She looked at him expectantly, her eyes bright. “Does that mean you’re going to invite me to the party? I get to come?”
He suppressed a grin at the double entendre of her last sentence. “Actually,” he said slowly, “that’s going to depend on you.”
“On me?”
He nodded. “I’ve done a lot of thinking about this. It was irresponsible of me to dangle that invitation in front of you the way I did, especially knowing you have little to no experience in the scene.”
“But I did the research. I’ve read the novels. I want to go to the party in the worst way—”
He placed two fingers briefly lightly over her lips, silencing her.
“I think your enthusiasm is great. But hear me out before you decide. I have a proposal for you.”
She nodded. “Okay. Sorry. I’m listening.”
“As I intimated the other day at breakfast, if you attend this party, you’ll see things that will shock you. You’ll be witness to extreme bondage, whippings, canings, water play and explicit sexual acts. Many of the subs and service slaves will be naked or nearly so, men and women alike.”
Dahlia stared at him with wide eyes, her pretty mouth falling partly open. “You, uh—you mentioned at breakfast I wouldn’t have to actively participate, right?”
“That’s correct. Only if you want to. It’s not a decision you need to make now.”
She looked relieved. “Okay. Good. So, what’s this proposal?”
“I want to invite you to the party. But it wouldn’t be fair either to you or to the members of my club to bring in someone who only wants to gawk. That’s the opposite of what we’ve created—which is a sanctuary for hardcore lifestylers. So, in order for me to be comfortable even extending the invitation, I need to get a better sense of your true, personal interest in the scene. In order to do that in the very limited timeframe we have before next weekend, I’d like—with your full consent, of course—to put you through a series of tests designed to better tease out your innate submissive potential.”
“Tests?” she repeated, looking mildly alarmed.
“Yes. And I’m afraid this is nonnegotiable. If you’re unable or unwilling to do this exercise with me, it’s better we just put this behind us and move on.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “I’m listening. What do these tests involve exactly? I need details so I can make an informed decision.”
“Of course,” Hayden agreed, pleased she wasn’t put off by the challenge. “To start, I’ll ask you a few questions to get a better understanding as to your thoughts and feelings about erotic submission. There are no right or wrong answers, but I will require rigorous honesty on your part. No censoring the replies to protect yourself or to say what you think I might want to hear. I want your genuine, heartfelt response. You good with that?”
“Yes,” she agreed readily. “I can totally do that.”
“Okay, good. Now it gets a little more complicated. You need to understand up front that this preliminary session will involve you removing some or all of your clothing. I’ve found potential subs do a lot better when there’s literally nothing between them and the Dom. It puts you immediately in a more submissive headspace because of your inherently vulnerable position in front of someone who is fully clothed. With me so far?”
Dahlia was staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Yet, her nipples were prominent now beneath the loose knit of her sweater and he could feel her excitement simmering just below the surface. If he placed his hand between her legs, would he find her wet?
When she didn’t respond right away, he said gently, “I get it, Dahlia. I’m asking an awful lot of someone who has only second and thirdhand knowledge in the scene. Normally with a potential sub, I’d go a lot slower, giving you a chance to absorb what was happening over time. Unfortunately, given our deadline for the holiday party, we have limited time. If this is too much for you, we can take it slower. We can forget about the party, and just take our time.”
“No,” she cried. Looking somewhat abashed, she continued, “I mean, yes. Yes, I’m with you. I don’t want to slow down. I want to do whatever it takes to attend the party.”
”Great,” he said, grinning to hide his relief. She was nervous but determined, and he admired that.
Sobering, he added, “The goal tonight is to give me a sense not only of your willingness to obey and submit, but to observe how that submission affects you. Don’t worry, this won’t involve whips, rope or even a playful spanking. The caveman will remain in his cave.”
“Ha,” she snorted. “I deserved that.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “I’m just teasing you. But seriously, if at any time you’re uncomfortable with what’s happening and want me to stop, I’ll end the session immediately. Like I said, we can always pick things up at a later date, if you’re still interested.”