"To my beautiful wife," he said. "May we weather this coming storm, and look forward to smooth sailing afterward."
"Hmm," I said and clinked my glass against his. "Sounds like you need a vacation."
Drake laughed and took a sip. He made a face of appreciation and then set his glass down. "I wouldn't mind a vacation, actually. My schedule in California was pretty grueling. Somewhere warm and sunny with white sand beaches and everything done for us. How does that sound?"
"Sounds wonderful. As soon as the trial's over, we should go for a couple of weeks. Maybe before Christmas?"
"Before Christmas. I want to be here for Christmas and New Year's, unless I can convince Maureen to let me take Liam along with us, and unless Dad and Elaine decide to come along as well."
"I'll talk to him about it and maybe we can plan. It would give us something positive to look forward to."
"You wouldn't miss the snow and Macy's and the Christmas tree lighting ceremony?"
I shook my head. "Nope. White sand, surf and all-inclusive services with a Santa in Bermuda shorts sounds like heaven."
"I'll talk to Maureen and see if she'll let me take Liam over Christmas. She'll probably want to get him to come visit them on his vacation."
"Well, if she does, there's no reason for us not to go somewhere as a family. Maybe we can go somewhere close to him and he could come for a quick visit."
"Sounds like a plan."
We finished our dinner, thoughts of a nice vacation to somewhere warm making me feel more optimistic.
Drake
I lay in bed beside a sleeping Kate, and remembered, my mind going back to the first time Derek suggested I top his submissive.
We were at a masked party at his mansion in Yonkers. Everyone wore a mask of some design to hide their identity, but everyone had been vetted before being admitted. Everyone also signed an NDA about the events and people who attended.
"You like bondage, if I remember correctly from seeing you at Perry's party last month," he said to me as we stood at the bar in his mansion and watched the guests talking in small groups. Derek was a man of about my age and height, a bit more grey in his hair than I had, and dark brown inquisitive eyes.
"That I do," I said and raised my glass of vodka tonic with a lime wedge. I usually didn't have more than one drink when at a dungeon party. I wanted to be completely in control so one drink before was all I allowed myself. Derek was similarly cautious, drinking a single glass of white wine. We were both sons of wealthy businessmen who carried on in our father's footsteps. Derek's father was in securities and of course, my father Liam was both a trauma surgeon and medical implements inventor and manufacturer.
"I want you to top my sub while I watch," he said, his voice hesitant, as if he was uncertain that I'd be interested.
I raised my eyebrows and considered. Usually, my subs were all found through Lara, whose judgement I trusted. She knew what I wanted and what I liked -- someone submissive without any interest in masochism or humiliation. Basically, I wanted a woman who enjoyed being bound and controlled, but who ultimately wanted pleasure, not pain.
"I'm pretty tame when it comes to BDSM," I said. "If you want to watch something rough, you've got the wrong man."
"I had you researched," Derek replied. "I know what you like. I'd like to watch you top my current sub. That's what I like."
"And?" I asked, not wanting to get into any heavy SM scene or thinking one took place after I was done with my parts. "After that? What happens between you and her?"
"After that, I punish her by denying her an orgasm while I take mine. Then, we have great makeup sex where she's ever so submissive and on her knees. Don't worry," he said and shook his head, giving me a look that said no problem. "She's not into pain and neither am I. Just the game. The mental game."
"I understand."
I did understand the mental game. It was my specialty. I liked to find out what made a woman really hot, what really turned her on, and then I liked to give it to her. Did she like to feel like a bad girl? A nympho? Did she like to watch herself be fucked hard? Did she want to crawl on her knees and please a man? As long as it didn't involve children, pain, scat or animals, I was fine. Whatever mental game that got a woman off, I'd play it as long as I was in control. The most aggressive I ever got was mock-rape, and then, there'd be no pain, only mental excitement about being forced and getting off anyway. For some women, it was a way to master their fear of the real thing. For others, it was a way to overcome their past experiences. I wasn't judgmental about why.
"Here's the scenario," he said. "After both of you sign contracts, I leave you with my sub, you take her upstairs to her bedroom and tie her up, fuck her, and I catch you in the act. You continue to fuck her while I watch. Then, you leave. That's it. Sound good?"
"Sounds good on my part. Do you have papers ready?"
"They're in my office."
We left the large room where the party was being held and took a narrow hallway to an expansive office, with floor to ceiling bookshelves and an ornate desk in front of a bay window. On the desk was a contract that I would read and sign to ensure I knew the sub's limits and agreed to abide by them.
I read over the contract and noted that the submissive was willing to engage in pretty much any kind of sexual contact and bondage. After discussing it with Derek, I signed the contract and we left the room.