A former showgirl, she'd gone on to become a journalist and was rising through the station ranks herself in another city when one of her stories was discredited and she was fired. Alice recognized her name when Katt's resume hit her desk, and although her station manager initially balked, she convinced him that Katt Templeton's on-screen appeal and name recognition would help the show she was pitching. And it did. The two had been close friends and co-workers ever since.
Alice felt a twinge of jealousy as she watched Katt interact with Victor. Now that he'd gotten a closeup look at the glamorous Katt, he'd probably forget she even existed. They talked for a while, as if she weren't even in the room—Katt leaning in to him and at one point and placing her hand on his arm. She kept laughing at whatever it was he was saying, and Alice edged closer, trying to hear. Victor hadn't struck her as a particularly funny fellow. Whatever could he be saying to her co-worker?
After a while, Katt turned back to Alice, and with a nod of her head indicated that she should follow her out of the club.
"What did you think of him?" Alice asked, trotting along behind as they headed towards the van.
"Victor? Intense, weird, creepy," Katt replied.
"But do you think that quality he has will come across on camera?" Alice pressed.
"Quality? What quality?"
"That magnetic quality," Alice started to explain.
Katt stopped walking and spun around. "Magnetic quality? Really?" Katt smiled but then turned serious as her brown eyes widened. "Alice, you don't have a thing for that guy, do you?"
"A—a thing?"
"You know exactly what I mean," Katt replied, in a no-nonsense tone. "Because that guy is not for you. Trust me. He's way out of your league."
Alice's expression betrayed her hurt before her words could do so. "Wow, thanks, Katt. It's nice to know that even if I were interested—which I'm not—that you think he's too good for me."
"That's not what I mean." Katt sighed, exasperated. She grabbed Alice by the shoulders. "Look at me, girlfriend. What I meant is that this guy inhabits a world you know nothing about. It's dark and dangerous and nothing like you're used to. So you just stay away from him, ya' hear?"
"Fine, OK." Alice winced as Katt let go and turned back to the crew. As her friend moved away, Alice surreptitiously rubbed her upper arms. Katt's grip had gotten pretty tight, there.
As Katt set to work writing her segment, Alice conferred with the cameramen about angles and moved to put a sign by the door announcing that filming was in progress. She was walking back in the club when she nearly ran into Victor.
"Hello, Alice." His tone was cordial, almost shy. "How is the filming going to unfold tonight?" She had wanted to see him in daylight, and here he was, looking just fine but still odd, like a man misplaced in time.
She explained that Katt would interview him before the club opened, and to capture the feel of the club, she had decided that part of the program would be conducted in front of the wall of implements. Victor agreed, to her surprised delight, and she was further delighted when the interview began to unfold.
Katt spotlighted Victor's unusual character without appearing to sensationalize or condescend to him, drawing the audience into his strange world in a fun and objective way. She enticed Victor to open up about the club, the clientele, and even the acts that went on nightly. Victor held his own with Katt, answering her questions with dignity edged with mischief. Alice was delighted, suspecting that this segment would be another highly-rated episode of Talk of the Town.
As people began to file in, Katt and the camera crew worked the room, chatting and filming those willing to be shown on TV, until finally the show started. Bellissima came out and did the introductions. She surprised Alice with mostly-fresh material that was even funnier than the week before. Next came the flaming baton twirler with an act more daring than her previous one. Alice suspected both performers were giving it their alls because of the filming.
Alice had planned to only film the first half-hour, suspecting that the acts got more intense as the evening wore on, so she was surprised to see a new act take the stage. A tall man, his face obscured by a dark hood, led out a woman by a leash attached to a jeweled collar. The woman was firm, with a beautiful figure and pale skin emphasized by the skimpy black bikini she wore.
The hooded figure led her to a tall padded bench. He pointed to the bench, silently ordering her over it. At first she shook her head, and Alice wondered if she were truly refusing or if this was part of their roleplay. Regardless, she could not look away, and found herself holding her breath as the woman finally straddled the bench when the man pointed at it a second time.
Now the tall, caped figure bent over and attached her wrists and ankles to the front and back legs of the horse, lifting the cuffs and snapping them into place. Then he walked over to the wall of intimidating implements and chose what looked like a bamboo stick with a curved handle. Alice blinked at the realization that she was about to watch the girl being caned, and she swallowed hard as the hooded man swished the severe implement through the air with a great flourish. The room had gone completely silent as the girl on the bench began to whimper. The hooded man lifted his arm, held position for a moment, and then struck. The cane made a whistling sound before it landed, leaving a pair of red lines on the girl's perfect cheeks. She made no sound but wiggled and looked back at her chastiser.
Alice lost count of the number of strokes the hooded figure delivered, but the girl was crying out, and her cheeks were well-marked by the time he finished. The hooded man reached down and almost lovingly stroked her bottom, and the gesture brought a flush to Alice's face.
Her flush deepened when the man released the girl and threw back his hood to face the audience. It was Victor. Alice sat staring in disbelief as the audience applauded and the girl, who'd been crying only moments before, smiled and kissed him before running off-stage.
Alice felt dumbfounded. Victor had promised that the entertainment would be mild enough for the first half-hour to show on TV, and the opening had been. The drag queen with her off-color jokes and the baton twirler were certainly eye-catching. And the caning was to be expected at a BDSM club, although she knew they'd have to blur out the girl's bottom-cheeks, even in a 10 p.m. time slot. It was all pretty sedate compared to what probably went on when there were no cameras present. So why did she feel so affected by what she'd seen? Even now, the flush remained and her heart pounded as she replayed the mental image of Victor caning the beautiful girl.
Katt was obviously pleased with the footage, chattering excitedly to Alice as she practically dragged her to the news van to review it.
"This is really shocking stuff for the average viewer," Katt told her friend. "I want to invite Victor to come to the studio and be on the show tomorrow night. A live interview to go with the footage would be great. He could explain to viewers exactly what they're seeing."
Alice admired Katt; her instincts were what made her excel as a host.
"I completely agree, let's go talk to him about it," Alice replied.
"Good. Plus, I think we should stay on and get a real feel for the place. I want to chat with some of the regulars—the true fetish crowd, not the tourists I interviewed. I want to get a better understanding of this lifestyle and find out what this place really means to them." As they turned and headed back towards the club, they found Victor standing outside the door, watching them.
"Are you ladies staying?" he asked, again sounding hopeful. When they nodded, he offered his arms to escort them back inside. He sat them at a table halfway between the bar and the stage and had drinks sent over.
"Could you sit with us for a moment?" Alice asked, and Victor, curious, took a seat between the two of them.
"Victor," Katt started, leaning in to talk to him, "I want you to come on the show. Would you be available to do that tomorrow night?"
"I think that could be arranged."
As Katt went over what she wanted Victor to do during
the live segment, Alice sat nearby, pretending to take notes. But she wasn't really listening. Her mind had strayed, replaying the scene between Victor and the submissive he'd performed with on stage. She wondered whether the beautiful young woman was his partner or whether the whole thing was just an act for him.
"How deeply do you think Victor is into this lifestyle?" she asked Katt, after she'd finished talking to Victor and he'd left. Katt gave her an odd look.
"How deep? Honey, the man is some sort of ringmaster for BDSM. This is his club! I would have pegged him as a Dom just seeing him walking down the street."
Alice scowled, wishing she had Katt's talent for reading people. She felt sheltered around her savvy friend. What was more, she felt silly being attracted to a man who obviously wouldn't be interested in a plain vanilla girl like her.
Victor returned with Bellissima, who struck up an animated conversation with Katt. As they chatted, Victor moved over beside Alice. "They seem to be getting on well," he observed.
"Yes," Alice agreed, "but Katt gets along with everyone. She's so outgoing. I admire that." She could feel his eyes on her as she talked, and she blushed.
Did you like the show?" he asked.
"Yes thank you, it was perfect for the segment. But I do have a question." Alice forced herself to face Victor as she mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been gnawing at her. "That girl …"
"The baton twirler or the one who was caned?"
"The one you caned. Is she your submissive?" Alice asked.
Victor smiled slowly. "No, she is one of the submissives here at the club. I currently have no partner."
"And she didn't mind that you caned her?" Alice asked, wondering if her question was ridiculous.
"Not at all. Roxanne is a pain slut." Victor patiently explained.
"Pain slut?" Alice asked. "What does that mean?"
"She gets off on pain, no matter who inflicts it, and she's also an exhibitionist."
"Are all submissives pain sluts?" Alice asked, trying to understand the terminology.
"No, most submissives would only accept discipline from their own Doms. For most, it's about the relationship; the play is secondary."
Alice considered his answer before continuing: "Is that what you are into, casual play—inflicting pain on people like that?"
"No." Victor answered immediately, and explained when she looked at him in surprise, "Oh, I might play with an experienced sub here at the club to demonstrate safe play practices, but the relationships I form are real and long-lasting. I put so much into training a new sub that it's not worth it to me if there's no future in the relationship."
Alice thought for a moment and then asked, "But the BDSM play is a necessary element in any relationship you are in?"
Victor leaned in and looked into her eyes; when he finally spoke, he spoke firmly: "I draw those who are curious about exploring this lifestyle, Alice. I am both a dominant and a sadist."
Alice drew in a breath quickly, and her eyes widened.
"My preferred brand of sadism is more along the lines of sexual teasing, although I can take it as far as my partner needs to go."
So, the submissive actually controls how far the play goes?" she asked.
"Ultimately, yes."
Alice looked back towards the stage, unaware that Victor had moved behind her until she felt his hands on her waist. She held perfectly still, feeling him so close, and to her embarrassment her nipples hardened as he whispered in her ear. "Nothing will happen that you don't want to have happen, Alice," he said, and with that, he was gone.
She looked around the room. The witching hour was approaching, and the club had begun to take on a different energy. The normally-dressed, touristy crowd seemed to have thinned out, and the room became filled with the fetishists in all sorts of getups. Alice saw a small group of Goths at one table and a hooded couple dressed entirely in leather. She was wondering how they could breathe in the hoods, when two gentlemen approached, both of them looking like vampires down to the realistic-looking fangs. A delicate, pale-looking woman accompanied the men. Alice couldn't help noticing the "bite marks" on the girl's neck and tried desperately not to stare.
"Have you seen Victor?" one of them asked.
"I think he went that way," she said, gesturing towards the bar. They looked at each other and shrugged, then walked away.
At the stroke of midnight, Bellissima took the stage, bringing Katt along with her. Katt had changed clothes and was now wearing a band across her chest, tap pants, fish net stockings, and stiletto heels. She completed her risqué ensemble with a black top hat and a black feather boa. Alice smiled. Both her friend and Bellissima looked as if they were taking part in a Rocky Horror Picture Show showing. Bella introduced Katt as the club's celebrity guest host, garnering a round of applause from the crowd. Together they welcomed the regulars and reminded everyone of the rules: Be respectful. No interrupting scenes. No photos. No touching of any implements without permission.
She then turned the audience's attention to a partition that was sliding open, revealing an entirely new part of the club that Alice hadn't yet seen. She rose and walked forward with the crowd, craning her neck for a better view.
There were activities going on in this heretofore hidden part of the club, and Alice guessed that these were the "scenes" that Victor had mentioned during his interview. A scantily-clad Domme towered over a slender Asian man wearing a collar and leather harness as he worshipped the toe of her high-heeled boot. Occasionally she'd bring a whippy riding crop down on his rump as he moaned and asked for more. To their right, a woman bound to an X-shaped cross was being whipped with what looked like a cat-o-nine-tails. She was clad only in a leather thong, and while the leather-clad man whipping her didn't appear to be lashing her with much force, the implement still left marks across her ivory thighs. Alice found herself mesmerized by the action and wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through the strands of the wicked-looking little whip.
Alice turned, looking for Katt, but it was Victor who appeared at her side. She shuddered as his arm moved around her waist, and she hoped he'd think it was only from the shock of what she was seeing.
"And how is my little Alice doing?" he asked. Alice turned surprised eyes to him, and he smiled, obviously amused at her unease.
"I'm not sure," she answered honestly, turning her eyes back to the scene being played out before them. "What is that he's using?"
"A flogger," he replied. He held up a finger silencing her. He listened for a moment, then relaxed and led her away from the scene.
"What were you listening for?" she asked.
"I thought I had heard his sub use a safeword," Victor explained. "But she said 'ready, not 'red'.
"Safeword?" Alice asked.
"Yes, here at the club the safeword is 'red'. The word is a signal between a sub and their Dom to stop but is also for the dungeon masters' information.
"Dungeon masters?" Alice asked.
"Monitors. They are here to ensure that all play is kept safe, sane and consensual." He pointed out one of them, a muscular man dressed in leather pants and vest. "The dungeon masters and I are the only ones who can step in and stop a scene in progress if we feel it's going too far or that the sub has safeworded out.
Victor directed her attention to another stage, where an exotic-looking young man with a muscular chest bearing what looked like a tribal tattoo was elaborately binding a beautiful Asian girl with rope. Just when Alice thought the girl was in a final position, he would lift her leg or turn her and continue tying. When her partner finally had the woman in the position he wanted, he held a red candle over her, allowing the wax to drop onto her nipples. The woman would jerk and moan, and he would loosen the ropes and bind her in a new position.
"Shibari, otherwise known as Japanese rope bondage," Victor explained. "It's beautiful, is it not?"
"Yes," Alice said automatically, and it was. It was like art.
"Would you li
ke to see the rest of the club?" Victor asked.
"There's more?" Alice asked, surprised.
"Yes, Little Alice, there is much, much more, but perhaps you've seen enough for tonight."
He led her through a back door into the bright moonlight of a private garden. The sweet smell of blooming oleander perfumed the air as Victor led her to a small bench. Small white lights in the trees twinkled softly, giving the space a magical, mystical feel.
"So, Alice?" Victor asked, sitting down next to her. "What are your impressions of my club?"
"Honestly, I'm not certain. I've read books about this sort of thing, but it's something else to actually see it happening, isn't it?"
"It can be very intense," Victor agreed.
"Are you surprised?" Alice asked, shyly.
"Surprised? By what?" Victor studied Alice.
"That I've read those kinds of books over the years?"
"Not really." Now it was Alice's turn to be surprised.
"Something led you here, Alice." She started to object, but he held his finger in front of her lips. "Yes, I know. You were doing research for your show, but perhaps there was a bit of personal curiosity, as well?" He lifted her chin so that she'd look him in the eye.
"Perhaps," Alice admitted, blushing. "But what made you suspect that?"
"The article that you mentioned when we first met was printed years ago and yet you remembered it you and eventually came to us. Also, your response to me when we first met was a tip-off. Am I the first Dom you've ever met?"
"Yes," she said. "And you got me. I have been … studying this lifestyle for a while." She looked at Victor. "I don't really understand why it draws me. I really am very independent."
He laughed. "I have news for you, my dear. Most submissives are very independent, and very strong. It takes incredible strength to follow your desires, especially when they take you to a place that others consider dark or unorthodox. It was a big step, seeking me out." He smiled. "Even if it was under the cover of doing a story on the club. I'm quite likely the type of man your mother warned you about."
A Natural Born Submissive Page 3