24. Nico
24
NICO
LESSONS IN DOMINANCE
T he next day, after dropping Ember at an ecstatic Giulia and a sceptical Andrea, I take Marie’s hand in mine and guide her to where I parked my bike. I don’t want to take the car to drive to my club. The roaring motor underneath us as she clasps my body to hers to hang on for dear life is a much better option. I hand her an extra helmet and help her fasten it around her neck. The black jeans and cashmere sweater underneath the leather jacket she wears fits her like a fucking glove, showing her luscious body that I want to sink my teeth into. If she’ll allow me.
It doesn’t escape my notice that I’m dressed in a similar fashion and that strokes a primal part of myself I didn’t even know existed. If only she could wear my shirt after tonight, then the fantasy would be complete.
I help her up on the back of the bike and drive into the night at full speed, drawing a cute little yelp from her that brings a smirk to my face. Maybe it’s the brat in me, already teasing her for punishment.
When we arrive in front of Absolution, the bouncer nods to me in greeting, his face impassible. His eyes dip to where Marie and I are holding hands but he doesn’t comment.
The air inside is warm and smells of that luxurious laundry scent I asked Damian to diffuse at all times to dull the smell of cum and sex. The combo is heady and I look over my shoulder to take in a tense Marie, walking behind me, taking in all the hard shapes of the place and the display of bodies already thrumming in front of us.
Some people are fully naked, some fully clothed and all the in-between. Scenes are happening all around us, with different intensity levels but Marie’s gaze stops on a woman who’s standing by the bar, dressed in a short glittery red dress, her pet on a leash at her feet, licking her black boots dutifully like a kitten.
I slide behind her, murmuring in her ear. “I’ve been down before. The emptiness in my head made me feel like I could stay there for hours. I didn’t have a collar though.”
“I… I like the collar. I don’t know about shoe licking though. Looks unsanitary.”
I scoff. Surprisingly, for someone who doesn’t like other people’s fluids on me, boot-licking isn’t an act I view as unsanitary. Maybe because I know the rules of our club by heart and these shoes are cleaned and polished before being worn, and only here. There’s no need to tell Marie that so we abandon the patrons to their trysts as I guide her down a corridor illuminated in red.
We enter a soundproof room. I chose it because it doesn’t have a bed. It’s set up like our office, with dark blue walls with delicate upholstery, a comfortable and large brown sofa on a dark green carpet, and a mahogany desk to the side. There are no windows or two way mirrors, giving us absolute privacy. But there is an array of toys, and tools and a trusted Saint Andrews cross and spanking bench in the corner. Everything is understated and made to be soothing to the senses. Even the music is a soft jazz melody that’s barely audible and won’t be distracting as we proceed with this evening’s entertainment.
I tap my leg three times with my right index finger as I wait for Marie to say something before I introduce her to Damian, who’s waiting for my text in our office. Only years of discipline prevent me from shifting from foot to foot as I impatiently wait for her to make a move.
She turns slowly to take in her surroundings, walking on smooth feet to the cross and bench, caressing the leather reverently before going to the toy display. She picks up a metal tool shaped like a hook with a ball at one end, and frowns. My smile threatens to turn into a full one laughter, but I don’t want her to think I’m mocking her. “It’s an anal hook,” I supply and she drops it like it burnt her.
“Oh. I don’t think I’d like to use that.”
“Good. I don’t think I’d want you to use it on me for my first experience, Miss Marie.”
Her honorific has the desired effect, her eyes turning dark and that pillowy bottom lip crushed between her teeth.
“I like it when you call me that,” she says shyly, biting her lip.
“Did you notice it’s a title I use when I want you to dominate me?”
She nods and smiles, pink on her pretty cheeks, looking relaxed and ready for tonight’s entertainment.
She takes a full breath in and I walk to her, standing in front of her without touching her. My hands itch but I remain focused on the next part. “You can always back out, Marie. I would never force you to do something you don’t want to do. We can also start and at any point, you can stop. That’s what safe-words are for. They’re not only for the submissive one, but for the dominant, too.”
“Okay.” She exhales heavily. “That’s making me feel better. What should I use as a safe-word?”
“A word that’s easy for you to remember. Mine is ‘fire’,” I tell her and she doesn’t question it, which I’m grateful for. “I also use a colour system. I say ‘green’ to indicate if I’m ready to continue, ‘orange’ if I want you to slow down or pause and ‘red’ to end the scene immediately.”
“That’s a good system. My safe-word will be ‘purple’.” Her face betrays a hint of pain but her head is held high, making me wonder why she chose this word in particular, but I don’t question her.
She surprises me when she says, “We should talk about limits.”
I hum. “You can touch me, and I’d like to touch you but I don’t want to be penetrated today.” She coughs-chokes, reminding me that not everyone is as brutally straightforward as I can be. But she invites me to continue. “It’s not a hard limit for another time, though. If you’d like that. But not here. I want you in my bed the first time I take you, or you take me.”
Her soft hands glide up my chest and she pulls me in for a kiss. Our lips seal and our breaths catch. It’s as powerful as the first time and I chase her when she starts to pull away.
“Be good,” she teases with her fingers on my lips. I can’t resist taking them into my mouth, playing with her skin and using my piercing as a reminder that it’s here. And could be anywhere she’d like tonight.
I send a text to Damian, who knocks on the door a few minutes later. Marie jumps to her feet and I let him in, introducing them briefly. Damian looks at me quizzically. In the five years I’ve known him, I’ve never introduced anyone myself, always choosing partners through our vetted members. Last time he wasn’t supervising ended so badly I haven’t asked anyone else but him to paint my body in red marks.
“The rules are the same as usual, but Marie is allowed to touch me,” I tell him and his brow flies up. It would almost be funny if the air wasn’t heavy with the promise of pain and sex.
His eyes oscillate between Marie and I but he simply nods.
“Nico, you’ll address me as Sir, as per usual. Marie, I’d like you to use that, too. What honorific does Nico use for you?”
The question is meant to establish the boundaries and dynamics of our scene but she blushes all the same, a satisfied smile gracing her perfect lips. “Miss Marie,” she answers with a tinge of pride.
Damian takes us through the simple teaching sequence that will be focused on bringing me pain and pleasure, while helping Marie learn to lean into her soft dominance.
“Are you ready?” Damian asks Marie.
”Yes, Sir.”
“Perfect. Then, let’s begin. Pet, take off your clothes and wait for us on your knees by the bench,” Damian orders, his voice taking on a low quality. It usually sends a shiver down my spine but today, my attention isn’t on him, his focus barely eliciting a sense of recognition.
“Don’t make him repeat himself, baby,” Marie says and the dark tone of her voice has me scrambling to obey. It’s like a possessive touch on my skin and I revel in it, taking my clothes off and folding them on the couch, then and dropping to my knees on the dark wood floor, naked and exposed to her eyes.