He sensed her behind him an instant before she spoke, started to turn even before she addressed him. He wanted, badly, to gaze into her face, to bask in her beauty, but he kept his eyes dutifully lowered as a proper submissive should.
"Yes, Countess?" His words came out slightly hoarse, her presence as always making everything within him tighten with need.
"We have new visitors tonight." She gestured over her shoulder and he only then became aware of the couple behind her, trying rather unsuccessfully to avoid gawking at the club. "They're quite new to the scene and in need of some basic demonstration. If you are unoccupied this evening..."
He thanked every saint he could think of that he hadn't engaged in any contracts with any of the other Dommes present. "I am, as always, at your disposal, Countess."
"Splendid." She smiled at him and he felt immense pleasure at even that small sign of approval from her. She turned and led the way to a private room with him trailing after her like a puppy, desperate for attention and twice as eager to please.
He stripped off his loose pants and stood unabashedly nude, attentive to her every move as she pulled various toys off the shelves and arranged them to her liking. She was explaining contracts and limits to their guests and he simply allowed her words to wash over him, enjoying the cadence of her voice.
"James and I have played before, and as such we've worked out our hard and soft limits. You may find your preferences changing as you get deeper into the scene, but you will need to establish a starting point before you engage in any serious play yourselves. Feel free to use your own safe words, but here at the club most people find a green, yellow, red system to be most helpful."
She snapped her fingers and pointed and he jumped to obey, positioning himself under the set of chains hanging from the ceiling. "There is a vast array of areas to explore within BDSM," she said as she fastened his ankle shackles, locking his legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart. "At the root of all of it is a power exchange. Pain and restraint are two of the most common, but that is far from all this world has to offer."
She placed the wrist shackles, checking meticulously that they were fitted correctly. "The submissive party gains great satisfaction from yielding control, yet they retain the power to slow or stop the scene at any time with the use of prearranged signals. The dominant party has a great responsibility to bring the most pleasure as possible by pushing the submissive's limits, without ever causing true harm."
"Safe, sane, and consensual," the woman chirped and the Countess smiled at her.
"Precisely." She turned back to James and began tightening the chain, pulling his arms over his head. She stopped when he was drawn to his full length, his back arched slightly. "In future sessions, should you choose to continue exploring this world, we'll cover some of the different kinks commonly enjoyed by BDSM couples. James is especially talented with rope play, which many find very gratifying though it does some take practice to get the knots right."
"Isn't-" the man stopped himself and looked to his partner, who gave him a smile and a nod to continue. "Isn't it the dominant's role to tie the ropes?"
"There is a great deal of range in dominance and submission. James has several dominant traits of his own." It was on the of things she found most gratifying about playing with him, the knowledge that he did not submit to everyone. "He does not enjoy running a scene, but using him to dominate another by proxy can be very rewarding for everyone involved.
James fully expected such a scene to take place between them and this couple, if they returned for future demonstrations. While the man was unquestionably submissive, the woman did not seem to be fully dominant. Of course, few did when standing beside the Countess.
"Do you-" the man checked himself for the second time and again looked for permission before continuing his question. "Do you find it difficult to submit to a woman?"
The Countess prodded him to answer and he found his gaze locked with hers. "Not at all. It's one of life's most rewarding pleasures, when it's a woman worth serving."
She gave him a warm smile before strolling over to the table and selecting a tool. "For tonight, we will demonstrate the use of the most basic implements. Even if you decide to stay on the very fringe of the BDSM scene, most couples find these very enjoyable."
A soft flogger unexpectedly landed across his back and he twitched violently.
"Anticipation is a large part of the pleasure for most subs. For tonight, I will have to give a little more explanation than I typically would, but such is the nature of a demonstration. I could block his ears, but James finds the sound of my voice to be an integral part of the scene. Don't you, pet?"
"Yes, Mistress," he replied promptly and was rewarded with a rain of light blows down his back while she explained the flogger to them.
Next she approached him with a pair of nipple clamps, twisting and pulling his nipples to prepare them, thoroughly narrating what she was doing for the benefit of their audience of two. Once the clamps were in place, she gave the chain a sharp tug and then stepped back to the table, selecting a heavier flogger and once again layering a pattern of blows across his back and thighs, working her way around and repeating the process down his front. She took her time, placing each blow deliberately and explaining her choices as she went.
Laying the flogger aside, she stepped up to his front again, removing the nipple clamps. He hissed through his teeth as a burning sensation rushed through him. She gently kissed each one and a groan escaped him as her soft, warm tongue bathed his sore nipples. "How are we doing, pet?"
"Green, Mistress."
She went on her tiptoes to give him an open mouthed kiss before dropping back down and raising her voice. "It's very easy to over-do nipple clamps, especially with an inexperienced sub. After the initial sting, they go mostly numb, and it isn't until you remove them that the pain returns. New players can forget about them while they are in the numb stage, and leaving them too long can cause physical damage. Make sure you keep sessions short in the beginning. That goes for pretty much any scene, really. It's one of the reasons playing in a club is so advantageous to new members, as there are experienced dungeon monitors on hand to step in if needed."
While she spoke, she wound a piece of cloth around his eyes. "A blindfold adds to the anticipation. The combination of sensory deprivation and not knowing where the next blow is coming from heightens the sensation of each strike."
She demonstrated with a riding crop, paying close attention to the underside of his buttocks. Then, before he realized she had changed sides, she gave several smart taps to each nipple, still recovering from their time in the clamps. He groaned and twisted in his chains, loving the exquisite edge of pain.
"The crop is a favorite of James's. The paddle, however, is not, so we're going to silence him, just to make sure he doesn't get himself in any trouble with complaints." She tapped his lips and he opened his mouth, docilely allowing her to fit him with a ball gag. She showed their guests how to position it properly and handed him a rubber ball, explaining how it served as a safe word when the gag prevented him from speaking. "The instant he drops the ball, everything stops."
James squeezed it tight, determined not to drop it. He did not enjoy the paddle, and she hadn't chosen a light one, but he endured it stoically, taking comfort in the fact that he was serving his Mistress. The paddling seemed to go on much longer than the other demonstrations had, but he wasn't sure if that was accurate.
Finally, he heard her place the paddle back on the table and walk towards him. She removed the gag, gently wiping some saliva from his chin and peppering soft kisses down his jaw. "Well done, pet," she complimented as she took the ball from his hand.
"Have I pleased you, Mistress?" he asked.
"Very much," she assured him, pressing herself along the length of him. He twisted in his chains again, trying to grind his cock into her softness. She chuckled and stepped back.
A sharp crack split the air and James drew a harsh breath, his back arching. "The lash is a very dangerous tool, and not one that you will be using any time soon. It takes exact control and perfect trust. But James loves it, and he has been an extremely good pet tonight. He's earned this, and I will let you stay and watch, but you must be still and quiet. Any distractions could have dire consequences."
She cracked the whip again before sending it over his shoulder, slithering down his front before withdrawing and wrapping around his ribs. He began to relax into the softer blows and then a heavy lash caught him unawares, bringing him back to quivering attention.
The Countess was an expert with the whip. Each blow landed precisely where she intended, some so gentle he could barely feel them, others painful enough to force a gasp from him. The occasional crack sounded like a gun shot in the small room. She wielded the whip with unwavering confidence and he felt no fear, though he knew she was but a hairs-breadth from his skin with a blow that could flay him open. He fought to stay perfectly still lest he make her misjudge a strike, his body trembling with the effort.
His world shrank to the sound and sensation of the whip. Even while his body shook, his mind relaxed, soothed by the absolute control of his Mistress. He could not have said if he stood there for minutes or days. There was no time; there was just the whip.
