Good Girl

by Wright, Susan

  It was such a solemn charge that she could only nod.

  He smiled, giving her cheek a stroke with his fingertips. “Come on, Kitty-cat, I’m going to introduce you around. I’ve told them I met you through a job, but don’t mention SunTech.”

  Kali nodded, not sure why he wanted to keep it a secret, but too dazed with all the new sights in the dungeon that she didn’t question it.

  It turned out Hunter knew everyone. Those covert glances meeting hers as he had shown her around the club turned out to be polite friends waiting for the signal that they could come over. Hunter introduced her to everyone as his girlfriend, and they all looked surprised by it. He put his arm around her shoulder or her waist, he kissed her hand as they talked about things happening in the scene, people they knew, events that were happening.

  At least five different people told Kali that Hunter had mentioned her to them. It was overwhelming. One second she felt like she was entering an underworld filled with dark strangers, and now everyone was smiling and practically fawning over her. Hunter was a popular guy, it appeared. She felt like she was suddenly with the Prom King, while she was wearing some old rag of a dress.

  Hunter only used her first name, and nobody else used their full name, though she did overhear someone referring to him as Master Hunter. Some had a Sir or Daddy or Lady or Mistress attached in front of their names. Others had playful made-up names like Ponygirl and Bunnybrat.

  “Scene names,” Hunter explained when she asked about it. “We use them online or for playing. Most people don’t talk about their kinky life because they can get fired or sexually harassed or their family will judge them for it. It’s a real problem. We used to be called sick or crazy.”

  “I had no idea. Just because you like kinky sex?”

  “Yeah, so most people keep it a secret, and use these scene names. But some people like it because they can take on a persona that way, and let go of their ordinary life and have fun.”

  When Hunter introduced her to a stout motherly woman named Popcorn, she gave Kali a huge hug, pressing the large black beads of her necklace into Kali’s chest. “I’m so glad to finally meet you. Hunter said you couldn’t come last weekend. Had to go see the parents, hmm? Well, it’s good to stay in touch. He says you’re new to the city?”

  “Yes, less than a year.”

  “And you’ve already found your way to us! Imagine that.”

  “It was Hunter… he brought me here. He takes me all kinds of places.”

  Popcorn smiled fondly at Hunter who was partly turned away, listening to a heavyset man speaking to him in a confidential tone. “Hunter has been having a love affair with the city for the past decade. No girl can compete.” She appraised Kali. “But you might. He talks about you differently.”

  “Really? Because I wondered… I’m not really his type, you know.”

  Popcorn waved her hand. “Hunter doesn’t have a type. Which is helpful because everyone wants him. But he’s a good boy, he doesn’t let it go to his head.”

  Kali grinned to hear Hunter called that. “Good boy! I wonder what he would say if I called him that?”

  Popcorn cackled. “He would like it because you’d be starting something he would get to finish!”

  Kali considered the friendly woman. “How long have you known him?”

  “I was one of the first people he met in the scene. We were so young. We had just started the TNG right about then, and he was a big part of that.”

  “What’s TNG?”

  “The Next Generation. It’s a subgroup that’s just for people under thirty-five. My friends and I kept seeing the younger people come and go because they didn’t want to hang out with folks their parents’ age.”

  “So this lifestyle is a big part of who he is?”

  “He’s a pillar of the community.” Popcorn seemed to have no idea that she was saying anything that Kali might not like. “I think he’s been to every kink conference in the country, and some internationally.”

  If Hunter was used to spending every weekend at underground sex clubs, Kali wasn’t sure there was a future in that for her. As nice as everyone seemed, it was downright odd to be chatting with a woman named Popcorn while a guy was lying on the floor ten feet away getting absently stepped on by a redheaded woman in tight jeans and a corset.

  Still, the welcome Kali received from everyone was reassuring. Several complimented her on being with Hunter, saying in little asides, “He’s a great guy,” and “You’re so lucky he’s your first master.”

  Hunter handled it well, always attentive towards her, and making sure she was all right, but giving her the space to talk to other people without hovering over her.

  At the opposite end of the spectrum, she saw several couples were literally chained together by a leash that was attached to the collar of one, visually marking them as property of the owner. When Kali spoke to one couple, the chained woman waited until she was invited into the conversation, and then after that spoke just like anyone else. It was disconcerting, not the least because the woman’s breasts were hanging out of her peek-a-boo top, looped by tiny decorative chains. Her body wasn’t in the best shape, which made her apparent comfort at being so exposed even more surprising.

  But Kali was getting sort of used to seeing people in all states of dress or undress. Some men and women were completely naked—one middle-aged Latino guy had only a cuff and chain around his ankle, and he held the end of the chain himself as he followed a stunning brunette in a shiny black corset and thigh-high boots. So far, it was the closest thing to what she imagined the patron of an S&M club would look like.

  So when Hunter put his arm around her and asked, “How are you doing?” for the dozenth time, she said, “I’m think I’m on sensory overload.”

  “You’re not a voyeur.”

  “I hope not!” She considered it. “Are you?”

  He shrugged. “All men are. But I don’t go peeping through windows, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “No, I don’t think that. It’s funny, you wouldn’t think it, but being here and meeting everyone, I do get the feeling you’re a good man. You’re not going to hurt me.”

  “No, I won’t.” His voice changed from joking to perfectly serious. “And I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting you.”

  She looked into his eyes, mesmerized by his intense focus on her. He meant it; he would do whatever it took to protect her. She had felt it before, and knew there was a bond growing between them, tying them together tighter and tighter.

  He cupped her cheek with one hand. “You want to give us a chance, don’t you?

  “A chance for what?” Her fear made her throat tight.

  “For whatever we can make it. This is too strong for us to ignore. How can you walk away, not knowing what we can have together? We have to try.”

  She made herself say it. “I want a real relationship. Love, partnership and sharing our lives. Do you really want that?”

  “When I think about you, I don’t want to leave your side. I want to help you through the hard times. Be with you for the good times.”

  “What about this?” She looked up at the club. “I’m not sure I want my social life to revolve around sex clubs.”

  “Mine doesn’t. So I don’t see how it could for us together. This is just fun stuff for me.”

  She couldn’t say no, she didn’t want to. And he could tell. His hand slid around the back of her neck, his fingers reminding her of that first time he had taken hold of her and shown her that he could set her on fire just from pulling her hair.

  Her body responded instantly. Warmth spread from her groin to her belly, filling her in a sudden rush. It didn’t matter that they were standing in a black-painted basement surrounded by half-naked people.

  “Do you want me to touch you?” he murmured, his lips close to her skin, taunting her.

  “Yes,” she breathed. “I do.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I want you to touch me.
”

  He smiled slowly. “Sir…”

  “Sir,” she breathed.

  He kissed her, which was better than words. He seemed released by her agreement, like his pent-up passion burst out in one all-consuming rush. She drowned in his kisses, squeezed in his arms until she was breathless.

  “Yes!” Hunter murmured, as he finally eased his crushing grip. “Yes… you are mine.”

  She nearly swooned. Why did it make her feel so loved and desired? He said it like she was the only thing that mattered to him.

  “Let’s go someplace more private.” He seized hold of her hand in a tight, possessive grip, like she was already under his control. She felt blinded, reeling from the wave of lust he had shot through her with his kisses and his words, as he led her through the club. She didn’t care who was watching now.

  He took her down a narrow hallway. At the end was a door blocked off by a waist-high padded bench. She could reach out and touch the old, worn bricks on either side. He turned her so she faced past his shoulder, down the hallway, with her back against the padded leather.

  Several faces peeked around the corner, and one man with a scruffy beard hiding his mouth came and leaned against the wall at the end, frankly watching. “There’s people there,” she whispered.

  “You said you couldn’t imagine getting naked in a place like this.”

  Her eyes widened. “I can’t!”

  “Do you trust me enough to let me push your boundaries on that?”

  Her arms went to cover her breasts, as if she was already naked. “I can’t!”

  He gave a little laugh. “Either you’re a closet exhibitionist in deep denial, or you were brought up like the Amish.”

  Her mom’s primly buttoned-up clothes sprang to mind. “My mom is a very modest person.”

  “You’ve never skinny dipped? Living out in the country like that?”

  Her head tilted. “Down to my bra and panties.”

  “Never naked?”

  She shook her head.

  “Okay, so bra and panties are your limit.” His hand went out to the first button on her shirt.

  Her eyes slid to the unsavory man leaning down the hall. “What about them? Will they come closer?”

  “Not if they know what’s good for them.” Hunter shot a warning look over his shoulder, and the leaning guy nodded. “Jake will keep everyone back.”

  “Jake is the one I’m worried about!”

  “Don’t judge a book, Kali. Jake is the kind of guy I’d want on my side in a fight.”

  He was so certain, that she relaxed in spite of herself. “I trust you.”

  “So do you want to play?” he asked.

  She forced herself to not look behind him. “Yes, I do.”

  He leaned in like he was going to kiss her, his hands sliding down to her wrists. “Put your hands behind you on the bench.”

  A shiver went through her. Why did his quiet order turn her insides to mush like that? Was it the tone, the way he was sure she would obey? She did obey without thinking twice.

  He ran his hands through the back of her hair, pulling and stretching her to stand tall. He rubbed her neck and then her shoulders, loosening her up. “Close your eyes,” he whispered. “You’re in my hands now.”

  She closed her eyes, glad that she couldn’t see the watching faces at the end of the hallway. He ran his hands down her chest and her waist, tightening and lifting, so she was off her feet for a few moments. Then down her hips to her thighs.

  He hesitated, then his hands rose again, under her skirt. “These have to come off.” He pulled on her nylons.

  Her eyes flew open. She started to try to help him, but he ordered low, “Put your hands back.”

  She swallowed and put her hands back, not sure how she felt about it.

  “Close your eyes,” he added.

  She did. It was an odd, helpless feeling as he tugged down her nylons, twisting slightly to help him pull them down over her buttocks. It was far more intimate somehow than simply undressing herself. He moved very slowly and deliberately as he pulled them down her legs, then gently lifted each foot out of her pumps one at a time to pull off the nylons.

  She peeked and saw him kneeling in front of her, carefully rolling up her nylons and tucking them in his shirt pocket. Closing her eyes again before he could see, she felt comforted by that. She didn’t like the idea of them discarded and lying on the floor of this place.

  Hunter ran his hands up her bare legs, and she shivered again, feeling the chill air of the basement floating along the concrete floor. He kept going up, pulling up her narrow skirt along with his hands, all the way until her skirt was bunched around her hips. She shifted uneasily, thinking of those watching eyes at the end of the hallway. She really wanted to push her skirt down. Fighting herself, wanting to push down her skirt, but not wanting to remove her hands from the bench and disappoint him.

  She opened her eyes. He was standing back watching her, clearly enjoying her inner turmoil. “You don’t like that.”

  “I feel so exposed!” Even though he was blocking her from view, the fact that her panties were showing made her blush fiercely in shame. Her mother always made her wear tights when she was little so her panties didn’t show while she was playing. All those multi-colored tights that she loved, that kept her safe.

  “Not any more than a bathing suit.” He bent over, examining her pale blue panties, “Pretty. Nice and lacy.”

  Her hand slipped off the bench, wanting to hide herself. “You can see through them.”

  “Barely.” He leaned over and kissed her pussy through the lace. “Juicy! I wish I could really make you squirm, but it’s not allowed.”

  She gasped. The men at the end of the hallway, and a couple of women, were crowded in watching them. He rubbed his mouth against her through the lace, making her throb from his hot breath. “Hunter!”

  He laughed, low in his throat, a sexy sound that promised more evil to come. “You really are my delicate little flower. I didn’t realize they still made them so sweet in the country. Maybe it is modesty…”

  “Now you’re laughing at me!” she blurted out.

  “Yes.” He was laughing up at her, still nuzzling her.

  Somehow she kept her hands on the bench, even as her irritation flared. “I don’t like being made fun of.”

  Instantly his smile was gone. “I was teasing. I would never think bad of you.” He stood up, putting his arms around her, brushing back the hair around her face. “I think you’re adorable, Kali! You make every second worthwhile. I love being with you because you’re honest and good. I’m laughing because I’m so happy someone like you exists. It reaffirms my faith in mankind.”

  She put her hands to his head, sinking her fingers deep into his hair as he kissed her. Like he didn’t want to stop. She melted into his arms.

  As he pulled away, he whispered, “Put your hands back down.”

  With a tremulous smile, she did.

  His fingers went to the top button on her shirt. “I laugh when I’m with you because you take all the seriousness away. I feel like it’s easy when I’m with you.”

  She watched him open her top button. “I’m sometimes very uneasy with you. I never know what you’re going to do.”

  “Same here. But I like that about you. Most people are so predictable.”

  More praise. This is getting a little embarrassing. Then on second thought: Maybe it’s just part of the scene. Softening me up.

  He undid the next button. “I’d like to strip this off you all at once, like a caveman taking his woman. Then carry you out there over my shoulder to display you to everyone, to show them what I’ve won.”

  Her mouth opened round. “You wouldn’t do that!”

  “I will. Someday. I promise you that.” He put his hand over her eyes. “Close your eyes, you bad girl. I’m going to have to bind and blindfold you if you can’t obey. Would you like that?”

  She shook her head.

  “You ne
ed to answer me when I ask a question, Kali.” Again with that tone of command in his voice. More real than play-acting.

  “No, I wouldn’t like that. Sir.” Again she felt that terrible conflict. She shouldn’t be the obedient little woman, but when she called him Sir, it thrilled her deep inside. And that scared her. It broke the first rule her mom had taught her when she started to date: you don’t do what boys tell you to do. She could hear her mom’s voice in her head, saying, “If he’s pushing you, then he’s only thinking about himself.”

  Hunter finished unbuttoning her shirt and slowly slipped it over her shoulders. He pushed it all the way down to her wrists, holding her hands in place against the bench. “Keep them there.”

  Now with the shirt stretched tight between her wrists behind her back, she felt bound. It was easier to keep her hands on the bench, like she had no choice now. She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes shut so she didn’t have to see the people watching them.

  But after what Hunter said about showing her off to everyone as his prize, for some reason she didn’t mind their searching eyes so much. He thought she was special, and that’s all that mattered. So what if they were judging her? They would also value her just because he did, and they valued him.

  It made her lift her chin higher, ready for whatever he did. And glad she was wearing her pretty sky-blue lingerie set. It looked good with her pale skin and dark hair. Having her skirt bunched around her hips made her feel even more undressed, for some reason. Disheveled and wanton. Words she had never felt before.

  He leaned in and murmured, “I’m going to touch you all over.” He drew his hands up the outside of her thighs.

  She gasped. One of his hands was silky soft and the other rasped and scraped her, making her wince away. He smoothed his hands back and up her buttocks, where he slowly began to squeeze.

  “This won’t cut you. But it may leave some scratches.”

  “Hunter!” she gasped, as the prickly hand dug into her butt cheek, tiny shafts of pain lancing out.

  Somehow she kept her eyes closed. “What is it?” she asked.