by Alyssa Clark
She didn’t know what it was. “Do you know what a dominant is?” She put her own menu aside and shook her head. “A dominant is a person that controls another person, called a submissive. Allen,” I said, it felt strange using his first name. “Pays me to dominate him.”
I watched her expression, waiting to see if she would get angry or if the direct way I said it would embarrass her. I didn’t get the reaction I expected, instead of anger or embarrassment I got confusion. “What do you mean?”
This gave me hope.
The waiter interrupted the track of our conversation long enough to get our orders. She immediately recovered from the line of our conversation and was the picture of refinement. I wondered if she had it in her to dominate her husband. I used the moment to eye her, trying to imagine how she would look in my playroom. Suddenly I wanted to take her to my office and show her everything. I wanted her to understand every detail of it.
“The best way,” I started. “Would be to show you.”
She looked intrigued. I wasn’t the other woman anymore. She leaned forward, “Why? Why even confront me with this? I don’t understand it.”
I saw vulnerability looking back at me. I couldn’t help myself, “If you thought he was cheating on you with me, why are you still with him?” It wasn’t something I could fathom. I didn’t think I could handle the betrayal and stick around while it continued.
Linda gave a glance at the closest table, it didn’t appear that they were listening, but sometimes you never knew. When she spoke her voice was low, “I signed a prenuptial agreement. If I were to leave him, I would gain nothing from this marriage. I have been married to him for more than thirty years. After all this time…” she trailed off and looked down at the elaborate table setting. The embroidered napkins seemed to be all too interesting. “I don’t know that I could make it on my own in the world without him.”
Something boiled in my stomach. There was one thing I hated about men was their ability to make a woman forget that she had two strong feet that she could stand on her own with. “You aren’t trapped,” I said evenly, trying to keep my temper. “If you wanted to walk away, it's warranted. I know nothing about legal battles where prenups are concerned, but you aren’t required to stay with Mr. Franklin because of it.”
“It’s kind of you to support me, even after I struck you,” she regained her dignified air. “But it's not necessary considering I still do not know what you are to my husband.”
“I’ll show you when he and I have our next meeting,” I promised her. “And in that meeting, you will get the power he’s taken from you back. I assure you of that.”
12
Angela
It was a week before I had another meeting arranged with Mr. Franklin. I had managed to convince Linda to come to my office, but when she saw the address, her apprehension was obvious. I didn’t realize how it might look until I really thought about it. With the way reality was nowadays anything could happen. So, when she arrived at my office, I was delighted.
Curiosity got the best of her. That was promising.
The only unfortunate thing was she was dressed in the same prim way she had met me for lunch in. I doubted she would come wearing anything provocative, but I had hope. I eyed the gray slacks and light pink blouse she wore, maybe they could work. Perhaps something along the lines of a secretary getting revenge? Fantasies could happen with anything if you thought about it enough and I felt like I could help make this happen.
The only issue I had was that I found myself inexplicably excited by this.
“Normally,” I started as I dawdled behind the desk in the front lobby. “I would have to sign a nondisclosure agreement,” I saw her interest quirk as she lingered in the front doorway. “But, because this is your spouse I will forgo that.” I took a breath and stepped from behind my desk with my keys so I could unlock the door that led to my playroom. “You aren’t particularly squeamish, are you?” I couldn’t judge whether or not she was prudish, I didn’t know her that well. I assumed that the reason that her husband came to me was an issue with himself, and didn’t have anything to do with her.
I could always be wrong, as much as I hated to admit that.
I looked back at her, “Are you ready?”
She stepped away from the door and came to me, “Show me.” Her brows were drawn together, “Show me what you do to him.”
Good, that was just what I was looking for. I opened the door, and I flicked on the lights. There was no reason to keep them dim. There was no atmosphere to set. I wanted her to see everything I had in here. I gestured for her to go in first. I would wait to see what her expression was, how she would take all that I was showing her.
She stepped into the brightly lit room ahead of me. Confusion still colored her features. It wasn’t immediately obvious. There was the bed, an unstained wooden table, a block, and ropes that hung from the ceiling. The look she gave me made it obvious she didn’t know what she was looking at. That’s when I stepped in and moved around her. I went to the closet where I kept the paddles, whips, and the other instruments that I had collected to use on her husband and others.
When I turned back to her I could see understanding on her face now. There wasn’t disgust. There wasn’t anything, but amazement as she came to meet me by my closet. “You use these things on him?”
“A few of them,” there was a few things that had collected dust. It's mostly because I favored the paddle or a flogger. I had only used the whip once, and I wasn’t sure I would use it again. I opened a draw that showed an assortment of restraints so that there would be no doubt what went on back here, now.
I heard her gasp, and I tried to keep a cool air as I turned to look back at her. “Why did you want to show this to me?”
“I don’t want Allen,” I told her plainly. It was best to be truthful as far as I was concerned. “With what I do there’s a great possibility to become attached to the person dominating you, it happens often, and relationships blossom into something more. It’s not a dynamic I am looking for. I didn’t want this to turn into a serious master and slave relationship, so I need to find a suitable replacement. I have been suggesting that he get you to take my place. I don’t know if he’s even come to you with it. Has he?”
She shook her head and reached up to touch the cat of nine tails. Her fingers toyed with the leather strips, “It’s been months since we last had sex. Normally he only seeks me for affection when there is a special event, like there is some obligation to it.”
“Did you come?” I asked out of curiosity. I doubted it because often when sex was done out of a sense of duty it would feel incomplete and at least one party would be unsatisfied.
She flushed prettily, and I couldn’t fathom why he would leave this woman at home. “Not often. Allen can be selfish at his best of times.”
That made me angry. From the way she looked at me, I could assume that it showed on my face, “This is an opportunity to put your husband where he belongs.”
“Where is that?” She looked confused like she couldn’t understand what I was getting out with all of this.
“On his knees,” I took a step closer to her, and I growled at her. “Right in front of you, worshiping you like you are a goddess. That is where he belongs.” I didn’t give her the opportunity to protest either, I wanted this so much. Especially learning that everything that happened here wasn’t taken home with him. That he ignored orders I gave him, “You need to take control of this man and put him in his place. Tell me you will do this.”
Those blue eyes of hers searched my face as if she would be able to find some shred of doubt that I felt about her being able to do this. “I don’t know where to start, how to do this,” she sounded meek, not at all like the woman I had lunch with the week before. Not at all like the woman that slapped me.
I took a breath and smiled at her, hoping it was reassuring. “If I hold your hand, will you at least try?”
She laughed a little at that, “I
see now why he comes to you. You are mesmerizing. I’m afraid to tell you no.”
“You needn’t be afraid,” I took a step back and fished my phone from my purse. “I wouldn’t hurt you, though after speaking with you I am going to have a hard time not taking it out on him. Fortunately, he’ll be here in an hour for me to do that.”
“What?” she immediately shook off the shyness and looked just as perturbed as she had when we first met. “This is why you waited for me to come here. You wanted me to confront him.”
“I was going to confront him either way,” I shrugged and walked to the bathroom. I had just enough time to touch up my makeup and slip out of the outfit I was wearing so I could appear for him as I might in any other meeting. When I stepped out of the bathroom she saw me in the lingerie that he liked for me to be in. I could see the doubt there, “I have never and will never have sex with your husband. It is not something I am interested in doing.” I paused to adjust a garter so that the stocking on my left leg wouldn’t roll down.
“Then why dress like that at all?”
“Because denial,” I looked at her, “is part of it. To give you context. After each of our interactions, I would instruct him to come home to you and worship you. You can use your imagination as to what I meant by that. Obviously, he did not do that. Did he?” I looked at her before going to find the silky robe that I wore over it. That way when I went to answer the door, I didn’t have to worry about exposing myself to anyone on the sidewalk.
“He didn’t,” she stayed at my closet, seeming to take an interest in the implements of punishment.
“Then I will definitely need your help in deciding his appropriate punishment. The question is,” I went to the door that led back into the lobby. “Will you do it? Will give him a fitting punishment and change the course of your marriage?”
“I want to do this,” she turned to look at me. “Tell me what to do.” Those words gave me a reason to look forward to Mr. Franklin’s appointment.
When he arrived I couldn’t contain my excitement. I waited by the door, and I greeted him as I usually did, I didn’t want him to get any ideas that I was up to something. I locked the front door behind him, “Undress and kneel on the X.”
I went to get the pieces that I needed, I didn’t watch him undress it wasn’t something that interested me. Instead, I used the moment to calm my demeanor. I wouldn’t let myself get out of control. When I turned around he was kneeling demurely on the taped X, just as I told him to. I found myself questioning him now, he never did the ‘homework’ I assigned him. He never did what I told him to do.
I took the leather cuffs with me to him. “Give me your hands,” I commanded, and he complied immediately, his eyes down to the floor. I cuffed his wrists together, not taking the time to ensure that they weren’t too tight. I reached for the hook that hung down, and I slipped it into the loops of his cuffs. “Stand,” though he could either stand on his own or I could pull him up with the pulley system I had in place.
But like the good little submissive, he did like he was told. I knew better now, and once I had him up on his toes, I was going to expose it all. I took the time to get into position before I tied off the rope that secured him on the pulleys wouldn't slip. I came back to him and positioned a bar between his ankles, I was putting him into a position where he would have to face everything and not be able to do anything about it.
I had a ball gag, too. I considered putting it into his mouth before I thought better of it. “You will be silent. I will see you, but I will not hear you. Do you understand?” I asked this was a small test to see what he would do.
I got a nod because Mr. Franklin was far too good to be tripped up by something as simple as that.
Now’s the time to trip him up. “You can come out and take a good look at him,” I say loud enough for Linda to hear. “I want your opinion of how he looks like this.” Not that I really cared about her opinion, instead I wanted him to hear it. I wanted him to feel as if he was on display. I wanted to see his discomfort at being exposed. I wanted him to feel an array of emotions that put him on edge and made him upset.
Whatever frame of mind he came in here with was immediately demolished when I started speaking to another person. I could see confusion, and when he looked to the dark room, there was a touch of fear. He didn’t know who else I had here. “You have Clarke here?” it came out as an accusation, and I didn’t stop myself from slapping him.
I didn’t speak as I walked away, but when I cut the overhead lights on, I waited for his reaction then. I could see Linda in the doorway looking at her husband, naked and strung up. I waited to see if he would make an outburst or if she would crumple at the sight of him. I could see the tension in his shoulders and his head was up as he stared at his wife.
There was something hot in my belly. I felt vindicated arranging this. I wanted to give her an outlet for all that her husband did. All the neglect.
When no one spoke, I decided to take the reigns. “I regularly gave you homework,” I started towards him again. “I told you to worship your wife every time you left me,” I moved so I could see his face. “When was the last time you got your wife off?”
He blinked rapidly as he digested my question and it was clear he didn’t know. He looked at me helplessly because I had just given him instructions to not speak. Did he answer and incur punishment? Or not answer and still be punished? I watched with pleasure when he realized that there was no right way to do this, punishment would occur either way.
“It’s been well over a year,” Linda answered for him.
“Don’t help him,” I snapped at her and I saw her jump. She wasn’t prepared for the command that I carried in my voice. “You are not his attorney. You will not defend him,” I moved back to the closet to pick out just what I would use on him. I saw a pair of unused nipple clamps, and I picked them up. “He has made his bed,” I told her as I eyed other things. “You need to let him lay in it.” I picked up a leather cock ring, too, and decided it would be perfect. Now what to beat him with? I picked up a flogger, that would do. I turn back to see her inspecting him, eyes wide but still appreciating the picture I painted by stringing him up. “Why did you disobey me?” I demanded.
He looked from her to me then back again, “Never the time.” It was a lie. I didn’t even need to look for a tick. If there wasn’t time to see to his wife then how could he make time for me?
I stepped forward and halted Linda’s inspection of him as I took hold of one of his flat nipples. I didn’t twist, I wanted to, but I didn’t. I stretched it just a little so I could attach the clamp to it. The man gritted his teeth and hissed lowly. It was a satisfying noise to hear. I offered the other clamp to her, “Put this one on him.” It wasn’t a question, I used the same tone as I did before. But if she told me no I would back down.
She looks just as taken back now as she did when I snapped at her. But she took the clamp from me. She came to stand close, going for the unclamped part of his chest. I watched as she gently stimulated him, pinching lightly. She gave the skin a light tug before she took the clamp and attached it to his skin.
Her skin flushed, and I could see that doing that affected her. “Do you want to ask him questions?” I offered her, keeping the cock ring in hand. “Anything you want to know, now is the time to ask. If you feel like he’s lying,” I nodded towards the open closet door. “Take it out on him.”
Linda looked surprised, but it didn’t keep her from speaking to her spouse. “How long have you been seeing her?”
Mr. Franklin’s attention was on me because he knew this was something I wouldn’t allow him to lie to her about. He would come clean to his wife where we were concerned, “A little over a year.”
I stepped back to give Linda more space to work. I was just supervising now. Her expression twitched a little, and she nodded as if she understood. Was there something that happened between them? I’d wait to ask. “Have you slept with her?”
I didn’t hi
de my displeasure at that question, of course there’d be doubts, I was a stranger. It still hurt that she didn’t believe me. “No,” It was a low growl like he felt equally insulted that she had asked. “I want her, I have begged her. I tried showering her with gifts, and she rebuffed me and rejected me at every turn. This is business for her,” he hissed out. “There is no making it more than that.”
True remarks, all of them. But there was still something about them that rubbed me the wrong way. I clenched my hand around the pommel of the flogger and stepped swiftly around Linda so I could strike. I hit hard, watching with pleasure as his skin turned red. I struck again and heard his grunt of pain, that satisfied me enough to step back. When I noticed the surprised look I was getting from Linda I could only shrug. “He told the truth. I just took offense to it,” I had the power to protest what bothered me. So I did. “Please continue.”
“If you’re not getting what you want from her,” she eyed me now. “Why do this?”
I looked away, I didn’t have an answer. Not one that I was willing to share with her. I liked her, I wanted her to reconnect with her husband and take control of her marriage. But I didn’t want to be analyzed by her.