Chapter 2: Conjunction

After that first night together, Derek and Helen rarely slept apart throughout the course, irrespective of who their partner was for the work sessions, although the sex was not so intense again because they were both tired out by the end of a day's work, and an evening's preparation for the next day's activities.

As the fortnight progressed the pairings settled down. Evidently the selections were being made and the mini teams were being set up ready for assignments after selection. Derek and Helen did work well together, there was no doubt about that, but this owed more to their complementary natures than to the sex they shared. Derek was a leader and Helen was a follower. When each had been paired with a similar personality to their own it had been much more difficult. Derek had had an almighty row with an aggressive fellow candidate, and Helen had had a disastrous, and sleepless night trying to prepare a joint presentation with a timid young man while each tried to defer to the other's wishes.

On hearing that they had both passed the course and been offered jobs working together as a team from the Bristol office, it was inevitable that Derek would find a flat, and that Helen would follow him, and it just seemed natural that they moved in together. Work in the office seemed like a holiday after the extremely intensive pressure of the induction course, but old hands warned them that as deadlines approached on a contract or even more so on a bid for new work, that the pressure would be replicated. Flat hunting had proved to be no problem, as THMA had a good relationship with a local estate agent and they were shown a number of properties the first evening they were there.

Once they had moved in, their life took on a more leisurely pace and they had more energy for bedroom games. It was then that Derek finally worked out that although she had had much more experience than him while a student, Helen was neither very imaginative, nor did she ever take the initiative. If he suggested something to try in bed Helen was always willing, but she rarely expressed an opinion either of what she would like to do, or of whether she had enjoyed what they did. In retrospect he was surprised that she had managed to tell him to come inside her on that first night.

Realising that he had a submissive partner in his life, Derek embarked on a roughly planned trip through every experience he had read about by way of kinky sex, which did not amount to much. Clearly someone had taught Helen all about anal sex, and rimming, as well as the fellation skills he had sampled on their first night together. Her breasts, while pleasant enough to play with, were not really large enough for tit fucking, and that was a bit of a washout. It was when he got round to suggesting tying her up that she first got excited about anything.

"You'll have to get some very soft rope," she told him, "or it will chafe my wrists and ankles terribly."

"Oh, you've done it before?" asked a slightly disappointed Derek.

"No, darling," she reassured him, "but Yvonne, my flat mate at Uni, tried it. They used rigging rope from a small boat and she had to have her wrists bandaged for days."

In an unwonted display of initiative, she added, "I'll see what I can find when I am in town shopping."

The rope she produced was perfect for the purpose, as far as Derek could tell. It was about three quarters of an inch thick, yet very soft and flexible, and a slightly sickly pink colour.

"What is it for?" he asked, wondering if she had ventured into one of the Adult Sex Shops to buy it.

"It's piping," she answered, then seeing his blank expression she added, "You know, for sewing on to fancy costumes and uniforms, like cheer leaders wear."

That explained why it was pale pink coloured, he supposed. Well, it didn't need to be too strong, because he wasn't intending to use it to restrain anyone who didn't want to be tied up. Then she produced another package, from a chemist's shop this time.

"I bought this as well. A blindfold," she said, producing it.

"I didn't know you could buy those," remarked Derek, who had thought of using a scarf for that very purpose.

"I told them I couldn't sleep for the street lighting," she explained, "And they produced one straight away."

After a slightly nervous dinner in a local restaurant, they made their way back to the flat at about nine o'clock. It seemed much too early for bed, but Derek was keen to get Helen into their new game before she changed her mind. He opened a bottle of Chardonnay which had been in the fridge cooling. Pouring each of them a glass, he put the bottle in the wine cooler and carried it, and his glass, into the bedroom.