With a tug of the leash, I am facing him again.
‘Are you ready?’ he says softly.
‘Are you?’
‘Not sure. Shall we skip all this and go home?’ His fingers caress my jawbo
ne, his thumb drifting over my cheek.
‘Would that be a fail?’
I don’t even care. I don’t even care about the silly game. I want to tell him, yes, let’s abandon this, let’s go, let’s be lovers.
But when it comes down to it, I just can’t.
‘I suppose,’ he says. ‘Maybe.’
‘No, let’s do this.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘I want to. I’m sure.’
He pulls me tight, really tight, into his chest and whispers in my ear, ‘I’m going to make you beg tonight. One way or another.’
‘We’ll see,’ I whisper back.
O and Mal arrive, cooing and smiling at our little tableau.
‘Getting into the mood?’ enquires Mal, searching the cupboard for his Dracula cloak. ‘It’s going to be a hot one tonight. Very well attended. Lots of the top players in.’
‘Who’s domming you, Rachael?’ asks O. ‘Won’t they be wondering where you are?’
‘Oh! Yes.’ Rachael gives her hair one final primp in the mirror and dashes off. ‘See you later. Good luck.’
Mal pours us all a glass of port and we stand around, slightly awkward, O and I baring expanses of flesh that seem to preclude polite chitchat. It’s left to Mal and Lloyd to banter self-consciously about fire regulations and door policy.
Mal raises his glass. ‘Well, I think a toast is in order,’ he says. ‘To beautiful submission. And the two very fine examples of it here in this room.’
Lloyd echoes the toast while O and I simper.
‘First night nerves, Lloyd?’ asks Mal.
‘Yeah, a few,’ he admits.
Mal slaps him on the back. ‘You’ll ace it, bud,’ he says. ‘Just remember what I taught you.’
‘And what was that?’ I ask, but Mal taps his nose.
‘Curiosity killed the cat. And did quite a lot of damage to the pussy too.’
He laughs uproariously. O shoots me an apologetic eyebrow raise. Life with the Benny Hill of bondage must be wearisome sometimes.
Our drinks consumed, our inhibitions mildly lowered, we prepare to enter the circus ring.
I reach for Lloyd’s hand and squeeze it, the squeeze lasting a little longer and ending up a little tighter than I intended. I want to tell him to break a leg, or something. Should I be wishing luck to a man whose immediate future involves visiting intense pain on my backside? All the same, I prefer my position to his. I don’t have to exude confidence or authority. I just have to obey orders.
Mal and O, in front of us, open the door. Lloyd removes my hand from his and takes hold of the leash. I am to walk behind him.