Part 2
When her phone rang on Tuesday morning, Sophie answered it absently, her mind on
the report she was writing. "Hi Sophie," Nicholas said. "Is this a good time?"
"Nic!" replied Sophie, surprised. "How are you? How did you get my work number?"
"Lisa gave it to me, I bumped into her at the mall yesterday. I'm doing okay.
You?"
"Uh, I'm good," said Sophie, unsure of herself. She felt guilty about creeping
off on Sunday morning; she had assumed she wouldn't hear from him again. An
awkward silence ensued.
"I'd like to see you again, Sophie. Perhaps dinner, or a movie?"
Sophie floundered; she was so sure she wouldn't hear from him again, and the
call had caught her off guard.
"Nicholas," she began, "I think you're nice and everything..."
"Good," said Nicholas comfortably. "Shall we say 7.30pm Friday night? I'll pick
you up from your place; Lisa also gave me your address. We'll have dinner, I
think, and then perhaps somewhere for coffee?"
"Oh. Well, I guess that would be okay," said Sophie, not exactly sure how this
man had got her to agree to going out with him.
"Settled, then," said Nicholas. "I'm looking forward to it, see you Friday."
Sophie changed her mind about dinner many, many times between Tuesday and
Friday. On Thursday, she got as far as looking up his number in the phone book
but just as she was about to ring him and cancel, she decided she'd go through
with it after all. It's just dinner, you goose, she told herself crossly. Go
out, have a nice time, but make it perfectly clear you're not interested in
anything else. Simple.
But despite herself, the memories of Nicholas spanking her slipped into her mind
as she got ready for the date. As she applied her lipstick and fluffed her hair,
she wondered if she looked okay. Then she shook herself crossly. Why did she
care? She didn't even want to go out with him. Hearing his car in the drive,
Sophie stuffed her lipstick into her bag and walked down the stairs to meet him.
He took her to a small Italian restaurant with tables decorated with red and
white checked tablecloths and Chianti bottles nursing fat, white candles
dripping with wax. The room was small, and warm and cosy in comparison to the
crisp night air outside. The fragrant aromas of garlic and basil permeated the
atmosphere and, once again, Sophie found herself enjoying Nicholas' company. It
felt good to engage in conversation and good natured argument with an
intelligent man again; Sophie realised she'd missed the warmth of easy
companionship. She laughed as Nicholas impersonated their waiter, her eyes
dancing as his wicked mimicry captured the man's unfortunate mannerisms
perfectly. "You're so pretty when you smile," murmured Nicholas, impulsively
leaning across the table, his fingers gently brushing a strand of her from her
eyes. Sophie flinched at his unexpected touch, her heart pounding madly.
He fixed her with a penetrating look. "I've had a great time tonight, Sophie.
Can I see you again?"
Suddenly wary, Sophie twisted the tablecloth between her hands unconsciously.
"Well, we hang out with the same people and we go to the same places, so I'm
sure we'll run into each other," she replied glibly, a faint tremor in her
voice.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it," said Nicholas calmly.
"It's difficult, Nicholas," said Sophie in a rush of honesty. "I've just broken
up with someone and it's still hard."
"I don't want to marry you, Sophie, just take you out. That's all. Just go out
and have fun." He smiled at her gently, waiting for an answer.
Sophie thought for a moment. She was attracted to him, she couldn't deny that.
He was intelligent and confident. He made her laugh. Once again, the memories of
his hand hot against her ass crept in, tugging at her self control.
"I like you and all..." she started, unable to look at him. "I like you, but
it's difficult," she repeated. "I just don't think it would work? We're too
different, I'm not right for you."
Nicholas changed tack. "What did you mean the other night when you said you
thought I was 'one of you'?" he asked.
Sophie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She could feel the colour rising in
her cheeks. "I don't know what you mean," she lied.
"I think you do," replied Nicholas. "You said it just after I spanked you. But,
just in case, shall I refresh your memory a little more?"
"Not necessary," blurted Sophie hastily, thoroughly embarrassed. This guy was
persistent, of that there was no doubt. It seemed he wouldn't be happy until she
either agreed to go out with him, or explained why she wouldn't to his
satisfaction. "I just meant we seemed to have a few things in common, that's
all," she finished lamely.
Nicholas laughed. "You just got through telling me we were too different! So,
which is it?" Nicholas studied her closely.
"It wouldn't work," said Sophie stubbornly. "We want different things."
"No," he said at last. "I think there's more to it than that. Do you like being
spanked, Sophie?" he asked quietly.
Avoiding his quizzical gaze, Sophie studied her coffee cup. To her surprise, she
felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. She recognised the deep longing still
within her, the longing for Dominance and submission, the aching longing for her
Master.
"Yes," she admitted softly, her cheeks flaming.
"I liked spanking you," Nicholas replied.
Sophie grinned suddenly, her smile lighting her face. "You were very good at
it," she said cheekily, looking at him from beneath her lashes. "Are you sure
you've never done it before?"
"Very sure. But I wouldn't mind doing it again. Tell me you don't want me to do
it again."
Sophie disappeared behind her wall again, her face closing down, her expression
unreadable. "Lisa likes you," she blurted. "Why don't you ask her out?"
"I don't want to go out with Lisa," answered Nicholas briefly. "She has no
spirit, no fire. Not like you. You challenge me, Sophie. I like that in a woman.
You make me think. And I think you're a nasty, dirty little slut," he added
deliberately, his voice measured and calm. "I like that, as well."
Sophie looked up in shock, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find
words, but failed.
"I've been doing a little research," continued Nicholas mildly. "Tell me I'm
wrong."
"You don't know what you're saying!" Sophie hissed defensively, outraged that
Nicholas would speak to her in such a manner. But she was also strangely
excited, she realised. To her shame, she felt wetness between her legs and
squirmed on her seat as his words echoed through her mind.
"I think I do," replied Nicholas. "I read a lot of stuff on the Internet, I
recognised a lot of my characteristics as Dominant. I always thought I was
weird, Sophie, but there's a whole new world out there, I had no idea," he
confessed frankly. "Show me what it is you want, what it is you need. Show me
what I need. Aren't you lonely for your own kind, Sophie? Let me keep you
company," he coaxed quietly.
Torn between wanting to get the hell away from him, yet intensely curious about
what he would do and say next, Sophie thought for long moments. And he was
right. She was lonely. She was tired of being a square peg in a round hole; she
was tired of hiding her true self in her vanilla world. The possibilities
crowded through Sophie's mind. Was she ready for submission again? She didn't
think so. Well, not mental submission, at any rate. She still felt tied to her
former Master. But... physical submission? Sophie thought she wanted that. He
won't be my Dom or my Master, she reasoned. More like a Top, and I'll be his
bottom. I know him, I trust him, I know he won't hurt me.
Sophie smiled to herself as the suggestion grew on her and the thoughts raced
through her mind. Spankings on demand, she thought gleefully, and perhaps I can
teach him to flog me! Oooh, and fisting! Sophie adored fisting, she loved the
feeling of helplessness and complete fullness and intense pleasure mixed with
pain. Yes, she'd definitely teach him that. Humiliation. There's a thought, she
mused. Perhaps the joys of shopping? Public exposure?
Candles! Eyeing the candles on the table greedily, Sophie shivered in delight at
the thought of Nicholas dripping hot wax over her bound, naked body. He could do
all the things I like, we could do the physical things, and I could just tell
him about the rest, the mental power exchange, the mental submission; he'd have
to find his own way there, she thought. But I could definitely go there with him
in physical submission, she decided. I could top from the bottom the whole way,
get exactly what I want! Though the idea of topping and besting her former
Master would have horrified her, Sophie knew she'd do it in a heartbeat with
Nicholas.
"All right," she agreed finally. "I'll go out with you again. But we'll do it my
way, Nicholas," she warned. "Nothing serious, we'll just have fun."
"Done!" said Nicholas, triumphantly.
The game was on.
