He didn't look very gentle, though. He glared down at me, face tight, jaw tighter, and breathed in deeply through his nose. His nostrils flared like some matador's bull. I cowered beneath his gaze, curling up in a ball and hiding against the back of the couch.
"Lucent," I whimpered. "Please don't hurt me. I'm so sorry."
"What?" He sounded shocked, taken aback. "Miss Tanner, I definitely won't hurt you. Come here. Are you alright?"
He sat next to me and pulled me into his lap. I crawled into him and against him, huddling close to him.
"My butt hurts," I said.
"As well it should, that madman's abusive. Sam should have banned him from the club long ago. I don't even know how you came to make his acquaintance, and I'm extremely annoyed with it."
"I..." I didn't even know what to say now. My entire plan, in hindsight, was absurdly stupid.
Lucent touched my chin and urged me to look at him. I did, but with the faintest beginnings of tears in my eyes.
"What is it, Miss Tanner?"
"Can you please call me Elise?" I asked. "I need you to call me Elise for just right now. Please?"
He smiled and bent his head low and kissed me. Not some chaste kiss on the forehead like the other day, but a soft, loving kiss on the lips. I melted and kissed him back and languished in the caressing heat of his breath dancing across my lips and into my mouth.
"What's wrong, Elise?" he said, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke. "Tell me?"
"I thought if I came here," I said, choking on the words. "I thought if you saw me being spanked, you'd realize that I wanted to do it and it wasn't because you wanted me to, but I can't. I can't do that, Lucent. Do you like being mean like that? I don't want this. Please... Lucent, please, the leash, please?"
I begged and pleaded with him and clawed at the collar around my neck. I knew what I wanted, but my words made no sense. It didn't matter, though; Lucent understood me. With precision and care, he removed the collar from around my neck in a matter of seconds, then tossed the unwanted accessory to the floor.
"You should never be collared, Elise," he said. "I would never collar you. You're so much more beautiful when you're free."
"I don't understand any of this," I said. "Is this how it is?"
"No." He shook his head. "That... that wasn't anything like my 'BDSM things,' Elise. Nothing like them at all. I swear to you, that's nothing like almost anyone's BDSM things. Some people don't understand, or they think that BDSM is an excuse for abuse, but it's not."
"What is it to you?" I asked.
He grinned a little, charming and boyish. He looked nothing like the angry Lucent from mere minutes before. He looked nice now. Handsome and amazing.
"Honestly?" he said. "I don't think I know anymore. I used to think one thing, but I've recently had a possible change of mind."
"Why?"
"You," he said, matter-of-factly. "I used to think I wanted someone to submit to me completely, but I find myself utterly intrigued by your curiosity and willingness to question everything. Unfortunately, it seems your curious nature is also dangerous and reckless. I'm unsure what to do about that."
"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" I asked. "What did you mean?"
Lucent teased back my hair, running his fingers alongside my ear. "There's different types of slaves, Miss Tanner. The awful, historical kind are what people tend to think of first, but the standard BDSM kind are different. That's more consensual, where the submissive consents to becoming a slave. Even then, master and slave relationships differ drastically, too. It's not always hard work and scrubbing floors like Cinderella, though it might sound it and some might prefer that. It's about the submissive constantly attempting to fully please her dominant master."
"I'm not very good at that," I mumbled.
"On the contrary," he said. "I'm finding I adore exactly every part of you, and I believe you're the most pleasing person I've met in a long time. Probably, if you don't mind me being forthright, ever."
"What, really?" No... that couldn't be right. I was kind of stupid. I made stupid plans. I wasn't inherently submissive, either. In fact, I was a rather poor submissive most likely. I didn't even know what I was doing or what I was supposed to do.
"Mhm," he growled, leaning down to steal a kiss.
I didn't want him to steal just one kiss, though. I wanted him to steal more. Latching my hands around his neck, I pulled him down again, and he stole and stole and stole.
The door to Lucent's private room opened, and I scrambled to get up, but Lucent calmed me with a shush and held me tight in his lap.
It was Sam. He stood in the doorway, frowning, then invited himself in and sat on another couch opposite the one where Lucent and I were.
"I'm sorry about that, Lucent. I don't know exactly what happened. I didn't know it was her. Cole contacted me about doing a show, saying he had a submissive now, and... well, you basically know the rest."
"I require no apology," Lucent said. "I believe Miss Tanner should be the focus of those attentions."
I blushed and fidgeted with my fingers. If anything, I thought I should be the one apologizing.
"I'm really sorry," Sam said. "Seriously, I hope this hasn't ruined your opinion of my club, Miss Tanner. This doesn't usually happen. Cole's been banned now and won't be allowed to return. I'd like to offer you free food and refreshments if you're willing to stay."
I frowned. "I'm sorry, too. It was dumb of me. I don't know what I was thinking. I was kind of being foolish."
"We all do foolish things," Sam said with a shrug. "It's just that they can be especially harsh with this kind of thing. From what Lucent's mentioned, you're inexperienced, but I want you to know that this isn't regular. It shouldn't happen, and I promise to do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again. It's not your fault, but just be more careful in the future, too, alright? I can only control what goes on in my club, and I'd hate for something to happen to you."
Lucent nodded and smiled. Whispering into my ear, he asked, "Do you want some food?"
I looked up at him, basking in his kindness. "Can we have those sandwiches like the other morning?" I wanted everything to be like that morning in Sam's Delicatessen. I wanted it all to be happy and I wanted to forget the bad things that had happened after, the things that must have been less than half an hour ago, but seemed so far away now.
"Would you mind bringing Miss Tanner a pancake sandwich, Sam?" To me, Lucent added, "The same as what you had for breakfast?"
I nodded fast. "You, too. You get one, too. The same as you had."
Lucent grinned. "We'll have two," he said. "An apple cinnamon pineapple one, plus one with eggs and sausage. Some soothing balm if you don't mind, also."
"Drinks?" Sam asked.
"What do you want to drink?" Lucent asked me.
"What do you like to drink?" I asked him.
"A pitcher of water. Two Lugene Chocolate Milk Stouts too, preferably from the tap if you have it, but bottles will suffice otherwise."
Sam nodded. "I'll rush your order. Thanks again for your patronage, Lucent. I apologize for the incident with Cole, Miss Tanner. Everything's on the house tonight, so if you need something else, just ask. Lucent knows how."
"You can call me Elise," I said. "If you want."
Sam smiled. "I'll be back in a jiff, Elise. Just sit tight. You're in good hands here. I'm sure of that."
...
I cuddled in Lucent's lap and he brushed my hair with his fingers. We both stayed silent mostly, looking at everything and nothing. I liked this. Lucent had a very comfortable and warm lap and his pants were soft like a silken pillow.
I watched the club through the one-way shaded mirror wall. No more shows for tonight, apparently. Good, I thought. I didn't think I could handle seeing anything like that. My butt still hurt, too.
The BDSM club didn't look too bad, though. A little weird, but lots of things were weird, right? Some people walked around, chatting, while others sat at booths, and a few gathered on a floor for dancing and showed off their moves. Everything outside was dark, and darker still because of the shaded glass between here and there, but it almost looked like any other regular club. I never really went to clubs, but if I did, I might like it here.
On the contrary, in Lucent's private room, I liked it very much. It was brighter in here, and less enclosed. That seemed a weird thing to think, since obviously the main floor of the club had a lot more space, but it also had a lot more people. In here, it was just Lucent and I.
"Where did you get these clothes?" Lucent asked, his tone guarded. "Do you like them?"
He ran his fingers along my top, teasing at the cheap fabric at my sides.
"They itch," I said. "I think they're too tight. I didn't want to buy them, but he said I needed to."
He. I didn't want to say Cole's name. I didn't want to think about him at all.
"They're poorly made," Lucent said. "Good for a costume if you plan to wear them once, but not suitable for continued use. Also, none of this is fitted, is it? It must have come off a general use rack, I assume."
I giggled.
"Do I amuse you, Miss Tanner?" Lucent asked, offering me a sly smirk.
"I'm not sure about you," I said, "but very few of my clothes are fitted. Almost everything is from the 'general use rack', as you put it."
He widened his eyes and opened his mouth, aghast; he had a silly glimmer, just so, in his pupils, though, teasing me. "Unacceptable!" he stated, both serious and exaggerated all at once. "We'll have to rectify this immediately."
"We?" I asked.
"Yes. I'll accompany you."
"You're going to go clothes shopping with me?"
"Yes," he said.
"Alright, but does everything have to be fitted?" I asked.
"Indeed. Everything." He nodded once.
"Panties?"
"Everything."
"Socks?"
"Everything."
"Condoms?"
"Every--"
I snickered and cuddled against him, burying my face in his thigh, feeling happy and shy at my sudden silly comment.
"Feisty tonight, are we, Miss Tanner?" Lucent tickled my side, sending me into another fit of laughter. "I'll have you know that, when the occasion requires it, I already have the fitting for those necessities under control."
I spun around immediately and stared up at him. "Do you really have fitted condoms?"
He grinned. "Mhm."
"Can I see one?"
"If you were anyone else, I'd think you were flirting with me." He rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately I did not intend on pursuing sexual relations with anyone upon entering this club tonight, so I haven't brought the object of your interest."
"Oh." I frowned. Fitted condoms, really? "Can we use one later?"
Lucent glanced down at me, attempting to hide his amusement. "You're so strange, Miss Tanner."
"I am not!"