She looked surprised. I don't know if it was the question or the exasperated tone in my voice. She finally answered in a much more subdued voice than I expected.
"I guess it's because I really want you to take the lead, to be in control. I want you to decide what it is that we do. I want to make you happy and that means doing whatever you want."
"But how the hell do I make sure that you are getting what you need out of this deal if you just clam up. I can't read your mind. I don't know what has your interest or is pushing you in a certain direction unless you talk to me."
I saw her expression change. She wasn't getting upset or mad. It was more a look of surprise at my more assertive demands.
"Ummm... I hadn't thought about that. I see your point, but sometimes I don't feel comfortable with you talking about some of this stuff. Maybe it embarrasses me, or I am afraid you will think I have gone over the edge."
I made an exasperated noise.
"For Christ's sake. After the things we have both done in the last few months, do you really think I am going to be surprised at anything you can come up with?"
She looked at me and smiled. She SMILED!
"You might be surprised."
"Try me."
"I might just do that. "
I looked at her as she sat demurely on the couch with her legs curled beneath her. I guess I should have pressed harder, but something inside me caused me to let it go for the time being. I turned back to the TV, but my mind was busy.
&&&&&
I sat and thought. Glancing over at her, I saw that she had pulled whatever she was reading from behind the pillow and had it opened again. It looked like an oversized paperback book. I couldn't see anything to give me an idea of what it was. I glanced at the clock on the TV. It was almost 4pm. I had been playing with an idea. I decided to go with it.
"I want you to be ready to leave the house to go eat at 7pm precisely. Wear what you had planned to wear to begin our 24 hours."
She was looking at me as if I had just told her that it was raining outside. She showed little interest in what I was saying. So, I added to my instructions.
"Be on time or you will find out that I will not tolerate tardiness."
I left abruptly without waiting for a reply or watching to see how she reacted. I headed upstairs to shower. After I shaved and showered and looked in my closet to decide what to wear. My usual attire for an evening out for dinner would have been a pair of khaki pants, a polo shirt, and my old leather deck shoes. Tonight, I wanted a little something different. I found a pair of black jeans and a black long sleeve button down shirt. I added a black leather vest that I had gotten years ago for some event, and a pair of black suede shoes. I looked at myself in the mirror after I was dressed. It was not entirely the look I wanted. I ditched the leather vest and opted for a black sports coat. That was more like it. I put my gear in my pockets and headed downstairs. I stopped in the kitchen and got a bottle of water. I found Rose still sitting on the couch reading. As I entered the book went behind the cushion on the couch. I saw the change in her face when she saw me.
"Jack. You look amazing."
I watched her body language. There were some subtle changes.
"You better get yourself upstairs and get ready. I promise you that you don't want to be late for your appointment with me."
I swear to God I saw her shiver slightly as I spoke to her. She sort of jumped off the couch. As she hurried toward the stairs she muttered softly as she passed.
"Yes Sir."
I waited where I was until I heard the shower start upstairs. I then headed to the couch and searched behind the couch cushion. I was curious about what had her attention so focused. I finally found the paperback book and pulled it out. Looking at the cover I read the title and the subtitle.
Different Loving: The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission
I thumbed through the book looking at the table of contents. I made a mental note to get a copy of the book for myself. I slipped the book back where it had been behind the couch cushion and headed to the living room to wait. I wanted to think a bit more about what I had planned for the next 24 hours.
I glanced at the clock on my phone. It was 7:05. She was late. When she finally appeared, it was at her customary 15 minutes late. She came down the stairs and saw me sitting in the living room facing the door. She stepped into the room, all smiles and twinkling eyes.
I watched her carefully. She seemed nonchalant and carefree. I am sure she thought that the next 24 hours were going to be a lot like our normal routines. I had decided otherwise. She was wearing a brand-new outfit. I was sure it was one that she had picked out during the shopping trip with the other women. She had on a pale blue button-down blouse and a dark blue pleated skirt. The skirt was much shorter than her usual choices stopping at least 4 inches above her knee. She appeared to be wearing sheer stocking. Her shoes were spiked 5-inch heels. They bordered on being CFMs. Her hair was immaculately done as was her makeup. She was beautiful and sexy.
I think she was waiting for me to get up and escort her to the door. Instead, I stayed seated as I spoke to her.
"You're fucking late. I will not tolerate such behavior. When we get back tonight, you will be punished for tardiness. You can think about that while we are having dinner tonight."
I saw her eyes. My attitude and demeanor startled her I suppose. I saw her nose flare as she heard the word punished. To my surprise, I saw her nipples appear through the soft material of the blouse. I knew she was wearing a bra. I could see the line of the shoulder straps. It must be a model that showed her nipples.
I finally stood and walked toward the door. I took her coat from the closet and held it for her. She slipped it on, and I pulled it up over her shoulders. Her eyes were different now. Instead of the little twinkle she had earlier, there was a darker and more intense look about her.
I had chosen a restaurant some distance away. We rode in almost total silence across town and finally pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant and club called "The Den." It wasn't quite a dive joint, but it was close. I opened the door for her and we headed into the restaurant.
The waitress met us at the door and led us to a table near the small stage. I knew that there was supposed to be a group playing Jazz and I assumed that this was the stage. The dance floor was small indicating that dancing was not the usual activity. When the waitress came back and asked for our drink orders, I ordered for both of us.
"I will have a double scotch on the rocks. The best single malt scotch your bar offers. The lady will have a double vodka gimlet."
Rose was taking this all in carefully. I usually let her order on her own. The waitress left. I waited for Rose to comment, but she just sat looking at me as if she were contemplating something deeply. I was looking at the menu. When the waitress returned with our drinks, I was ready to order dinner.
"The lady will have the garlic roasted chicken with a dinner salad and the steamed vegetable. I will have the ribeye steak, cooked rare, with a baked potato and a salad."
"Very good Sir."
The waitress left with our order, and I picked up my drink.
Rose was still looking at me a little suspiciously. I smiled at her and turned to watch the band as they took the stage.
Dinner was ok, but nothing spectacular. The Jazz was ok. We finished our meal, had another drink, at my insistence, and then headed to the car. I had led the conversation carefully. I avoided any topic that remotely touched on BDSM, our relationship, or the events of the past few months. I wanted the conversation to be as innocuous and bland as possible. Once we were back in the car and I started driving, Rose noticed that I was not going in the right direction to go home. She asked where we were going.
"I need to do a little late-night shopping. I think you will find it interesting."
I pulled into the parking lot of a non-descript strip mall. It was late but there were quite a few cars in the parking lot at one end. I parked in a space at the end of the line of cars. We were parked in front of a shop called, The Loving Couple. It was a sex shop that I had scoped out a few days earlier.
"Get out. We are going shopping."
As Rose stepped out of the car, I could see that her eyes were big. She was also a bit flushed which I took to be a good sign. We headed into the store. I knew that the store had a wide variety of adult type merchandise from clothing to sex toys. There was also a peep show type of arrangement where you could pay a small fee and watch a few minutes of some cheesy porno in privacy.
We walked in and I led Rose through some of the displays. The man behind the counter looked sketchy at best. When he saw Rose, a leering smile crossed his face. I felt Rose sort of step behind me. The man came down behind the counter a bit closer and then spoke to Rose, not to me."