The Pleasure Boy 21 (Life at University)
Note: Before getting started with this second part of my story, I must declare that the McGill which figures so prominently in the pages that follow bears no significant resemblance to the real McGill University which runs up the mountain from Sherbrooke Street in Montreal. My only excuse for appropriating that great school's name was my need for a prestigious, English-speaking university in this city as a setting and 'playpen' for my characters. Everything said here about that university and its history department should be read as fiction.
Dear reader: I am afraid to bore you now. Only part of my life at university was concerned with D/s or BDSM, the interest that I know we have in common. Unless you share at least a bit of my interest in history - or, at least, will make some effort in that direction - I'm afraid that what follows will just turn you off unless you skim or skip a lot of it. For my adult life really did come to centre around McGill's History Department and around my relationship with Professor Natasha Sorkin (or Sorkina, in Russian) who was one of my most influential teachers there, and who, as time unfolded, became successively my thesis advisor, my Mistress, my senior colleague and my wife. Having just been given the outline of the rest of my life, you can stop reading here. The first part of this book was the story of a boy's transition to an admittedly peculiar adulthood. The second part is about that adult, his university education and his life. I pursued and enjoyed my geisho career as you will see. But I pursued a second, academic career at the same time.
I'm not sure how the word got out that I was putting myself through school as a geisho professional submissive. I suspect the leak came from some McGill student or faculty member who saw me, or perhaps used me, at Master Tom's Dungeon. It doesn't matter. The fact was that before the end of my freshman year, almost everyone I met at university already knew that much about me. Some were curious about it, and bold enough to ask. Some were surprised that I didn't look especially wimpy, or act unnaturally deferential. Most, whatever they thought, just politely ignored my sexual tastes and my livelihood. I looked unexpectedly
normal
, and a few even said so to my face. But everyone somehow knew that I was working as a geisho submissive to pay my way through school, and many wanted to know what it was like. I soon worked up a spiel to satisfy the simple curiosity that I encountered; but I also made a few friends whom I allowed to know more. I even played with some, and introduced a few to the Scene when there was chemistry to do so. I made no secret of my other life, but did not flaunt it either. I certainly made no effort to win new clients or converts. I kept my nose in my studies, and soon was seen by most people just as another nerdy guy, of no great interest to anyone. Which was just the way I wanted it.
Having described my program as a freshman in the last chapter, I need say little more about it . Between schoolwork and geisho work, I had almost no leisure time, barely enough to keep up the few personal relationships that were important to me: with my parents, especially my mother, with Lisa whom I still regarded as my Mistress (albeit on a very long leash), and with Mika (a fellow student, junior to me, at Mistress Lotte's) who soon completed his apprenticeship, interned with Mistress Moniqe as I had, then, with language skills, went on to work for her full time escorting visiting diplomats. Mika and I became close friends. The physical attraction between us remained and we made love occasionally, but both of us were getting plenty of sex on the job, and what we really needed from each other was the intimate friendship. Mainly, what we did was meet for dinner and talk. He told me funny stories about his escort practice. I told him about my life at university and my work in Master Tom's dungeon. Occasionally, we went back to his room, or mine, and got it on. What we really valued between us was the casual friendship: no Dominance, no submission, no teaching relationship, and some friendly sex from time to time.
To my surprise, this period saw the beginning of a whole new relationship with my mother. She began to treat me as a colleague and confidante, talking about her mentoring service as it developed. Unlike Lisa or Lotte, she knew I had no stake in her game, and could listen with neutral mindset. More than her husband, she knew I would understand what she was doing, and would be interested to learn what I could from listening to her. So she talked to me about the issues raised by lifestyle D/s relationships and about her efforts to help couples deal with them. I listened, and asked questions, and learned a lot. It sounded like work that I could do, but had no great interest in doing. When I finished my schooling (still a long way off), I hoped to travel and see the world as the paid companion of someone like Nouri, who by now had found the sub he wanted, and was working as a free-lance journalist. But for now, it was delightful that my mother was treating me as an adult friend and colleague - no longer as a kid. I still tried to visit my parents every week or so, though this wasn't always possible.
I also tried to take an Aikido class twice a week in the dojo at the McGill gym. It was taught by a math professor who must have been close to retirement age though you wouldn't know it when you watched him move. When he demonstrated free style, with four or five senior students attacking him at the same time, it didn't look like a fight - like he was doing anything to them. It looked like he was walking calmly in their midst, while they kept tripping over each other, trying to get at him. I hoped to be that good at his age some day, and continued to practice as often as I could.
Like most universities, McGill had variety of clubs offering some sort of social life to its otherwise busy, academic population. For example, it had a folk dance club, a cooking club and a climbing club. It also had a BDSM club with Dominants and submissives and wannabees at varying levels of knowledge and experience; and when its leaders learned about a geisho submissive in the freshman class, they invited me to join and give a talk.
"What would interest your members?" I asked Evelyn, the tall lovely blonde who had looked up my phone number on the Guild's database, and practically commanded me to meet her for coffee at a local Starbucks. "What should I talk about?"
"As a Geisho submissive," she answered, "I would expect you'd have a lot to say about why submission is pleasurable. I'm a Domme, and I'm curious myself about why men and women love to obey me, serve me and take punishment from me? How can humiliation and pain be pleasurable? I love to use my power, and it seems only natural to me that I would. But what's in it for the subs? What's in it for you, when you submit? Apart from the fee, of course, since you're a pro and submit for money?"
"Good question, Miss," I answered her respectfully, lapsing automatically into the role. "I've thought a lot about that. I was trained as a professional sub and now make a living at it because teachers saw in me not just a willingness, but an active pleasure in obedience and submission."
"Yes, Miss. I'll prepare a talk. When and where do you want me to do it? And I'd like to join your group. How do I do that?"
"Come to our next meeting," Evelyn said. "You can register then, and I'll introduce you and put you on our email list. Then I'll advertise your talk, and you can give it at our next meeting, a month later."
