“Click on the Master Philip guy,” Brian suggested.
Nailah clicked through to his profile and found more gilded breadcrumbs. This Philip guy was massively into kink. All his pictures were relatively g-rated but most of them were taken at some kind of fetish event. Nailah was surprised when she came across pictures of him and a woman named Evelyn Baker, who he’d tagged as his wife, sitting on the beach. But the rest of the pictures? Leather. So much leather.
“Go to his ‘about’ tab.” Brian suggested. “There. Click that.”
The URL took them to a fetish site, kinklife.com.
“You have to have a profile to view his page,” Nailah said as she reached a digital roadblock.
“So let’s make one. Here.” Maura grabbed her laptop back and flopped into the chair on the other side of Nailah’s desk.
Nailah tried to focus on Mrs. Levitz and her home decor, but she couldn’t keep her mind off Armando and his interesting group of acquaintances.
“I wonder if he’s still with her,” she pondered out loud.
“With who?” Brian asked.
“Uh, no one.” She was thinking of the girl who’d referred to Armando as Sir, Tina something. The jab of jealousy she felt made no sense but it was there, poking her like a stick.
“Okay. I made you a new email account to register with,” Maura boasted, as if she’d just scored Nailah her dream client. She handed the laptop back to Nailah, as she scurried behind her chair.
“Queen_oftheNile? Really?” Nailah looked at the profile name they’d come up with, right next to a picture of a woman’s hands holding a set of golden handcuffs.
“It’s just for stalking purposes,” Maura said, offering a shrug.
“Very subtle.” Nailah clicked on the link next to Master Philip’s profile. “There’s a lot going on.”
The man’s page boasted over one thousand pictures, a bio longer than Nailah’s arm and more personal associations than one could follow. He was in a relationship with a MistresstoherKnight, who she quickly discovered was his wife Evelyn, but his leather family, whatever the fuck that was, was a list of nearly ten people. Nailah clicked on pictures, knowing she’d have better luck finding Armando on sight rather than looking for some silly nickname.
Third row down, second picture in, there he was. Nailah could almost feel the anticipation coming off of Brian and Maura as they looked over her shoulder.
He wasn’t tagged in the picture, but he’d liked it. His face was clearly visible in a little icon off to the right.
She didn’t wait for any comments or directions from the peanut gallery. His page told her a few things right off the bat. He knew how to pose for a good photo. The larger version of his profile picture showed him shirtless, his body half-cast in shadow. He had tattoos all down his right side and up his left shoulder and left pec. His profile said he was a Dominant and that he was single. So much for the girl from the expo.
Nailah clicked on his pictures.
“Oh my god!” Maura screeched.
“What?!” Nailah’s eyes darted back and forth across the screen, searching for the source of the shock.
“That’s what.” Brian pointed at the screen, at a picture of a very nude Armando where he was sporting a very real hard on.
“Out. Everybody out!”
“What?” Brian said.
“I need a minute and you don’t need to be looking at this. Out.”
“But I need my laptop to work,” Maura said.
“Here.” Nailah grabbed her wallet and slapped all the cash she had in Maura’s palm. “Go get lunch.”
“It’s 10:30.”
“Go to Starbucks! Take Brian. Tell Garai it was my idea. Go.”
“Come on, Mar. She needs some alone time with that picture.” Nailah’s glare wiped the smirk right off Brian’s face as he ran out the door.
When she was finally alone, Nailah let out a deep breath. The nudity wasn’t that big of a deal, on its own, but finding this whole other side to the lighthearted man she’d met the day before was a lot to process. She clicked through the whole set of photos, all erotic nudes of Armando displaying different items. A whip, a set of handcuffs, a length of rope. There were more pictures of him at different events.
She recognized Master Philip and that Grant guy in a handful of them. These guys really knew how to have a good time. And then there were the women. Various women in various states of undress, some in leather, some in lace, some completely nude, over Armando’s knee, on their knees at his feet, trailing a few steps behind him as he led them on a leash.
Nailah felt herself growing hot all over. The craziest thing she’d ever done was have sex with Kalli in the backseat of his car. She’d never imagined a sex life like the one Armando was deeply engaged in. She knew it was none of her business, but she had to know more about Mr_V724.
✶
Something was up with Nailah Shalaby. Not that he knew her really at all, but during their first session she’d been pretty talkative. Gruff and direct, but they talked the whole time. Today, she was acting...weird. She wasn’t talking much and she was pointedly avoiding eye contact with him. She’d admitted to finding him attractive, but insisted in almost the same breath that she’d be able to put that attraction aside so they could work together.
Their first session had gone perfectly well. His own raging attraction to Nailah aside, he thought she was a great client. He’d looked her up before he’d even called her, as was the unofficial protocol with all referrals. It seemed like something he specifically had to do this time, especially from the way Master Philip presented the situation to him. Her page was easy to find on Facebook. Her interior design company popped up after a quick Google search. Digging up information on her proved to be a good idea. It prepared him for just how hot she was.
Nailah Shalaby was a damn goddess. She was nearly a foot shorter than him, petite in some ways, but she was thick with perfectly shaped legs and an amazing ass. He was a little shocked when she said she wanted to “work on it”, but he kept his opinion out of the conversation. She had beautiful caramel-brown eyes and these kissable pink lips, but she was off limits and all business, so that made his job much easier. Or at least it had, before she stopped speaking to him.
During their first session, she joked a little here and there. Complained just enough as he added weights, but stuck it out and pushed through to the end. She even thanked him for pushing her before she took off. Now? He wondered if something had happened. Was she having a terrible day or was she angrier about his knowledge of her relationship with Kalli than she’d initially let on? Did he smell? Finally, he just asked.
“How are you doing today? You’re a little quiet.”
Nailah nodded, but still kept her gaze toward the floor as she completed another curl. “Yeah, I’m great. I’m just sweating it out. Pumping this iron.”
Armando smiled to himself. She probably just had a lot on her mind. Clearly, he was making something out of nothing. “Two more.”
She finished her set and they moved on to some heavier weights so she could complete her squats. As soon as they finished up, they had a quick chat about a few nutritional changes she wanted to make in order to reach her goals a little faster.
“You’re doing great, Nailah.” Armando meant the bit of encouragement. So far her effort and no-nonsense approach made her a dream client. “Do you have any questions for me?” He followed her over to the cubbies, where she grabbed her keys and her phone.
“Actually, yeah.” Nailah said. And then, for the first time all day, she looked him in the eye. “What exactly is a leather family?”
Armando almost took a step back, but he managed to keep it together. “Say that again?”
“A leather family. I noticed you weren’t a part of one, but some of your buddies are. But I couldn’t quite figure out what it was, exactly.”
Armando took a deep breath and scrubbed his face with his hands.
“Nailah, listen. I don’t
know what you think—”
“Oh, I know what I think. I just figured since you were all up in my business with Kalli, it’s only fair that we’re on the same page. You knew a little bit about my personal life and now I know a little about yours. I’d say we’re even, but still—so many questions.”
It was rare for Armando to be struck speechless, but he had no clue what to say.
Nailah sighed and rolled her eyes. “I want to know more, okay?”
“About what?”
“Your kinks. Kink. The kinky things you do.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
Armando threw up his hands and started pacing away. Clients for Keira’s first class would come walking through the door any minute. He needed to get Nailah out of there. When he turned around she was waiting impatiently, with her hands on her hips, like he owed her an explanation.
“I... Can we not talk about this right now?”
“Fine. We’ll talk about it later. I usually get home from the office around six, but I’m having dinner with my parents tonight, so let’s say you call me around nine?”
The fuck? Armando felt the sentiment written all over his face and it pissed him off even more that Nailah still didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed by his shocked expression.
“How about no. If you really want to talk about this, you can come by my place at nine-thirty and we can have a real conversation, unless you’re not allowed out past curfew.”
That got to her. Her nostrils flared as she straightened her spine. “I don’t have a fucking curfew. Just text me your address. I’ll be there.”
“Sounds great.”
“Sure does. Bye.” Nailah spun on her heel and stormed out of the gym.
Armando stood there staring at the fogged glass doors, wondering what the fuck had just happened.
CHAPTER THREE
Armando checked himself in the mirror one more time before he headed back out to the living room. His place was always spotless—his mother didn’t raise slobs—, but he still straightened the cushions on the couch and double-checked the ice maker. According to the text she’d sent a little while ago, Nailah would be there any minute.
Armando straightened his shirt one more time before he grabbed his keys and ran down to the main courtyard. Grant’s condo was just across the grass, but he was at the gym closing things up with Keira while Armando saw to Nailah Shalaby and her list of really intrusive questions.
Her black BMW pulled up just as he came through the outer door of their complex. When she stepped up on the curb, he knew he’d made a huge mistake. She looked good in workout gear, but the outfit she had on now was too much. A billowy, see-through white blouse and a skintight blue mini skirt, and some tall, tall gold heels that made her legs look impossibly long. Her hair was down, spilling along her shoulders. He really considered calling it a night right then and there. She had no business setting foot in his house.
The hellos they exchanged were awkward, but her comments on the architecture and decor of the building broke up a bit of the tension.
“See you found the place okay,” he said, when they finally walked into his condo.
“Yeah, wasn’t too hard.” She reached into her enormous purse then and handed him a heavy bottle with a gold label. “It’s Egyptian wine.”
“Thank you. That’s very kind of you, but we’ll save this for another time. Can I offer you some water or a soda?”
“Water would be fine.” She sat on the couch and he went to the fridge, then joined her with two glasses of ice water. There was no reason for him to be nervous. He had this under control.
“Alright. Let’s get a few things straight first. Your father contacted my mentor Philip and asked him to find you a trainer that he knew wouldn’t try to sleep with you. So any beef you have about me knowing your business, you need to take up with your dad. When I mentioned Kalli, I was only trying to be transparent with you. I wasn’t trying to humiliate you, which seemed to be your angle when you came at me with that leather family business.”
Nailah just looked down at her skirt and pursed her lips, so Armando kept going.
“That said, if you’re curious about the lifestyle, I’m happy to share some information. Even introduce you to a few people if you want. I have to have one condition though. Whatever happens, we keep this separate from whatever we’re doing in the gym. If you’re paying me for an hour to train you, then I’m going to train you. We’re not discussing any of this during that hour. Okay?”
Nailah let out a quick breath before she met his gaze. “Yeah, that sounds fine.”
“Okay. So, in this digital age, you can find everything you need to know about erotic power exchange online. Do you really want to know more from me, or are you just trying to get back at me?”
Nailah sighed and leaned back against the couch. “I’m not trying to get back at you. I’m genuinely interested. I did look you up, and I did follow a trail of interesting breadcrumbs to your kinklife page, but what I found shocked me in a good way.”
“How so?”
“I’ve always been…sexual. I think of myself as a sexual person. Some women are into relationships. I like sex. I think that’s why Kalli and I got along. But just from the little bit I saw from your page and looking around the Internet—I knew people were into this type of shit, but I didn’t really picture it. No, that’s a lie. I’ve pictured it, but what I imagined and what I saw were so different. It’s one thing to hear about things like bondage and sadism, but to know someone who’s into it? That’s different.”
“More people are into it than you think.”
“And I like that too. I like that it seems to be this big secret, but one that’s right there in the open, if you know what to look for. My father knows your Master Philip friend from the hospital. Apparently, they’ve been close for years, but I know for a fact that my dad knows nothing about this. He never would have asked Philip to find a trainer for me if he’d had even the slightest clue.”
“Are you sure about that? Our parents have their own private lives too, ya know.”
“No. Trust me. My mom’s probably got a little freak in her, but my dad is solidly square.”
“Okay. What else? What else shocked you? What else interests you about all this?”
A hint of pink flashed up Nailah’s face. “I looked through your pictures. And even though your nudes were pretty impressive, I kept clicking on the pictures of you with other women.”
Armando knew exactly what pictures she was talking about. And as Nailah’s eyes met his, he felt the air shift between them. She was opening up, and even though he was still kinda pissed at her, he knew if he didn’t listen now and give her the proper shoulder to lean on, she might seek out someone else to show her the ropes. Someone who would use her or push her in the wrong directions.
He relaxed a little and adopted a more soothing tone to his voice. “What about them? What was it about those women?”
“I was jealous of them. Actually, envious of them is more accurate. There was one where you were in the middle of paddling one woman and it seemed like she was squirming in your lap, and I felt like I wanted that. I do want that.”
It was Tina she was talking about. They’d played together, had some really fucking fun times together for about eight months, but she’d moved for work and they’d both decided to move on. “What else?”
“There was another one, the same woman, but maybe a different time? The lighting looked different. She was sitting on the floor at your feet, with her arms like wrapped around your legs, and you were stroking her hair, and she just looked so peaceful. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way.”
The image popped into Armando’s head before he could stop himself. Nailah naked, leaning against him in a similar way after an intense spanking and a thorough fucking. He swallowed before he spoke again. “So you want to explore impact play—spanking, paddling, flogging,” he said. “And you’re interested in exploring submission?�
��
“Yes. I am.”
“And you want to do all this with me?”
“Yes.”
Armando didn’t want to insult her by asking why again. He understood why. He was the only person in the lifestyle that she knew. She trusted him to a degree. And then there was the fact that they were clearly attracted to each other. But he knew what it was like with your first, knew how intense that bond could be. Did he want that with Nailah? He didn’t know. At this point, the pros matched the cons, which brought him to the only logical conclusion. Say yes now and deal with the rest later.
“Gimme a second.” Armando left the couch and went to grab his laptop.
✶
Nailah didn’t know exactly what was happening, but she didn’t want it to stop. Over an hour later she found herself on the other end of the couch, pressed tight against Armando’s side. Her bare feet were tucked under her butt and his arm was around her shoulders. His laptop was balanced on her thighs. At some point, the tension between them seemed to fade away. He told her to move closer. She joked that he was typing too slowly and now they were here.
She loved the way he smelled. He didn’t wear any sort of cologne. It was just his soap and something natural to him. Nailah had to stop herself from nuzzling and maybe licking his neck every time he started talking. He was warm and solid. She was going to have to force herself to go home when their time together was over.
“Go to the submissivehandbook.com and email that link to yourself,” he instructed. It was the tenth link he’d recommended that she check out before they got started.
“You’re giving me so much homework, I’ll be forty before we even do anything.”
His chest rumbled with laughter against her side. “You’ll thank me. I promise.”
They visited two more sites that featured some implements, but it was mostly more reading. Lots and lots of reading. And then Armando took over the keyboard, just for a minute. “Let’s watch this. Break up the monotony a little bit. Buddy of mine made this.”
TAMED: #2 in the Fit Trilogy Page 3