Take My Hand

by P Nelson

  “In the event we’re really handing out advice to each other this evening and not pissing on one another’s boots,” Gaige said as he watched Calla begin to walk over to them. “Admit you have feelings for our resident shrink and have some filthy, nasty with her,” he said, repeating his friend’s advice.

  “It’s complicated,” Flynn said as he drank down the rest of his scotch in one swallow.

  “It always is with you.” Gaige shook his head. “Honestly, if I felt even half of what you feel for Calla for another sub. I would put a collar around her neck, a ring on her finger, and make sure her pussy was so full of my cock she never thought of anyone else’s.”

  “Master Gaige, Master Flynn.” Calla stopped in front of us and lowered her eyes out of respect. Flynn looked at Calla like she was an ice cream cone he wanted to devour on the spot, and Gaige shook his head and wondered when his friend was going to let go of all his demons.

  “What do you need, girl?” Flynn asked in his Dom voice. It obviously worked on Calla because she shivered for an instant before she raised her eyes to look at Flynn.

  “I need to speak with Master Gaige.” Calla turned her large hazel eyes to Gaige, completely ignoring Flynn. “I have a special request.”

  “Not another training sub, Calla,” Gaige warned in his own imposing Dom voice. He stopped leaning against the bar and sat up straight on his stool. He looked down at her with a frown. “I told you I needed a break.”

  Calla got down on her knees and inched forward, letting her head rest on the inside of Gaige’s splayed knees. Flynn’s entire body tightened at the display, and Gaige hoped his best friend in the whole world wasn’t about to plant his fist in his face.

  “This would be a favour to me.” Calla looked up at him and managed to appear virtuous and sexy at the same time. “I have a friend, and she needs this. You’re the perfect training Dom for her.”

  “There are plenty of other Doms your friend can pair up with Calla; get off your knees.” Flynn’s words were harsh, and his voice indicated he was a minute away from losing his impressive cool. Gaige would really like to see that one day, but not at The Cage. He reached down, and Calla put her hand in his to help her up.

  “Does this woman have a name?” Gaige asked without looking at Flynn whose stare had turned glacial.

  “Her name is Lilith Graham, and she’s my best friend since university.” Calla’s words were hurried as if she needed to get them all out. “She’s been stuck in her shell for months, and it’s time she got back to living. I think The Cage is the perfect place to explore her identity.”

  “Is she even interested in BDSM?” Gaige needed to know whether Lilith Graham was trying to find her Mr. Grey or whether she was interested in exploring her sexuality and her needs. By the flush on Lilith’s face, Gaige knew he had Calla. “I don’t want to spend thirty days with a woman who’s only interested in finding the one.”

  “We went over her hard and soft limits today. I will send a copy of them to you in the morning. Please, Lilith means so much to me. It would be a huge personal favour if you at least met her. Take her to dinner, the two of you can talk, see if you’re compatible,” Calla wheedled, and her eyes got big and round.

  “I thought you were supposed to tell me if we were compatible,” he grumbled. Gaige thought about all the reasons he didn’t want to meet Calla’s friend, including the ones he told Flynn earlier. He needed something different, to recharge and ground himself. He used to find that grounding practicing BDSM here at the club, but the whole interaction now felt more routine than sexually stimulating.

  He looked at Calla who had such hopes in her eyes, and he couldn’t let her down. Damn his Dom instincts. Gaige would never let a sub like Calla down, because she gave so much of herself to the club and the lifestyle.

  “I will do it on one condition.” Gaige held up his hand and pointed a finger just before Calla broke into a happy dance. “If we’re not compatible, then I’m not taking her on; you can find someone else. And I don’t have to take another training sub for one year.”

  “One year.” Calla frowned. “Master Gaige, you’re the best training Dom The Cage has, you can’t bench yourself for an entire year.”

  “You got what you wanted Calla, stop trying to top the Dom and thank him for his generosity,” Flynn’s tone was dry.

  “Thank you, Master Gaige.” Calla let her eyes turn to the floor even though a huge grin split her face.

  “You’re welcome, Calla, you know you can always come to me with anything,” Gaige assured the woman.

  “Are you doing a scene tonight, Calla?” Flynn’s voice broke into whatever reply Calla had been about to make. His voice sounded like gravel.

  “No, sir, I’m only on dungeon monitor duty.” She pointed at her black tank top with the initials DM on them.

  “Who’s accompanying you tonight?” Flynn barked out the question.

  “Master Mason, sir.” Calla looked around at the doors to the men’s changing room that led out onto the main floor of The Cage. “He should be here any minute.”

  “He’s new here, isn’t he?” Flynn’s voice had turned questioning.

  “Yes, you know he’s new, you approved his application, and signed him off on all his Dom rights yourself.” Calla’s voice had just a lick of contempt in it.

  “Is that how you talk to me, girl?” Flynn’s voice had turned glacial and goose bumps appeared on Calla’s skin. “Just because I took your advice and now have a sub helping to monitor the dungeon doesn’t mean I’m a pussy, Dom. You signed a contract stating you’d respect every Dom in The Cage unless that Dom did something to break the code. Have I broken the Dom/sub code with you, Calla?”

  “No, sir,” Calla replied in a voice that choked out of her throat.

  “You tell Master Mason I’ll be checking to make sure he does his job this evening and that he keeps you out of trouble,” Flynn’s stern voice brooked no argument.

  “Yes, sir,” Calla agreed.

  “Good; you may go.” Flynn dismissed Calla and Gaige tried to catch her eye as she left to give her a reassuring smile, but she didn’t look up. Instead, she walked slowly to the edge of the bar area, skirting around tables, chairs, sofas, and bean bags to stand near the door to the men’s locker room.

  “That was too harsh. Calla is a natural sub, and she’s done nothing to warrant that treatment from you,” Gaige barely kept his temper under control. “Calla is not your ex-wife. Frankly, I don’t even think your ex-wife was a human being, but you can’t take that out on the subs, especially Calla. You’d have to be an idiot not see how she looks at you.”

  “Melanie was a sweet girl before I married her and turned her into the raging bitch we now all know and love,” Flynn’s voice became bitter, and he looked over his shoulder to order another drink from the bartender.

  “That’s bullshit.” Gaige spat out, and Flynn looked over at him surprised by his outburst. “Melanie was always a money-grasping bitch. She married you for your money and told you that she loved you. That was wrong in my opinion, she should have just confessed that she wanted your part of the Banroch family fortune. You always look back at the past and think you were the one who ruined your marriage, and that’s simply not true. It takes two people to start a marriage and two people to end it.” Gaige watched as the door to the men’s changing room opened, and Calla greeted Master Mason in the slave pose even though they weren’t playing. “Stop blaming yourself for something you had no control over. Besides, you’re way better off with someone like Calla who understands your needs than Melanie who only ever understood her own.”

  “When did you become the resident shrink?” Flynn muttered and took a new scotch glass from the bartender. He scanned the room and watched as Doms and Dommes disciplined subs. Flynn took a deep breath. “Maybe you’re right. It’s time I got over my marriage and became serious about taking a permanent sub. That’s the advice I gave to you.”

  “Somehow I doubt that you’re going t
o take the advice I gave you earlier and give Calla the pink bottom and multiple orgasms she has wanted from you since you ended her training contract.” Gaige watched his friend ignore his comments and tried to imagine what Calla’s friend might be like. He hoped she was a natural sub like her friend that might make the next few weeks fun.

  Chapter 2

  Lilith stood outside of Ancora restaurant where Calla had told her to meet her blind date, her Dominant blind date. After she had gone through all her hard and soft limits with Calla over the phone on Friday afternoon, Lilith had gone down to the clinic for an STD panel before heading home to do some searching on the internet. Most of what she had seen scared the crap out of her, but she was willing to admit to herself, the dressing up part and the spankings had kind of turned her on.

  Wiping her sweaty palms on the front of her skirt, Lilith swallowed several times and grabbed on to her courage. She had always thought of herself as being as brave as the next person, but then she had always had Kevin beside her, not that she was going to think of him tonight. She was focusing on Gaige Harlow. Master Gaige as Calla explained was an experienced Dom and had agreed to take her out for dinner to see if they could work together on her training. It sounded simple, but she still hadn’t walked through the door to the restaurant yet.

  Lilith had realised while searching through BDSM and porn sites last night and today that she had missed out on a lot of sex. Not just over the past year, but even when she was with Kevin. Now, she had a chance to explore her sexuality in a safe place with a man who wasn’t looking to break her heart. Glancing down at her watch, she realised that even though she had arrived early, now she was late. Lilith hated being late even more than she hated being a coward.

  Opening the door to the restaurant, Lilith took in the bright and airy décor of the restaurant. For some reason, she had it in her mind that Master Gaige would want to meet in a basement where there was little light and heaps of privacy. In comparison, the restaurant was light and airy, with windows in the ceiling that would brighten the space if it were daytime. The hostess smiled at Lilith, and she gave her name.

  Gaige sat near the front windows of the restaurant, in the summer, the doors would be open and the light breeze off the water would give the air a salty, sea feeling. He hated it when people were late, in his business time was money and as a Dom, submissives who were not on time had sore bottoms. The hostess came into view at that moment, followed by a woman looking so nervous he wondered how she managed to stay on her heels without falling.

  Sitting up straighter in his seat, Gaige took in her soft brown hair pulled up into a bun on the back of her head, the large brown eyes and the graceful sweep of her neck. Suddenly months of disinterest in the opposite sex began to melt away. When the hostess stopped in front of the table and pulled out the chair opposite him, Gaige rose and held out his hand to the shy beauty. Her eyes grew large as she took him in, and her tongue came out to lick her lips nervously. His dick was definitely interested, and he hoped she wouldn’t notice the raging hard-on he was sporting.

  “I’m Gaige Harlow, you must be Lilith Graham?” He asked with a question in his voice as she continued to stare at him. It took a moment for her to register that he had spoken, and he watched as a delicious blush began to creep up her neck. He wanted to follow that blush down to the neckline of her dress and bury his head in her breasts. The tops were just visible.

  “I’m sorry. Yes, I’m Lilith. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Harlow.” Lilith stuck out her hand abruptly. Gaige reached out and clasped Lilith’s clammy hand in his own firm grip. He needed to be reassuring and firm in these first few moments. As a Dom, Gaige knew whether he could top a sub in the first few minutes of meeting her.

  “You may call me Gaige while we’re out in the mundane world.” Gaige let go of her hand and smiled deeply as he watched Lilith nod at him in response.

  Holy sex on toast, Lilith was trying to stay focused on the man in front of her, but it was hard. She wanted to look away from his piercing blue stare, but the first touch of their hands had been electric. The way he said her name went straight to her nipples, and she was pretty sure they were hard now. Unfortunately, she couldn’t look down and check because that would draw attention to them.

  “Thank you, Gaige.” Lilith said slowly letting the name roll off her tongue. The hostess was still waiting for her to sit down, so Lilith nodded to her and tried to sit down as gracefully as possible while remembering to breathe.

  “Would you like something to drink?” the hostess asked Lilith. She turned her head to the waitress and had no idea what she wanted, other than to wrap herself around the man sitting opposite from her. That wasn’t right. She wasn’t the kind of girl who felt lust, even when she had been married.

  “She will have water to start, thank you. And we will not need a wine list this evening,” Gaige ordered for Lilith since she appeared incapable of putting a thought together. Lilith turned and gave Gaige a grateful smile as she arranged her purse and settled into the table. “I’m sure Calla explained the importance of not being drunk in the lifestyle. Lilith nodded at him but appeared unable to speak. He was going to have to start them off. “You’re a friend of Calla’s?”

  “Yes, we went to university together,” Lilith replied and relaxed a bit.

  “There’s no need to be nervous,” Gaige said as he watched the heartbeat in her neck continue to throb furiously. “We’re just two people having dinner and trying to get to know one another. There’s absolutely nothing that’s going to happen tonight or any other night that you don’t want to happen. This is your first opportunity to ask me any questions you want about the lifestyle, the club, or me.” Perhaps taking the pressure off her would help Lilith open up to him more.

  “So, The Cage is a BDSM club,” Lilith said quietly.

  “That isn’t a question, but yes, The Cage is the most exclusive private BDSM club in Vancouver. All its members are vetted, and your friend Calla completes a psych interview with everyone to make sure they’re joining for the right reasons.”

  “And you can’t talk about it outside the club, except for now because we’re munching?” Lilith leaned back as the waitress set her water glass in front of her.

  “Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked.

  “I haven’t looked at the menu yet,” Lilith’s voice was flustered.

  “Are you allergic to anything, or is there anything you really hate?” Gaige asked leaning across the table. This was the first test. It was important to see how she would react with him taking control in this simple everyday situation.

  “Kale.” Lilith’s nose wrinkled, and Gaige found he was smiling at her reaction. “I really hate kale, and I don’t know why people eat it. Tastes like sour cabbage to me.”

  “Good.” Gaige looked up at the waitress. “We’ll both have the lobster risotto to start. I will have the beef as a main, and Lilith will have lingcod.” As he ordered, he watched Lilith’s face for her reaction to his ordering her meal. At first, she meant to protest but then thought better of it.

  “That sounds really nice.” Lilith managed to say as the waitress repeated the order and walked away. Once the waitress was out of earshot, Lilith frowned. “You didn’t have to order for me; I’m quite capable of doing it myself.”

  “Of course, you are.” Gaige took a deep breath and watched as Lilith took her first tentative steps towards submission. In her head, she was probably going over all the things that were wrong with letting him order, but she didn’t want to make a fuss. “It’s not about whether you can or cannot order. It’s about whether you trust me enough to order something you’d like to eat,” Gaige explained calmly. “When we’re playing together at the club, you’ll have to trust that I’ll never harm you, only pushing your soft limits and respecting your hard limits. The point of BDSM, or at least in my book, is the power exchange. As the Dominant, I feed off the fact that you trust me enough to put you in situations that will push your emotional bound
aries. As the submissive, you’re put in a safe place to let all your emotions go.”

  “It kind of sounds like some freaky yoga except for the sex part,” Lilith huffed. “Some of the stuff I saw on the internet today, it was hard to believe the submissive was doing anything, but being tortured.”

  “Some submissives like the pain/pleasure release in more extremes than others. It is up to each submissive’s Dom to find where their threshold is to bring maximum pleasure.” Gaige watched Lilith’s reaction for any sign of wariness or judgment. “The kink world is as wide and diverse as there are people. Everyone has his or her own take on Dom/sub relationships; this is my own. Some people take the lifestyle more seriously than others. What I want you to remember is that no one is judged at The Cage. It’s a space that’s provided for everyone to explore their inner fantasies.”

  Lilith thought over Gaige’s words. It was difficult to reconcile all the negative articles she had read about BDSM with what Gaige was explaining to her. At the end of everything, she might not know or trust Gaige, but she knew Calla. As much as any one person can another human being, she trusted her friend. Despite what had happened with Kevin, she still trusted Calla.

  “Do you have a lot of experience topping submissives?” Lilith blurted the question. Her insecurities over Kevin suddenly made her feel as if she needed to know more about Gaige. Calla had told her Gaige was the best training Dom at The Cage. That meant he must have slept with hundreds of women, right? Her stomach dropped at the thought of the gorgeous man in front of her being a man whore.

  “I can see the answer to your question is important,” Gaige stared straight at Lilith, as he answered, neither his eyes nor his voice wavering. “I have had my fair share of experience with submissives, but I don’t sleep with them all.”