Chapter 39
Luke
Friday night rolls round and I’m full of nervous energy as I wait for Emmy to arrive.
We’ve planned a whole evening around Shibari, the art of Japanese rope bondage, and I’m ridiculously excited to get my beloved ropes onto her beautiful skin.
They’ve been gathering dust on my bookshelf for way too long.
A text flashes up on my phone to say she’s just getting out of a cab and I rush up the stairs to the main entrance so I can greet her when she arrives.
I arrive just as the doorbell goes, and Jonah, one of my security guards, blinks in shock as I all but shove him out of the way to open the door.
“Oh, sorry boss,” he mutters, as I fling the door open.
Emmy’s face is the perfect picture of surprise, her mouth popping open in a delicious ‘o’ that makes me want to push my thumb between her lips. She breaks into a wide smile and gives me a warm hug as I pull her inside.
“Ms Warner,” I say, bowing to her as she stifles a giggle. “Welcome back to Salt.”
“Mr Pullman, it’s so good of you to welcome me yourself,” she says, feigning a blush and giving me coy eyes.
Poor Jonah must think we’re both cooked but he hangs back respectfully and averts his eyes when I lean in to give her a lingering kiss.
I can’t help but snake my fingers into her loose curls, deepening the kiss until Jonah gives a very discreet cough behind us.
I realise that the doorbell’s gone again, and it might not give the best impression if the owner is standing in Salt’s lobby, mauling its prettiest member.
With a laugh, she pulls away and threads her fingers through mine, and we head down into the club together.
“Drink?” I offer, making a beeline for the bar.
“Marg, please!” she replies, as Pawel grabs out some frozen glasses.
“So, ropes tonight?” I ask as we lean against the bar.
“Ropes tonight,” she says, eyes glinting. “I can’t wait to be at your mercy.”
Christ. This woman will be the death of me.
Just then, Jessie appears in the corner of my eye in a flurry of motion.
“Boss,” she starts, a little breathlessly. “I’m so sorry to interrupt.”
“Don’t be silly, Jess. What’s up?”
“Hi Emmy,” she says, leaning over to give Emmy a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Hey,” Emmy replies. “I can excuse myself if you have club stuff to discuss?”
“No, actually, I might need you for this.” Jessie runs a hand through her hair, leaving her fringe sticking up all over the place.
“Candace broke her ankle this afternoon in an aerial stunt gone wrong and Cherisse is off sick with a virus. I’ve called up all our usual acts but it’s Friday night and no one is free.
We’ve got no one booked for the headline slot on the main stage. ”
“Right, ok. Let’s not panic. Which of our members do we have in? Any of our exhibitionists or doms that might fancy taking their performance to a wider audience?”
Jessie looks at me pointedly and the penny drops.
“Oh. No. No no no.”
“Please, Luke. You’re my only hope. People have been begging for you to get back on stage. You’re always a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. I could pair you with one of your regulars—”
“No, Jess. I’m with Emmy tonight.”
Jessie shoots a pleading look at Emmy, who’s nibbling her lip with worry.
“It would be 30 minutes. 45 tops,” argues Jessie, glancing between us.
“The answer’s no,” I say firmly. I’m not dragging Emmy up on stage and making her feel uncomfortable. It is absolutely not hap—
“I’ll do it,” says Emmy. “It’s only half an hour and we were going to do ropes tonight anyway. You demonstrate the knots and I’ll be your model.”
“Amazing!” cries Jessie, all but leaping up and down like a toddler who’s just been handed candy floss. “Are you happy with being topless?”
“No, Jess, come on—”
“Yeah, no problem.” Emmy talks over me and I bite my tongue. “I’d prefer to keep my knickers on if that’s ok but I am happy to be topless. It’s all an experience, right?”
“You’re incredible Emmy, really. We will owe you one. Free drinks for life. Well, you probably get that anyway…”
“Ok Jessie,” I interrupt. “Get everything set up and Emmy and I will meet you backstage just before 9pm.”
“Right you are, boss,” she says, disappearing out back with a spring in her step.
“Are you sure about this?” I ask, searching Emmy’s eyes for any hints of doubt or fear.
“Yes, I’m sure. It will help Salt, right? And if it helps you out, then I’m all for it.”
“You’re amazing. But even if it’s two minutes before we go on stage, if you say stop—”
“You’ll stop,” she finishes for me.
I lean down and kiss her, hard. Her mouth opens and a small whimper escapes as our tongues tangle.
“Come on, let’s go chat through things before our big moment,” I say, passing her a drink and grabbing mine. “I need you to know what to expect.”
Emmy follows me up the stairs to my office and makes herself comfortable on my sofa.
It’s only once we’re alone that I take her in properly: a blue shimmering dress with a slit that climbs indecently high, giving teasing flashes of creamy thigh.
She catches me staring and smirks, utterly unrepentant.
“God, you’re beautiful,” I breathe, leaning down again and filling my nose with the scent of her hair.
She grins up at me.
“Focus, Mr Pullman,” she chides, while pulling my lapels down so I practically land in her lap. I straddle her thighs, cupping her face as I pull her mouth back to mine and we spend a few minutes devouring each other. I inwardly groan as I remember we do actually need to prep for this.
“You’re a terrible distraction,” I rasp, pulling back and climbing awkwardly off the sofa, my cock tenting my suit trousers like a teenager. She merely grins in reply, licking her lips in a way that makes me want to take her straight down to the playrooms.
I grab the box off the shelf and her eyes light up as I carry it over to the sofa.
“I’d always wondered what was in these,” she says, her tone reverent as I draw out several metres of silky black and red rope.
“Some people write off Shibari as simply a form of bondage that’s aesthetically pleasing,” I explain, running the ropes through my fingers. “But it’s a lot more than that. It’s sensual and it involves a great deal of skill, and a great deal of trust.”
She blinks at me and nods.
“Is it painful, being all tied up in different positions?”
“It totally depends on what you’re seeking,” I reply, carefully.
I don’t want to frighten her but I also want to be totally honest. “For some people, they want the pain or discomfort of being held in a certain position as it can heighten the pleasure, especially as they are essentially submitting to the person holding the rope. But for many people, it’s about simply heightening sensation. ”
I pause to check she’s ok but she’s nodding thoughtfully. I’ve not scared her off yet.
“Learning how to do Shibari safely can take a lot of time and practice. But a skilled artist can position the knots and ropes to give maximum pleasure. Your true experts can suspend their partners from the ceiling in a way that’s totally safe and extremely erotic.
But it can also be used outside of sexual scenarios.
I’ve heard some people liken it to mindfulness activities. ”
“Ah the crochet of the kink world. Good to know,” she quips and I laugh.
I take her through some of the knots and loops that we’ll do on stage and she follows my every command beautifully. I can hardly believe we’re about to do this – it’s bigger than any other item on her Fuckit List – but here we go.