The Dungeon

The building nestled amongst a handful of pecan trees in the industrial business district east of downtown. Mimi and Adam had driven almost an hour before they reached the city. Because the light pollution was so bad, the edges of the sky glowed a strange gray color. Mimi missed the stars, even knowing they were still up there shining. When they parked in the grass covered parking lot, she looked down at her shoe choice with trepidation. Her thin heels were going to sink into the dirt if she didn't keep her weight on her toes. Opening her own door, she slid her legs out and carefully stood up. When her left foot sank, she grimaced. Adam closed her door behind her. "Need a hand?"

"I'd be grateful. The ground is very soft." When Mimi extended her hand toward him for balance, Adam stepped in and swept her off her feet. She giggled as her husband carried her in his powerful arms. His strength always surprised her. She'd been afraid to sit on her ex's lap for fear of crushing him. Confident in Adam, Mimi loosely wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.

"Are you nervous?"

"No. I'm with you. You've been here before, right?"

"I have been to 1487 many times."

"I thought you avoided family functions."

"This dungeon isn't part of the Box Company Corporation, and the lady that owns this place knows how to throw a party. Her Halloween events are legendary." He gave Mimi a little squeeze. "We will go this year."

Mimi crossed one ankle over the other. "I always did like playing dress up." Being carried made her feel like a princess.

Adam chuckled. "Then you are about to enter wonderland. This is exactly like when you took me to the fair. There will be lots of things to see and do."

"Will you have a lot of business to attend to?"

"No, I'm just here to be seen. Being the prodigal son who returns, and all that."

She arched her brows. "Is that how you see things?"

"No, but that is how my father is spinning it. As long as his personal mythology doesn't work against me, I don't care what he tells his friends." Adam set her down when they reached the cement walk. "And this party is Ann's doing, so I don't think he will be here."

"I'd like to meet your aunt."

"Here, she is called Lady Ann. I know the title sounds pretentious, but when you meet her, it will make sense. She is her own unique form of royalty amongst these people." Adam opened the nondescript door and red gold light spilled outward. Liquid music filled the air. They stepped into the short line cued in front of a sign-in desk. Removing their lightweight coats to check them, they waited patiently in the line.

"Is your aunt a princess?"

A regal woman with a perfect French twist turned toward Mimi and said, "More like a queen." She smiled down at Mimi and turned her gaze toward Adam. "Hello my darling nephew." Her hair gleamed in the low lighting, shiny and thick. Lady Ann's makeup was dramatic and precise. A black silk shirt and leather pants skimmed her lean body, sexy in a powerful and understated way. Mimi stared.

Adam hugged his aunt tightly, before saying, "I'd like you to meet my wife, Mimi."

"Welcome to our world, darling girl." She reached out and took her hand in both of hers. "I'm so glad you both joined us." Ann lifted Mimi's hand and appraised her dress and corset. "Aren't you a complete picture? Are you part of the community?"

"The community of what?" Mimi looked at Adam, who was hiding a smile behind his hand.

"I believe my dearest aunt is wondering if you are part of the kink or leather lifestyle."

"Am I?"

Adam laughed then. He retrieved her hand from his aunt and tucked it into the crook of his arm. "I suppose we shall find out. Perhaps you will enjoy my fair as much as I enjoyed yours."

"You didn't like the llamas."

"No one likes llamas."

"I like llamas."

Lady Ann's smile was fond. A tiny, wicked grin flickered across her ruby lips. "I will leave you to explore the rides. Tonight, we might have a pony or two, but no Llamas that I know of." She winked at Mimi. "I always thought llamas were rather elegant creatures."

Mimi tapped Adam's arm. "See."

He placed his hand over hers and squeezed her fingers. "Shall we explore?"

The space had several vast rooms with high ceilings. Mimi's mind struggled to take it all in. In the far corner, a man swung a whip. Every time he lifted and swirled the braided leather, it cracked. Mimi jumped at the loud sharp sound cutting through the music. A curved half circle, almost as high as she was, took up a section of the main room. It looked like an adult version of jungle gym equipment. A part of her wanted to climb to the top.

Heavy beams had been bolted together into a cube. The bondage cube's size dominated the room. A plump woman with bronze skin was bound in elaborate rope, suspended in the air. Her eyes were closed as the woman with her gently pushed her, causing her captive body to sway. Under the criss-crossing ropes she wore only a pair of panties. Mimi stumbled to a standstill, amazed by how strangely beautiful the tableau was. Adam paused with her. He shifted one hand to the small of her back and leaned close to whisper, "Do you like what you see?"

"Do you mean the women, or the rope?"

He tucked his fingers into her laces at the small of her back. "Both, either, whatever is true for you."

"Does it hurt?" She kept her voice low, not wanting to interrupt what was clearly a focused and intimate moment happening between the two women. She felt like a voyeur and surprised herself by not automatically feeling like that was a bad thing.

"If the rigger, the rope artist, is skilled, the feeling is more compression." Gripping her laces tightly, he swayed her body back and forth. "Like your corset."

She brought her hands to her waist and looked up at him. "Do a lot of people like to do these things?"

"Yes, little Mimi, they do." He gestured to the room. "It is still very early. By midnight, this place will be full of people and the sounds of strange pleasures."

She lowered her voice until she almost couldn't hear herself. "Do people have sex in public?" Adam leaned close to hear her and kissed her forehead. "That is against the rules inside the dungeon." He gestured to the front door. "I suppose some people can't wait for the drive home and act like teenagers in their cars."

"Not everyone has sex in cars as a teenager."

"Would you like to make up for lost time? I could tell Ann we were stepping out to get air."

Her cheeks heated. "No, Adam, how would that look?"

He released her laces and placed his arm around her fondly. "Normal, considering we are newlyweds."

***

So many introductions happened that the names became blurred. Adam was popular here. True to his word, the place filled with people. Mimi's shoes looked fantastic, but her feet were becoming miserable and she was thirsty. Adam was in an intense discussion with another man about a club they both belonged to. She didn't want to interrupt them, but she really needed water. She tugged his shirt and whispered, "Daddy."

He looked at her. "Yes, princess."

"Is there water somewhere?"

The other man touched his wife's arm and said, "Dawn, could you please take this enchanting woman to the refreshment room?

Adam kissed her temple and gave her bottom a little pat as she stepped away from him. He felt safe here, so she could too, maybe.

Dawn said, "I was so surprised to learn that Adam had married." The woman looped her arm in Mimi's as if they had been friends forever. "Were you two secretly dating? He hasn't been in the dungeon in weeks and weeks."

"Was this a regular haunt for him?"

"You could say that."

The brightly lit room was a blessing. Mimi didn't care if it was rude. She sank into one of the chairs lining the edge of the refreshment room so her feet could have a needed break. There were drinks and finger foods lined up on two tables at the edge of the room.

Dawn teased, "I thought you were thirsty."

"I'm, but my feet are killing me." She unfastened the clasps at her ankles with a sign of relief.

She put her hands on her hips. "I thought those shoes were too cute to be comfortable."

Mimi rubbed the tops of her feet where the straps had left marks. "I wish I could take my feet off too."

"Let me get you some water."

Dawn returned with two glasses and handed Mimi one. "Is this your first time in a dungeon?"

Mimi nodded, sipping the water gratefully. "I don't know where to look or what to do."

A very tall man dressed like a pony walked past and Mimi gawked.

Dawn giggled. "You are in for so much adventure." She tucked one of Mimi's curls behind her ears. "Do you like to color?"

"How did you guess? I have a stack of geometric adult coloring books. I color at work when I'm stuck on the phone."

"Want to get away from the intensity and have a coloring break? You look divine in that dress, by the way."

Mimi's heart sank. "Do I look like I want to run away?"

"No, not at all." Dawn pondered her. "I'm just good at figuring out where people are comfortable. Think of it as my super power. Let's go, it's just the other side of the hall."

Mimi reached down for her shoes.

Dawn touched her arm. "Don't worry about that. Just push them under the chair and leave them. No one will mess with them."

The curtains hanging in the doorway to the room were covered in leaping cartoon unicorns. Mimi looked toward Dawn. "Is this part of the dungeon?"

Dawn beamed. "Yes! It's my favorite part." She drew back the curtain and the room within was an explosion of color after all the darkness. There were stuffed animals and toys and an adult sized rocking horse that called to Mimi. A handful of adults dressed like little kids played on the floor. A bright eyed plump guy in a dragon onesie waved to them merrily. "Hey Dawn. Have you brought a new friend?"

Arm tucked securely in Mimi's, Dawn nodded. "I did indeed. This is Mimi. Adam's new girl. She likes to color."

He stood up, cute in his fluffy outfit. "I'm Tim. I'm the host of the pod-cast, Little Land, and the local scout leader."

Mimi tried to fit things together. "Like for the Box Company Camp?"

He waved his hand. "That place is way more fancy and formal than our local troupe meetings. We just like to have fun. Sometimes the bigs need a break too." He gestured to a lumberjack of a guy who was awkwardly sitting in a smallish chair next to a woman who was furiously coloring. "Find a spot, and a coloring book, if that is your thing." There was a colorful wrestling mat in the corner.

She felt a little sheepish. "Can people actually ride the horse?"

Tim said, "You sure can."

She heard Adam's voice before he entered the room, animatedly talking to Dawn's husband.

Dawn beamed when the guys joined them in the fun space. He said, "I knew they would be here. Dawn loves to hide in here." Dawn untangled her arm from Mimi's and scampered to her husband.

"I'm not hiding Daddy" She leaned into him and he reached down and grabbed two handfuls of her bottom. "Mimi was thinking about trying the rocking horse."

"Oh, was she then?" Dawn's daddy said.

Adam smiled down at her. "Try it if you want to."

Mimi bit her lip before she admitted, "I used to love mine when I was a little kid. Riding a toy horse is silly to do as a grown up."

"Maybe, but is it fun?" Dawn flashed her a wink.

Adam gestured to the merrily painted horse. Mimi reached for his hand as they checked it out. Looking up at Adam, Mimi said, "You won't let me fall?"

"Never."

She stepped up into the stirrup, her dress hem rising high as she slid a leg over and sat down. The ground seemed very far away.

"Where are your shoes?" Adam stroked a fingertip along the red criss-crosses on the top of her foot.

"They were stolen."

His face went instantly serious.

"No." She leaned over to touch his arm and almost slipped out of the seat. His hands instantly resettled her. Mimi said sheepishly, "I was joking. They are tucked under a chair in the refreshment room."

His face relaxed, and the Adam she was familiar with surfaced. He gestured to the horse's neck. "Grab the reins, cowgirl".

Mimi wrapped the reins around her hand like she had as a little kid and shifted her weight. Adam rested his hand on the back of her saddle as the horse rocked. Sweet memories filled her, and she gave in to the joy of the simple pleasure.