Page 16 of Her Secret Santa

Chapter Seven

CLARA

Eternity is overwhelming the second we step through the door.

The cool metal mask settles against my face as I tie the straps around my head, and it makes me feel like I’m stepping into a fantasy world. I'm still trying to get over that this is evenhappeningwhen we walk through the next set of doors.

Pale gray walls are swapped out for a deep, dusky navy. Lights hang from the ceiling to cast a warm glow on the pristinely polished floor. Our heels clack against the hardwood as we make our way up to the expansive desk that takes up an entire wall. Two plush chairs sit before it. A well muscled young woman with broad shoulders and a severe blond bob sits behind it, watching our approach with an air of detachment and the slightest smile.

Shiny black latex covers every inch of her that I can see, save for her face, which is half hidden behind a black mask.

So she’s an Elite.

My heart stutters in my chest, and I share a glance with Allie, relieved to see the same mix of anxiety and anticipation reflected at me.

“Welcome to Eternity, Jewels.” Her voice is higher pitched than I expected, but buttery smooth. “Take a seat.”

It's more of an instruction than an invitation.

“The first is our NDA. Read through it carefully and ask any questions you'd like before signing,” she says as she plucks two pens from the cup on her desk and slides them over. “The next two pages are floor rules. You'll sign at the bottom, but broad strokes are that consent is never implied, stoplight system is used for universal safewords, and there's an explanation of the bracelet colors.”

A board behind her is adorned with various bracelets, thin cords of varying colors with their associated meanings listed beside them. I feel like I can't pay proper attention as I skim through the NDA, buzzing with excitement at being here and actually going through with this.

These kinds of things don't happen in my life, and it feels a little like I'm dreaming.

I scrawl my signature at the bottom of the NDA paperwork before flipping to the next page. The more I read, the more real it seems, and my heart rate spikes as I add my signature to the next page, acknowledging the rule against having more than two drinks and the various safety statements. The last page is a medical release, giving access to relevant blood work and testing. We emailed our most recent bill of health in the cab on the way over.

The Elite takes our paperwork and slips it into a file before pressing a button on the surface of the desk. The top splits open to reveal a gleaming tray of bracelets, arranged in the same fashion as the ones on the wall behind the desk.

“I'll give you two some privacy. Knock on the door when you're ready.”

Allie and I both nod in agreement, watching as the Elite steps out of the room. Our eyes meet, and both of us break into disbelieving laughter.

“Oh my God!” Allie gushes, reaching out to shake me by the arm. “Is this even real?”

“You're askingme?” I tease, grinning so wide it hurts. “This is crazy, Allie! Seriously, how did we even wind up here?”

Allie laughs, shaking her hair out and looking down her nose at me.

“Didn’t you read the NDA?” she scolds teasingly, clicking her tongue at me. “We don’t have names here, babes, we’re just Jewels. Although, hopefully by the end of the night, we’ll be Diamonds.”

The thought is almost too much to fathom, but tonight is already a fantasy. Might as well run with it, right?

“Alright, alright, we need to pick our bracelets,” Allie says, turning excitedly to the colorful array before us. “Dress to impress, right?”

On closer inspection, the bracelets are actually made of thin strips of dyed leather, intricately braided together. My eyes fly between the colors, black to white to pink to yellow to blue, and they all blur together as I try to calm the racing of my mind. Every fantasy I’ve ever indulged blooms in my mind, mixing and mingling into a convoluted mess of desires and excitement.

Allie reaches for a black one—bondage—first and slides it over her wrist, and I take a deep breath before doing the same. The next ones come easier, the more basic of my wants. Pastel pink for submission, a deep, burnt orange for spanking, crimson for discipline, lavender for praise. With each bracelet comes a growing sense of both calm and anticipation, excitement and certainty.

It feels right, even if it’s the last thing I expected to be doing on a Saturday night.

“Here.” Allie slides two more bracelets toward me, a knowing grin stretched across her red-painted lips. One is a mauve red for choking, the other gray for restraints. “Don’t short yourself.”

Her wrist is covered much the same as mine. Pastel pink and lavender sit against the tanned skin of her arm, along with one of the mauve ones she just passed me. She also sports a peach colored band, professing her love for anal play, a hot pink one for toys of any kind, and a bubblegum pink one for masochism.

The absolute confidence she wears them with strikes something in me, and I pull the two she passed me on before reaching for two more. Forest green for primal play and a bright, fiery orange for impact.

I’m not Clara Sanders tonight. I’m a Jewel.

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