Neither of us wants to be nursing glasses or hot cups while we discuss the most intimate aspects of our fantasies, so we both shake our heads.
‘You were recommended by Dr Lassiter, I see.’ She reads from a computer screen. ‘One of our most distinguished members. He runs a Sunday evening class in disciplinary techniques – perhaps you’ll find that of interest?’
‘We’ve both learned a lot from Dr Lassiter,’ I say.
She looks at me – a proper head-to-heels sweep of the eyes – and smiles. ‘I’m sure. So you’re a couple?’
‘Yes.’ Lloyd answers this one, with a really piercing glance in my direction.
‘Are you lifestyle players?’
‘No, just bedroom dabblers really. Looking to go a bit deeper.’
‘Oh, lovely, I do like it when we have relative newbies to the scene. So many delights to be found.’
She has the kind of throaty, theatrical delivery that could very easily sound false, but I believe her. Her enthusiasm for this seems nothing but genuine.
‘Which way round is your dynamic? Or do you switch?’
Lloyd clears his throat. ‘We did try switching, actually, but it wasn’t something we really went for. So I do and she’s done to.’
‘Oh, yes, a nice way of putting it. But of course, the gifts are reciprocal. This balance of power can’t work with partners who don’t respect each other as equals.’
‘That’s so true!’ I’m quite excited by her words, more so than I would have expected to be. ‘One thing I hate is when people assume that the submissive partner is weak. That’s such a simplistic, wrong-headed way of looking at it.’
‘Oh, I couldn’t agree more. Submission takes a great deal of courage and strength. For one thing, as a woman in today’s world, it’s so often considered taboo to admit that you like a man to take control in the bedroom.’
‘I kind of buried that side of myself for years,’ I continue. I’m so excited I can hardly get the words out. I feel close to this woman, whose name I don’t even know – it’s like an instant infatuation. ‘I felt guilty and disloyal for even thinking it.’
‘And yet, what do you have to feel guilty for? A preference that may well be innate and, even if it isn’t, there’s nothing you can do to change it. Perhaps one day we’ll be able to enjoy our sexuality without fear of judgement. Until then – here we are.’
She leans over sympathetically, and the door opens to admit a man with vampire teeth.
This throws me off my stride a little.
‘They’re real.’ He answers the unspoken question with a big flashing smile. ‘I had them filed down. So many subs go for a vampire.’
‘But you don’t actually …?’ Those fangs could do some damage.
‘Ah …’ He smiles enigmatically and proffers a hand. ‘Mal. Not short for Malcolm.’
‘What is it short for?’ asks Lloyd, standing to shake the guy’s hand.
‘Malfeasant.’
‘Nice name,’ I observe, taking my turn to glad-hand him. ‘I’m Sophie. This is Lloyd.’
‘Great to meet you. So, how are we playing this?’
The question is addressed to O, who notices my slight stiffening at it.
‘Dr Lassiter will have told you, I assume, that we require a small demonstration of your commitment to this practice,’ she says. ‘It helps keep the dirty sniffers of the press off our doorstep. With our elite membership, there’s rather a lot of potential for blackmailers within these walls. Of course, we trust Dr Lassiter’s judgement. All the same, it’s a rule of the house.’
Mal clarifies the issue. ‘So what’s it going to be, my dears? A spanking? Nice bit of bondage? Maybe a spot of humiliation?’
I hope Lloyd has something prepared. We haven’t discussed this. I thought it was meant to be an interview, not a practical.
‘Bloody hell, baptism of fire,’ I mutter, shooting him daggers.