Pocket Change

by E. M. Leya

  Jess froze as Andy's breath brushed his ear and his words stirred something deep in his chest. God, he couldn't do this. He couldn't be attracted to Andy. This wasn't good. They were going to keep playing these games until one of them got hurt and it would probably be him since he was the one who couldn't seem to stop thinking about Andy in ways that made no sense. Sure, what they did was a turn on, but that didn't mean there was a chance for any future for them. This was Andy enjoying learning a new lifestyle. He was playing the Dom, not the lover. There was a difference and Jess needed to remember that. "Stop teasing me or I'll end up sporting a hard-on I can't hide from your parents."

  "You know where my room is. You can always go in there and take care of it. Just make sure to record yourself doing it so we can share it with Al on Friday," Andy whispered.

  "I don't send videos to Al."

  "Maybe we should start. He'd probably like them throughout the week. God knows he's paying us enough to give him a little extra." Andy slapped Jess's ass. "He'd probably be happy to know you're practicing throughout the week, thinking of him."

  The slap was friendly, but it only reminded Jess of how Andy's hand had felt against his naked ass. God, he wanted more of that. He wanted a lot more. "He knows I have other clients throughout the week."

  "Yeah, you do. How come you never talk about them? What if I wanted to come watch you with them and record it to share with Al, would you let me?" Andy was directly behind him. To anyone else, it looked innocent, but Jess knew Andy was trying to play with his emotions. It was working. He longed to step back, press his ass to Andy's groin and start rubbing. "The other sessions aren't like the ones with Al, but if you want to watch, you're welcome to. Just be quiet since these clients think it's just me."

  "I might just do that. When's your next one?"

  Fuck, what was he doing? The last thing he needed was Andy watching him more than he already did on Fridays. "Tuesday at eight. It's an older guy. Probably in his sixties. He likes to see me fuck myself as I jack off." Jess glanced around to make sure Andy's parents were still inside. "These other guys aren't Al. Some of them are nasty. It's money, that's the only reason I do it. If you want to come watch, then be there before eight."

  "I will be." Andy slapped Jess's ass again, then turned and went back inside.

  Jess blew out a long breath, wondering what the fuck Andy was playing at. He had no interest in guys. Why would he want to come watch? He wouldn't get anything out of it. Still, the idea of having Andy there made Jess as hard as a rock. He'd much rather perform for Andy than many of the guys he met on video chat. He both loved and hated the way their friendship was changing. He wasn't uncomfortable doing all this with Andy, but he did need to find a way to distance his emotions. It was a game, nothing more, and he needed to remember that.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Andy walked up to the small home in the quiet neighborhood. It wasn't what he'd expected when Maggie had called and given him an address. He'd thought he would end up at some warehouse or business. This was definitely not how he'd expected to spend his Monday night.

  When Maggie had called, she said that her Master would be happy to let him sit in on a session and see exactly what took place. Andy had almost refused the offer because he was so nervous, but then he took a breath and reminded himself that if he wanted to do this, he was going to have to learn to do it correctly. The only way to do that was to learn from those who already were active in the lifestyle.

  He gently knocked on the door and waited.

  Maggie opened the door with a huge smile. "Andy, welcome. Come on in." She held the door open for him as he stepped inside. The house reminded him of his parents' place. The floorplan looked to be exactly the same. It was welcoming and gave away no clue that the couple living inside were a Dom and sub. "Come meet, Daddy. You can call him Tony." She led him through the living room to the kitchen where a man sat at the kitchen table. He looked to be about forty and tall. Very tall. He took him to be at least six-foot-five. He looked up as they entered, his brown eyes roaming over Andy as if inspecting him. "You must be Andy." He stood, towering over him.

  "I am. Thank you for inviting me over." Andy offered his hand. "Maggie has been a huge help when I've talked to her at the store, and I appreciate her setting this up so I can learn more."

  "Maggie has a good eye for seeing what people need. If she trusts you and thinks you deserve training, I'm happy to help. Have a seat. I'd like to talk before we head down to the dungeon."

  The words made Andy shiver. He'd researched dungeons and found none of them were alike. It all depended on the Dom and what he liked to have at hand. He was excited to see one in person, and learn about the equipment and how it was all used. He sat down across from Tony and smiled. "I have to warn you, I'm very new to this and will probably appear ignorant of everything, but I want to learn."

  "We all come into this knowing nothing. I was just a little older than you when I found the lifestyle. I wasn't lucky enough to have anyone to talk to back then. I learned what I could by reading books, then got lucky enough to join a dungeon in another state where I learned what being a Dom really means. I had to travel once a month for scenes, but it was worth it. Now, here in Houston, there are several dungeons accepting membership and many good Doms to learn from. Can I ask you how you came to be interested in this?" Tony asked.

  For some reason, Andy knew this was all important. Almost a test of sorts, and he wasn't going to make up some fake story. He was going to be honest and as strange as the events all might seem, tell Tony everything. He started from the moment he'd walked in on Jess with Mr. Purple and kept going, explaining all the times he'd joined in on the video chat and even the conversation he had with Jess in the truck on the way to his parents. He left nothing out, probably sharing more than he needed to.

  "So it was Al who suggested you look into the B.D.S.M. lifestyle? He suggested you had Dom tendencies and Jess had sub?" Tony asked.

  "Yeah, and once I started looking into things, something inside me came alive. Something that was missing was suddenly there. It's hard to explain."

  "There's no need to explain. I understand completely. I know the feeling." Tony smiled. "So this Al person, he is a Dom?"

  "I'm not really sure. I get the feeling he used to be but isn't so much anymore. He doesn't show his face or talk about himself much. He's a great guy, but very private. All I know about him is he sounds like he might be in his thirties, he must be rich to pay us what he is, and he had to travel for work last week. Other than that, I know nothing."

  Tony glanced over and exchanged a look with Maggie, who stood against the counter listening to the conversation. "Interesting. Well, knowing nothing about you, I can't make a judgment on if this is the lifestyle for you, but I see something in your eyes, hear it in your words that makes me think you're headed in the right direction. I'm going to go change. Visit with Maggie for a moment, then I'll take you downstairs while she changes. We'll do a scene for you to watch so you can get an idea of how we choose to do things." He stood and turned to Maggie, cupping his palms over her cheeks. "Take good care of our visitor. I'll be right back." He dropped a soft kiss on her lips.

  "Yes, Daddy." She smiled up at him, then turned her attention to Andy.

  "So what do you have planned for Jess this Friday?" She sat down where Tony had been.

  "I don't know yet. I was hoping tonight might give me some ideas. I'm actually going to go over and watch him do a video chat with another client tomorrow, but I'll have to stay quiet in the background. I want to see how different he is with other clients. He says it's not the same as when he's performing for Al."

  "He's okay with you watching?"

  "I don't think he believes I'll show up." Andy shrugged.

  "You haven't told him you're attracted to him yet, have you?"

  Jess sighed. "No, not yet. It's not an easy conversation to have. What if he's not attracted to me that way? What if this is nothing more than him acting for
the camera? The money's good. That's a huge motivator for him to play along."

  "It is, but it sounds like he likes playing with you. I bet there's some kind of attraction there. He's probably scared you're the one just doing it for money. You really need to talk to him about all of this," Maggie said. "He could be as confused as you are at all the mixed signals."

  "I know. I'll figure something out. I won't let this go on much longer without him knowing I'm fully invested in seeing if something can happen between us. Who knows, I might try being with a guy once and hate it."

  "And you might love it." Maggie grinned.

  "I might." Andy already knew he would, at least if that guy was Jess.

  Tony walked back in and Jess sucked in a breath. The man had been large and intimidating before, but now, dressed fully in leather with platformed boots, he looked unworldly. Black leather pants fit tightly over his legs, the boots high enough to almost reach his knees. His chest was bare but two studded leather bracers covered his forearms. "Mags, go change and meet us downstairs."

  Maggie stood. "Yes, Daddy." She took off out of the room at almost a run.

  "How about we head downstairs and I show you around?" Tony turned and walked out of the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

  Nervous, but excited to see what was down there, Andy followed. His stomach churning with nerves, but something else flowed through him too. Seeing Tony in his leathers had aroused a beast inside Andy's chest. He wanted to look like that. Demand attention the way Tony did just by his appearance and confidence.

  Andy followed Tony down a short stairway and came out in a large room. It was probably once a rec room, but now the tiled floor and dark wood walls were something entirely different. The room wasn't large, but it held a lot. Andy recognized some of the equipment from his research. To one side, there was a Saint Andrew's Cross, it was padded in blue and drew your attention right to it. Beside it was a spanking table. It was one of the items that Andy had found the most interesting. He liked the variety of things he could do to someone bound to that. There was a sawhorse against another wall, what looked to be a gynecologist table against another. Ignoring the equipment, he walked over to a large area of the wall that displayed an assortment of whips and other toys. He breathed deep, enjoying the strong scent of leather. He wasn't sure if that was from the room or from Tony, who now stood beside him.

  "Questions?" Tony asked.

  "A million, but I don't even know where to begin. May I touch these?" He pointed to an assortment of floggers.

  "You may."

  Andy picked one up and felt the weight of it in his hand. He couldn't imagine the pain of being hit with one of these. "How do you know how hard to swing these?"

  "Practice. A lot will depend on the scene and your sub. Some can handle more than others. You need to watch a sub closely and see the signs of what they can handle. That is more important than any other thing you can learn. Whether the sub is someone you're with often like Maggie and I are, or if it's a new sub just to do a single scene, you need to know how to read their body. Maggie can take more pain than most. She feeds on it, but she will also ask for more than she should get. Starting out, you'll want to go slow." Tony picked up another flogger and did a beautiful wrist movement that caused the flogger to fan out. He didn't thrust the whip as Andy would have expected, but more swayed it. "These will have the necessary effect without using much force. Each one of these is different." Tony ran his fingers over another flogger and the sound of metal tinged. "This one has small chains that will bite into the flesh, where this one…" He touched one with soft wide pieces of leather. "Will do less damage, but still have a nice effect on your sub. We'll let you watch how we play with many of these tonight. Maggie has agreed to let you sit in on a full scene."

  "She agreed, not you?" Andy asked.

  "Of course. The Dom may seem as if he's in charge, and in some ways, he is, but it's the sub who has all the control. The sub is the one who must agree to submit and must decide the intensity of the scene. At any given time, a sub can ask to quit or slow down. We use the safe words red to stop and orange to slow down. As my sub, Maggie is allowing me to give her what she desires, but also trusting me to know how much she can take. It's my job to make sure she is safe and satisfied, especially after a scene."

  "You mean aftercare? I read about that."

  "Yes. It can take hours. Be prepared to stay with your sub as long as they need you or make sure someone else can. Maggie takes hours to recover from a good scene and that's just mentally. Physically, she can sometimes feel the effects for days, depending on what we do. Knowing how to do aftercare is important." Tony set the flogger down. "As I run the scene, I'm aware of everything going on with Maggie. We've been together long enough, I know her reactions and can read her body. I know when she can handle more and when we need to be done. I can tell when she's entered subspace and how deeply she's there."

  "What about you and Domspace?" Andy asked.

  "It's different for every Dom. It's a real thing, a feeling of power, a high of sorts, but you must not get lost in it and forget your first job is to care for your sub. I know there are those out there who do this just for the fun of whipping someone, of causing pain, but that isn't how it should be done. There is a trust between a good Dom and sub that should always be acknowledged. Maggie trusts me to give her what she needs, but also to care for her and protect her. You also need to remember, there is a difference between a Dom and sub relationship and a Master and slave relationship. While I do identify as Master Tony, it doesn't mean I have a slave. Maggie is fully my sub. Many Master and slave relationships are constant. They don't allow the slave to be their own person. They are always at their Master's service. I don't want that with Maggie. I like her independence and her attitude. While in a scene, she is mine to control, but when we're upstairs, we are your typical boyfriend and girlfriend." Tony turned and smiled. "There she is."

  Andy turned and swallowed hard. Maggie was dressed in nothing more than strips of leather that strategically covered her breasts and a pair of leather underwear held by leather straps around her hips that seemed to snap together. She was beautiful. With her eyes cast down, her hands behind her back, she stood still as if waiting for inspection.

  Tony walked over to her and brushed his fingers around her body as he circled her. She kept her gaze lowered, standing still as he touched her. Tony gave off a vibe that left no doubt he was the one in charge. He was the one who made the rules tonight.

  "What do you think, Andy? Will she do?"

  "She looks amazing." Andy stared, wondering how she dealt with being almost naked and inspected.

  "Yes, she does." He bent and kissed her cheek. "Tonight, we are going to be taking things slow. We'll be showing Andy how he should hold the toys, how hard to swing. If he is willing, we'll let him try his hand at a few things. Is that okay with you?"

  "Yes, Daddy, if it's what you like."

  "Good girl. Now go stand against the wall, hands on either side of the mirror," Tony told her, then glanced at Andy. "The mirror is always fun because they can see what's going on behind them and also see themselves in it."

  "You can go sit over there and watch. If you have a question, hold up your hand and I'll answer it when I'm ready. Don't interrupt my scene." Tony walked over and picked up a green flogger. "Also, I've invited a friend to drop by, so don't be shocked if you see someone come down the stairs. He's safe and knows what we're doing here."

  Andy wasn't sure how he felt about a stranger joining them, but this wasn't his home. He didn't have any say. He took a seat on a small couch beside the wall and watched.

  "This flogger is soft and what many start out with. It can do damage, but if used right, it will just brighten the skin a little and bring a bit of a sting to your sub." He flicked the flogger a few times in the air, then approached Maggie. She didn't move as he stepped behind her, then without warning, he gently brought the flogger down against her back.

  A
ndy saw the slight intake of breath from Maggie, but other than that she didn't show any response.

  Tony flicked his wrist back and forth almost in a brushing motion as he used the flogger on Maggie. Not once did he draw back and hit her hard, but more teased her skin with the leather. Still, red marks started to show on her pale skin.

  Andy was fascinated with how gentle the whole thing appeared, yet he could see the marks, see Maggie's reaction.

  "One of Maggie's favorites is the paddle." Tony grabbed a wooden paddle from the wall. "Remember, the more area you hit, the less pain it causes. The smaller things, like a crop or whip, will cause more pain." He brought back the paddle and slapped it hard against Maggie's ass. She jumped, but remained in position. Tony did it again on the other side of her ass, and Maggie moaned this time when she reacted to the hit. Red marks showed quickly, covering Maggie's ass. "My personal favorite is the cane." Tony pulled out a long stick. "But this one is dangerous and will do damage. Make sure your sub can handle it and will have time to recover. Since Maggie has to work in the morning, I'll just show you once." He flicked the cane with expert precision across the back of Maggie's thighs.

  She gasped, but didn't move as a red welt appeared on her legs.

  Andy could see how that one would easily cut into flesh and bruise.

  "Come over and try a flogger. Get used to the feel of it in your hand." Tony glanced over at Andy.

  Nervous, but aroused, he made his way over to where Tony stood. "Which one should I use?"

  "You pick."

  There were so many to choose from. He'd seen the cost of toys like this and knew there had to be thousands of dollars spent to set up this room. He could only dream of having a setup like this. He picked a black flogger with thick leather strips. He ran his fingers over them, trying to guess how they would feel against Maggie's bare back.