05

Chapter 1:

"If you'll follow me please?"

I followed along dutifully behind the pretty young blonde in her smart pantsuit that screamed, "Yes, I'm attractive, get over it because I'm also very capable".

I could tell just from her demeanor that she was very capable. She seemed like the type that was smart, and driven and very, very driven. Truthfully, I was very impressed with her, even though I had met her only moments before when she had answered the door.

Her heels clicked on what looked to me to be a genuine marble floor. Black, not too tall, the shoes I mean, not the girl.

The girl was young, maybe twenty-four? Twenty-six at the outside I decided. Full and firm, with a nice ass and full, firm looking breasts that she kept buttoned up in a nice, professional, white shirt. She wore a pair of heavy looking, horn-rimmed black glasses that I had trouble deciding whether were intended for their true function or simply some fashion choice she made.

Didn't really matter.

They did a great job of framing a beautiful face, with high cheekbones and graceful curves.

She led me through a pair of massive oak doors and into a study, or maybe just some kind of sitting room in a very nice house in a very expensive part of town.

Once she got me to the center of the room, she spun neatly on one of those amazing heels, her jacket flaring smartly as she pierced me with jade green eyes.

I took the moment to carefully examine her glasses, curious as to whether they were prescription or not.

I decided not.

Smart cookie.

They didn't detract from her attractiveness one little bit, but they also gave her an air of intellectualism, which most likely made people take her a little more seriously.

It was a weird sentiment, but for some reason it made me respect her more.

She was obviously very attractive and still very intelligent. She most likely could have slept her way to the top very easily, but instead chose to work her way up instead...

I felt a smile threaten to tug at the corners of my mouth and quickly pushed the urge down, meeting her eyes and refusing to let my own wander, much as they wanted to...

A beatific smile found it's way onto her face, "I'm really sorry. Miz Graydon is tied up momentarily. She warned me you may be here a few minutes early for your appointment..."

I gave her a small bow, more an incline of the head than anything, keeping my face still as I regarded her, "No problem, really."

She turned, sashaying away towards a grand piano that sat overlooking floor to ceiling windows that outlooked something that looked a hell of a lot like a Japanese garden that butted up to the back of the house.

Again, I followed, making sure that I gave her plenty of room as she walked and explained, "You can sit here if you'd like..."

She gestured, indicating a sitting area that consisted of two, identical black leather chairs and a matching black leather couch...

I took neither, choosing instead to walk closer to the window, looking out into the garden, my eyes drawn to what looked like a bonsai tree, that sat in the shade of a massive cherry tree, out on a little island in the center of a koi pond.

I don't know what drew me to the little tree, but there was something there that pulled at some part of me that I didn't really understand.

The pretty blonde stepped up next to me, standing close...

She smelled of jasmine and herb...

There was something immensely feminine about her.

I decided that I liked her.

She turned a little, offering me one petite hand, "I'm Natalie by the way. Natalie Underwood."

Turning, I took her hand in one of my immense bear-like claws, "Nice to meet you, Natalie."

Her smile got wider, "They're pretty, aren't they?"

My eyebrows crawled up, "Huh?"

She spun, "The koi."

I turned back, looking out the window, my eyes drawn back to the bonsai tree I had been looking at.

My hands slid into the pockets of my slacks, "It certainly is."

I meant the bonsai, not the koi...

We stood in silence, each of us looking out into the garden.

I have to admit, I lost myself looking out into that beautiful garden...

Her voice broke the silence, "You're special, I guess."

Turning from the tree that seemed to draw me in, I regarded her, "Special?"

She turned back, her face close to mine, "Miz Graydon never agrees to meet anyone after six, and certainly never meets anyone at home."

Turning my gaze from hers and back out towards the garden, my voice was quiet as I answered, "I guess I am at that."

I could feel her cock her head at me, could sense her unease, as she turned back, her eyes, I assumed, finding the fishes that swam in their little pond beyond the glass.

Once again, we both lost ourselves into our private thoughts...

It was me that broke the silence this time, "You can go if you want, Natalie."

I felt her gaze snap up towards me, though I didn't turn to watch her, "Huh?"

I let my eyes wander the garden, taking in the beauty as I answered her, "You don't need to wait with me if you don't want to. I understand it's getting late and you most likely want to be headed off towards home and family. I'll be fine waiting alone."

Her eyes stayed on me...

Finally, I turned, allowing myself a smile, "I promise I won't steal the piano."

She giggled, a raw, feminine response, which she covered in the most adorable way with one of her delicate fingers...

It shocked me to see how much I liked her.

She shook her head, her eyes coming up and once again meeting mine, "No family at home. I'm a career woman."

Turning back away from her, I looked back out into the garden, hearing the silent offer in her statement that begged me to ask if she had a boyfriend...

I wasn't here for that.

Slipping my hands back into my pockets, I let my eyes trail back to the bonsai tree...

She stood silently next to me, her eyes joining mine out into the garden.

I don't know what made her leave. Don't know what convinced her I was no longer worthy of her attention...

But finally she left, turning, her heels clicking on the marble, "I have some things left to wrap up..."

Her heels clicked some more, as I let my eyes linger on the little tree out in the garden once more...

She stopped just short of the door, "I'll just be outside... call if you need me..."

I didn't answer, I just nodded, a frown creasing my face...

My mind went blank as I watched the little tree in the garden...

I don't know how long I watched the little tree, only occasionally noticing the humble little fishes as they worked the way around the pond...

I only know that eventually, I heard a new set of heels clicking on the marble floor. Instantly, I knew that it wasn't Natalie...

There was nothing too noticeable about the differences between the two gaits...

Natalie may have walked a little bit faster...

I felt the new presence next to me, not as close to me as Natalie had stood, but still close enough for me to smell the scent of her...

Her scent was like roses in springtime.

Frowning, I nodded, deciding that I instantly liked the scent of her.

Her voice was firmer, harder, but still friendly, "I'm sorry to have made you wait..."

Turning, I took her in.

She was pretty, I decided, though not quite as attractive as Natalie had been. The new woman was older, maybe thirty, so my age. She had short, brown hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail, though she had the look of a woman that didn't normally wear her hair that way.

Her eyes were brown, like the color of warm hot chocolate on a cold winter day.

She wore a smart business skirt and jacket combo, ivory in color with black highlights along the fringes...

She had a nice body, petite in a muscular and yet still feminine way.

Unlike with Natalie, I allowed my eyes to slide down her body, not hiding it, but still not being an asshole about it.

She had a nice body.

My eyes slid back up to hers.

She had a little smirk on her face... though it slipped away almost instantly.

She held her hand out, "Taylor Graydon."

I took her hand.

It was soft.

"Isaac. Isaac Elm."

Her smile got warmer, though she didn't say anything...

Our silence stretched on...

Finally, unsure of why, I felt a surge of warmth slide through me, bringing a smile to my face as I asked her, "What?"

She laughed, her hand still in mine, "I really like that."

Tilting my head, I asked her, "Like what?"

Her hand tightened on mine, "Your name. It's a good name."

Smiling wider, I shrugged, "In all fairness, I just sort of got it... it's not like I picked it or anything."

She laughed again, stepping closer to me, "I'm sorry to have made you wait."

I held her hand as I let my eyes bore into her, "No problem. We're all busy."

She slid her soft hand from mine, her chin dipping as she looked a little shy...

It was a cute look on her.

I smiled at her, "So you're in the market for a Dom?"

She winced a little, "Yeah... I guess."

I put my hands in my pockets, "So... what do you understand about the Dominant and submissive relationship?"

"Uh..." she floundered a little, "I guess I always understood it as... um... the Dominant gives orders and the submissive carries them out...?"

Nodding, I looked at her shoes, which looked expensive, "An over-simplification I think."

She laughed, covering her mouth as she did, "Aren't most things in life?"

Giving her that point, I nodded, "True."

She gestured towards the sitting area, "We can sit if you'd like?"

I didn't answer, merely nodded as I followed her.

She selected a seat on the couch, and rather than sitting, I followed her, standing near her as I reached inside my coat and pulled a legal sized envelope from the inside pocket.

She took the envelope from me, a quizzical look on her face, "What's this?"

Smiling at her, I told her, "A non-disclosure agreement."

Her eyebrows went up, conveying her surprise, "You want me to sign a non-disclosure?"

Turning from her, not willing to stand over her while we talked, I moved across from her, seating myself in one of the leather chairs, which I had to admit was extremely comfy.

Looking at her, I watched as she pulled the sheets of paper from the envelope, "No. You can tell anyone you want about our meetings, or our relationship. I've taken the liberty of preparing the NDA for you. It binds me," I emphasized the word, "from discussing our relationship in any way, shape, or form."

She glanced up from the paper to me, questions in her eyes.

I gestured with a hand, "Consider anything said between you and me to be in the strictest of confidence."

She frowned, looking down on the paper, "That's very reassuring."

Folding my hands in my lap, I studied her, "Discretion is a major part of the service I provide. It's vital to the trust between you and me."

Carefully, she folded the papers back up, setting them aside on a side table, "Thank you."

I didn't answer, choosing instead to again, merely nod.

We sat, looking at each other in silence...

Finally, she raised her eyebrows, "What?"

Realizing that she was much less experienced than I originally took her for, I gave her an embarrassed smile, "You should have questions for me."

Her expressive, sculpted eyebrows shot up, "I should?"

Moving my hands from my lap, I put them on the arms of the chair, "You should."

She winced, "I guess I just kind of assumed you'd... uh... take the lead?"

I chuckled at her, "That comes later."

There was a quick, shadowy look that passed over her eyes for a split second...

Her voice was low and sultry as she answered, "It does?"

I nodded at her, "Hopefully."

She moved her arm, letting the elbow on the arm of the couch and nibbled on the nail of her ring finger, "So what should I be asking?"

"Well." I explained, "You should have expectations of me. You should have limits and expect me to have my own." I raised a hand, gesturing, "You should ensure that I'm not a total psycho..."

She took the nibbled, sculpted fingernail from between her teeth, arching a beautiful eyebrow, "Are you a psycho?"

A laugh split up and out of me, "Yes."

I watched the surprise on her face as a smile split my face, "But not one that's going to be particularly dangerous to you..."

That sultry look clouded it's way back into her eyes as she answered, "That's good..."

I glanced at my watch, seeing it was just a little after five, "How much time do we have?"

She looked around, a strange, helpless gesture from a woman that I knew to be strong and capable, "How much time?"

I gestured with a finger, "You're a busy woman. Do you have other appointments?"

That collected her. Centered her.

She sat up a little straighter and I decided right then and there that she was going to be a lot of fun to be around...

Her voice was firm and proud as she answered, "No. I assumed that we'd..."

She paused for a second, before continuing, seemingly a little annoyed, "be preoccupied."

"As a general rule," I explained, "I prefer to take some time getting to know a client. In my experience, it's important for the health of the relationship to understand each other. To understand where we are both coming from and where you would like to go..."

She seemed a little annoyed, "So we won't be playing?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, "We can, if you really wish it, but I promise you, if you postpone a bit, you will be much happier with the services I provide. If you want to get the most out of what I can provide for you, it's important that you set up a bit of a roadmap of where you want to go with this..." I chose the word carefully, "relationship."

"I guess I don't understand..." her voice was businesslike, the businesswoman that I knew she was, "I assumed this..." she parsed her words carefully, "relationship was about you and where you wanted to go?"

It was a common assumption.

Completely wrong.

But common nonetheless.

It made sense.

It was just a shame that that was what she had taken from her previous encounters...

"Generally, it is not." I flicked a finger out, "There is an element of that to it, I guess. But that should be a small part of it. This relationship," I gestured between me and her, "should be defined by your needs more than anything else."

She winced, "That doesn't really sound like what I..." she stumbled for a second, and I could see her inwardly wince, "what I want."

I smiled, pushing down a laugh, "The Dominant/submissive relationship is about consent Taylor. When done right, it's about trust. If you'd like, I could tie you up and flay the skin from you, which don't get me wrong, sounds fun,"

I watched how that landed and was pleasantly surprised to see that strange look of lust in her eyes...

I continued, "and while you may enjoy that, at the moment, it isn't the most valuable service that I can provide."

I smiled wider, "Unless that's all you're after?"

Her eyes narrowed as she appraised me, "And what if it is?" she asked, "What if I just wanted you to tie me up and fuck my brains out?"

Shrugging, I watched her carefully, "If that's what you desire, I can do that."

Scrunching my nose, I appraised her, "But my bet, from just watching you the few minutes that I've known you, I can tell that's not what you're after."

She folded her arms, everything about her screaming defiance.

It was so delicious.

"So what am I after?" she asked.

Narrowing my eyes at her, I took a stab, "Well, my bet is either one of two things. Either first, you've gone to the standard, 'tickle me black and blue' dungeons and now you've gotten bored with that and want to turn the volume up. Or second, you've gone to the dungeons and you enjoy it, but there's something missing that you want. It's something you don't even understand what's missing that you want."

I nodded at her, "My bet is the second though."

There was a look in her eyes, for only a split second, a look of understanding and longing. It was there and gone almost before you could notice it, but I was a student of people, and I caught it.

She was reserved as she answered, "And what is it you're selling?"

I smiled, "I'm not selling anything. I'm offering you the most valuable service that I offer."

She eyes me warily, "And that is?"

There was a note of menace in my voice as I answered her, "Trust."

I watched how that landed. It seemed to be hitting the mark...

I continued, "You desire a true connection, but you want there to be an underlying foundation of trust there. Any dipshit" I made air quotes with my fingers, "pro-Dom can flay the skin from you. You desire connection and a giving over of trust..."

I could tell from looking at her eyes that I hit the mark without error.

"What you feel, that missing piece is truly giving control over to someone else. What you want is to open yourself up completely and give yourself over. Cliched as it sounds, you are the type of woman that's always in control. The kind of woman that tells other people what to do day in and day out. The kind of woman that dominates others through sheer force of will..."

I made a face at her, "you want to know what that feels like from the other side. You want, on occasion, to be able to let all of that go and walk away."

Her features softened, and I could tell that I'd hit my mark...

And then, in the space of a breath, she sat up a little straighter and her eyes went hard, "And if I decide that's not really what I want? If I decide that I don't want to give over control?"

I put my own elbow on the arm of my chair, laying my fingers against my chin as I shook my head at her, "With me, you can have whatever you want..."

She looked away from me, nibbling at her lip and I realized that I was in a privileged place. A place of trust where she was already letting me way inside her defenses. I could see from simply observing her, this indecision, this uncertainty... it was something she rarely showed in life. It made me happy to be that for her...

She looked back at me, "Okay. I'll play. How does this go?"

This was the hardest part for most people, women especially...

The part where sex and desire needed to be openly discussed.

For women that was particularly brutal...

They were brought up that sex was an especially taboo discussion. That relating their desires were particularly verboten.

I always thought that was troubling.

Women were people. They had desires and needs that needed to be addressed. Suppressing those desires led to unhealthiness in their lives... left them unfulfilled and unhappy.

I smiled at her, "It's like a game of doctor..."

Her eyebrows went up as she smiled, "Doctor?"

I returned her smile, nodding, "Yep. I show you mine, and you show me yours..."

Her smile went ear to ear, "Well... I'm a little out of practice with playing doctor..."

I giggled as I watched her, realizing how much of a minx she was...

She was, indeed, going to be a lot of fun...

I crossed my fingers, resting my elbows on the arms of the chair, "What are your safe words?"

That was critically important. Safe words, and their importance were the foundation upon what everything that came after was built on. To me, they were sacrosanct, nearly religious in their import...

She shrugged one elegant shoulder, "I always just used 'Red'."

I looked at her carefully, "Just red? Nothing else?"

She shook her head, "Red stops everything, right?"

I winced a little, "Yes... but... uh... what if you want things to go harder when I check in on you? What if you are right at your limits and want things to continue at their same level? What if you want to keep going but want to back off just a..." I held two fingers together, "little tiny bit?"

She nibbled at her lip as she watched me, and I could tell from looking at her that the thought of completely pushing to her limits was seriously turning her on...