by Shay Savage
“Point made,” I say curtly. “I’ll stop making assumptions.”
“Anyway,” Cree says with a wink, “everyone meets up for the munch—”
“Munch?”
“That’s kinkster talk for an informal party. It’s typically open to people new to the scene and a little less intimidating than a full-fledged dungeon party.”
“It sounds like a good name for a convention of cannibals.”
Cree laughs and shakes his head.
“So, everyone meets up, and they do whatever they’re there to do. If you’re at a munch, and you see someone you don’t know personally but you’d like to play with, there are usually people around who act as negotiators. They’re kind of like matchmakers. They figure out what you’re looking for, talk to the other person about what they have to offer, and determine if it’s a good match.”
“That sounds…complicated.”
“It’s really not.” He shrugs. “In fact, I think it’s one of the best aspects of the lifestyle. If you do proper negotiation, you rarely end up with someone’s expectations being out of whack. You make what you want very clear through the negotiator. I think if everyone did things like that, there would be fewer people falling victim to situations involving unwanted touching or even date rape.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“For instance,” Cree says as he sits up a little straighter, “I had a young woman who was new to rope that wanted me to tie her up. I was single, she was really attractive, and I was rather hoping it could lead to something more than just rope play. But then, the negotiator made it very clear to me that she didn’t want a sexual encounter and that touching certain parts of her was not acceptable. I adjusted my thinking since I knew exactly what she wanted before we ever began, and she had a great experience. Ended up bringing her boyfriend to a rope class later. If we hadn’t had that negotiation, I might have gone too far, and she would have been upset. She might have decided rope play wasn’t for her, and we wouldn’t be good friends now.”
“Oh.” I don’t know how to respond to that information. On the one hand, I understand why negotiation would be important, but on the other hand, I can’t help but wonder what he found attractive about this woman. I feel jealous, and I know how crazy that is. It’s not like I have ever had any claim on him except in my own head.
Gurgling sounds come from below, and I push myself up from the floor to go look.
The water is definitely higher. I feel a little dizzy just looking down at it, so I take a step back.
“Oh shit,” I mutter.
“The water is still ten feet away,” Cree says. “This floor is really very high up. I know it looks bad, but this is a big building with a lot of space. It would have to rain for days before the water got up here.”
“But what if it does?” I can’t hide the panic in my voice.
“Then we’ll figure out a way to get to the roof,” Cree says. “Once it’s morning, if no one has found us, I’ll go out the window and swim for help. Worst case, if I have to carry you through the water, I will. I’m a strong swimmer.”
“You can’t fit through that window.”
“I’d have to break it.”
“That glass is over a hundred years old.” I press my lips together. First the books and now the stained glass. My eyes burn at the thought.
“I’ll do whatever needs to be done,” Cree says. “I’ll keep you safe even if the water gets up this high, which I don’t think it will.”
“That’s the thought that haunts me—if it gets up so high that we can’t get away from it.”
“Try to keep your mind off of it,” he says. He reaches out and put his hand on my arm. “Let’s talk about something else.”
I close my eyes for a moment, directing all my focus on the sensation of his fingers on my skin. My tingling skin and clenching thighs are the perfect distraction, filling my head with all kinds of imagery that had never occurred to me before.
I wonder what it would feel like to have his hands touching other parts of my body, twisting rope around me. I wonder what it would feel like to have the rope tighten on my skin. Would it leave marks? Would I find it relaxing like he said his friend did?
“Cree?”
“Yeah?”
I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut, wondering what the heck I was going to say now that I’d called for his attention. I know what I want to ask, but my heart is pounding so hard it’s difficult to breathe.
Out with it before I have a complete breakdown.
“You said your friend—the one with PTSD—you said he felt less anxious when he was tied up?”
“Yeah, he does.”
“Do you think, um, maybe that would work for me?” There. It’s out.
“You mean in general, or do you mean right now?”
I swallow hard. I can’t tell by his tone or expression what he thinks of the idea, and I have no clue what I’ll do if he simply says no. Negotiation ended.
“I was thinking now,” I finally say, barely able to get the words out.
“Do you think it might help you?”
“Maybe,” I whisper. I look away, not wanting him to see my face flush. I stare at the floor and wonder why I am even suggesting such a thing.
Ever since I first figured out what he meant by rope being his hobby, the mental images kept coming. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like, and now that I’ve come out and said it, I can’t take the words back.
I don’t want to take them back.
“Kas,” Cree says slowly, “would you like me to tie you up?”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat so I can speak more clearly and turn my attention back to him. “Yes, I think I do. I mean, if you want to.”
Chapter 5—Cree
My heart begins to pound in my chest. Though I recognized my attraction to her, and I’d hoped that she might be intrigued enough by our conversation that she’d consider maybe giving it a shot sometime, I wasn’t expecting our conversations to go in this direction so quickly. Now that Kas is asking, I can feel my excitement increase by the second.
I also know this is all new to her, and I need to take it very slowly and carefully, or I will completely screw this up.
“Yes, Kas.” I speak slowly and softly as I reach over and take her hand. “I would very much like to tie you up. Are you sure you want to, though? I don’t want you to do something just because of the stress you’re feeling right now.”
“You said it might make me feel better.”
“It might, but that’s not a given.” I feel like I’m walking a very thin line. I’m thrilled that she’s interested in tying, but I don’t want to make her any promises that it will help lessen her fear. Responses are so individualized.
“I’d like to give it a try.”
I try to read her body language and expression, but I’m afraid my own desire is getting in the way, and I’m only seeing what I want to see. Her eyes are already dilated from the low light, so that’s not any help. She’s breathing heavier than normal, but that could also be from stress, not anticipation.
Why am I trying to come up with reasons not to do this?
Because I don’t want to ruin this. I want her to feel more comfortable, not less, and I don’t know how she’s going to react. I’m used to people coming up to me who have some idea about what they want from rope, and Kas has no idea what she’s getting into. I could be a great first experience for her as long as I’m perfect, and perfect isn’t easy.
No pressure.
I let out a long, shuddering breath to calm myself.
“All right,” I say, “but I have to demand total honesty from you. If at any point you feel like it isn’t helping, that you’ve made the wrong choice or you are at all uncomfortable, you must tell me. Is that clear?”
“Yes.” She clears her throat a little. “I promise.”
“Let’s negotiate a little,” I say. After my speech about negotiating, I’d feel like a hypocrite if
I didn’t practice what I preached. I move around until I’m sitting cross-legged in front of her and then give her a moment to mimic my pose. “This can be as simple or as complex as you like. I’m going to start with simple since you haven’t tried this before. If you like it, we can always do something more complex later.”
“Okay.” Kas looks down at the floor.
As much as I enjoy her naturally submissive pose, I need to know for sure what she really wants from me. I reach out and place my fingers under her chin, tilting her head until she’s looking into my eyes.
“This is about what you want,” I say, “not what I want. Rope is naturally intimate and sensual. I will have to touch you in order to tie you, but if there are places you want me to avoid, I absolutely will. I want you to be comfortable.”
“I don’t mind if you touch me.”
“Anywhere?”
“Anywhere,” she whispers, blushing. “Am I supposed to, um, take my clothes off?”
“You don’t have to,” I tell her. “I can work with whatever, and since you’re wearing a tank top, that won’t be in the way at all. The only issue is if you’re wearing an underwire bra.”
“I am.”
“I prefer it if you take that off,” I tell her. I open up my backpack and continue to speak as I pull out five coiled ropes. “If you aren’t comfortable with that, you can leave it on. It just restricts what I can do. The shirt can stay. Clothing in general is not a problem, but I don’t want the underwire to press too hard against you. I can control where the rope goes, not so much the underwire.”
“So I just take my bra off?”
“Whatever you’re comfortable with, really. Leave it on if the idea makes you nervous. It just limits what I can do.”
“I can take it off.” She looks away from me. “Not sure I understand why, but it’s not a problem.”
“My primary concern is your safety,” I tell her. “I don’t want anything to hurt you.”
“How would I get hurt?” Kas reaches behind her back and under her shirt.
“Rope has some inherent dangers,” I say, trying to keep myself from staring at her as she removes her bra and folds it beside her. I place the ropes next to each other, spread out on the floor, and then set my backpack away a bit but still close enough that I can reach it. “I want to make sure you are both aware of them and know I’m prepared for them.” I pull out a long, sharp pair of scissors and place them near the ropes. “This will easily cut through the rope. If you are in any pain or even if you’re just upset or starting to panic, I’ll untie you immediately. If that isn’t fast enough, you say the word, and I’ll cut the ropes away. These scissors will be right beside me the whole time.”
Kas nods. I see her throat bob as she swallows.
“Kas?”
“Yeah?”
“In the three years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never had to cut anyone out of rope. It’s purely a precaution. I just want you to go into this aware that there is an element of danger. Most of the danger comes from being suspended, which we’re not going to do, but this is a form of edgeplay.”
“Edgeplay?”
“It has some risks—not as extreme as playing with fire or knives, but it’s there.”
“Like what?”
“Nerve damage is the most common. That’s why it’s important for you to tell me if you start feeling tingly or numb anywhere. I know what areas to avoid, so that shouldn’t be a problem, but we still have to be careful. I’ll also check on you from time to time, making sure you can make a fist and such.”
Kas looks worried, and I reach out to place my fingers lightly on her thigh.
“I’m going to take care of you,” I say. “I want you to feel safe.”
“Okay.” She nods. “I do feel safe with you.”
“Good.” I can’t help but smile as I withdraw my hand and reach for one coil of rope. “Do you have any injuries I should know about?”
“Injuries?”
“Bad shoulder, neck pain—anything like that.”
“No.”
“Okay, good. You ready?”
“Yes.”
“Stand up.”
She complies, standing in the middle of the towels and placing her feet a little apart for balance.
“Very nice,” I say softly as I come up behind her.
I stand as close to her as I can without touching her with my body. I listen to her breathing as she feels my presence without experiencing my touch. I let a few long seconds go by before I touch her waist and then slowly press my chest to her back as I glide my fingers up her side.
Her skin is warm, and I close my eyes for a moment as I touch her. I resist the urge to immediately wrap my arms around her and take her breasts in my hands. It’s way too soon for that, but my mind still takes me there. I have to make sure I don’t press against her too much, or she’ll know exactly how I’m feeling about all of this.
I place both hands on her shoulders and roughly twist her a quarter turn to the left, careful to keep her close to me so she doesn’t fall. She startles a little but quickly regains her balance. With one hand still on her shoulder, I use the other hand to take her wrist and pull it behind her back. I repeat the action with her other hand and then hold both wrists together at the small of her back while I shake out the first rope.
“Shouldn’t I have a safeword or something?” she asks.
“Do you feel like you need one?” I grin, amused by how many people outside the kink community are so interested in the idea of a safeword these days. I blame books, but I don’t really mind. A lot of those books have made my interests a lot more acceptable to others.
“I just…I know I’ve heard something about safewords.”
“How about this?” I say, leaning in close and whispering in her ear. “If I do something you don’t like, you say ‘I don’t like that,’ and I won’t do that anymore. If you want me to slow down, tell me to slow down. If you want to stop, say ‘stop,’ and I’ll untie you. I think that will do it. Sound good?”
“Yes, it does.” Kas snickers a bit.
“I’m going to start tying you now,” I say, holding out the U-shaped middle section of the rope for her to see. “The rope is folded in half. I start with the middle of the rope, called the bight, and I use the two ends of the folded rope to work it around you. Those are called the working ends.”
I pull the rope back behind her and turn my attention to her wrists. I stack her arms on top of each other behind her. I create a quick, single-column tie by wrapping the rope around both wrists twice, making sure the rope is loose enough for me to get my fingers under it, then looping it around the ropes above her wrists, using my fingers to pull the loop under the rope, and then tightening it off with a quick jerk.
My mind and body focus together, and muscle memory takes over as I move. With practiced ease, I hold the rope between her shoulder blades with my fingers and use my thumb to keep part of it out, away from the line of rope up her back. I lean against her and wrap my right arm across her collarbones, grabbing the opposite shoulder as I hug her against me.
Kas gasps a bit but maintains her composure as I grab the end of the rope from my thumb and pull it slowly across her chest. I use the working end of the rope to secure it between her shoulder blades and then repeat my actions with my left arm. Before I grab the end of the rope this time, I hold Kas against my chest for a moment, slowly running my nose along her neck, inhaling deeply.
She shivers, and I smile.
With one hand remaining on her upper arm, I turn her around so she’s facing me. I run my finger over the ropes in front of her, making sure they’re straight and the knot in the back is lined up before I continue.
I slide the rope under her arm, cinch it to the rope across her chest, and then bring it back behind her. I repeat the movement on the other side.
I reach down for another rope, quickly tie it to the ends of the first, and go to work again. Still standing behind her, I reach around
underneath her arm to grab the next rope. I press the full length of my body against her as I slowly slide my free hand under her breast, lifting it slightly as I lay the rope beneath it, then move to the next breast. I feel her tense, and she holds her breath as I touch her more intimately.
“Still okay?” I ask softly.
“Yes.”
I relax into the feeling of the rope in my hands as I lay it across her body. I loop, wrap, and tie around her as I shift her weight back and forth, showing her my control over her movements. I sense it immediately when she gives in to the sensation and leans her weight back against me as I reach around her. Her breathing is heavy but not too fast, and her eyes are closed. I smile to myself, and I pull the rope around her again.
I back off, grabbing the rope and pulling it around her quickly as cool air flows between our bodies. I lock the rope between her shoulders and pull it down, connecting it to the column running down her spine, looping it around again and again, creating an intricate set of knots down her back. I let the working end drop, grasp the column of rope in the center of her back, and yank hard.
Kas stumbles slightly as she’s propelled backward, smacking her back against me. I hold her easily, moving her back and forth a couple of times before wrapping my arm back over her chest and holding her still.
“How does that feel?” I whisper against her neck. Through the arm wrapped around her, I feel the quick beat of her heart.
“Good.” Her single word is breathy.
Just how I like it.
I slip my fingers down and place them in the palm of her hand.
“Squeeze my fingers.” She complies quickly, and I switch to the other hand. “Again. Good girl.”
I tie off the loose end and turn her around, running my finger over the top edge of the rope as if they aren’t already perfectly aligned. I really just want to touch her more and to have her experience my touch. I turn her around, wrapping one arm around her chest as I pull her against me.
“This is called a TK tie or a box tie,” I tell her. “It’s the simplest one I can do with your clothes on.”
