Too Hip for Love

by Sindra van Yssel

  After several minutes working on Karen’s back and ass, Alex put the floggers down. He whispered something to Karen, and she tensed slightly, then relaxed and nodded. Alex picked up another, heavier flogger. Stage two. Good. Karen would be floating soon.

  But instead of beating her with it, Alex walked away.

  What the fuck? He knows better than to leave someone tied up unattended. Parker started to get up and then forced himself down. Alex did know better. And he was still in the room. Parker didn’t know what the two of them had agreed to, and Alex could rescue her if she was in trouble. Karen had chosen to trust Alex, and Parker had to do the same. Besides, deep down he knew the man was trustworthy, at least when it came to safety.

  Alex walked by the bar and got a beer. One beer doesn’t usually cloud someone’s judgment. But none is better. As far as Parker was concerned, alcohol and play didn’t mix. He’d thought Alex agreed. Dammit. Alex took two steps back toward Karen and then stopped and looked around the club until he ended up staring straight at Parker.

  Parker stared back. He was tempted to stand to even the height difference.

  Alex walked toward him. Parker was tempted to tell Alex he should be attending to his sub. But he held his tongue, partly because he didn’t want to call Karen Alex’s sub, but mostly because he wanted to hear what Alex had to say.

  “Karen and I have negotiated a scene. She wants mystery, and she gave me consent to involve people she trusts. I can’t think of anyone she trusts more than you.” Alex held the flogger out.

  And if not me, then will he find someone else? “Tell me more.”

  KAREN RESTED HER weight against the X frame. Her arms and wrists were securely bound. She hadn’t been able to resist testing her bonds, knowing that Alex wasn’t an expert with rope, but he had been more than capable of making the simple ties around her limbs, and the ends of the rope were safely out of reach of her hands. She wasn’t getting loose. Neither was she going to be able to wiggle the blindfold out of position. She relaxed, satisfied, and focused on the insistent fast beat of the electronic dance music playing from the loudspeakers.

  What happens next, I have no control over. She had, of course, had control over whom she’d come with. Alex was a master flogger and a good guy, and she’d expected a nice, simple scene and some pleasant companionship. She’d been surprised when he had instead suggested something that tapped into her edgier fantasies, but she had control over that too. She’d consented. And she knew why she’d made both decisions. She’d wanted to show Parker she didn’t need him. It didn’t address her worries about the future, but she still felt like making that statement to him and to herself.

  Now, blindfolded, half-naked, helpless, she didn’t even know who would be touching her or how many people or even what gender. She trusted Alex to keep her safe. Alex was a little dull usually but very reliable. The only person she’d trust more was Parker. And Alex had said he would only involve people he trusted absolutely.

  A flogger was laid across her shoulder. She felt a hand on the other shoulder.

  “I’ve found someone to continue your flogging,” Alex said. “Enjoy. I’ll be watching. And seeing if I can find more people.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Someone,” said Alex maddeningly.

  “Man or woman?”

  “You said you didn’t care which, so I brought the one that I would enjoy most. I’ll be back soon.” He tapped her shoulder. She could hear him walking away.

  Woman, then. She knew better than to think that meant she’d be getting away easy. Men might be stronger, but they also tended to underestimate what a woman could take.

  The flogger landed softly on her back, reminding her of Alex’s deerskin strokes.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” she said, trying to draw a response. She thought there was a decent chance she’d be able to place a voice.

  But there was only silence. The strokes got harder, playing across her back. Whoever was flogging her had skill—there were no misses, no accidental wraparound, even as the tempo increased to match the steady beat of the music. Of course Alex would pick somebody good.

  She let herself sink into the feeling, absorbing the caresses of the leather tails against her back and spacing out. She heard footsteps and did not know whether they were people Alex had brought or simply people passing by to use some other piece of equipment.

  A hand stroked along her left side. A smaller hand, on her right. A man and a woman. They traced a line from her hand to her knee and then back up again, not quite in sync. Then the man paused at her hip, and she felt her panties loosen. They tied on the sides, and he must have untied them. The woman did the same, and the coins on her panties jingled as the garment was pulled away, and clinked when they landed on top of her bra. Cool air blew against her wet pussy, as if she needed a reminder that she was exposed. The ropes on her ankles would not budge, she knew from prior testing, so there was no point in trying to close her legs.

  The hands went away, but the flogging continued. Now, however, her tormenter concentrated on her bottom. Her back felt feverish from the beating she’d already received, and whoever was flogging her clearly intended to give her ass the same feeling.

  Now the first flogger was joined by a second. Alex was a master of two-hand flogging, but she was sure it was two people. A light, soft flogger wrapped around to flick against the sides her breasts, and then again against her pussy. This was no mistake but very intentional. The thin strands were almost like pinpricks against her sensitive skin. She felt herself getting wetter and wondered how obvious it was to those around.

  She wondered if Parker was watching. She pushed him out of her mind. He was probably playing with some slut. It didn’t matter. She shouldn’t be doing it for him anyway. She was here for herself, for the sensations. And she was floating away on them in a haze.

  “I’m going to take her further,” said Alex. “Give me the black and red cat, please.”

  The flogging stopped. The black and red cat. She knew exactly what flogger he meant. It was made of two kinds of leather, braided, with knots. The knots stung like hell. Alex loved that flogger, and when he found a woman who could take it, he often played with her again and again, leaving marks that would last for days. Karen wasn’t sure she could take it. I could take it for Parker. I’ll have to pretend. She braced herself for the strokes.

  Instead, the next thing she felt was a touch on her ass, and then her hip. Warm. A man’s hand. The touch drifted down her thighs, not quite intimate but well beyond friendly. It distracted her and made her relax.

  Then the flogger struck her ass, and she yelped.

  The next moments were a blur. Light strokes from a soft flogger—maybe the same as the first one Alex had used on her—were mixed with hard strokes from the braided cat. He gave her enough recovery time that the lashes didn’t blend in with each other, and not so much that she had time to return her mind to its calm, normal state.

  And the hands kept roving. She couldn’t tell whether it was one person or two because the whip left her disoriented. But the touches did not stay merely friendly. They squeezed her heavy breasts and brushed against her hard, sensitive nipples, producing an overload of sensation. She floated ever higher from the pain and the touch. She heard a snapping sound but didn’t have time to wonder what it was as the cat struck her again. She knew he was hitting her as hard, possibly harder, but it didn’t matter anymore. It didn’t feel like pain, even, although he was probably leaving bruises. Her mind changed it into a lover’s touch, and the bliss she felt went on and on.

  A rubber-gloved finger stroked against her clit, and she almost came. It stroked again, gently, keeping her on the edge as the soft deerskin flogger played against her ass. Suddenly, the finger pressed her clit firmly at the same moment the cat landed.

  This time, she did come, screaming out her release. Her body felt hard for a moment, then soft as if she’d melted. The finger slipped inside, and she didn’t resist. She heard a
thump, and the flogging continued. The cat, however, did not strike again. She had only the soft leather and hands on her body. She didn’t know how many people were involved, and she’d given up trying to count how many hands were on her at one time. The glow felt too good.

  Slowly arousal built again. A breath on her nipple. A finger tracing her ear. The soft caress of the flogger on her warm back and aching bottom. A tickle across her labia. Another across her ass. What aroused her the most was actually the touch of fingers into the places where the knots had struck, making her feel the bruises there.

  A rubber-covered finger was inserted into her pussy, then two. Another, or perhaps it was a thumb pressed against her clit. Then, without warning, both of them started vibrating, with a low buzzing sound. The depth and strength of the vibrations surprised her. Her pussy ached with a desire for release, but it would not come. She willed herself to, but the harder she tried the more certain she was that this time she was simply not going to be able to achieve climax. Perhaps I should just relax and enjoy the sensation. I’m overthinking.

  Suddenly a hand gripped her breast and fingers pushed against the bruises on her ass. The mix of pain and surprise distracted her and got her out of her head for a moment, and that was all she needed. Her body shook as the fingers vibrated inside her and against her, and then her pussy followed. For a moment, all was light, and she hardly knew what was happening. Then she collapsed, letting the rope hold her, spent and satisfied.

  She heard footsteps walking away. Felt a hand on her shoulder. “That was beautiful, Karen.” It was Alex’s voice. “I’m going to untie you now.”

  He undid the rope, and together they stumbled over to a couch. Karen wasn’t supporting her own weight, and Alex wasn’t the strongest of men. But they made it. They cuddled for a while, which felt funny. It was strange that her guard was more up cuddling with a friend than it was being naked on the cross with unknown people touching her, but she was already transitioning to a different head space.

  When she got up from it, though, she knew it would be time to get her clothes back on and head home. It had been a long week at work. She would be happy to get some sleep. She didn’t want to deal with everyone today.

  Most specifically, she didn’t want to deal with Parker.

  The scene had been what she wanted, but now she felt guilty. She knew she’d done it partly to make Parker jealous after the previous Friday night. She looked around for him. He was sitting where he had been before and didn’t seem to be looking at her, but there was no indication he’d found someone to play with. Had he watched her the whole time?

  It had been the sort of scene she would have watched. She looked up at Alex. “Thank you for putting that together,” she said. Whatever she was feeling now or in the future, he’d been an excellent top—inventive and unselfish. He’d gotten her off—or arranged for someone else to—and hadn’t expected anything in return. And now he was doing his best to provide aftercare.

  “You’re very welcome. Was fun for me too.”

  She should let him go play with someone else. Servicing him would be, well, awkward. She didn’t want Parker to see that. And honestly, she didn’t see Alex that way. He was a friend, and sex or a blowjob would change that. If that was hypocritical, it didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to, and Alex wouldn’t want her to do something she didn’t want to do. She straightened, and he let go of her easily.

  “One thing and then I’ll let you go,” said Karen. “The night is young, and I’m sure there’s more play to be had, and I’m too tired to provide it.”

  Alex nodded. If he was disappointed, he hid it. “What’s that, Karen?”

  She smiled inside. No “little sub” from Alex, or anything else. His words reaffirmed that they were being friends. Top and bottom for the moment, play partners, but still just friends. With the scene over he addressed her as an equal.

  “So who all was involved?”

  Alex shook his head. “I didn’t negotiate telling you. And I’m going to ask you not to try to ask people. Trust me, Karen. The mystery was what made it hot. Enjoy the mystery of it. Everything else we did might be in a scene you see here every night.”

  “At least how many people?”

  Alex shook his head again.

  She thought about Alex’s love of being a showman. How he learned new ways to flog people just so that he could look better doing it. This was what he got out of it. This is his part, the reward for the sensations he gave me and the orgasms and all the rest. “I’ll try to respect your request,” she said. “But it’s going to drive me nuts.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I think I better get dressed.”

  “Everyone’s loss,” said Alex.

  “Aww,” Karen answered. Everyone had seen her naked, and there was no point in being shy about it. Not that she felt like making a lot of eye contact either. She got up and went to get her clothes. She’d come back for the slave girl outfit she’d been wearing after she was dressed.

  She had gotten her jeans and her bra on when Alicia joined her. “Hi, Karen.”

  Karen smiled. “Hi, Sunny.”

  “Hot scene.”

  “Yeah. I wonder who all was touching me.” Technically, that’s not asking. I’m just wondering aloud.

  Alicia giggled. “I bet you do.”

  “C’mon, Alicia.”

  Alicia shook her head. “The people involved went around asking everyone else not to tell. I don’t know if Alex promised them anonymity or not. I’m not getting involved. But I did want to say hi and not let you rush off without saying good-bye.”

  “I have to go back to get my costume.” Karen pulled a sweater over her head. “I would love to spend some time with you guys.” Especially Parker. I wish I could explain to him how I feel. Why I agreed to do what I did. “But I’m beat.” And hopefully I’ll see Parker tomorrow afternoon. Knowing him, he’ll pretend tonight didn’t happen.

  But instead Parker was there outside the meeting room, holding the golden outfit. “Alex asked me to make sure you got this.”

  Karen smiled and took the costume from him. “Did he find someone to play with?”

  Parker nodded, looking almost apologetic. Karen shrugged. “That’s fine. Who?” She looked and saw Alex with the college coed Parker had played with the week before. “Ah. No worries.” Seems after me, everyone likes youth. I didn’t think I was old.

  “That was a very hot outfit, Karen. You looked really good in it.”

  “Why, thank you.” She wasn’t sure she could take the compliment at face value, but it came from the right source.

  “And really good out of it. Incredibly hot scene. Made me a little jealous.”

  Ah. So Parker definitely wasn’t involved. She felt disappointed in that but pleased that it had its desired effect. “See you tomorrow?”

  “I think so,” said Parker. “I’ll let you know.”

  Grr. She supposed after her late cancellation, he had the right to do the same. But she didn’t want him to be able to. “I’m sorry about last week.”

  “Don’t worry about it. There will be an e-mail for you in the morning. Don’t check before seven.”

  That was strange. But she nodded. “Yes, Sir.” She usually only called him Sir when they were in a scene, but he’d given an order, and she responded to it reflexively.

  “Good girl,” said Parker and turned around, leaving her to stare after him.

  “Hug?” asked Alicia.

  “Definitely.” Karen hugged her and then left Knotty and Nice. If Parker was going to play, she didn’t want to see it, and if that made her a hypocrite, so be it.

  She went home. She was looking forward to Saturday afternoon but had mixed feelings about the rest of the week. She was having dinner with a Dutch guy from the dating site named Maarten on Monday. Gavin had asked her if she wanted to go skiing on Thursday evening through Sunday, and against her better judgment, she’d accepted, although she said she might need to come back
early for an appointment Saturday afternoon. She liked skiing. Gavin she wasn’t so sure about—he seemed nice enough but a bit dull. Still, he was paying, and he’d promised separate rooms, so he wasn’t rushing anything. Both Gavin and Maarten seemed like nice, normal people, quite possibly lovely to watch TV with and raise children with and all of that. Neither showed any signs of being kinky, and she doubted very much either would be happy to let her spend Saturday afternoons submitting to Parker. If Parker even wanted to see her. He could be perceptive at times and might know that tonight’s scene was partly for his benefit. She couldn’t blame him for being pissed off.

  Oh well. I’ve made my bed. Now I get to lie in it. The next move is up to him. She always liked it when the man made the moves.

  Chapter Three

  The phone rang and woke Karen at eight fifteen, but there was no one there, and the number was unlisted. She had wanted to sleep in later, but she knew she wouldn’t get any more sleep, so she got up and read her e-mail, still in her green flannel pj’s. There was a message from Parker, with the subject CHANGE OF PLANS. He had sent it a few minutes before.

  He’s pissed, and he’s canceling. One of Parker’s firm rules was that he would never play angry. Well, I guess I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t gotten a reaction at all. She opened the e-mail and read it.

  Shower and be in front of the Macy’s at Pentagon City on the C deck of the parking garage at eleven sharp. Bring ID but leave your wallet at home. Follow directions I send you by text. Acknowledge or nothing will happen. Parker.

  She could ride the Metro and get there by ten easily enough, although her original intention had been to sleep until then. “What the fuck, Parker?” she said aloud. He had certainly surprised her before, but he wasn’t usually so mysterious. She reread the note for some hint of anger or forgiveness, anything that might indicate his reaction to the night before, but there was nothing. He didn’t have the right to order her around outside a scene. They didn’t have that kind of ongoing relationship.