Page 32 of James

She nodded and before James could continue, the waiter re-appeared at their table. They ordered, both opting for only a main course and salad. James chose the shahi korma and Laura went with tikka masala with chicken.

As the waiter left, James said, “I was mostly raised by my father’s father. I lost him two years ago, February.” James fell silent and stared off in the distance. “I can still picture him in his old chair. It always looked massive to me.” He smiled with a soft expression on his face as if happy memories accompanied the visual. “That’s the chair I told you I broke when I was a kid. Anyway, I’m divorced, as you know. I have my own business with my best friend, Chris. We’ve been buddies since the first day in high school. Chris is great with the customers, but I wouldn’t want him to do the accounts.”

“Not so good with numbers?”

“Oh, he’s great with numbers, just not so good at being responsible.” James shook his head fondly. “He can be rather carefree sometimes. Then again, I can be a tad serious, and he reminds me to enjoy myself and live life to the fullest. Neither of us compromises on quality; our motto is ‘only a job well done is a job worth doing’ and our company has made a bit of a name with it.”

She smiled. “You must be proud of what you’ve achieved together.”

“Yes, I am. Although I’m convinced we would have done okay without each other, together we make a much stronger team,” James replied before taking a sip of his water.

She nodded vigorously. “I do understand. I have thisgreat relationship with my sister, Suzie. We’re the same in many respects, but worlds apart in others. There hasn’t been much life has thrown our way we couldn’t handle between the two of us. Sadly, her husband died young, leaving not only her behind, but also Tim and Abby.”

There was a short lull in their conversation as the meals were brought. After their first few bites, he asked. “So, you have a niece and nephew and no children of your own, correct?”

“That’s right. Tim is eleven and quite the man of the house,” she answered. “He’s very protective of his mother and sister. He helps with small jobs around the house, and sometimes with larger ones, too. Abby is eight and the spitting image of her mother. Unfortunately, she’s too young to have many memories of her father before he became ill.”

He nodded in understanding, “It must have been hard to lose their father at such a young age.”

“Yes, it was. We were all devastated when Richard was diagnosed. At first, it looked like the treatment was going to be successful, but six months later, the cancer was back and spread throughout his body. The doctors suggested he enter a clinical trial, but Richard and Suzie turned them down because it would likely take away all his quality of life. They decided they wanted to enjoy the time he had left. They had hospice care the last few months, which really made things easier.” She blinked away tears and forced a brave smile. “Enough about my brother-in-law. What I want to know is, how did you get involved in BDSM?”

He paused a moment before he answered her question. “I’ve already told you Cindy and I were high schoolsweethearts. She was quite adventurous and a big partygoer. One day, we came across a BDSM-party. For me, it was an eye-opener. Cindy enjoyed a lot of what we did, but she didn’t go as deeply into the lifestyle as I wanted to.”

The waiter appeared and after a short discussion, they ordered coffee and the check.

James continued, “I’m a big advocate of ‘Safe, Sane and Consensual.’ If I play with someone, I want to be certain of limits and our compatibility.” He fell silent and his gaze locked with hers.

Laura took in a gulp of air, because this had been one of the things bothering her. “I’ve been wondering about that. At the laundromat you gave me a safeword, but we didn’t negotiate. How did you know what limits to respect?”

They were briefly interrupted by the waiter with their coffee before they could continue their conversation.

James rubbed his neck while considering her question. “Well, for starters, I didn’t have any implements, so the most you were going to get was the spanking. I don’t use heavy stuff, mostly restraints, maybe some paddles or a light-weight flogger, and my bare hand. I don’t like to leave long-lasting marks. I would like my submissive to surrender power to me. I want to take care of my woman both inside and outside of the bedroom.”

Laura played with her coffee cup, glancing down at her fingers. “I don’t know if I really understand. I’ve read about Total Power Exchange, but you don’t come across as a Master. Yet you still want your submissive to give you power. Power to do what?”

James’s face took on a serious expression, and he tookher fumbling hands in his. “I don’t want Total Power Exchange. I do want to have the D/s part of our relationship continue outside the bedroom. For example, you’ve lost some more weight since I saw you last.”

She blinked, surprised.

“Yes, I’ve noticed – but that’s not the point now. If you’ve done so by making healthy choices with the support of your group, I support that and celebrate with you. If, however, you were on some unsustainable diet or, God forbid, you used diet pills, we’d have a serious discussion.”

Laura inclined her head. “I think I understand what you’re getting at. But what’s in it for you? I mean, I get you get your rocks off with great sex, but this control part seems like it could go either way. You’re portraying it as something beneficial to the submissive, but I see a lot of opportunity for abuse.”

“You’re right,” James said. “There are some real assholes out there who call themselves Doms but who don’t understand that a D/s power exchange should help both sides. By guiding and training a submissive, I get to see her thrive and grow. She becomes a better version of herself. Believe me, it can be rewarding. Can you answer a question for me? Why did you run from me? You ran at the festival and then at the munch.”

She nodded, but squirmed in her seat. “Can we talk about that later?”

He studied her for a very long time, then smiled and squeezed her hand. “Yes. Later.”

Relieved, she lifted her gaze and continued, “I don’t have any problems with restraints or a bare-handed spanking. I’m curious about some implements, like floggers, but I’m certain I’m not into whips and knives. I don’tthink I get off on pain. I’m also not cut out to be in a Master/slave relationship, but the kind of power exchange you’re suggesting…” Her voice trailed off and she looked away before returning to his face, “I want to try this, James. With you.”

“So, you’re willing to submit?” James casually leaned forward on his elbow, but his intense gaze showed he was completely serious.

Was she? Laura thought and then scolded herself.Girl, you haven’t been going to munches and hanging around on Fetlife because you aren’t interested. Communication and honesty James had said. All right, time to face the music. She gave him a direct stare before purposefully dropping her gaze and said, “Yes, Sir.”

James stood and held out his hand. As she got to her feet, he pulled her into his arms and claimed her mouth in a deep kiss. Before she could lose her balance, he broke the contact, and she became aware of whistles and good natured ‘get a room’ gibes from some of the other diners. James slung her coat around her shoulders and led her to the door. “Let’s go and find someplace more private.”

After a short drive in a comfortable silence, they walked from his truck to his condo. As James held open the door, he said, “This is the moment you can freely choose. To the left is the living room. If you go left, we will leave this encounter ‘vanilla.’ We may or may not end up having sex, but there will be no dominating or submitting. If, however, you choose the door at the end of that hallway, you’ll be walking into my bedroom. As soon as you set foot over that threshold, you’re my submissive and you’ll strip naked and kneel on the rug in front of the bed. You’ll do as I tell you, unless of course you use your safeword. Your choice, Laura.”

---