The characters in this story, Chris Gringle, owner of Grissom's Gardens, and Holly Barry, were introduced in the holiday story, Candy Canes and Kissing Balls.
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"Fine!" Holly yells, as she collapses onto the couch.
"Fine!" Chris yells back, as he goes out the door and slams it, hard.
Holly huddles on the couch, grasping a pillow to her chest, sobbing her heart out. They just had their first real fight. She can't believe what he expects from her. How dare he assume she'd just go along with his request with no regard for her feelings on the matter.
Chris storms down the stairs to his car and slams the door. He takes a deep breath before he puts the key in the ignition. He wasn't asking much, in the scheme of things. He thought she'd love the idea, the sensuality and adventure of it. How could he be so wrong?
They've been a couple since they met during the Christmas holidays. They share a love of things kinky and have had several adventures indulging their desires for BDSM. Both being switches, they have fun trying things out on each other. But to Holly, this latest request is going too far.
Chris guns his car and speeds back to his place. Once there, he pours himself a stiff drink and takes it down to his basement playroom. Looking around, he decides there are too many memories there, so he goes into the yet unused room next door. He sits himself in his specially designed barber chair and fumes.
Holly has to pad to the bedroom to get more tissues. She blows her nose and is done with crying, until she spies the paddle he uses on her sitting on a chair. She starts crying again and throws herself onto the bed. She pounds a pillow as if it is attacking her.
She cries until she's cried out. With a pounding headache, she takes some aspirin, gets into her nightgown and crawls into bed. Maybe if she sleeps, things will look better in the morning. Maybe.
Chris wants to drink himself into oblivion, but doesn't. He knows better than that; problems do not look better, no solutions come, when you're half blind. He sips his drink, pondering what went wrong with the conversation.
He puts his head back on the headrest and closes his eyes. His drink consumed, he falls asleep in the chair.
The next morning, Holly groans as she looks in the bathroom mirror. Crying always has its price and her face shows it. She showers, inhaling the steam. She really doesn't want to go to work but calling in sick is not an option today. Her boss is at a conference and she has to man the office.
The day goes as expected; a flurry of phone calls in the morning, a paperwork snafu, and the afternoon drags on. Her colleague, Silvia, has been watching her all day. She knows something is wrong. When it is time to close the office, Silvia asks Holly out for a drink.
Holly, not wanting to go home, says "Yes. I could definitely use one."
Silvia is a smart, older woman. You wouldn't know it to look at her, but she's had many interesting experiences in her life. She thinks she can help Holly with whatever the matter is.
They order drinks at a quiet hideaway bar, one they both feel comfortable being in.
"Holly, something is wrong. Tell me, maybe I can help."
"We had our first fight. I don't know what to do now."
"Well, how bad was it?"
"Chris wants me to do something; he even planned it, without asking for my opinion. He assumed I'd go along with it. It scared me and made me mad."
"Was this thing so outrageous that you couldn't do it, or didn't want to for other reasons?"
"It was the assumption that I would change something just because he thought it would be exciting, that I would be turned on by it."
"Holly, what was this thing he wanted you to do?"
"I don't want to talk about it. Please."
"Okay, but let me just say this. If it scared you, do some research on it. I'm sure he isn't the first person to think of whatever it is, there has to be something on the internet.
Find out how others handle it, did or did they not like it, etc. It will be less scary if you know more about it."
"Okay, maybe I will. Now, let's drink."
That was the end of that conversation, but Silvia did plant a seed of curiosity in Holly's mind.
Chris has a headache when he wakes, still in the barber chair. His muscles complain when he gets up out of the chair, so he downs some aspirin with his coffee. He feels better after a hot shower, and makes his way to the nursery which he owns.
After the holidays, it is pretty quiet. Plants don't move much during the winter months so he concentrates on after holiday inventory and paying the first of many bills.
After he closes the shop, he stops and picks up some dinner and goes home. He pours a glass of wine and eats while watching the news. He tries not to think about the fight, but finally gives up and logs onto the internet, looking for anonymous advice on how to get your partner to agree to a kink activity.
He finds a few helpful items and bookmarks them for later. He feels a little better now about dealing with this issue.
Once Holly is home, her curiosity gets the better of her. She is so upset that the drinks she had didn't really make her tipsy, so feeling sober, she logs onto the 'net. She types in search words and up pop many items to click on.
She decides to read articles before viewing any videos. She clicks on one link and reads about one woman's experience. The woman was forced but found it so exciting, that she plans to have her partner do it again.
She finds another link to an article written by a woman who hated the experience. She expresses the fears that Holly has and she feels vindicated. She then clicks on a link and reads a first-hand report of exactly what Chris asked of her. As she reads deeper into the article, she finds her fear lessening.
The woman was reluctant, but found the experience so sensuous, so empowering that she was glad she let her partner do it. So far, two out of three articles are positive.
She tries the videos next. The first video shows a woman being forced into the situation and crying but also masturbating and cuming. Talk about mixed messages! Holly moves on to the next one.
In this one, the woman is tied up, naked, and looks totally terrified at first, but then she cums, without any intimate touching. Holly admits to herself that this one turned her on.
To choose the next one, Holly closes her eyes and moves the mouse and just clicks and watches whatever one she gets. This video is done slowly, and sensuously. The woman is totally into it and smiles as the situation unfolds.
Holly realizes that this could be, if done right, be very sexy and lead to other things. She resolves to speak to Chris about it. Maybe they can resolve this and both be happy.
Both Chris and Holly give it a few days before speaking, both wanting to have cool heads prevailing. Neither had planned when exactly they would get together and talk, but fate has other plans for them.
Holly enters the grocery store, looking to pick up items to make dinner for her and Silvia on Saturday. She's in the pasta aisle looking at the top shelf for her favorite tomato paste. She sees it way back on the shelf, but she's too short to reach for it.
She turns and sees a tall man across the aisle and asks him if he could get it for her. He turns, and she's looking at Chris.
"Um, hi," Holly says, feeling awkward. "I'm making dinner for Silvy and I need some tomato paste."
Chris reaches up easily and grabs a can. "Just one?"
"Yes, thanks."
Chris turns to walk away.
"Um, Chris! Please, we need to talk."
