‘I’ll leave you to it, then,’ he muttered back, taking a macaroon from the display and leaving a pile of coins on top of the glass case.
The barista appeared not to notice and took my caramel macchiato order without comment.
Self-possession had returned to me by the time I reached the table.
‘I really wasn’t sure what to wear to a munch,’ I said apologetically, gesturing at my dress after putting the drink down.
‘Really, don’t worry about it,’ she said. ‘It’s really cute. The tops’ll be all over you.’
‘Oh, my God, will they?’ I pictured a menacing leather-clad crowd slapping paddles into their open palms as I cowered in their midst.
‘Not literally,’ she said with a laugh. ‘They’re very gentlemanly, on the whole. Lovely manners. But you’ll get some attention. New bottoms are always highly prized.’
I snort-laughed over my coffee at the concept of ‘new bottoms’, imagining an umpire calling for them, Wimbledon-style.
‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘It’s really hard to think of myself as…a bottom.’
Katie’s smile was tolerant. ‘You’re a real newbie, aren’t you?’ she said. ‘You’ll get used to all the terminology. It does seem like a different world at first, but you soon feel part of it all.’
‘Did it take you long?’ I asked. ‘When did you get into all this?’
‘About five years ago,’ she said. ‘I was like you, completely clueless. I mean, this was even before Fifty Shades, so it wasn’t in the public consciousness, so to speak. Just mine. At least, that was the way I felt – like the onliest, loneliest perve in town.’ Her speculative glance invited me to join in with her laughter, although she’d just accused me of being both clueless and a perve. I wasn’t sure I found it that funny.
‘Yeah, Fifty Shades,’ I said, as a punctuation mark. ‘It’s not really like that, though, I take it?’
‘I’ve yet to meet a billionaire,’ she said with a sigh. ‘Maybe this munch, eh?’
‘But do you have a…a top?’ I asked.
‘Several,’ she said with an arch smile. ‘My path was similar to yours. I registered on a few websites and chatted with some local people before finally, tentatively, meeting up with some of my new friends. It was a process of trial and error – one man’s BDSM is another man’s vanilla, and yet another man’s extreme edge-play. It takes a while to work it all out. But when you do…oh, boy.’ She was a cat with the cream, on the verge of licking her lips. ‘Let’s just say it’s worth it.’
‘I’ll take your word for it,’ I said. ‘So, this munch. Will you know everyone there?’
‘Probably. A couple of my tops will be there – but we aren’t exclusive. Just playmates.’
‘Don’t you want to be exclusive?’
‘Oh, I do,’ she contradicted. ‘More than anything. But I haven’t found the right partner yet. When I do, I will completely belong to them in every way. I’d only do that for somebody really special, though. At this point, I’m still looking.’
‘Oh. So this town…?’
‘I doubt he or she will be local. There is somebody I play with over Skype…’ She paused to blush and get a faraway look in her eye. ‘But he’s in Boulder, Colorado. We hope to meet next year, funds and passports permitting.’ She took another sip of
coffee. ‘So what are you doing here?’
I was so flustered I had to put my cup down. Did she have me pegged as a spy in the camp already?
‘What?’ I said weakly, resisting an enormous urge to look over at Tom with ‘abort operation’ eyes.
‘Your first step into the lifestyle is a big one. Loads of people never make it – they hold back and fantasise about it for the rest of their lives. What made you take the leap?’
‘Ah, right,’ I said, breathing out. ‘Just…I dunno…call it curiosity. Well, a bit more than that. I mean, I read Fifty Shades and realised that I wasn’t alone, so perhaps I ought to try and make contact.’
‘As long as you’re not looking for your very own Mr Grey,’ she said with an eyeroll.
‘No, not at all. Why would I want a drop-dead-gorgeous kinky billionaire?’
She laughed. ‘I know, right? Ah, if only fairytales could come true. You’ll find a range of tops at the munch, from young to pensioner, from smart to bohemian. No Mr Greys, though, thank God. All real people with real senses of humour.’