Chapter 19

I looked at the door in front of me. It didn’t seem like much, considering what Mary Beth said was behind it. It wasn’t even a very well lit entrance. There was only a single light bulb on either side of the door. It looked like every other brick warehouse in the neighborhood. I took a breath and took one step into the fire.

I looked as a gray haired man opened the door the rest of the way. I stepped into the public area, with MB trailing behind. Just looking around my first impression hadn’t changed much. It was more of a hall than a real room. There were several doors leading out to other areas.  It wasn’t the fanciest restaurant I’d ever been in. However, one of the doors looked very out of place. It was a very substantial double door made out of, what looked like, oak. The older man looked at me. “Welcome to Angeliques’," he said in a very crisp tone. It was obvious that he wasn’t from the south, probably New England. I tried not to hold it against him.

I felt a strain on the leash as MB tried to go to her knees again. I gave her enough slack so she could assume her position. “Thank You, Charles, do you have a reserv...”

“We don’t do reservations in the normal sense, Mr. McGuire,” Charles interrupted. “A table was reserved by Master Max for you. Which reminds me how you would like to be introduced?”

This little pronouncement didn’t sit to well with me. Don’t ask me why it did but it did. With all the strange things going on, in my life, you would of thought this would be nothing. “You’re going to announce me?”

Charles seemed to catch my tone. “Oh no, Sir, not at all. I said introduced not announced. Miss Angelique would never permit something so crass. Being new to Angeliques’ others will approach you. Your name will be passed around, in advance, so there won’t be any awkward conversation.”

“Except for me.”

“That, unfortunately, can’t be helped.” Charles explained. He seemed sincere so I let it pass. I’d find out soon enough, anyway. “Your house, your rules. The name is Gene.”

“Very well, Master Gene. Just so you know this is Mistress Angeliques’ house, not mine, it’s her rules.”

“No, it’s just Gene. And I do know about Angelique, Mary Beth told me about the Mistress as well you.”

He glanced at MB kneeling on the floor and something passed between them. “As you wish, Gene.” The little man walked to the imposing double doors and turned the handle. Both swung open to a sight that was hard to forget.

My eyes scanned the restaurant. “Stand MB,” I mumbled to her. I know she stood, as the leash went slack, but I really didn’t notice. As I took my first step into Angelique’s I realized shabby foyer was a cover for everything that was in front of me. Not one detail was missed, from the cut glass chandeliers to the snow white table cloths. The beauty of this place was more than I’d ever seen anywhere I’d ever been in before. Even the customers complimented the room. This was no burger joint but a five star restaurant that catered to the well to do.

As I followed Charles I wondered how much a meal cost here. At the far end of the large room was a raised platform. It was for the trio that, according to Mary Beth, played here. Now, all I saw was a handful of instruments.  There was a small dance floor in front of it made of highly polished wood. I wondered if Doms and their subs danced together in public? Well sooner or later musicians had to come back and play another set.

I followed Charles to a table slightly to the side of the room but hopefully far enough away so the music would not interfere with Mary Beth and I. I was maybe ten steps into the room when I first noticed the people around me. When Mary Beth said they were pretty much like me, except for the naked, semi naked, and fully clothed, and all the gold collars chains and rings she was right; sort of. Some good old-boy once told me that all the gold in Fort Knox had actually been stolen by the some rich guys. I didn’t believe him then. Now, I knew, it might be true. If it was I knew it wasn’t some face less rich guys. It was, probably all in this room.

Gold necklaces, collars, earring so big they touched the shoulders of the wearer. Then there were the nipple rings and the chains that hung from them. Of course here were belly chains and even one male submissive wore chains crossed like bandoleers across his naked chest, then around his neck and waist. One little brunette even had on what I assumed was a gold chastity belt around her hips. I wondered if they dressed that way all the time or just for nights like tonight. I remembered that Mary Beth didn’t have all of the accessories like the others. All she was wearing was my collar, her wedding ring and a thong under the light blue dress, and nothing else. For some reason that seemed like enough, for me.

As Charles pulled out the table I realized that I had no idea what to do next. Did I sit first and MB find her own spot? Maybe I ate my dinner at the table and she would kneel at my feet and eat from my hand, like she did that first night, at their house. Luckily Mary Beth had it covered. As Charles stepped back she looked at me. “Gene, If you could sit first that would make it easier for me to get out."

I nodded and slid into my place. I looked down at the place settings.  There were two of them. At least that answered another question I had. Before Charles left he mentioned that, if possible, I should tell our waiter about a half hour before we were ready to leave and he would bring Edward back, for the trip home. As I settled in I realized I had a pretty good view of the room, and it was a sight. The little trio was setting up again, for their next set. The waiters moved silently around the room serving their customers. I really hadn’t noticed it before but there seemed to be several groups of patrons. At one large table there appeared to be five or six Doms, male and female, sitting and having a good old time. Kneeling beside them there were nine submissives, again male and female. It seemed like each group was talking exclusively within that group, Doms to Doms and submissives to submissives. I guess it might have been strange except from the laughing and gestures it seemed like this was just another Saturday night. Using my superior North Carolina ‘edumakashun’ I figured out real quick that one or more of the Doms had brought more than one submissive. Considering how much a visit here probably cost I figured everyone would want to, at least, sit at the table. 

I mentioned this to MB and she just smiled. “We do know how to sit at the table. Not everyone is fed by hand, Gene.” She seemed to be enjoying playing teacher to me. “We’re more like you than you think. We wear street clothes and everything. You’ve come over to the bank often enough, and didn’t have a clue. They’ve probably eaten already and now it’s just a comfy night out.” 

“Comfy?” I repeated. If Mary Beth’s definition of comfy was being, some where between naked and half naked in a large room, this was it. With other customers and employee’s walking by no body seemed to distracted, even though I was. “Mary Beth, this is just too weird for me. Do you expect me to just ignore all of this?” Just to emphasize the point I waved my hand in the general direction of the group I had been watching.

As the waiter was pouring the water Mary Beth said, “Gene,” she dropped her head for a minute, “The point isn’t to ignore it, Sir.” I didn’t feel any anger in her words. It was, I thought, a simple request. “The point is to watch, with an open mind.” With that she made a little gesture of her own. “This weirdness, as you put it Gene, are our friends. We’ve known some of them for years. We have invited that group, sitting over there, to the house for parties. We’ve watched Carolina and Duke go at it for years. We’ve been to they’re houses for dinner parties and grilled up a few steaks together.”

Now Mary Beth pointed to the edge of that same group I’d noticed. “Do you see that brunette with the tattoo on her shoulder?”

I looked where she was pointing. To be honest the woman was a little hard to ignore.  I’d spotted the tat, on her shoulder, right off and wondered what that marking was. Her back was at an angle to me and that hid the details of the blue and pink markings.  “Sure, what about her.” 

Mary Beth looked at me and gave me little smile. “Max and I met her while we were at Duke. She was a year ahead of us and was in the pre-med program.”

“She’s a doctor?”

“Pediatrics mostly and she’s licensed in OB/GYN too.”

“That’s pretty rare, isn’t it?” Even as I said it I already knew it was. Every doctor I knew was male. My own doctor called it the largest men’s club in the world. 

“She was one of two women in a class of over a hundred. We met on the quad one-day. She commented on the collar that I was wearing. She knew what it was and what I was. At first I had my doubts about her. I thought Max and I were the only people to have that kind of relationship. Then there are others who play the at it, but really aren’t. It kind of blew my mind that there were others like us.”

I looked at the woman next to me with a greater appreciation. “Others like us?”

With that she took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it, Sir.”

Why spoil her fun even if I wasn’t so sure. “Please don’t tell me that this is one small step for Gene, one giant leap for...submissives, everywhere.”  MB gave a little laugh knowing we were still playing some undefined game. “So tell me about her.” I could see she was with a fairly decent looking guy. You could tell they were together because, not only was her leash in front of him but, her arm was wrapped around his leg as she kneeled on the floor, next to him. 

MB looked up at me, “Her boyfriend from High School broke up with her when she came to Duke to go to school. To hear tell it, he collared her in High School with his class ring on a chain. He never knew what it really meant to her but when she told him she was going to college and Med School at Duke he got all sorts of pissed and yanked the ring off of her neck. She was devastated all that summer and that first semester.”

“So she was unattached? You know, uncollared when you met her?”

MB squeezed my hand again. “Yeah, she had all the signs of one to. When he took away her anchor she went out of control. She was quiet one minute, happy to just be around another person and the next minute she would go crazy and lose her latest boyfriend in a wave of disappointment and tears. She was willing to do almost anything to get a guy, any guy, to submit too, and the next minute, when she found out he really wasn’t a Dom, he was the scum of the earth who just wanted to have sex with her, and left her high and dry.  I knew how she felt because before I met Max I was the same way. He’s my anchor.”  Mary Beth looked at me and there was something I couldn’t read on her face.

What Mary Beth had said struck home. That was just about the way Agnes was the last time she was here. I wondered how someone, like my little blond submissive, could be so quiet and loving and then, in a flash, demanding and obnoxious. After all it was, t...  ”Fuck!” I whispered under my breath. Did I really say, MY SUBMISSIVE, I thought. This place was starting to get to me.

Suddenly Mary Beth sat up. “Sir, I’m sorry, if I said anything that...”

I looked over at Mary Beth and shook my head. “Don’t worry MB, I just thought of something I shouldn’t have.” I took her hand but she pulled away as she looked at the other patrons. “What?” I thought it was me.

MB started to slide out of her seat but her eyes were fixed on the approaching Dom and his sub. "His name is Master Tom.” She slipped to her knees and whispered as he approached. “Be careful.”  It didn’t seem like a ringing endorsement. Mary Beth started to lower her eyes, but caught herself. I was glad she remembered.

The fellow walked up to the table and stuck out his hand. Hi, my name is Tom and this is Angel.” As he said that as the woman on the other end of the leash started to kneel facing MB. I looked at her and could see why she was called Angel. Her hair reddish blond hair seemed to flow past her shoulders, like water. It had a sparkle to it under the chandeliers. I could almost see a halo as the individual loose hairs seemed to glow.  She was wearing a wrap around skirt with some tropical print on it. But what caught my eye where her pink nipples against her very tanned skin. They were very easy to see because Angel was naked from the waist up. Not that anything designed by man should cover, what I guessed were, double D breasts, and probably larger. I wondered for a second if my inability to lift my eyes further than her chest, or the drool running out of the side of my mouth bothered her. If she was embarrassed or worried about it, she didn’t show it. Just her being next to me started to get me hard again. 

When I heard his voice, I remembered she was with someone. “I guess I’m the welcoming committee, so welcome Gene.”  With that brief hello, a very lucky man offered his hand. I took his hand and motioned him to pull up a chair. He dropped his end of the leash as he sat. He saw that I noticed my surprise. “I guess you weren’t told everything and to tell you the truth there are only a few hard and fast rules Angelique has.” He glanced at Mary Beth. It sounded like a dig at her but she ignored it. “One of them is the Dom must have the leash in their hand when they walk around the club. Well, except for when your submissive has to use the bathroom, then they go in pairs holding each others. Don’t ask me why, they just do.” He looked at MB and Angel for a second. They were deep in conversation over something. “I suppose someone has told you about no interruptions during dinner?”

I dropped the leash and as the end hit the ground MB looked up at me, and smiled. I looked at the guy across from me and tried to size him up. He was probably in his early thirties and clean cut. There wasn’t anything that screamed ex-military, and that was a point for him. Still it seemed Mary Beth had a problem with him. “Yeah, MB told me about it but I don’t know why?” I saw MB glancing Tom’s way and it wasn’t a friendly glance.

Tom leaned back in his chair. “Angelique is from Europe, Old Europe and I guess that’s the way they do it over there, who knows. The food, though, is probably the best in both the Carolinas and I’m including all of those great restaurants in Charleston. Once you get the meal you’ll understand why. What did you order?”

I started wondering about this Tom. There wasn’t the good feelings I expected between Mary Beth and him. Just her glance at him was enough for me to watch out. He seemed to be easy going and Angel kept up an easy conversation with MB. I noticed that every now and then MB would glance at me, as I looked at her, every so often. I thought it was part of the connection we had, but Angel and Tom had no such connection. Not once, did they look at each other.  I looked back to Tom, “To tell you the truth I have no idea.” I looked down at Mary Beth and she seemed really engrossed in some conversation with Angel. My subs fingers were tracing some invisible design on her thigh. I really hated to interrupt but…, “MB?”

Suddenly the two women went quiet as they both looked at me. “Yes Gene?” Mary Beth asked. Her face still had a red tint to it.

“Do you know what we’re having?”

“No Gene, Max made all the arrangements.”

There it was again. I wondered if she knew she was doing it. I hoped so or the end of the night was going to be a problem. Her Master was just Max now. I looked up at Tom and shrugged. “I guess it’ll be a surprise. I just hope they don’t serve mystery meat.” I looked over his shoulder and saw two more couples were headed our way. One submissive was Mary Beths’ friend from college and the other was a taller woman, probably in her mid forties. For a new comer to this place, I was sure getting a show. Both were good looking. In heels, their legs seemed to go on forever. I wondered how someone close to my age stayed so damn good-looking. From their hair, to their legs and thighs it seemed that everything was meant to tease and please.

As I looked at this other, older, woman and just for a minute I thought I knew her. With a second look I dismissed it because I sure didn’t know any blond who had pierced nipples. The thing was she was looking at me like she knew me, as well. The problem was it wasn’t a pleasant look. I really didn’t know if I was breaking some code or rule, but I wanted to ask her if I ever ran over her dog.

The guy holding the leash of the Mary Beth’s friend broke my reverie. He held out his hand to me. The other hand that held the leash that was attached to a brilliant narrow gold band with two red stones around her neck.  I wondered what the rest of the story was between Mary Beth and her, but I figured, if I really needed to know, MB would tell me. “Hi, my name is Adam and this...” He reached over to wrap his arm around the woman’s waist. “...is Eve.”

I guess my face screamed, HUH? because I saw a brilliant smile on the brunettes face. She spoke up, like she’d heard my piece of wisdom all the time. “That’s what Adam calls me, anyway.” She tilted her head and the smile only grew larger. “You know, the first woman and all? Well, to him and everyone else here.” When she said that, she giggled a little, that only caused her breasts to jiggle under the almost non-existent top. “ Actually it’s Joan but, well, you know how it goes.” I knew she was probably two or three years younger than me but she looked like she was, maybe, in her late twenties. I did, in fact, know what she was talking about. Mary Beth and I had agreed what names we would call each other before we left the house. I didn’t understand why we did, but it just was and it seemed right.

The more I looked at the couples that now crowded around the table, the more I smiled. I was like a kid in a candy store looking at all of the different types of goodies. There was a blond, brunette, and a redhead. I had a ringside view of all sizes of breasts. There were average, larger breasts and in the case of Angel, the largest I’d ever seen, in the flesh anyways. I thought for a second about that bimbo grad student that tried to get me away from Alice, years ago, and I had to smile. That night might have been fun but in the last three weeks a whole new world had opened to me.

As I talked to Tom, Adam and the other new guy, Gregg, I looked at the women kneeling on the floor.  I, still, found it hard to believe that Eve was really a doctor. There she was kneeling with a group of naked and half naked, women talking about what ever women talk about, her breasts jiggled and bounced every time she found something funny. I knew, that there wasn’t one here, given the opportunity, I wouldn’t have sex with. My focus kept returning to Mary Beth, though, even after scanning the talent below me. My thoughts rambled as we talked about the college basketball season this fall. You know the usual guy stuff. My eyes kept going to Mary Beth. She was beautiful. I’d already seen her naked, kneeling next to her Husband. She didn’t have huge pillows of flesh on her chest like Angel or even the blond. Even with Abby, the blond, with the nipple rings held her pose like she was begging someone to play with them. Lord, I knew I wanted to. Then I looked at MB, again, and her smaller breasts and long nipples pushing out the gown fascinated me. I had played with her breasts in the car and even now I felt the familiar stirring between my legs. I couldn’t figure out the attraction to another mans wife, especially Max’s wife? Now it started to bother me. Why in the hell was I fixated on my best friends wife? 

I cataloged what was the best of each of them. Angel was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, playmate of the year material. Eve, by herself, would of made a house full of frat boys cum in their pants, just by walking in front of them. Her long brown hair framed her face to perfection. The clothes hid nothing but drew your eyes to all the places she wanted you to look. Even Abby, was something else. Her wrap was low enough on her hips that it must have rested just above her mons. But it was the nipple rings dangling from each naked breast that drew my eye.  They swayed back and forth as she moved. As I watched the gold rings moving in rhythm, swayed from side to side. A hypnotist couldn’t of done better. Watch the swinging nipples, your getting sleepy...sleepy...your eyes are getting heavy.My brain suddenly switched gears as I realized this wasn’t funny. I’d almost put myself to sleep. I looked up into her eyes and she surprised me. She was looking at me, but that wasn’t new. I think everyone knew this was my first time at this particular candy store, but Abby was embarrassed, actually embarrassed. The look was obviously not lust, or even like. I really couldn’t figure out why she looked at me so strange. 

I looked back at MB and tried a different tact. Average build, average looks, smart as a whip, successful in her profession, and she was the only one who wasn’t showing a lot of skin. Maybe that was it. As I tried to figure out why MB was the one I kept looking to, when Tom tapped me on the arm. “Hey, buddy don’t worry, about it.”

I looked over at him, “Don’t worry about what?” I noticed the other two Doms were looking at me and smiling. Suddenly he irritated me even more.

“You’re trying to figure out why with Angels tits, Eves looks that’ll raise the dead, and Abbys natural beauty, that’ll make you forget your name, you can’t think of anyone but Mary Beth. Am I right or am I right?” 

This was just too freaky, I thought. “Do you read minds for a living?” I glanced down and noticed the women had stopped talking but they were grinning at a very embarrassed Mary Beth.

No but I’ve got something better going for me.” Tom leaned back in his chair, and for all the world, he suddenly looked like a used car salesman. I hate used car salesmen. “I have Angel and this lifestyle. Believe me this is one hell of a good life. With all the women here and out there,” he jerked his head towards the double doors, “Angel is still the one that wins hands down, in my book.” Suddenly he stopped smiling. “I don’t know your history with Mary Beth, and all that, but what you have is temporary.” He looked down at MB and something passed between them.

I glanced at Angel and wondered what was going through her head. She saw the same looks I did. She wasn’t reacting to any of this. The stunning redhead just kneeled there. What was it with her, anyway? If I really wanted to know, someone would tell me, thought. I hoped so, anyway.

As I looked at Mary Beth I could feel something change. She wasn’t happy at this turn of events. I remembered Jen playing Ahab to Alice’s white whale when they first met. The look MB was giving Tom reminded me of Ahab, if the good Captain had a shot gun old Moby dickhead would have been dust.

I sighed to myself and then wondered, could that be it?. As much as I wanted her, MB wasn’t mine. Max, her husband, loaned her to me. Tomorrow morning she’d be in Max’s bed not mine and her Husband with a capital H. My depressing thoughts were broken by the feeling of MB wrapping her arm around my leg. I looked down and I saw this cloud had developed over her pretty head. Mary Beth was pissed off, big time. “Should I?” I thought. “Why the hell not. I could always blame her for taking advantage of a novice, namely me.”

As calmly as possible I looked into her eyes and said something else you should never say to a submissive. “Do you have something to say, MB?” This time I knew it was wrong, but oh so right.

With all the grace she could muster she got to her feet and slid into the seat next to me. With one hand on mine she looked at me. “Thank you Master.” She gave my hand a slight squeeze as she turned to a stunned Tom. As she glared at him in a most unsubmissive way the other hand went to her throat. “This collar may be a training collar, Master Tom, and may not mean much to you, but...,” Mary Beth was squeezing my hand so hard, now, it was starting to hurt. “...Gene placed it on me and I promised...” Suddenly Tom went white as he realized what was happening. “... to submit to his authority and to submit myself to him in ALL things.” I could tell she was just getting fired up. Tom was in for a rough time and I’d be damned if I was going to get in the line of fire.

Tom looked at me, “Gene, this has to stop. It’s not right.” He turned to MB, “Stop this! Mary Beth, It’s against house rules, return to your position.” Unfortunately he would of been better off keeping his mouth shut.

I leaned across the table towards him. “Talk to me Tom, not her. I’m her Master, it may be temporary but it’s real as hell to us. You do not have my permission to speak to her in that way.” My hand left hers and moved up to join hers on the large collar. “MB, what else did you promise as I put this on?” I knew where she was going and I was relieved and worried at the same time.

MB found assurance in my words as she kept looking at Tom. “Sir, I agreed to wear it until you release me from my promise.” I felt her swallow hard under the collar. She had the same feelings I did, relief and worry.

“Was there a time limit?” I asked.

All hesitation was gone. “No Gene, that’s up to you. Your word is my law.” She never looked at me. It had turned into a staring contest between the two, very interesting.

“Five hours MB,” I asked? I felt three pairs of eyes looking at us from the floor. I didn’t have time to worry about feelings. Like I said, I’d given up subtlety for Lent.

“If that is what you want, of course.”

“Forever?”

As I said it I felt her stiffen under my touch. I hoped that the others didn’t notice the slight hesitation. “I am your’s Gene, until you say so.”

I leaned closer to Adam. “Can I speak to Eve?” I noticed that he seemed a lot calmer than Tom. I was hoping that some of Eve’s time with Mary Beth had rubbed off on him.

Without taking his eyes off of me he said, “Eve, please stand beside me.”

I looked at Mary Beths friend as she stood and turned around. The tattoo I first saw, from a distance, was right there in front of me. It was as different as any I’d ever seen. There was a pink female symbol with a blue male symbol laid over it. But I noticed that the design was much more detailed. Instead of just a plain pink circle with the t coming out of the side it was made up of interlocking links, like a chain. The male symbol was different as well as it comprised the coils of a blue whip, with the handle supporting the tip of the arrow. As I stared I knew that Eve, or, Jane, as she was known before, was so committed to this relationship that she wore it as a reminder to everyone else about it. It wasn’t a reminder for her, because, I knew, that was in her heart. 

Suddenly I was jealous again. Adam and Eve seemed like the perfect couple. I didn’t see any wedding rings, but then again that could have been part of the agreement they had. If Agnes had that attitude instead of the uncompromising demands, things might have worked out. That was all in the past though.

I looked at Eve and saw the same strength that was in MB. “I have a request.”

Now she hesitated. Her hand was on Adam’s shoulder. “And that would be, Sir?”

“Do not lie to me.”

I saw a small smile on her face. “I promised Adam I would never lie to him.”

I looked hard into her eyes. “That’s not what I asked, Eve. Do not lie to ME. Do you accept?” I wondered how I knew it was a trick of hers. 

I saw the wall start to crack. She knew she was playing a dangerous game. With someone else it would of been bad. With someone who had his collar on her best friend it could be fatal. In a slightly quieter voice she said, “Yes, I accept, Sir.”

I could almost see all sorts of horrors running around her head. I had the right to ask any question now. The last question I wanted to ask was about her sex life, before and with Adam. I could tell she thought the same thing. It was the last question she wanted to answer, truthfully.

“Do you love Adam?”

The look she gave me was priceless. “I am his for as long as he wants. Yes, I love him.” Her look said, what I couldn’t tell? 

“For richer or poorer, kind of love?” I waited for an answer. And I waited. She just stood there and started breaking out into a sweat. She started to hyper ventilate and I could see her breasts rise and fall under the gossamer top.

Finally Adam answered for her, sort of. He raised his hand and looked at me, smiling. “Professor, oh professor, I’m sorry, but it seems you’ve stunned the poor girl.” Slowly he turned to the woman that he had claimed. “Jane, if you don’t answer, I’m going to start having doubts about our relationship.”

I guess him using her birth name brought her back to reality. “Yes, I love Adam, for richer and poorer, in the good times and the bad times,” her voice grew stronger, “till death do us part.” She glared at me as I revealed a secret that she had hidden away. “Satisfied, SIR.” 

“Of course I am.” I turned to Mary Beth and smiled. Then I looked at Adam, “Are you, Adam?”

That wasn’t the answer he expected of her. He just stared at his submissive as if she was a totally different woman. Instead of answering he pulled down this stunning brunette back to her knees, and kneeled in front of her. He couldn’t of given a shit what anyone thought at the moment, as his lips met hers. 

Eve for her part did nothing but kneel there, in position, with her hands behind her back. Her eyes were closed. Everyone around them, could her body starting to shake. His lips brushed past hers as he whispered something to her. Suddenly she started to sob as he released her. She nodded and he sat back down.

As he sat down he looked at me. The excitement he felt was felt by everyone else around the table. He tried to be calm about it but failed miserably. The thing was, his hand was around the back of her neck. His fingers were dancing over her skin and her look said that simple touch was what she needed. “You told her to tell the truth.” The look he gave Eve confirmed what I hoped. What surprised me was that even Angel noticed what was going on. Adam looked at me. “I wasn’t quite expecting the answer, but yes, it was more than satisfactory.”

“Tom, can I talk to Angel?” Now I had a good idea what was going on and what to expect.

“No!”

I noticed the air had cooled considerably in just a few seconds. “Why?”

“Because we’re not part of you’re damn experiment. Besides you didn’t let me talk to Mary Beth and I had every right.” He glared at me. I looked at Angel and saw nothing register, again. She could of been at the Laundromat for all she cared.

“Don’t be that way,” I chided. “Why Tom, why can’t I talk to Angel?”

“None of your fucking business.”

I looked back at Tom, “You said this was your life. I think you’re full of crap. I may be a novice to all this, but you’re a fraud.” Tom to his credit started to get up so I continued. “I look at what Max and Adam have and I know that they have something special. I’ve known MB since high school...”, that caused Tom flinch a little and settle back into his chair. “...and I’ve never seen her more beautiful than tonight.” With that, he looked like he was going try to do something really stupid. “Sit down, before Abe comes over. I wouldn’t want to disappoint Max by getting thrown out, before I even had a chance to eat the meal he paid for. After all the night’s still young.” He sat back down but not willingly. I had no idea who this Abe was but if just the name was enough to strike fear in him? 

“U-uh Gene? Do you mind?” I looked over to Adam where he was looking between the two of us. I could tell he was uncomfortable with this turn of events.

“Go ahead, I’ve just about had my fill of these games.” I kind of waved toward Tom, who was seething. I really wanted a piece of him, really bad.

Adam turned and concentrated on Tom. “He’s right you know, you are a fraud, Tom. Gene may be a novice, like he say’s, but you’re playing at this as if this were a game that you can quit any time. This isn’t a lifestyle, this is a life. A life that everyone in this room has chosen. We can’t walk away from this with out loosing a big part of our life. I was kind of hoping you’d realize that, but it’s not in you, is it? You’re no more a Dominate than I’m an astronaut. You just have money and you’re bored. Why Angelique let’s you in at all is beyond me. Angel is, what, second the woman you’ve had in here this year and she’s not really submissive at all, is she?” Adam turned to Angel, “Sorry about that.”

Now there was a light in her eyes that wasn’t there before. “That’s okay, Adam, no problem.”

Now Tom got angry as it was falling apart. “Shut up Angel, You’re not to talk to anyone, do you hear me?”

Angel just kneeled there smiling. She took a deep breath and that did wonders for her breasts. “Yes sir,” she finally said.

Mary Beth giggled a little at that and even the other two women got caught up in it.

Even Tom couldn’t miss the Angel’s tone. His eyes bounced around between the women gathered and he got pissed off, really quick. He looked up and glared at me. No he wouldn’t, would he? He looked at MB and started to reach for her. We noticed that his other shoulder was pulled back. He really wasn’t going to try it was he? You have to be five layers of stupid to do it here.

Before I could intercept him and he could even think it through, something large and dark crossed in front of me. If I’d been outside I would of thought it was a total eclipse, but I was inside. I looked up to to see the back of a mountain in a black suit standing between Adam and Tom. Thankfully he was looking at Tom and not me. His hand covered Toms whole fist.

“Sir, you know this behavior isn’t acceptable. Before this gets any worse, could you come with me?” I recognized the tone from my Marine friends back when I was in country. The translation was, I’m asking nice but I’m really telling you only once before your hamburger.Abe just might as well have had the globe and anchor tattooed in red and gold on his forehead.

Even someone as dense as Tom picked up on the request/demand. I guess it was that or him flinching as Abe put some pressure on that fist. Good old Tom went to grab Angels leash but Abe stopped him. “She can stay here. She wants to see you alone. You can come back and get her, when you’re done.” If Tom was going to protest, it was forgotten in a sudden wave of common sense. As they walked away I noticed that Abe was a good foot taller than me and must of weighed about two hundred pounds more. I smiled to myself as I thought, that was one human landslide that would cover your ass up in a big hurry.

Slowly thing got back to normal, except It seemed that Angel was a little more animated. She was smiling and every now and then I’d see her looking at me. Mary Beth was still there at my side but her demeanor had changed some. I put my hand on the small of her back and gave it a light scratch. “Position, MB,” I whispered.

She looked at me and whispered back, “Thank you Sir.” With that she knelt back down with the other three subs. I noticed she seemed relieved that she was back on the floor. It was almost as if she really didn’t belong sitting   at the table. I guess the other submissive's noticed it, as well. As they talked amongst themselves Mary Beth started to get that nice healthy red glow of embarrassment.

All to soon the three of us at the table were solving all of the troubles of the world, when we saw Tom coming back into the room. Instead of coming to claim Angel he went to a table across the room. The guy he was talking to was all in black and looked even uglier than a movie monster. What bothered me was the whip coiled on his hip. I noticed Abe not too far away, keeping an eye on good old Tom.

I looked down at Angel. She was into some conversation about California. I hated to interrupt but...well...you know. “It seems that Tom has forgotten about you.”

Angel looked up at me and smiled. It was the first real smile I’d seen on her face. “I should be so lucky, Gene. We have this arrangement, I guess you’d call it. I’m one hell of an actress. I can be almost anyone you want me to be, and I can fool most people. Me, being his submissive was part of the arrangement. ”She looked around at the other women kneeling with her. “I’ve met some wonderful people here. Both Doms and subs that I’d like to call friends. To be honest coming here has been a blast. Except for this kneeling business, it’s been fun. I’m just not wired like you guys, I guess.” 

That brought a collective o-o-o and ah-h-h from the women and a knowing nod from Gregg and Adam. Finally, Tom made his way over to us. “Angel, we’re leaving now.” Now it was my turn, as he looked at me. “You shouldn’t of done that. I don’t care if you are friends with Max or not. He doesn’t scare me and neither do you.” I looked over his shoulder and saw Abe coming our way.

He turned around just in time to see Abe behind him. “It’s time to go, sir. Mistress Angelique insists.”

Tom glared at Adam and me, “When I come back I’m going to make sure you don’t forget what you’ve done.” When he started to glare at MB again I felt like decking him right there. “And you tell Max that this isn’t over, bitch.” 

He kept trying to stare us down as he grabbed Angels’ leash. When he pulled a little to hard she gave out with a yelp and forced slack back into the chain. That was some thing I couldn’t imagine MB, Agnes or any submissive doing.  The two of them stared at each other as Tom said, “When we get home we’re going to have a talk.”

Angel for her part stared back till she said, “Fine with me, just let me get my clothes and I’ll get out.” You can drop the fucking leash, I know the way out.” With that she started walking next to Abe as Tom followed.

I looked over at Adam and smiled, “I wouldn’t want to be in that house tonight.” I noticed Adam wasn’t smiling.

“Don’t worry Gene, you being invited to Tom’s place is way down on his list of things to do. Besides,” now he smiled, “Angel gave you one of those looks.”

I looked at Adam and then Gregg, they both were smiling at me. I knew they were trying to get at the new guy, so I didn’t say anything. When I looked down at MB she was looking up at me with the same silly smile. I couldn’t do much about the two Doms but I could about Mary Beth.

As I looked down she saw something change in me. I reached down and grasped the chain just below the collar. I pulled until her head was just above my leg. I couldn’t see her face but I watched Eve staring at her best friend. “Explain the joke to me MB.”

“It isn’t really a joke Gene.” I wondered as she said it, what or who she was looking at. 

“Then explain it to me subbie.”  As Mary Beth gathered her thoughts I wondered where that last command came from. I’d been told that I was curious to a fault by more than one person, but tonight it seemed to be taking over every thing I did.

“It’s just that you’re the only one she’s really taken an interest in. Even Tom was just another guy. They’re all interchangeable to her. We knew she wasn’t a submissive the first time she came in here. She just wasn’t...I guess the word is attentive to her Masters needs.” 

“So she’s a beautiful woman. That doesn’t mean anything, MB. It doesn’t mean a thing if she wasn’t attentive, or what ever. I don’t know any woman who can do that all the time.”

I could feel Mary Beth try to raise her head to look at me. “She said she could be anyone and she meant it. Professionals can do that Gene and Angel is a pro.” I saw something bordering on amusement in her eyes.

I was a little stunned at first. Here was a knock out redhead with a body that would take years to explore and breasts any man, and a few women, would drool over. “She’s a hooker?” Even as I said it, I couldn’t believe it.

Finally Gregg spoke up. I noticed that he had said very little. Abby, his submissive, was the same way, only more so, if that was possible. “Well, I’m not to sure about that but she is a stripper.” He sounded like I should have known that.

I looked at the assembled group and shook my head. “Everyone here knew that and let me stumble around?”

Mary Beth seemed take charge of the conversation. “Of course we knew, Sir. We even went one night over to the Gold Key and watched her do her thing. She was very good at it. She even had Abby worked up a little.”

I looked down at the blond but she was to busy looking for lint in the carpet to look up. So I concentrated on MB. “If she’s a stripper, what is she doing here on a Saturday night? Shouldn’t she be working?”

Gregg answered for MB, “She’s here for four weeks. She’s a tour dancer. She goes from club to club and dances for three to five weeks. She’s really well known and has a huge fan base.” I was going to ask how this guy knew all of this when he answered my question. “Besides I gave her the night off. I own the Gold Key.”

I looked at this guy across from me, then down at Abby. I could tell he was enjoying my confusion. Abby I wasn’t so sure about. Here I had the owner of one of the largest strip club in North Carolina sitting next to me and for the past hour all we talked about was basketball, politics and taxes. I would of mentioned somewhere, something about pole dancing, private rooms or maybe even the latest raid by the cops. He acted like he was a normal guy and not he owner of a place where women took their clothes off and did what ever. “Have you ever been there?” he asked.

Finally I took a breath, “Not in about five years.”

“Really? We’ve remodeled since then. Here take this,” He reached into the pocket of his shirt. “It’s a VIP card. It’ll get you and your guests in for free and the first round is on me.”

I looked at the card and then at him. “Thanks, except I don’t think I’ll be able to use it.”

I guess he thought I was putting him down or something. MB noticed and said, “Gene has a seven year old niece that keeps him busy, Sir.”  

“A seven year old?” He looked down at Abby and then back at me. Where do you live Gene?

“Before I could answer Mary Beth said, “He lives about two miles from our house.”

He figured out about where it was and smiled. “I guess we’re neighbors, sort of. I live in McCullars Crossroads. .

“No kidding. But if you’re Angels boss, how come she’s with someone like Tom?”

Now he looked at me and smiled. I wondered, not for the first time, why everyone smiled all the time. First it was Max and now it was Adam and Gregg. Even Mary Beth, Eve and even Abby seemed happier than most women I knew.  Even Agnes was a joy to be around, when she wasn’t calling me a dumb ass for not wanting to collar her.

Gregg looked at me, “Every stop is different for the women, just like the women themselves. It depends how long their going to be headlining at the clubs. Some get a short term rental. Others places have a place for them to stay. Heck, I know a strip club in Kansas City where the women stay at the owners house. He has a mini harem going on.”

I looked at Gregg and wondered what the hang-up was that prevented Angel from staying at their house instead of that creep, Toms. I looked down at Abby and saw the reason why. Submissive or not, Angel was not welcomed to stay at their place. I didn’t know if there was some rule that said a third person couldn’t spend the night or a couple of weeks, of nights there. So like all good novices, I asked. 

 Gregg managed to confirm what I thought was going on. “Abby and I are married. We have this rule that anyone staying at the house can’t be an employee. It’s separating work from business. Besides anyone added to the mix has be accepted by the both of us.” 

“Even if the other woman isn’t a submissive?”

Both Adam and I looked down at Abby as she suddenly looked up. Gregg kept on talking, “Especially if she isn’t one. Submissives live by a set of rules. Every relationship is different and apart from what Abby and I have agreed to. Another submissive would know Abby’s number one in my life and respect her position. An uncollared or collared submissive wouldn’t upset the order of things, she’d just know.” Gregg reached down and stroked ever so lightly behind his wifes’ ear. “A woman, with no submissive tendencies, could come in and try to do what comes naturally to her. She’d want to make where she was living a small piece of her own. Think of it like throwing gasoline on a fire. Something like that could damage what a Dom and his sub has, so we just don’t.

Now I was interested. “So what you’re telling me is that there’s no playing outside of what’s agreed to?” I wondered how Agnes thought shoving her friends at me would work? I stopped and smiled a little. Less than an hour ago I fought the notion that Agnes had my collar. Now I just accepted it, even though it was still a figment of my imagination.

“In our case that’s pretty much it,” Adam said. All eyes were on him now. “It all depends on what you agree to. We’re a little different than Gregg and Abby in some things but basically we’re the same. Besides, as much as I dislike Tom, he was right about one thing. When you look around every other woman won’t measure up to the one that has your collar. So finding some one else is damn hard.“

I thought about that as the conversation went on about rules and boundaries, loves and lovers.

I looked down at Mary Beth and saw something in her eyes. She was looking nowhere in particular. I looked at the other four and said, “I think it’s time to break this up.”

Gregg and Adam picked up their respective leashes and walked back to their table. When they were out of range I leaned over and looked at Mary Beth. I thought I knew what was going on.  “I’m sorry but I had to…”

Suddenly she jerked her head up at me and hissed, “You’re the Dominate and I’m your submissive. Don’t you ever tell a sub you’re sorry! You knew what was going on and you didn’t stop me from doing what I did. You had the control. You’re my Master, I gave you my promise. I shouldn’t of even started it but he creeped me out. I shouldn’t have gotten in his face and challenged him like that. That broke all the rules. I’m surprised Angelique didn’t throw us out as well. I embarrassed you, if anything. You could of stopped it but you even encouraged me to go on.” She took the napkin on the table and dabbed at her face. “I always wanted to know if you were a real Dom. Max knew that and that’s why I think he set this up.” Mary Beth looked for me to agree with pleading eyes.

I took her hand and brought her back up to her seat. I really wanted to calm her down but she had some more to get out of her system. “Why do you want me anyway? I have a certain reputation around here. I’m not the quiet person you remember from high school.” Mary Beth gave me half of a smiled, “I’ve changed over the years, after living with Max.” She looked at me but at least some of the anger was gone. 

I looked at her and smiled back. “Do you really think that I give two shit's about what people think? As far as I’m concerned you’re still the Mary Beth I’ve always known. I’m not even the same person I was twenty years ago. Besides, I’ve seen you develop over the years. I’ve stayed in your houses for years, even the one in Wilmington.”

MB visibly jumped at that. She turned to me and took both of my hands. “What did he say about Wilmington?”

“Who?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Please Gene don’t make me beg. Max, of course.” She opened them and there was a plea in them. 

“Max didn’t tell me anything, MB. What happened in Wilmington?”

She looked at me to see if I was lying. Finally she said, “Remember when you collared me?”

I nodded.

“I said I’d been uncollared before?”

“I remember Mary Beth.”

“Please, for the rest of our times together use the name we agreed on.” She took a deep breath. 

“So what happened in Wilmington, MB?” I insisted.

“Max and I separated,” there was steel in her voice. 

I sat back in the booth. “I didn’t think it was possible?” At the time I really thought it was true.

Now MB smiled but it was a grim smile, “At the time I didn’t think so, either. Even Senior doesn’t know. If he did, it would hurt him, badly.” 

The brunette just sat there looking at me. Finally she said, “Work was a bitch with the new branch I was setting up. He was busy with the new store. The only time we were together was to sleep. Can you believe that? Here was a Dominate and his submissive. Both of us, still in our twenties and we were so damn tired we couldn’t even have sex?”

I was seeing something new, or maybe it was something buried inside of her. “What happened, MB?”

“We lost the life, this life, and became roommates. In a god-damn thirty five hundred square foot house with a Master Bedroom so big you needed a frigging compass, he became my roommate. He seemed to forget he was my Master and I just waited without doing a damn thing about it.” She looked at me as her face got redder and redder. I also noticed her vocabulary got a little more, how should I say this...down to earth? “After you left to go back to Nam it got really bad.” She shook her head, remembering what had happened. “The play time stopped. There was a club at Atlantic Beach we used to go to and that stopped as well. We ended up leaving notes for each other on the kitchen counter for a few weeks, then even the notes stopped. I knew he was drifting away, but I thought, hell I’ve got his collar and I was his forever. I didn’t want to see we were drifting away.”

I knew this was going to be bad. I just didn’t know bad it was.  “Who was it, MB?”

Her sighed told me it was worse than I thought. “It was a twenty-one year old, who had a Associate degree in Interior Design from UNC-W. He hired her to be an outside salesman. She was suppose to go to businesses and tell the customers what they needed and arranges deliveries and such. She was good. She was so good she sold herself to Max.”

I couldn’t believe Max would do this to Mary Beth. “Was she a submissive?”

That brought about a snort from the brunette next to me. “If she was, hell if she was even D/s-curious, I’d know what to do. But she was pure downeast North Carolina vanilla. One day I left a message at the store that I wouldn’t be home till some time in the AM. The auditors from Charlotte were coming in the next morning and some of the numbers didn’t match. It wasn’t really a big thing, but being the way I am, I needed everything to be perfect.” She took my hand and held it. “Here I was, the perfect submissive and worried about my fucking job and not my Master and husband.”

I squeezed her hand back. “Max wasn’t looking out for you. He told me I had to protect what was mine. He was the Master, he forgot that in Wilmington.”

She glared at me, “Don’t you think I thought of that? I thought of every excuse he could have used and it ended up the same. I didn’t make myself available to him and we didn’t talk.”

Now the storm clouds gathered again. “I came home early, it was before midnight and she was screaming her ass off as he fucked her in our bed. It was suppose to be me under my Husband, not some brainless twit.” I saw Mary Beth try to compose herself and failing badly. “Then I did the most stupid thing I’d ever done since I first met him.” She looked at me. “You have to understand I was mad and confused. Suddenly it was just like when I was fourteen. I’d lost my anchor.”

“I know MB.” I really thought I did know. I knew someone who had lost her way. I didn’t know whose fault it was. It could of been mine for not letting her explain or hers for pushing me into the corner. I could have been Agnes’ anchor. “What did you do?” I thought I knew. People have a way of bringing out the worst in themselves.

“No you don’t, not really. I gave him my safe word. I wanted out. Right there in our bedroom with his cock still in that bitch.” Her eyes were wet again. “He looked at me and pushed into her one more time while looking over his shoulder at me. That’s when I lost it. I screamed at him and called him every name I could think of. At the time I thought I’d given him everything I had. Then he started yelling back at me. He was calling me a dumb bitch and a stupid whore. That I should have been there for him and I failed. All I could do was stare at them as I fell to my knees. Than the little cunt was laughing at me, oh how she loved seeing me in my position. I’ve been laughed at before but that didn’t hurt as much as Max letting her.” She was reliving a time years ago, just like it was just today.

I waited for her to continue. I looked around at the people eating and talking. I knew normal people...what did I just say? What was normal, what was ordinary? This way of life, this lifestyle, was different, that was a given, but not for them. Was it the same for me? Gregg and Abby were deep in conversation with another couple. Just like I would of been if this was Chris’ Supper Club and not Angeliques’.

I saw two waiters coming our way with two large trays. They were being trailed by the ever present Charles. As staff spread out a half dozen plates he looked at me. “Master Max didn’t know what you’d be interested in so this is a variety of some of Angelique’s best, enjoy.”

As I looked at the retreating figures I realized I wasn’t hungry. I kept looking at Mary Beth wondering about why Max would put her in this situation. Not what he did years ago but tonight. After three weeks of lunches and visits to their house I had come to realize that he was a master gamesman. “It’s time to eat MB. Let’s see what kind of damage we can do to all of this. We tried to do justice to the food, and it really was the best I ever had. Both of our stomachs were tied in knots and most of it sat there on the table.

All through the meal we made small talk, neither of us wanted her to finish the story. Finally we were sharing some very tasty braised beef when she said, “Would you have hurt Tom? I mean if you had to, I mean.”

I looked at her and wondered where that came from. I didn’t have any intention of hurting him, or anybody. I tried to explain that to her but I guess it went over her head.  “What I mean is that I try not to get into fights, if I can talk my way out of it.”

“So what happened in that bar in Saigon? You told Max and I that you decked some Frenchman and pretty soon the whole bar was destroyed. You said they called the cops on you guys.”

I looked over at Mary Beth, I’d almost forgotten, or tried to forget, that side of my life. Back then it was just the way I was. Now I was different. “How in the hell do you remember all of this stuff, MB? I told you that on my thirty day leave before I went back the second time. You were still...” I suddenly remembered where I told them that particular story. “Sorry, I didn’t want to bring up Wilmington again.”

She seemed okay with it, but I could tell she was a little more guarded. “That’s okay, Gene. So why would you pick a fight with someone?”

Now it was my turn to be exasperated. “I don’t try to pick fights. I was a NCO, a non-commissioned officer. If I got brought up on charges it would have been twice as bad for me.”

“So why fight at all?”

I tried to think of a simple way to say it. I finally said, “Look I’d rather talk my way out of a situation, but I guess words fail me sometimes.”

Mary Beth nodded, taking it in. I noticed, as she picked at her food, she kept looking at me.

Finally I couldn’t take anymore. “What is it, MB?”

“What you did, with Tom I mean, well...you said you knew what would happen.” She looked at me, expecting an answer. “Did you?”  

“I figured it out. It really wasn’t all that hard. Some people just can’t help being an ass, so?”

“That was the most embarrassing thing I’ve done in years.” She hung her head instead of looking at me. “I loved it.” 

I put my hand under her chin. “And now?” I brought her face up and looked at her.

There was sadness on her face but a fire that blazed from her eyes. “I’m getting wet just thinking about what you made me do.”

“I didn’t make you do anything. All you needed to do was say your safe word.” Oh, oh, I thought, I just walked into a trap. it was my turn to be embarrassed. “I never did get your safe word before we left the house, did I?

To her credit she didn’t make a big thing out of it. “No you didn’t. But if you want it, it’s Jennifer or Jen.” I looked at her and couldn’t speak. Why the hell did she pick that word? Finally Mary Beth went into teaching mode again. “I don’t know if Max explained safe words to you but they’re a submissives last line of defense against an abusive Dom. It has to be one that the Dom will recognize, even through his emotions and him getting carried away.”

I realized the why but using my niece’s name was, I thought, out of bounds. I started to tell her just that but got only a couple of words in before she shook her head.

Her little smile confirmed the thought. “With us a safe word isn’t really necessary. We both know that in a couple of hours I’ll be home. Besides it would take more than explaining to a Dom our relationship to make me say Jennifer.” 

She saw my reaction to that name. “Don’t be that way. She’s a wonderful girl, Gene. We had a little talk when we went over to your house.” Suddenly the submissive, with the training collar and leash, was gone. Replacing her was the person I’d known for years. “She’s afraid she’s the cause of you breaking up with Agnes.” She picked up her fork and started eating again. There wasn’t much on it but then our appetites hadn’t returned, yet.

“MB there were a lot of reasons for Agnes leaving, Jen just expected to much.” For some reason I wasn’t uptight talking about this with her, like I’d been with others.

MB looked at me. “Of course she did, she’s seven. She told me about that little action in the kitchen, between you and your submissive.”

“She’s not, my submissive.”

“Trust me, from what Max said, she’s in your head. And that makes it as real as it gets.” Mary Beth gave me one of those meaningful glances. “I love Max more now than ever. I trust him more now than ever, and Agnes is just like me.”

I wondered if they’d talked. Hell, it seems Agnes had talked to everyone but me. “How can you say that?” You don’t even know her?”

Mary Beth looked at me and smiled. Her hand went on top of mine. “Of course I do. We’re both women first and subs second. I used to dream about you before I met Max. I always wondered if you’d be able to take hold of me and be there for me. I hope your friend, lover and submissive knows how fucking lucky she is.”

I leaned over at her, this woman, who was my best friends wife, and smiled back. “That’s what your Master said to me.” I saw it so clearly now. I really did see Mary Beth walking along the side lines but I was head over heels with a cheerleader not a bookworm. I was in love with the flight attendant and not the person who had tried to open up to me?

This time Mary Beth smiled instead of frowned.  “My Husband used those same words the first night, at the house, remember?” She looked at me for a second, and then said, “You understand now?”

“Everything? No. But enough.” Something was missing and as I looked at Mary Beth sitting there I knew she had the answer. “So tell me why she hasn’t called me in three weeks?”  

She patted my hand and then leaned back. The food was forgotten as we both thought of things we couldn’t tell each other. “I’ll tell you why, if you never tell my Husband.”

I looked over at the brunette as she waited for my promise. The way she said Husband I caught the meaning and I was happy for her. “I promise MB, or you can pound me into the ground, like a tent stake.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you, ever. The reason she hasn’t called is because she’s devastated. She leaves, which is in her mind, is the right thing to do. Just like I did in Wilmington. You don’t talk to her at the airport and that cripples her even more. Don’t expect her to call, just to get punished some more. The problem is she’s submissive by nature, she made a promise to see you again, at the beach. She’ll keep that promise, but don’t expect her to enjoy meeting you. In her head she failed you in the worst way, not the other way around. You’re going to have a lot of work to repair the damage done, if you still want her.”

I had to know. “Is that what happened in Wilmington?” I started to see Mary Beths eyes glaze over. I could almost feel her starting to withdraw. “Answer MB, you’re still mine till I say so.”

She looked at me, knowing she would answer. “I walked out that night. I took a couple of bags and found a room at the Days Inn downtown.  I thought I wouldn’t sleep, but I was so drained I was almost late for work the next morning.” MB looked at me wondering why she was going into such detail. That didn’t stop her though. “That stupid audit went perfect and so did work, until the weekend hit. 

I was planning on finding an apartment or something. I’ve always had my own checking and savings, from work, so money wasn’t a problem.” Now she smiled for the first time since she started telling her story. “Max is one hell of a salesman. He could sell ice to Eskimos and they’d say thank you. The problem was he couldn’t keep a set of books for the businesses to save his life. I got him through the required accounting classes at Duke. I kept the household accounts, and we each had our own money.” MB shook her head. “Anyway, I started checking out places, when it hit me that I was alone for the first time since college. I tried to ignore the feelings I had but it just kept getting worse. Finally I went to a place, not far from the Days Inn, to get a late supper. It was a wrong move. I’d picked a place sort of like this.”

Mary Beth looked at me with pleading eyes, “I don’t think you’ll understand, but after you’ve lived this life for a while you get this sixth sense about places that Doms frequent. As soon as I sat down I knew I was in trouble and I was to scared too leave.”

I knew what she had done. It was the same thing that Agnes was probably going through, right now. “You were an uncollared submissive but you were still married?”

Mary Beth looked up at me. “Marriage is a piece of paper. People get divorced all the time. I threw my collar at my Master and walked out, that’s not done. If it is, it’s like the end of the world, type stuff.”

She looked back down at her hands. I wanted her to look at me, like we agreed, but I knew she had to focus on this part of her life. It wasn’t only for herself but for me. “I finally looked around and saw a few people looking at me, a couple of guys and one woman. I’ve never been really into women, but this one was different. She was a Dominate, and I could tell, she was looking for a submissive. I’ve never had a relationship, you know really subbed for female, before but I needed someone.”

I looked at her sitting there. Mary Beth’s fingers were playing with the dishes and silverware in front of her. “You subbed to a woman?”

Now she looked up at me. “I wanted to, but as I was wondering about how that would all work out, I felt someone sit down at my table. I should of told him to leave but that’s not my way and I was very submissive right then. We talked, and as we talked, he hit all of the right buttons. I really started to think I might have gotten lucky again.

“By the end of the meal I agreed to go home with him and by the end of the night I was wearing his collar. It seemed so right when he even agreed to a three month trial, just to see if we were compatible. He even joked and said he would reserve the same table so we could go on to something more permanent.”

I just had to interrupt, “So you found someone, but it didn’t work out.” I really didn’t want to tell her the obvious. She was back with Max as his collared submissive, and had been as long as I’d been out of the service.

Mary Beth just nodded her head. “For the first couple of weeks everything was great. Everybody commented on how happy I was. I guess I was ignoring the signals he was sending. I figured that we had an agreement and boundaries. A month in I finally figured it out. He had just climaxed inside of me and rolled off and went right to sleep. That wasn’t so bad because I was, after all, his submissive. If he wants to just use me that’s okay, but this was different. It wasn’t getting any better. 

“You have to know Gene, there is this breaking in period where a Dom and his sub get to know each other. In bed, out of bed, around outsiders or with others in this life, it's a wonderfully scary time. With my new Master it was like there was a wall, I couldn’t break through. As he snored I realized I had been fooled, or I allowed myself to be fooled. He wasn’t a Dom. He really didn’t know how to be a real Dominate. All he wanted to do was play around the edges. A woman to have on his arm, a combination girlfriend and fuck doll. I knew at the end of the thee months he’d turn me loose, again.”

I looked at Mary Beth and got a bad feeling about where this was heading. “You don’t have to do this.”

All she did was look at me. “Now you tell me. Besides my Husband, you’re the only other person that knows the whole story. Even Jane, I mean Eve, doesn’t know it all.” I just shrugged and nodded.

“I was devastated again and work was affected. One day I was driving and went past Max’s store and the car kind’a pulled in all by itself. I woke up and saw the man I married, the man I lost, looking out the front windows at me. I don’t know how it happened but the next thing I know he’s sitting in the passenger seat, telling me to drive.”

I saw tears start to form in her eyes. Tears of happiness wetted those brown eyes. “It was so right and beautiful. It was almost like we’d never been apart. He told me everything that had happened to him before and after I left. He said he’d found out the girl he’d been screwing was a thief. She figured he wouldn’t have her arrested because he was a married man.” Now she actually smiled. “The stupid bitch didn’t know my Master. There’s business and then there’s pleasure. Everything has it’s place.”

I saw fire in her eyes for my best friend, her Master. “The only time that rule is broken, is when we’re together. The pleasure I get from serving affects my work in a good way. I’m more focused. For my Husband, it’s the same. Of course, draining his balls every morning helps.” Now that she found amusing.

I thought it was pretty funny as well. Besides what guy wouldn’t like to wake up to someone sucking your cock or ready to fuck you awake? I don’t know about you, but that sure as hell beats an alarm clock. “So what happened?”

“I broke the news that I’d found someone. I didn’t use the word Dominate or Master because in my book he wasn’t. Max was a little pissed off but he understood that I needed someone. When I got to the part about the three months, he started to get worried. He knew, even if I didn’t want to, I’d keep my promise. I told him that, if he wanted, I’d come back, I’d just be his wife if he wanted, but I really wanted everything. I just needed him.” 

Now I was really getting a bad feeling and it was closer to home. I knew this guys name, now. I wondered if Mary Beth was trying to keep it a secret. If she was, she was doing a really bad job. 

“I went back to him and it was more of the same,” Mary Beth told me. “A week later I came home and he was mad as hell at me. At first I didn’t understand. Something about me having the clap or something. I knew I was clean and when I told him I was, he went crazy. Finally I asked him to prove it and he pulled out a piece of paper from the hospital. I read it and couldn’t believe it. Max had gotten some tests done for venereal diseases. There was nothing on it that had his sexual history, nothing about me, and there were no results of the test. I knew I’d seen him fucking that bitch two weeks ago, and I knew Max had her arrested after that. I knew something was up. I thought she might have given him a dose of VD, but I wasn’t sure.”

There was a smug look on Mary Beths face as she looked at me. “He said, I was to leave at once.  I was a little surprised and told him that we had an agreement. He really didn’t hear me and said he didn’t want any disease ridden whore anywhere near him. I tried to tell him it didn’t mean Max had the clap, or anything, just that he went in for some tests. I guess that really pissed him off, because the next thing I know I’m on my knees and he’s taking his collar off me and he’s shouting for me to get the fuck out of his house.”

Now she’s smiling, again. “The best part is I called Max and we met at a cafe. I started to explain what had happened and he started to laugh. After I left him, at the store that first time, he said he went to the hospital, alright, but he didn’t have any diseases. He gave the admittance form to friend, of ours, that knew him and didn’t like this guy either. I moved back into our house that night. 

I looked at her in wonder? “Don’t tell me you were okay with Max doing that?”

Mary Beth smiled at that, “At first I wasn’t, but he never said I was the one that might have given him a venereal disease. Word got around that he might have dipped his wick once to often in his ex-employee and was worried he caught something.” Now I saw the love in her eyes. “Besides I was his again, and I really didn’t care what others thought.”

I looked at the woman next to me. “So now Tom’s here and it starts all over again?”

Mary Beth looked at me and didn’t say a word. I knew she thought she was so clever in trying to disguise the asshole that had her before. After all there was a certain attitude I’d detected that prevented submissives from being overtly hostile to a Dominate. I realized, now, that the little display was about as close to a submissive kicking a Doms ass as you could get. 

“No Sir it ended tonight. You did what any Dominate would have done. You did what you had to do to watch over me. I’m sorry he found out about us being here tonight, but now the whole room knows about him.” 

Now I knew why Tom had tried to enforce his will on her. I had stopped that by taking control of MB. I think that, more than anything, was what made him start thinking he could whip my ass. Now that back fired we could finish the night.

“Dessert?” I asked.