Page 42 of Derek

“Maybe most, but not all. By the way, which pronouns do you use?”

“She and her. Thanks for asking. Most people don’t. They just hem and haw.”

Lynn looked to be in her late twenties and was wearing a polo shirt and short skirt over leggings. She still had some scraggly facial hair, so Sonja didn’t try to guess where she was in her transition.

“I can’t guarantee it, but I don’t think you’ll find many people here like that. Can I introduce you around a bit? It should help break the ice.”

“Thanks. I’d appreciate it.” Lynn sounded relieved.

“There’s Sandra. She’s closer to your age. We celebrated her thirtieth birthday at the club a couple of months ago.”

Sandra was headed straight for the food, so she was easy to catch. “Hi, Sonja. Who is this? I’m Sandra.” She put out her hand, and Lynn reached out tentatively to shake it.

“This is Lynn,” Sonja said. “She’s new.”

“Good to meet you, Lynn. Great outfit. Where did you find that cute skirt?”

Lynn’s shoulders relaxed, and she lowered her arms from her chest at Sandra’s welcome. The two of them were quicklydiscussing fashion. “It’s hard to find things that look good on my body type,” Lynn said. “I don’t have a lot to work with.”

“Nonsense,” Sandra said. “You just have to know where to shop.”

Sonja interjected, “I see I found the perfect person for you to talk to, Lynn. Welcome again. I’m sure we’ll talk more later. Before I go, are you on FetLife? I’m Chefdujour thirty-seven. Send me a friend request, or I’ll send you one.”

“That would be great. I’m Wolfling twenty-six.”

Sonja pulled a pen from her purse and wrote both FetLife handles on napkins, handing one to Lynn, before heading toward the entrance where she saw a familiar face.

“Erin! How great to have you here.” Sonja was always pleased when people she liked in the vanilla world turned out to be kinky.

“Hi, Sonja. You don’t seem surprised to see me.”

“Well, it’s not like I was expecting you, but when you’re in the lifestyle, you get used to running into people you wouldn’t think are kinky. Are you new in general or just to the munch?” Sonja asked.

“I don’t have a lot of experience, but I’ve played before. Right now, I’m looking to meet more people into BDSM. I understand from FetLife, there’s a club that sponsors this munch?” Erin sounded confident.

“Yes,” Sonja said. “Club Indigo. We try to have a fair number of members here each month. The club is by invitation only.”

“What do I have to do to get an invite?” Erin asked.

“You get straight to the point.” Sonja chuckled. “It’s pretty easy. You come here. Talk to people, especially members, and ask. Let me introduce you to Scott. He’s hosting tonight and can tell you more about the club.”

They went over to where Scott was now talking to Lynn. “We’re interested in getting more younger members, but if youfeel like you don’t fit, there’s a regular weekly TNG group that has a slosh here on alternate Wednesdays, and they rent out the club for a play party once a month on a Sunday afternoon/evening. Some of them are regular members, too.”

“Do you know if they’re trans-friendly?” Lynn asked.

“As far as I know, yes. Have you tried other groups that aren’t?” Scott asked.

“No. I came here first, though, because Club Indigo’s rep in the trans groups on FetLife is good. I was just a little surprised that I didn’t see more people my age or more trans folks.”

“The younger crowd tends to go to the TNG group, but we have some trans people among the regulars,” Scott said.

Sonja jumped in. “Sorry to interrupt, Scott. Lynn, I can vouch for what Scott’s saying. I think you’ll find support at Club Indigo, whatever your identity, orientation, or kink. People are genuinely open.”

“Thanks for saying that, Sonja,” Lynn replied. “You certainly make me feel comfortable here.”

“Scott, Lynn, this is Erin. She’s new tonight, too, and interested in coming to the club. Can I leave her with you?” Sonja asked.

Sonja got Erin’s FetLife handle before moving away again.

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