Skin Deep

by Trista Jaszczak

  “Breathe, princess, it’s alright. Remember, nothing will happen in this room if you don’t want it to.”

  I look up at him and swallow hard. “Yes, Daddy.” I choke out.

  “Go on, go inside, and look around. Touch, feel, explore. Ask questions. Let me know if you want to try anything.”

  I nod again as I step inside. There’s a funny item made of all straps hanging from the ceiling in one corner. There’s a large X-shaped device with four shackles at the end of each thin board. I cock my head to the side as I stare at an odd stand with shackles at the bottom of each side.

  I feel River’s hand touch the small of my back. “That’s a spanking stand. The big X over there is the Saint Andrew's Cross. In the corner is a swing. The bed is self-explanatory.”

  “What’s in all the dressers?”

  “Toys, tools, anything that we can use in here.”

  I feel my head whirl and I steady myself a moment. Fear and excitement course through me. I don’t know what’s in the room and that both thrills and terrifies me. “May I see?”

  “Of course, princess.” He says, leading to me to a taller dresser. He begins opening the drawers for me. This one is filled with more dildos, vibrators, butt plugs and other assorted sex toys than I've ever seen before in my life.

  “And, all of these are new?” I ask, picking up what I know as a Magic Wand for a moment before carefully placing it back in the fabric lined drawer.

  “All brand new for you princess. If a sub and I part ways, I immediately throw out any used toys and buy all new. Even if I think it’ll be a while before I have a new sub.” He tells me.

  I look at the wall just behind the dresser and see there’s a row of items that I have never seen before. My eyes grow wide, as River leads me to them for a closer inspection. One is a thick handle with dozens of little leather tendrils hanging from it. Another is a long and thin stick while a different one is a long, thin stick with a flat, small leather piece at the end.

  “The paddles are easy to guess, but that’s a riding crop,” he says pointing to the long, thin stick with the flat leather piece at the end. “The other is a cane,” this time he gestures to the thin, wooden stick. “And, lastly, the flogger.” He reaches for the thick handled one with dozens of leather strips hanging from it.

  “You must like to spank.” I blurt out.

  He chuckles. “Well, I will be getting a lot of pleasure when I make your ass the most perfect shade of pink.”

  “You’ll use all of those on me?”

  “Not all at once or even in one night, but eventually we’ll try them all.”

  I feel my jaw drop again and I take a deep breath. I really have no idea what the fuck I am getting myself into and right now it’s becoming more and more real. I'm entering something with this man that may very well scare the shit out of me. I could tell when I met him that there was something different about him. I was actually attracted by that something different. I just had no idea that it was this.

  I feel River’s hands on my shoulders as he turns me to face him, lifting my chin with his fingers. “Slow breaths, baby. I will not hurt you. Nothing will happen in this room if you don’t want it to.”

  “I know…I’m just processing right now.”

  “That’s more than alright. It's a lot to take in and in the past twenty-four hours you have taken in a lot. You've learned a lot more than you think you have and I'm very proud of you, Lola.”

  I feel that sense of pleasure wash over me again. All because I’ve pleased him.

  “What do you say to me making you some tea and us relaxing? We could just talk, get to know each other some more, then we could hit the bed for a little shut eye.”

  I smile, “that sounds really nice, actually, it’ll give my brain some time to calm down and process everything up until this point.”

  He takes my hand in his, “then that’s what we’ll do. I’m not rushing you. I don’t expect you to be ready to just jump into things. I want you to take your time and learn to be a proper sub. I want you to feel at ease in here, not fear it.”

  “Thank you for that.” I say as he leads me from the room, flicking the light off and shutting the door behind us. I take another long breath in as he leads me to his kitchen, where he offers me a seat on a stool at the bar. Then he begins bustling around, making me a cup of chamomile tea. While he works around me, I can’t help but to think about how I have been on my own since I was eighteen. I’ve been independent and cared for myself. I’ve never had or let any man take care of me. I’ve never let anyone take care of me for that matter. And suddenly, here I am, agreeing to let River be my Dom, to both control me and take care of me. There must be something really fucking special about him because I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing right now. Looking in that room was completely surreal. Like something out of a movie or just made up. Some dungeon to sexually torture people. It won’t always be like what happened on the counter at work or even what happened when he came to my house. River is a tie me down, spank me, make me come, kind of guy.

  “Are you alright spending the night here?” River’s voice makes me look up for a moment and I nod. “Are you…feeling alright?”

  I think for a moment and give a little shrug. “Just working through everything in my mind, you know? The whole mixture of pleasure and pain. That’s all new for me.” He offers me a soothing smile as he places a mug of steaming tea in front of me. “But then again, so is the pleasure end of the stick.” He raises his eyebrows, confused. “My exes haven’t been real winners in the sack if you know what I mean.” Suddenly I feel my cheeks heating up again. I probably shouldn’t bad mouth my exes, it’s not right, even if they couldn’t get me off to save their fucking lives, “I’m so sorry. That just slipped out.”

  “I promise you that I will learn about every inch of your body. I will know the right ways and even the wrong ways to do things. I will know exactly how to bring you to the edge until you can’t take it until I give you release after release of fucking pleasure.”

  I feel my jaw drop. I’ve never had a man talk to me the way that River does. It’s sexy. It’s confident. And for some reason it’s a complete turn on. He knows exactly what he’s talking about and I don’t doubt him for even one minute. I roll over the last twenty-four hours in my mind, everything that I've learned about River. Knowing that I have somehow made myself a sub, His sub. I think back to his little playroom, as he called it, the paddles and the shackles. It’s all real. I let out a little sigh, reach for my cup of tea, and I smile. “I will hold you to that promise, Daddy.”

  The past few days haven’t been too terrible despite the shop being busy. Cas and I are both working our asses off and Lola is wearing thin, but we’re managing. I glance up at the clock on my stove. Lola should be getting off work any minute, which means she’ll be calling me. I’ve been getting dinner ready for the past hour or so, grilled barbecue chicken and steamed garlic-seasoned vegetables. It’s much later than I would like her to eat but it’s still a healthy meal and that’s what matters. I smile when I hear my cell phone ringing. She’s been such a good girl, you’d never guess that she hasn’t had experience being a sub. “Hi, baby.”

  “Sorry, that I’m a little late. I messed up the books. I’m walking out to my car right now. I’m still coming over, right?”

  “Of course, I have dinner waiting. Are you hungry?” I ask, turning the vegetables down to a low heat to keep them warm.

  “I’m starving, actually. I had lunch today with you and the fruit that you left for me in the fridge when you left, but that was it.” She admits.

  “Glad you had that fruit for me. You do remember what I said about eating, right?” I remind her.

  “Mhm,” she hums, “I remember.”

  “Well, drive safe,” I say, “Dinner will be ready when you get here.”

  I hear a little smile in her voice. “Thank you, that sounds really nice after the day I’ve had.”

  “You alright, pri
ncess?” I ask, checking on the chicken one last time before popping it in the oven to stay warm for her.

  I hear her car door shut and she makes a little noise. “Just a long day with a teeny bopper and some lower back ink. She tried to play off a fake I.D. to get the tattoo without parental consent.”

  “Well, it’s all said and done. Just get here, drive safe, and I can take care of you.”

  She agrees, but I've requested that she not drive and talk on the phone, so I end the call and begin cleaning up the kitchen and grabbing plates. I have at least managed to get my house in order today so she’s not coming over to a pig sty. I toss a few dirty pots and pans into my dishwasher. Loading it is normally like a real life game of fucking Tetris, but the last thing I want to be doing right now is loading the dishwasher to perfection. They’re crooked and nowhere near where I could even add other dishes, but they’re in the dishwasher at least. I open the fridge and pull out beer for myself and a hard apple cider for Lola, and pop them in the freezer so they’re colder when she gets here.

  I’d be lying out of my ass if I said that I didn’t have bigger plans for after dinner. Lola has agreed to stay the night, making sure to bring a bag with her to work so that she has a change of clothes and other necessities. I actually have a few little gifts for her…well, for me if I'm truthful, but she's in training to be my sub and I want to give her a feel for what things will be like. For entirely selfish reasons I’m sure, but she’ll be learning in the process none-the-less and she's been incredible with taking things in. Most women hit the road when they find out that I’m a Dominant. Lola, not only stayed, but has been curious and willing to learn. In the past forty-eight hours, the amount of information I’ve given her is phenomenal. The even more surprising part is that she is retaining all of it. If I didn’t know any better, I'd say that she's a natural sub and that things will continue to fall into place for her.

  It’s probably a good thing that she didn’t run when I told her what I am. She and I have been on such a wild ride the last few weeks, I can honestly say that I care about her. Deeply. Which is out of character for me, but I’m willing to accept it since she's willing to learn and live my lifestyle. Things happened so fast between us. Fast is probably an understatement. I tried my fucking hardest to keep away from her. But she had this way of looking at me…she’d look at me like she craved me. The sexual tension was too much to ignore. The next thing I fucking knew I was bending her over the counter in her own shop. It wasn’t just the sex though, which was incredible, but afterward, when I took her out to eat, we connected. She’s had a shitty past just as much as I have. Left on her own at eighteen and been on her own since. She started at the bottom and worked her way to the top. She trusted me that night to tell me things I doubt she tells many people. She was completely at ease while we talked. And something about sitting in my truck with her that night and talking, set a fire in me and right now, I just want to let it burn.

  The sound of my doorbell ringing makes realize how long I’ve been standing here in the middle of my kitchen doing absolutely nothing. So much for cleaning my disastrous kitchen. I toss a towel on the counter and jog to the front door. Lola greets me with bright eyes and a warm smile. I invite her in, then shut and lock the door behind us.

  “Sorry, I was a little late. I messed up the books and had to deal with the teeny bopper and the tramp stamp.” She makes a little face and takes a deep breath. “Oh, my God…River, it smells fantastic…” Her voice trails and she takes another breath.

  I chuckle as I watch her nose crinkle in an adorable way. “Are you hungry baby?”

  She gives me a little nod as she drops her purse and small duffel bag on my recliner. “Starved actually. Think we can eat now?”

  “Of course, we better before it gets cold.” I tell her, reaching for her hand and leading her into my dining room where I help her take her seat.

  She looks up at me, smiling. “You want me to help?”

  “No, they only thing I want you to do is sit here, look gorgeous, and let me grab dinner for us.”

  Her cheeks immediately flush a beautiful shade of pink as she nods. I hurry into the kitchen and begin loading two plates with chicken and vegetables. I set the plates on the table for us and excuse myself one more time to get our drinks. “Go ahead, have a bite.”

  She looks over her shoulder briefly before turning to cut into the chicken. She makes a happy little noise as I place a drink in front of her.

  “River, this is,” she pauses for another bite and chews happily. “Wow. This barbecue is to die for.”

  “It’s my own secret recipe.” I tell her, cracking open my beer and her hard cider.

  “I feel bad, I didn’t know you could cook.”

  I take a swig of beer and smile. “Well, you never asked.” She blushes again as she takes a drink of her hard cider. “But, just so you know, there are only certain things I can cook. Put me in here with a recipe I don’t know and it’s going to be a disaster…I may summon up a demon or some shit.”

  She giggles softly and has another bite. “Where did you learn to cook?”

  I shrug as I shovel a bite of vegetables into my mouth. “On my own really. I left home at eighteen because I had to, so that meant I had to learn to cook. It was that or live on Ramen noodles and I fucking hate those things.”

  “What’s the full story? Why did you leave home?” She stops suddenly and looks embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t just ask that it’s private.”

  I shake my head. “You ask what you want, baby. If we’re going to be in a relationship we both need to be open and learn about each other. We need to be completely honest with each other. Trust one another. Trust is a huge deal in any Dom/sub relationship.” She begins to relax and has a bite of vegetables. “I left home because of my step dad. My mom married him when I was about two or so. I was super little, but they had another kid right away. The older I got, the shittier my step dad started treating me. So at eighteen I said sayonara.”

  “Sounds like me and my mom. She just wasn’t a good lady. She tried, I guess. I mean she kept me alive to see eighteen, but that’s about all I can say.”

  “Well, enough about the bad stuff for now, enjoy dinner and relax. I have plans for you after dinner,” I smirk as I reach for my beer.

  She raises her eyebrows as she stares at me.

  “It’s my little secret. You eat. You said you were starved.”

  She doesn’t hesitate. She starts eating again, this time with vigor. I bring the beer bottle to my lips and smile again. She is my good girl.

  “Thank you again for dinner tonight.” She smiles, finishing the last of her hard cider.

  “It was my pleasure,” I tell her, “but now I have an idea.”

  “An idea?” Her jaw drops and I can see in her eyes that she knows what my idea is.

  I nod, “But first I need you to head into my bedroom, on the bed I have a pink bag waiting for you, there are three different outfits inside.”

  She cocks her head to the side. “Outfits..? For me?”

  “Yes, for you. Outfits that I want you to wear, so go in, pick one you like, and change.”

  “Do you want me to help you clean up?”

  I shake my head. “You just go do as you’re told.”

  “Okay,” she says, pushing her chair back from the table.

  “Lola, what did I tell you about saying “okay”?” I say smoothly.

  She looks down and back up to me. “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, Daddy.” She replies.

  I smile. “Good girl. Now, go change. I’ll meet you in there in just a minute.”

  She hurries from the dining room and off to my bedroom. I clear the table quickly and this time rather than even attempt to toss things into my dishwasher, I give up and dump them in the sink. Fuck it, I can load the dishwasher in the morning. I trash our empty bottles and switch off the lights as I head from the kitchen to my bedroom, tugging off my shi
rt as I go. When I get to my room, the light is on as well as the bathroom light. I find Lola in the bathroom admiring herself in the mirror. She’s chosen the black silk nightie and matching thong. Good choice, it was my favorite to begin with.

  She jumps and turns to look at me. “So, we’re…going in the playroom tonight?”

  “We are, but just remember, I am easing you in. I want to learn a little more about you while you learn a little more about me.” I step closer to her and loop an arm around her waist. “Always keep in mind that nothing will happen in there if you don’t want it to.”

  “I remember.” She tells me softly, as she looks carefully at parts of my ink.

  “What is your safeword? You need to remember it at all times, just in case you need it.”

  She gives me a little nod. “Watermelons.”

  I smile and push the hair from her eyes. “Before we go in, there’s something else that I need you to wear.”

  She looks down at her outfit for a moment and back up to me.

  I chuckle, “This is actually a big deal for me. It’s something that I hadn’t intended on giving you until later, but I think it’s something that I rather you wear now. You remember how I’ve told you that you’re mine?”

  She gives me a silent little nod.

  “Well, this sort of seals the deal. This bonds us if you will. An unspoken trust between us.” I step away from her and over to my nightstand where I open the drawer. There, tucked inside is the light pink leather collar I’ve had made for her. “Now, this isn’t something that you’ll wear all the time, or even in public, this is just for me when we…play,” I smirk. “I will always put this on you and remove it. But, once you’re eased into things and you feel you need it, you can bring it to me and have me put it on you.”

  “It’s a collar.” She says softly.

  I give her a nod. “It is. It means you’re Mine Lola and I want to see you in this. If you’ll accept it.”