[Star Shadows]

~*Five*~

They sat across from one another in a small both at the back of a pub. Looking deeply into each other’s eyes- as another short silence washed across them. As he took a sip of his drink he noticed something on her wrist. A small tattoo. He looked at with an intent curiosity. As she noticed him looking she hid her wrist in her other hand and looked away. Shy. Embarrassed. Self conscious.

“Heyy, don’t worry I think it’s really pretty. Beautiful in fact.”

She looked back to him a little and let her hand fall to the desk. There in the middle of her wrist was a small set of hand cuffs. Beautifully detailed yet ever so intricate. The lines were smooth crisp and incredibly fine, and in one of the cuffs was a delicate letter A, and in the other the symbol for ying and yang that seemed to sparkle as the light hit it. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life- well except for her... but that didn’t count. He looked at her again so many questions running through his mind. So many thoughts and emotions. He reached out his hand touching hers in the centre of the table and his fingers softly stroking her wrist and the tattoo that he was so mesmerised by.

“So are you into the lifestyle” He asked quietly, she just looked at him a moment.

“Mrao?” She had never really thought of her submission as a lifestyle, so the question caught her off guard as she looked at him through interested eyes. “Lifestyle?”

He looked at her bemused for a moment. “Erm the whole Sub/Dom thing? I thought with the tattoo you were- hmm, haha, never mind.”

“Oh oh that, mh yea i am.” She mumbled looking down at his tattoo. “I guess I never realised it was a lifestyle choice y’know?” her voice was weak and vulnerable, shy, ever so different from the powerful voice that sang to him out on the streets. It was clearly a delicate subject for her.

“So are you submissive or dominant?” He asked softly trying to make sure he kept his voice low to a whisper.

“I’m an em submissive. Well I am. Well was. It’s complicated. You?” She again looked very awkward again but still looked at him, intent on what he had to day.

“Convenient. I’m a dominant- have been for 2 years, never really found the right girl though.” He looked her contemplating asking the killer question- but in the lapse in time she beat him to it. With the first of anything even remotely resembling confidence she asked him outright then and there if he wanted to visit the ‘club’ with him, by this they both knew exactly where she meant. He nodded in agreement and took her by the hand.

“M’lady, Shall we?” She giggled and followed him, and he smiled as they left the pub. Most people were oblivious to the small underground fetish club right in the centre of Dublin. The entrance of the club was dark, but not such that it stood out. Under a small, ancient bridge the door was understated and very much built in with the archaic structure of the bridge and surrounding landscape. The door was made out of cast iron and was very simplistic- quite opposite from the inside. On their way to the club they began talking more openly about their experiences and their likes and limits and the general needs to know before they got in there. She found him compelling and he couldn’t believe how much he liked her already. They walked slowly enjoying each other’s company and conversation. The wind was chilly against their chin but the sky was so beautiful and warm the city full of life. the flow of traffic was less now that people were beginning to settle into their pubs of choice so there was only a little dwindle of people as they worked to the club which meant they could talk freely.

“So, you’ve had experience in the lifestyle i gather?” Ethan asked nervously- while it was an important question, he was scared about spooking her by asking about something she herself admitted was ‘complicated’. What if she felt his questions pushed too far. She sighed and stopped turning him to face her. Looking down for a moment she returned her gaze to him.

“You could say that.” She could feel her airways close off as she spoke she still struggled with her past- talking about it was hard for her even now. It still hurt. “When i first became involved- it wasn't by choice. I was blackmailed, and abused but became addicted to the pain even when someone tried to help me out. It almost killed me. But i became dependant on it.”

She wiped a tear away and he hugged her tight. Whispering support into her ear.

“That sounds terrible Anabelle. I could never imagine going through something like that.” He rubbed her arms and after a while of changing to various different other topics with a shameless obviousness he had managed to cheer her up again. They began to laugh and joke and quickly the mood lightened again- joking while they still took in more and more information about one another.

After stopping off at Ethan’s place to get some things ready and together- and change into something more appropriate for the situation they began making their way directly to the club. They entered a long corridor with stone stairs down to the inner door. The walls were a rich red leather the corridor lit by two minimalist black candelabras. It was an incredibly stylish and building and screamed luxury. The door was guarded by two large men- physically powerful in black jeans with a crop at their side. Each wore the insignia of the club on a chain around their neck. They looked up to see Ethan leading the way down the corridor, stopping feet in front of them.

He looked to Anabelle, her face calm, but feathered with anticipation. She nodded at him, and they turned to face one another. This was a ritual he did with all of his submissives on their first time at the club- a show of power so to speak, to assert his authority. Not that he needed to. But also to give them something to remember.

“Kneel, Anabelle.” he whispered in her ear, pressing a hand to her shoulder. Obediently she fell to her knees and looked up at him calmly.

Thank you all for your kind words of support feel free to leave more comments.