Knot So Secret
FRANKIE
DOMINION NIGHTCLUB, SEATTLE
SATURDAY
“The most essential component to kink is consent— specifically enthusiastic and ongoing consent.”
I pace around the front of the room, much like I do when I’m lecturing hung over freshmen on a Monday morning. My ‘class’ here is in a private room, tucked away in the back of the club, with five couples all seated at tiny tables, eager to learn how to tie each other up.
“We want to be very clear about our boundaries, and foster a relationship where everyone feels comfortable vocalizing them, because playing with a partner who isn’t fully committed to a scene, and feels pressured, can lead to fractures in trust, and even criminal charges.”
A nervous chuckle ripples through the room.
I love doing these little workshops here, with its luxurious and sleek leather couches, the purple and blue ambient lighting that’s not too harsh on the eyes, good drinks, great people, and honestly? Hearing the odd moan floating through the air just puts you in the mood to get spanked.
Or do the spanking.
If Emerald Bay University is the place where I nourish young minds, Dominion is the place I go to take care of me.
Tonight’s bondage workshop is open to anyone, but really it’s more for couples. Most of these are folks looking to spice things up, and while some of them may stick around to become permanent members and others may disappear, none are leaving without learning the basics of Kink 101.
“Whenever you’re engaging in bondage, I want you to check in with each other first. Ask questions, and don’t worry about sounding silly. These early steps are all about looking out for each other, okay? So I want you to have a brief chat about expectations.”
Around here, I’m known as The Professor, partially because of these talks I always give before I let everyone dive into the workshop, but it really caught on because of my wardrobe.
I’ve been told my crisp white button-down and black slacks mixed with my tone really gives off that warm, authoritative vibe, and who am I to disagree?
Comfort is important, and honestly, I can’t take myself seriously in a pair of assless chaps— even if I look great in them.
While everyone’s getting comfortable, I’m hit with the sound of laughter and music pouring in from the rest of the club as the door cracks open.
I’m more than a little shocked to see Daphne walk in, sporting a short, but sleek black leather dress that seems perfectly at home hugging her curves.
It feels like it was made just for her— and actually, given how expensive it looks, it probably was.
She freezes when her eyes land on me, the two of us staring at each other like deer caught in the headlights.
“Sorry I’m late,” she mutters. “Google Maps sent me straight into a construction zone.”
A few heads turn, one or two of the pairs seeming like they might recognize her, but thankfully Dominion has very strict privacy rules.
They’ve banned people for using their cell phones beyond the lobby, and even taken legal action against patrons posting unauthorized photos on social media.
Sure, nothing is bulletproof, but I suppose if Daphne’s worried about her privacy, this is probably one of the safer places she could go.
“It’s no problem, the building’s a little hard to find. Take a seat, we’re just getting started.”
She does seem a little nervous, adjusting her small bag on her shoulder as her eyes flit around the room, but she hasn’t immediately bolted despite looking like she feels just as awkward about this as I do, so she must want to stick around.
I’m guessing the only way we’ll survive this is for me to treat her like any other student.
Her eyes scan the room, brows furrowing slightly when she sees everyone paired up.
“Oh god, is this couples only?”
“It’s all good. We were just getting to the demonstration. You can, uh…”
Jesus, what am I doing?
Frankie, no.
Frankie, stop.
“You can pair up with me, if you’re comfortable with that.”
Maybe I’ll use the rope to choke myself into unconsciousness.
“You sure?”
Lord, take me now.
“Yeah. You can be my Vana White.”
She flashes me a coy little smile, her body relaxing just a bit.
“You know, I always wanted to be her when I was growing up.”
I still have so many questions. Is she in the scene, or is she just curious? Did she know I was filling in for someone tonight, or was this just a coincidence? Is she…
I sigh.
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
“Here, come up front with me.”
I motion for her to follow, striding toward the front of the room with significantly less than my usual confidence. But this is my turf, my classroom, and these people didn’t pay to watch me fumble through a shitload of awkwardness.
“Alright everyone, the kink gods were gracious enough to bless me with a lovely assistant tonight, so now without further adieu, I can show you all how this is done.” I pick up my spool of rope, holding it up for the rest of the room to see.
“Tonight, we’re going to start by showing you how to tie the Double Column.
It’s a fairly basic and easy restraint, great for beginners. ”
I turn to Daphne, my heart in my throat.
It’s hard not to let my eyes wander up and down her figure.
I know that ogling her like this is wrong on so many levels; I don’t know this woman anymore, but there was a time when I could tell she was pulling up to my driveway just by the sound her tires made on the gravel.
“Do I have permission to tie your wrists together?”
She nods, and despite my mounting anxiety, I lean in closer.
“I need you to say yes.”
She clears her throat, her cheeks just the tiniest bit pink.
“Sorry. Yes, you can.”
I almost let a good girl slip past my lips, but manage to catch it at the last second.
“Fantastic.” I turn to the rest of the class. “Now, I want you all to fold your rope in half, and see this curved section up top? This is called the bight, it’s the slack between the two ends of the rope. You want to take the bight and wrap it around your partner’s wrists twice.”
I carefully demonstrate on Daphne, securing her wrists all while hoping she doesn’t notice the slight tremble in my hands. Even though she’s here in my world, I’m still nervous, like I’m some dumb teenage boy who gives a shit about impressing her.
“You want to make sure you’ve got a good amount of slack…
oh, and something else that’s important?
Make sure there’s no gaps or twists in your rope when it’s around the wrists.
Might seem harmless at first, but they can cause some serious damage to the joints.
We’re trying to get our rocks off, not a ride to the emergency room, okay? ”
The joke gets a couple of laughs, which is always a relief. It’s a fine line to walk between warning them of all the potential dangers of kink, while keeping things light and fun enough that they don’t run screaming out the door.
“Is that comfortable?” I ask, checking the knot for any mistakes.
She’s quiet for a moment, staring at the rope like it’s just whisked her away to some far off place.
“Daphne?”
Her name leaves my lips as barely a whisper, but it’s enough to snap her back to reality.
“Yes,” she chuckles. “Sorry. Sometimes I forget to verbalize.”
“You’re doing great,” I smile, giving her a quick pat on the shoulder before turning back to the class.
“Okay, so now we’ve got the rope wrapped around the wrists, right?
We want to bring the bight over both sets of ropes, and then under them as well.
Might sound complicated, but it’s not. All you’re doing is wrapping it. ”
If I was on my own I could do this in about a minute, maybe two tops, but I need to make sure everyone sees the proper technique. Hopefully Daphne’s not losing patience.
“Guide the tail end of the rope toward the center— and make sure it’s actually centered, just like this. Otherwise it’s going to cinch around one of the limbs, so you really wanna make sure you’ve got it in the right spot. Once you do, you can lock and secure the knot.”
I gently grasp Daphne’s arms, holding them up.
“Just like this.”
She wiggles her wrists, beaming from ear to ear as people applaud.
Never in my life did I think I’d be tying this woman up. Have I fantasized about it? Sure. But then again, so have a good portion of men and women on this planet.
“Go ahead and try it yourselves! There’s a card tucked underneath each of your chairs with diagrams. I’ll be up here if you get stuck or have any questions, and then I’ll be doing some rounds in a few minutes to check your progress.”
I quickly untie the rope before handing it to her.
“You wanna try on me? I can walk you through it.”
“Yeah.” Her cheeks dust even pinker. “Thanks. I wasn’t exactly a great Girl Scout.”
“It’s no problem.” I flick my head toward the rope. “You remember the first step?”
She picks it up and folds it in half, and I nod, swallowing what I want to say and just holding my wrists out instead.
“That’s it, no gaps. You wanna keep it nice and tight.”
God, that sounded bad, but thankfully she doesn’t seem to register the innuendo.
“Sorry I crashed your workshop. If I’m being honest, you were the last person I expected to see when I walked in here.”
I grin.
“Well, we’ve got that in common then.”
Daphne guides the bight in exactly the right spot, wrapping it around both the top and bottom sets of ropes. I figured I’d need to walk her through at least a couple of the steps, but it feels like she’s a natural. There’s no way her memory is this good for something she’s barely glanced at.
“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say you’re already in the scene, right?”
“Trying to be. I’ve been dabbling for a little while now, how’d you know?”
“I was just thinking… you’re a bit too good with that rope for someone who’s in their first Dungeon Basics class.”
She chuckles, shrugging her shoulders as she continues to work the rope.
“Okay, you got me. I’ve done my research.”
“Hey, I love research—”
Daphne makes a slight misstep, slipping it a little too far to the left.
“Just make sure it’s centered— atta girl.”
Her eyes lock onto mine as she slowly secures the final segment of the knot, and I can feel the tension between us tightening along with it.
“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t…”
“It’s fine.” She grins. “I appreciate the encouragement.”
All of a sudden I’m sweating as the rest of the room goes a little hazy. I feel like a teenager all over again, and all I can focus on is Daphne staring right at me.
Mercifully, she clears her throat again and glances down at the knot.
“How’d I do?”
“Perfect.” I grin, my confidence coming back all at once. “You did it perfectly.”
She beams, lowering her voice as she quickly gets to untying the knot.
“So, this might be a long shot, but… You wouldn’t want to get that drink after this, would you? We never did pick a date for that catch-up session.”
That’s partially my fault. I haven’t texted her at all, I just kept staring at our two word exchange in the alley while trying to come up with something witty.
“If it helps, I’m buying.”
I shouldn’t. I should go straight home and watch Love Island while Bugsy purrs in my lap. I should forget this whole thing even happened tonight, and so should she. I should get back to moving on with my life all over again. I should—
“A drink sounds great.”