AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A flicker of something I couldn’t quite put my finger on skipped across Blade’s eyes. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and dragged in a deep breath.
“BDSM is an acronym for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism. Those might seem like several different aspects, but they all fall under the umbrella of a power exchange. Take bondage and discipline, for example. Clearly, someone’s getting restrained and hands over their control…submits. The other person takes that control, combines it with their own, then gives it back in various ways…Dominates. That, in basic terms, is called a power exchange. Every BDSM scene or relationship involves exchanging power. It might be for an hour, or it might be twenty-four-seven. That’s up to the individuals.”
Quickly realizing this man was a fountain of knowledge, I opened my purse and started digging for my cell phone. It was likely buried in the bottom of my designer bag, but I was too impatient to keep searching. So, I grabbed the manilla envelope of cashier’s checks, and the pen poised beside my wallet, and started frantically scribbling notes.
“There isn’t gonna be a test when I’m through, darlin’,” he said with a crooked grin.
Smart ass.
“I wasn’t expecting one,” I replied dryly. “It’s just easier for me to remember things when I write them down.”
“There’s an easier way to learn about the lifestyle than taking notes.”
“There is? How?”
“I could teach you,” he said, holding me prisoner with a stare so commanding his Dominance flowed over me like warm honey.
My heart leapt to the back of my throat.
A part of me was petrified. Yet, a bigger part—ruled by my celebrating hormones—couldn’t wait to get started.
“After we get to know each other better, that is,” he added, ripping the excitement from my soul. “A deep level of trust must be established first.”
Banking my disappointment, I nodded.
“Trust, communication, and open honesty are necessary in order to build a firm foundation in the lifestyle,” he continued as the traffic jam began to lessen. “All parties, even those who casually scene at the club, have to be open, honest, and communicate their limits and expectations. It’s called negotiating, and is vitally important before a submissive hands their control over, and a Dominant accepts it.”
“Accepts it?” I scowled. “You mean take it?”
“No. That’s not Dominance. It’s abuse. A Dom never forces or coerces a sub to give up their control…unlessthe sub wants a consensual/non-consensual scene. Even then, limits are fully established during negotiations prior to any play.”
“What if the sub doesn’t like the limits? Can she say no?”
“Yes, and she should.”
“What if he says ‘no, you’re doing it anyway?’”
“Then the sub calls her safeword, Dungeon Monitors step in, and the Dom is more than likely escorted from the club.”
“So, you’re saying submissives have a choice who they give their power…control to?”
“Darlin’, the submissive holds all the power. Without willingly handing over her control, the Dominant’s hands are,” he paused and chuckled, “for lack of a better word…tied. They’re empty, leaving him nothing to work with.”
“The way you explain it makes sense, but if the sub has all the power, why isn’t she called a Dominant?”
“Good question.” He grinned. “Because when she hands over her power, shesubmits.”
I blew out a heavy sigh. “There are a lot of ins and out in this lifestyle. How does anyone keep it all straight?”
Blade chuckled. “Little by little. It’s a thrilling journey, not a final destination.”
“How long have you been in the lifestyle?”
“I’m not sure how old you are, but it’s probably longer than you’ve been alive.”
“I’m twenty-eight. How old are you?”
“Ancient compared to you,” Blade drawled, shaking his head. “I was eighteen when I discovered BDSM. You were ten.”
