she says without hesitation.
"Not guilty?" I ask. Her missing wedding ring had not escaped my notice yesterday. Nor does she wear it today.
She frowns. "No. Not really," then, more self assured, "what should I feel guilty about?"
I shrug. "I don't know. My standards aren't yours."
"I'm fine," she says, as terse as she looks.