Twenty-Seven
M y heart is a hammer striking an anvil. It beats so hard that I can hear it in my ears as I stand at the bottom of the stairs staring into what Rome called his playroom. I'm in awe of it, both excited and anxious about the display in front of me. This is like a dream, my most intense fantasy coming to life right before my eyes.
“How?” I ask, although there really is no answer. “You just bought all of this recently? This … I've never seen anything like this.”
Rome steps to the middle of the room, placing himself in the center of the biggest display of BDSM furniture and toys I have ever seen. His basement is practically … no, not practically … it literally is a sex dungeon dressed in black and gold.
The brick walls are painted black, including the fireplace at the far end next to the massive bed with four pillars reaching for the stratosphere. A gold sex chair rests comfortably next to a black spanking bench. There are two more black pillars in the center of the room, one covered in ropes, the other containing an assortment of floggers of all sizes and materials. A giant Saint Andrew’s cross stands in the back corner like a stalker lurking in the dark, while two glass display cases rest atop gold pedestals like decorative statues. Each glass case is stocked with sex toys, from wand vibrators to riding crops, handcuffs to blindfolds, dildos to butt plugs, chains to electroshock wands. It’s a collection and display unlike anything I have ever seen, and when Rome looks around, I can see that this is his happy place. He has never looked more in his element, grinning as he takes stock of the room he built for his personal pleasure.
“I owned some of this before I inherited everything my father left me when he passed,” he says, his eyes not on me but proudly gazing around the room. “But I needed to buy more when I purchased the house. I just couldn't let this space go to waste, and like I said upstairs, I refuse to live a vanilla life. So, I decided that if I was going to do it, I was going to go all out. I bought everything I could think of, but it was well worth the money.”
“Yeah, I bet it was,” I reply with a scoff. “I'm sure you've been having a great time with all of this at your disposal.”
Rome turns to face me, unarming me with his smile.
“Actually, I've never been down here with anyone,” he says.
I frown hard, my forehead wrinkling like a bed sheet. “What? Why?”
“Because I went through a dark, sad, solemn period after my father died,” he says, stepping toward me. “I didn't want to do anything but lie in my bed and cry, and that’s exactly what I did on most days for a couple of months. But eventually I got up, took account of everything my father left me in his will, and started thinking of what I wanted to do with it all. He left behind a pretty decent amount of money, his house, and two successful businesses. Once I was able to bring myself to sell everything, the sum was astronomical … but not enough to overshadow my grief. So I started to begin my life again. I bought this house, furnished it, and started going out to try to find out how to live without either of my parents around anymore. I started the process of purchasing Sandcastle, and slowly began to search for happiness again. But I never met anyone that I wanted to bring down here. I've had a few flings, admittedly, but nothing serious, and this … this is for serious.”
Rome gestures toward the basement, asking me to take it all in and understand exactly what he's saying. He built this for when he was ready to have someone to use it with. He wanted someone worthy of it, and he has chosen me. He wants me to be the first.
“And you see me as something serious?” I ask, just making sure I'm not misreading the tea leaves.
He clears his throat. “I do, and I hope you see me as someone worthy of your consent.”
I've waited so long for this that I can barely believe any of it is real. Rome is a dream escaping my mind and inserting itself into my reality, and this room would scare the living shit out of everyone I know. But I have a growing sense of trust for Rome that gives me comfort while standing in it. That is what this is all about—finding someone you can trust in the darkness. I thought the search for something like this would be endless, but it feels like I just crossed the finish line.
“I do,” I reply, copying him. “I see you as the person worthy of my consent. You have it … now what do you intend to do with it?”
Rome’s smirk tells me everything I need to know, but I want him to show me. My nerves stand on end in anticipation of his next move, and when he takes a step in my direction, I know my world is about to change forever.
“I intend to make your biggest fantasies come true,” he answers. “You said you’d never been with anyone who had the tools required to bind you properly. So tonight, that's exactly what I'm going to do.”