The building was on 31st Street near Fifth Avenue, a short walk from the Empire State Building. This was a thoroughly unremarkable commercial district, home to import/export businesses, wholesale clothing, numerous print shops and a couple of electrical repair shops. I checked the directory, and found "HC" on the fourth floor. I rang the buzzer, and walked in.
There was no doorman — just a narrow hallway leading to a single elevator. It was old, the kind where you to pull back a folding gate after the electronic door had opened. I got in and pushed the button.
At the fourth floor, the door opened to reveal an attractive, light-skinned black woman dressed in a corset. I opened the folding gate.
"Hi, I'm Dahlia," said the woman. "Come on in."
My name is Kathi. I had graduated from college two years ago, and was splitting my time between playing in punk bands (much fun, no money) and working at Babeland, a sex toy store owned and run by women (some fun, some money) in the Lower East Side. I wasn't ready for a 9-to-5 job, but I could use some more cash, and a friend in another band mentioned that she used to enjoy working as a dominatrix. I had some experience with BDSM — I got my first pair of handcuffs in high school, and I loved to get a good spanking, so I thought this might work.
I checked the want ads in the Village Voice, and found that Rebecca's Hidden Chamber was hiring. I called the number, and made an appointment for an interview.
Dahlia led me to the back and offered me a seat on a couch.
"This will be your first time domming?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
"Cool. Here's what we do," she said. "We open at 11:00, and we close at midnight. You can make your own hours, but we ask that you put in at least twenty hours a week. At first, there's a lot of waiting around, and you can read or get on the computer or whatever. When a guy calls up, I answer and describe who's working. For you, I'd say you're a young Asian girl ...."
"Korean," I said.
"Let's go with Asian; it sells better. A young Asian girl with a beautiful ass and a kinky disposition. Something like that. After a while, you should develop some regulars, so you can fill your schedule accordingly. You should be able to get three regulars in an eight hour shift, plus one walk-in."
"We offer three kinds of sessions. The standard one involves no touching at all — basically flogging, paddling, caning — stuff like that. Then then there's "physical," which involves some touching — cock & ball torture, slapping, tickling. And "medical," which is anything anal.
"The rates are $150/$180/$210. You collect the money at the beginning of the session and give it to me. At the end of your shift, I'll cash you out — 50% of what you bring in. You should make $300 - $400 a shift, plus tips."
"There is no sex of any kind. No blow jobs, no hand jobs and no fucking. The client will jerk himself off, but you can't do it for him. Now let me show you the rooms."
We walked back down the hallway to the front of the building.
"This is the blue room."
Inside was a couch, what I learned was a St. Andrew cross, and small, four-poster bed with numerous hooks on the side for tying things down. On the wall was a large mirror.
"Underneath the bed are some gym mats which you can unfold and use if you're playing on the floor. Big toys are on that rack over there ..."
I turned to find a collection of whips, rods, canes, ropes and handcuffs. "Small toys are in the cabinet."
She opened a drawer to reveal dildos, butt plugs, nipple clamps, rawhide laces and KY jelly.
"In the closet are cleaning supplies — Lysol, bleach solution, paper toweling. Plus wee-wee pads for piss play, and Wet Ones. Also condoms and latex gloves. Always use the gloves whenever you're dealing with bodily fluids, and when you clean up. We don't want you catching something."
"Across the hall is the red room," she said, leading the way.
It was a little smaller, still with a four-poster, but with no cross. Instead, suspension gear gear hung from the ceiling.
"The rule of thumb is no more than twenty minutes in suspension. Got to keep the blood circulating. And tell the client to let you know if they experience any numbness or tingling. If they do, you need to release them."
"Still game?" she asked.
I nodded my head.
"OK. Some house rules. You don't have to see any client you don't want to, and you don't have to do anything to a client you don't want to. You draw the line. If a client gets aggressive, or you have any kind of problem, just scream. There will always be at least one other person here —- you'll never work alone. Now, let's go to the back and have you try on some clothes."
The back of the floor was a combination kitchen, office, waiting area and costume room. Hanging from the wall were cop uniforms, nurse uniforms, lab coats, a stewardess' dress, and a whole bunch of corsets.
"Let's try this one," Dahlia said, handing me me a corset and stockings. "And you'll need to invest in some nice panties or g-strings. And a pair of heels."
"Where do I change?" I asked.
"Here," said Dahlia. "You're going to see a lot of naked bodies from now on."
I took off my shirt and slipped out of my jeans. I unhooked my bra, and put in on the table next to me. Dahlia eyed me up and down.
"Nice," she said. "You've got cute tits, and your ass is great. I think the guys are going to like you."
I put on the corset and stockings, and checked myself out in the mirror. I looked pretty good! Not menacing exactly, but definitely sexy. And the corset did make my breasts look bigger.
"That's great. You can switch back now," she said. "When you come back, you should try on some other stuff, and see what you like. One last thing — we'll need a name for you. Do you have one picked out?"
"I was thinking of Leah."
"That'll work."
I changed back into my street clothes, and Dahlia gave me my schedule for the week. I took the elevator back to the ground floor, where I found a nervous-looking man waiting in the vestibule. I said "hi," but he wouldn't make eye contact with me. He stepped into the elevator and pushed a button. I started to walk away, but then stopped to see where he was getting off.
Fourth floor. I wondered what kind of session he was going to get.
My first shift was the next Tuesday, from 4:00 to midnight. When I called Dahlia to confirm, she told me that to start, I'd be sitting in for part of a session with Peter and Gia, a tall Japanese domme, and then I'd be on my own.
I showed up to work with my heels and g-string, and put on the corset I'd tried on earlier. In the back were Gia, Dahlia and a couple of the other dommes — Elena, a cute redhead, Haley, a tall blonde and Kira, a busty black girl. I read a book until I heard the door buzzer ring at 5:00.
"That's Peter. Gia and Leah, you're up," said Dahlia.
