Page 5 of Chic Steel

I can’t tell if he’s serious, but it wouldn’t be the first time he wanted my opinion on something. Frankly, it’s one of his easier questions. When he first started coming here and asked about genital piercings and the effect on partners…well, those were harder questions than finding fun jewellery.

“You want me to choose a fun barbell?” He nods, and his eyes slip momentarily to my chest before darting back to my eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

I head to the front of the shop with the jewellery and, if I remember correctly, we received some very amusing barbells last week. The question is, am I brave enough to convince him to wear it? Will he take it as a joke or be offended?

“Done already?” Immy asks.

“Nope. Finding jewellery. He wants me to choose something fun.”

She frowns when she sees the section I’m looking at. “Are you sure he means it? He doesn’t seem the type to want something like that.”

I shrug. “I guess we’ll see.” I grasp the barbell with tweezers and put it in a small bag. Hopefully, he does want something fun because I took the brief to heart and want him to laugh, or at least smile when he sees what I picked.

He’s in the same position I left him in when I return. Sitting upright on the chair, shoes touching the concrete floor where mine would swing in the air.

“I found something.” I take it to the side and sanitise everything.

“What is it?”

“A surprise,” I say, finding some non-existent courage to see if I can make him laugh. This could backfire.

“A surprise?” he repeats cautiously. Which makes sense since I usually show him the pieces and we decide together. But today I’m not letting him chicken out from choosing something truly silly.

“Do you trust me?”

“I do.”

A shiver runs through me at his response. Wasn’t expecting him to say yes.

I turn to him. “Then take your shirt off.” His eyebrow raises, and it takes me a moment to realise the implication of what I said. I shake myself and correct it. “I’ll give you a second to take your shirt off and then we’ll change the jewellery.”

He shrugs off his jacket and begins to unbutton his navy shirt.

A strange sound escapes me, which he doesn’t comment on, and I spin to face the wall. He’s undressing in front of me. What am I supposed to do with myself? He undresses every session, and it never gets easier. I can’t stand here and wait. Maybe I should pretend to sanitise everything again so it looks like I’m doing something and not waiting to see his bare chest with the ring I put through his nipple?

“I’m ready.”

I blow out a slow breath and turn to face him. “Lie down for me, please.” His shirt and jacket are folded neatly on the seat by the wall, and I cut off my drifting mind before I can imagine if he folds everything neatly at home or if he chucks them on a chair and hopes for the best like I do. Would he be annoyed at me if I left my clothing on his floor?

I stand beside his chest and ignore the thick hair scattered across it and how soft and cuddly he looks, and focus on the surgical steel hoop in his left nipple. He never got his right pierced. Got his left, then a week later jumped straight into piercing his penis. And with a painful one that makes peeing a bitch. Or so I’m told.

Couldn’t start with a ladder. Oh no, had to be a Prince Albert.

“Okay, let’s remove this.” My hand brushes his chest as I manoeuvre the ring, and he tenses while I unclasp it and pop out the ball holding it together.

Could have tensed from having the metal removed, or was it because my hand touched his chest? They’re covered in gloves though, so it can’t have felt good. Maybe the rubber caught his chest hair and I hurt him? Seems more likely than him being affected by my touch.

I clean the hoop and put it in a tiny bag for him to take home and turn back to him to clean his piercing site. Gently swiping a swab over it, I glance at him and find his eyes already on me. It’s distracting, knowing he’s staring at me while I work. Makes it difficult to keep my thoughts professional. Especially since he’s talking less today. Usually when he asks lots of questions, or I have lots to explain, I can stop my head wandering. Changing jewellery doesn’t take much thought.

I meet his eyes and smile. “Close your eyes.”

His eyes narrow. “Why?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t even get to see it before you put it in me?”

“Nope.” This is where I’m not sure he’ll agree but?—

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