Chapter 24

It was odd that we'd have such a short conversation alone only to go back downstairs to talk to someone else. I thought Lady Brighid was going to teach me some kind of spell to do what needed doing, but apparently not. I followed her out of the bedroom-slash-dungeon and downstairs.

The VIP section was about twice the size of the room we left upstairs. One long curved bench followed the circular walls from one side of the entrance all the way around to the other. Seven small tables were spaced along the bench and chairs lined those tables. The music didn't hit as hard in there either, and like on the main floor, I felt out of place among all of the leather and latex.

Lady Brighid didn't go far. She turned to the first table on our left. A couple sitting on the bench looked up and smiled at her. The man wore a leather vest, a heavy collar with a leash attached to the D ring, and a full hood. The hood had openings for his eyes and mouth, but zippers were built into them. His nose was completely covered but with a tilt of his head, I saw small holes for his nostrils, making breathing easier when everything else was closed up. The woman was stunning. Her hair flowed in luxurious locks about her shoulders, framing her face. Her eyes sparkled in the low light, and her smile made me feel at home in the thumping music, leather and latex clad patrons, and sheer number of strangers. Her body was compact, small even. She wore a latex dress with stripes in two tones of purple that ran its length.

Lady Brighid greeted them and they called her Bianca. I suspected that all the Magi I had met so far, except for Jordan, had adopted nicknames to help hide their identities, and for the redhead I accompanied this seemed to confirm it. She turned to me. "Seth, this is Jaime and Tony. Jaime, Tony, this is Seth."

I shook hands with Jaime, but Tony was hesitant to shake with me. Lady Brighid hadn't touched him, so I wasn't sure what else to do.

The leash at his collar jerked. "Shake his hand," Jaime said with a touch of annoyance.

He reached out and shook my hand, letting go quickly as if he didn't want to touch me any more than absolutely necessary.

Everyone else nearby watched us with interest until Lady Brighid and I sat down. I felt a little better until she said, "Seth is in need of your special consultation."

I frowned and looked at her. "What does this have to do with my problem?"

Jaime looked at me. "Four more questions and you'll know."

I was thankful she hadn't commented on my attire, but this made less sense. "What questions?"

Jaime studied me for a moment. "Which do you prefer: giving up control, maintaining control of what goes on in your life, the world is equal, or you'll only do what others want if it suits you?"

I shook my head in confusion. "What does this have to do ... OW!" Someone kicked me under the table. From the angle, it had to be Lady Brighid.

"Answer the question, Seth," she said. "She's trying to help."

I shot her a quick glare and then turned to Jaime. "I need to maintain control of what goes on in my life."

She nodded. "If your girlfriend tells you to go get her a drink, how do you respond?"

I shrugged. "Okay, but she gets the next thing needed."

Jaime smiled. Tony looked like he was frowning behind his mask. "Does your heart beat harder just bringing a sandwich to your girlfriend?" Jaime asked. Tony smiled and leaned toward Jaime a little, but not enough to press against her.

"I suppose," I said. "It would depend on my mood."

Jaime nodded again. "Last question: when you go out to eat, do you hope your girlfriend will order for you?" Tony smiled and gave a small nod.

I chuckled, stopped when Lady Brighid frowned at me, and said, "If she gets to order for me, do I get to order for her?"

Jaime smiled. Tony looked lost. "You're an interesting person, Seth," Jaime said. "I'd say you're neutral. You don't tend to sit on one side or the other. You also may switch back and forth depending on your moods, how you feel, so on and so forth. You question things and don't choose to randomly obey when told to do things."

I held up my hand and Jaime stopped talking. "Switch back and forth between what?"

Everyone around me swapped glances. Lady Brighid said, "Seth, do you really not know what we're talking about?"

I looked around at everyone. Jordan hadn't offered a clue, but there were clues all throughout the club. The bedroom-slash-dungeon upstairs, the offers of "playing" that I didn't think had anything to do with childhood toys, the way Jaime tugged at Tony's leash and commanded him to shake my hand, and the fact that most of the patrons sitting in the VIP area wore collars not as some kind of fashion accessory but as a symbol to the people they were with. I looked at Lady Brighid again and asked, "BDSM?"

"Yes and no," Jaime said. "Dominance and submission, but it can lead to BDSM. What I was trying to determine was whether you are Dominant or submissive."

"But you said I was neutral," I said. "I could switch between the two."

She nodded. "Occasionally, someone falls into that category. You are a little more unique because your choice to switch is guided by your moods and emotions rather than your consciousness."

"So, I have no control over that?" I asked.

"Well, if you control your emotions, then yes," she said. "But if someone or something changes how you feel, you may switch without thinking about it."

"Couldn't that be dangerous?" I asked.

Jaime's eyebrows rose. "Only if you and your girlfriend are doing something dangerous already, otherwise it would only be confusing to her. However, you're protective of your friends, so you may find the strength of will to maintain your position."

I shook my head. "Position?"

"It's a general term. Dominants are referred to as Tops and subs are Bottoms. Position is in reference to those aspects."

I nodded and looked at Lady Brighid. She had introduced me to Jaime to find out whether I was a Dom or sub. Unfortunately, I didn't know what it all meant. I shook my head. "I don't understand. What does this have to do with my problem?"

"You came to learn," she said. "We'll teach."

"The first thing you have to do, Seth, is to open your mind," Jaime said.

"Should I be taking notes?" I asked them.

Lady Brighid shook her head. "On the most basic level, it's like the one rule of my club: you have to have permission."

I shook my head again. "You're being too vague."

"As a Dom, I command my subs," Jaime said. "They do my bidding. At the same time, I'm responsible for them. I have to take care of them."

It sounded like what any relationship should be, except for the titles and one commanding the other.

"As my sub, he does what I tell him to. He usually feels thrilled, but occasionally I have to bring him back into line with our agreement."

"Agreement?" I asked. "Like a contract?"

Jaime nodded. "Yes. Some actually write up formal contracts and sign them, but I've never felt the need to. I like to keep our arrangement fluid, that way if something happens that one of us doesn't like, we can discuss it and fine-tune our relationship."

"Not everyone agrees with her philosophy though," Lady Brighid said. "They may prefer the rigidity of a written contract. That way neither the Dom nor the sub can change the rules they've agreed to."

"Can't that lead to problems?" I asked.

"Actually, both can," Jaime said. "However, if the Dom and sub are honest with themselves and each other, both options can make for a lasting and enjoyable relationship."

I looked at Tony. "Then you enjoy what you have with Jaime?"

He glanced at Jaime but didn't say anything. Like when I offered to shake hands with him, he was hesitant to respond. Jaime smiled at him and then looked at me. "I speak for Tony," she said. "He's not allowed to do anything without my permission, like shaking your hand."

I frowned. "You can't be there for him all the time."

She shook her head. "I should have been more specific. When we're together, I command him. He has his own job and his own apartment. He lives his life like anyone else, except when we're together."

I nodded. "Like tonight."

She nodded.

I studied his eyes for a moment. Even with the mask, I could tell that he wasn't upset. Quite the opposite in fact. He seemed pleased she had answered for him. It was a level of control I couldn't imagine giving up, and I said, "You say I'm neutral, that I could be one or the other." Jaime nodded and I continued, "I don't know that I could give up so much to someone else."

She smiled. "With the right person, I know you can. You do tend toward Dominance, which is why you feel that way, but don't let the newness of this scare you. Remember, it may be new to you, but this kind of arrangement has been around for a long, long time. In fact, many socially acceptable lifestyles follow similar arrangements. Take the Military. As a grunt, you're a sub. What you want doesn't matter. You serve those of higher rank and authority. You follow orders without question and work hard day and night to please them. Gradually, you rise in rank and eventually, if you stick with it, you find yourself in the Dominant position, commanding other grunts and fielding responsibility for them."

I suddenly realized that Jaime was right, though she probably didn't suspect in what way. I felt responsible for my girls. I protected them, looked out for their well-being and happiness. I didn't exactly command them though. With some of them, that wouldn't work at all. Yet, on the flip side, I gave in to them too. I let them control what happened when it came to sex and matters of emotional nature. It was a balance I had known about and followed instinctively, but now I had a better understanding of what was happening. In some ways, I was Dominant. I had Magic and drank of them so my powers wouldn't force me to do what I didn't want to. In other ways, I was submissive. I wanted the girls to be happy and let them have their way because it was the most direct way to achieve that. And in other things, we were all equal. We all had hopes, dreams, and emotions. We all had fears and problems to face and overcome. I could only hope that by defining those various roles, I didn't screw it all up.

I looked up to find everyone at our table watching me.

"I think he understands," Jaime said.

Lady Brighid nodded. "Yes, I believe so too."

"Now, for the real test," Jaime said. "Can you take it further?"

I frowned. "Further?"

She nodded. "If given a sub, can you Dominate? If given to a Dom, can you serve?"

I took a deep breath and blew it out. I started to shake my head, no, but I stopped. Hadn't my understanding of what it meant included that? No, it hadn't. I looked at Jaime. "I don't know." I looked from her to Lady Brighid and back. "You're not serious about a test are you?"

Jaime's smile shifted. "A Dom should never fear acquiring a new sub. In fact, most Doms I know enjoy breaking in a new sub." She noticed my cringe and said, "It's only a term meaning to get to know the sub." Then she shrugged. "Unless you're into that sort of play." I shook my head and she continued. "Just remember that most of our terms don't necessarily mean what they sound like. What may also surprise you is a sub's willingness to become a good Dom's sub. The challenge is finding you the right sub."

I frowned and looked down the line of tables. If the subs all wore collars, then most of the women in the VIP area were Dominant. I only spotted one woman wearing a collar. Even with her back turned to me, I could see her collar because her hair was made up in a complex braid, which she hung over her shoulder. The man she sat across from wore a leather jacket but nothing under it. He had a rough, almost cruel expression though his face was sculpted and probably considered handsome. He met my eyes and frowned.

I frowned in return and turned back to my table.

"Subs only have a few basic rules," Lady Brighid said. "The most important rules regard whether or not they belong to someone."

"How do you know the difference?" I asked.

Jaime reached up and stroked Tony's collar. "By their collar. If a sub belongs to someone, their collar will be locked, and usually something will be attached to the ring to denote who their Dom is."

"So, the subs that don't belong to someone will be missing this?" I asked.

"And the collar will be unlocked," Lady Brighid said. "Sometimes a sub will show up wearing an open collar, but will cover it to mean they're not looking for a Dom."

"Why not simply take the collar off?" I asked.

She smiled. "You never know when you might meet a Dom you want to submit to."

I nodded. It was sort of like me carrying my fetish in my pocket. "So, you're suggesting that I find a sub?" Both women smiled and nodded. "Tonight?" I asked and they nodded again. "Now?" I asked with growing apprehension as they continued to nod.

I slumped back in my chair. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Relax, Seth," Jaime said. "It's not like we're telling you to sign a contract with anyone. Simply find someone you're attracted to and who is a sub. If she belongs to a Dom, ask permission to borrow her for a couple of hours."

I didn't like the sound of that, but I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to do otherwise. "And then what?"

Lady Brighid gave me a coy look. "We have rooms upstairs for different activities."

I remembered the bedroom-slash-dungeon, and a small shiver ran up my spine.

Jaime must have noticed. "Remember the agreements we talked about. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"You just have to have permission," Lady Brighid added and Jaime nodded.

I heard a smack and a woman squealed in pain. Lady Brighid, Jaime, and Tony all looked past me toward the commotion. I turned in my seat to see too, because I was morbidly curious. It was like watching a train wreck in motion.