Justin and Maz were kitted out for a smart Friday night, Justin in a blue shirt and dark trousers, Maz in knee-length boots and a stretchy tube dress, her blonde hair swept up in a spiky topknot. They could have been any couple on the dinner-party circuit, were it not for the classic brown leather doctor’s bag Justin hefted on to the coffee table once I’d ushered them into the living room.
‘Is this OK?’ he asked, as I took their coats.
‘Oh, fine,’ I said, eyeing the bag with mingled curiosity and alarm. ‘It looks as if you’re here to give me a medical. Is there a stethoscope in there?’
Maz laughed. ‘No stethoscope, but plenty of things to get your pulse racing.’
‘Perhaps we should leave the contents of the bag for after dinner,’ cautioned Justin, but I was not sure I could wait.
‘Can’t I just have a sneak preview?’
Justin smiled evilly. ‘You want to start with a little bit of headspace play before dinner? Well, why not? OK, this is how it’s going to be, Keris. We do nothing that you aren’t happy with. As soon as things seem to be headed in a direction you don’t like, you stop by saying the word “Mars”.’
‘Mars?’
‘Well, yeah, it’s Maz’s safeword, so we tend to use it when other players join in too.’
‘OK. Mars. The god of war.’
‘Right.’ He smirked. ‘Before we start, I’ll explain a few things about us. I’m a top. I’m always a top. That’s what I am. Maz, on the other hand, is a switch. Usually, she’s submissive, but occasionally, especially when third, fourth or fifth parties are involved, she will top, either alone or with me. Is this clear so far?’
‘Wine?’ I offered the bottle, filling three glasses when they both nodded. ‘Er, yes. You always do the spanking and sometimes Maz joins in, if she’s in the mood, or she might prefer to take the pain instead.’
‘Exactly.’ He sat down, and Maz and I suddenly felt able to do the same. Justin had the strange knack of making you want to follow his lead. ‘So, if you want two spankers, you can have that. Or if you want somebody to share the pain, Maz is your girl. But tonight, since you say you’re new to all this, you’ll probably just want a one-on-one scene, and that’s fine. We don’t have any expectations, so there’s no pressure. Was there a particular script, so to speak, that you wanted to follow tonight?’
I thought about this. A script. A role play scenario. For me, part of the spanking fantasy was having responsibility for my sexuality taken away from me, so I was a little nonplussed at the idea of having to dictate the action. I was being asked to take control of my loss of control. It was almost too paradoxical to contemplate.
‘I kind of always fantasise about the idea of punishment,’ I told him. ‘Like, I’ve done something bad – or I’m just a bad person. A dirty girl, or whatever. So … something like that, I suppose.’
‘Something like that? Or that?’
Justin tipped back his glass, eyes narrowed behind the specs, and suddenly he looked so cold and severe that I shuddered.
‘I’m sorry, I’m not used to talking about this stuff, I …’ I shrugged and hugged my arms around me, intimidated and yet thirsting for more intimidation.
‘No, let’s get this clear,’ he said, putting down his glass. ‘You want to be punished.’
‘Yeah,’ I whispered.
‘So your fantasy involves an authority figure who is displeased with you?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘And is this authority figure a person who is close to you in your life? I mean, is he administering loving correction? Or is he a sadist who just gets off on hurting you?’
‘Sometimes one, sometimes the other.’
‘Right. Some submissives like the whole Da
ddy thing –’
‘Oh, no, no. That’s not for me. If it’s loving correction, it’s a boyfriend or husband in the fantasy.’
‘OK, so that’s clear. Which one is it going to be tonight?’
‘Tonight, well, there’s dinner, isn’t there? So I think, uh, you’re my boss. Somebody I work for. Maz might be your secretary, or your wife. Either way, I’ve been invited to account for something. Maybe some problem with my expenses … and after dinner, it’s understood that I’m going to be punished. Is that …? I mean, it’s a bit ad hoc, but could that work?’
‘That could work very well.’ Justin picked up the bag and unlocked it. ‘You’re my secretary. Maz is my wife. I’m coming round tonight to get to the bottom of some missing petty cash, and Maz is my witness. You will call me Mr Masters – or sir, of course.’