Elvira "Mind if I sit down?" she asked. "Sure. Go ahead." Joe cleared his books away. Staring at her standing there-- Buxom figure in a sheer black dress. "Thanks." She liked the way he looked at her. Straight on. Not spooked at all. Not what she'd expected from a clean-cut college boy, "I figured you needed some company." "How's that?" Joe asked, thinking he needed a break. He liked her smile and the way her dress hugged her body. Her cleavage right there, in your face: a black 'V' framing her creamy white fullness. "I saw you studying hours ago. This same spot. Hope you drink a lot of coffee. You don't and they'll have to start charging a cover. You bookworms and journal freaks've got every table in the place staked out." "There's table's open." "Not for long. It's a good excuse for me bugging you though, eh? Being thoughtful of others... doubling up like this?" "You're not bugging me." They both kind of smiled at that. She sipped her latte and licked the whipped cream off her upper lip. Joe pointed at his nose and she touched her finger to the tip of her own. "Thanks," She said. Getting the bit of froth off with a delicate wipe. Dainty-like. Her deep-ruby lips kissed the fluff from her long white fingers. Dainty still. The talons of her fingertips painted to match her lips. The glint of her eyes looking out from under the great shock of coal-black tresses. Confirming the irony. No so dainty after all. "I'm Elvira." "Joe." They nodded at each other. "Like the lady who used to be on TV when I was a kid," Joe said. "Mistress of the Dark?" "Exactly. I mean it's not my real name. I don't go around like this at my day job. It's my professional name." "Profession?" Joe half-asked then let it go. She was probably putting him on. Lots of girls were into Goth. Not women this old usually. Not that he knew of. But you learn something new everyday, right? "You into Jung?---Say that fast three times. A psychology major, huh?" Noting the psych texts. "Yeah. I'm studying to be a psychologist. Not a Jungian but I like his stuff. The collective unconscious... stuff like that... I agree with a lot of his theory." "I went to a Jungian once--for a while. What a laugh. So uptight, so serious. They're like a cult. If they could lighten up a little maybe I'd have kept on with it. They could use some new blood. You should look into it. I'd get my sessions free, at least." Elvira held his gaze. "How's that?" "You're going to be my slave." Joe did a mini spit-take, "What? What the? Slave? You nut's or something?" "Settle down, little one. Just joking with you a little." She laughed. "But that's what you thought I was into, right? That's why you wanted me to sit down." "You sat down. I didn't ask you to." "But you wanted me to. You know you did." Joe knew. "I thought you're into Goth or in a band or wearing a costume for some reason. I almost asked if you thought it was Halloween. How was I supposed to know?" Joe said, almost talking his way out of it. The lady looked right through him, "Spare me. You've got the need, Joe. I can see it a mile away. But that's the way it works, doesn't it?" "What?" "The unconscious mind." She slipped the bit about his need right past him. "You're nuts." "So they tell me..." She sat back and sipped her coffee. He wondered what she meant by 'need' but was afraid. She seemed content to let it go. Just let it hang. That bothered him. He had to ask. "What do you mean, I've got the need?" "The need to kneel. You want to grovel so bad it hurts. Doesn't it?" "You're nuts." "You said that already. Twice. You're gonna hurt my feelings one of these times you keep it up." "Well, anyway, I'm not like you think I am." "Say it." "I don't know what it's called. I'm not into that." "Submissive. As in D/S. Dominant slash Submissive. Tell me you're not submissive, Joe. Go ahead. I dare you." "I already told you." Joe felt a little uneasy. Trapped. He couldn't tell her he wasn't submissive without obeying her command. Confirming her assessment. So he left it at that. "Oh what a tangled web, Joe. Oh what a tangled web... And you're weaving it, little one." "I'm not deceiving you." Joe told her. "Your Freudian Slip's showing, my little man. You said it. You're not deceiving me at all. I see right through you. You're deceiving yourself. Trying to, at least. But it's not working. Is it, Joe?" "Lady, I don't know what your game is exactly but I'm tired--Too much studying... Too much caffeine... Not enough sleep... just everything in general right now's got me wore out." He pulled himself upright and leaned his elbows on the table. "I like you. I can't say why exactly. Maybe cause you're old enough to be my mother. Who knows? But this Mistress kick - Dominatrix --- whatever... seems a little lame." Feeling bolder now. "Why don't we just go to your place and have fun, okay? Like regular people?" "Like regular people... " She smiled. "I like that. Sure, Joe, why not? That's what I meant all along. I mean subs are people too, Joe. It doesn't make you a perv." Joe frowned. She went on, "Just go with it. I won't hurt you. Trust me you'll like it." "I know you won't," he said. "Or I didn't figure you would, at least. But, like I say, I'm tired. Maybe some other time I'd be up for it. Right now though - no. It just sounds too much like work." "I'll do all the work. You'll be cuffed. Lying down. Nothing to it." She could see Joe's fatigue beginning to work on him. Damping his fears. Nearly ready to give in. "Tell you what, Joe. Let's settle this with a bet, okay? I'll prove you want to be my sub. Do you want to bet I can't?" "How? Bet what?" "Here." She slid his notebook in front of him and handed him his pen. "Write: I don't want to be Elivra's sub." Joe wrote in the notebook. When he finished Elvira grabbed what he'd written and said, "Joe you wrote the words 'I want to be Elvira's sub.' Just like I thought." "No, I didn't. You're out of your mind." "Oh, I am, am I?" She sat back smug, "Bet me you didn't." "It's a bet." "Your ass is at stake, Joe." "It's a bet." Elvira scribbled something with the pen and gave the tablet back to Joe. "Read it." "Hey, you crossed out a word." "Read what's there on the page. You wrote it, didn't you? I didn't add any words, did I?" Joe paused. "Go ahead, Joe. Read what you wrote. Out loud." "It says 'I want to be Elvira's sub.' But you crossed out 'don't'. That's not fair." "I gave you a chance to back out, Joe--- you didn't even blink. You know enough about how the mind works, Joe. At some level of awareness you knew what I said was true--- literally. But not even a tug of doubt crossed your mind. You wanted to lose, Joe. You wanted to be my little submissive bitch." She reached out and touched his hand, smiling. Joe laughed out loud. He was having fun with it. "Anyone ever tell you cheaters never prosper?" He said. "Kiss my ass, Joe. I didn't cheat. You could say I tricked you but only because you wanted to be tricked. By the way, Joe when I say 'Kiss my ass' I mean that literally." She held his gaze. "Well, bend over then." "Not here. Later." "Aren't you supposed to tell me you don't like my tone? Put me in my place or something?" Joe taunted her a little. He was getting into it. She laughed, "Eat me, bitch." "Now you're talking. That I can handle-- O Mistress of the Dark." They were both laughing now. "So what's up with this Domissive-uh-Dismissive-uh-I'm getting slap happy---what's up with this act?" Joe said. "You're obviously not a real Domme. What gives?" "If Mr. Know-it-all wants to find out he'll have to play along." She paused and looked at him a moment, "What do you say, Joe? Your ass is mine any way you look at it." He liked the sound of that: Your ass is mine. Maybe she's right about me, he thought. He couldn't help but smile. "Okay." Joe gathered his stuff in his backpack. "Let's get out of here then." They walked out into the warm evening air. Out on the street she took off her platform stiletto's. Then got out of her black stockings and handed them to Joe to stuff in the toes of her shoes. "I'm just a block down and one over." She told him. "We can walk. This'll be more comfortable." Indicating her bare feet; toe's painted vermilion to match her fingernails. All that exposed skin glowing soft-white a stark contrast to the dark of her dress and polished toenails. Joe felt a growing warmth inside him as he walked beside this sensuous creature, carrying her shoes, playing her bitch. "So how's this going to work?" Joe asked, curious. "Do I get safe words or something if it gets too weird?" "I thought you said you didn't know about this stuff? Safe words? You don't need that. You can get out of it whenever you want, Joe." "Cool. At first when you said 'slave' I was thinking hardcore, you know? That's far out-- beyond me. But I've heard of safe words and role-playing. Never done it though." "Well, my young friend, it sounds as though you're all set up for a unique educational experience. It'll be fun. Trust me." ////// Joe awoke the next morning still cuffed to the massage table. Still naked. "What time is it?" he asked Elvira as she sat drinking a cup of herbal tea. "I got a lecture at 9. I can't miss it." "You already did." "Damn. Guess it's just as well... My ass is on fire still. I probably couldn't of sat on it anyway. Not long enough for a lecture." He started tugging on the cuffs again. "Get me out of here already. I gotta go. You had your fun. Let me go." "You scuff up my table anymore than it is and I'll beat your ass all over again. Hang on. I'll let you out." Elvira walked over and pressed a button on the flat part of the manacle, releasing the lock. "You could've done it yourself. I told you you could get out whenever you wanted." She went back to her tea. "I should've let you lie there till you figured it out but I need that table. I've got an appointment coming in." "Damn." Said Joe still lying there. "I knew it. I knew these had to be trick cuffs. I figured it must breakaway chains. The way you made such a big show of clanging the rings together. Making out like they were so heavy-duty. Shit. I never thought to press on the rivet. Damn. I don't believe it. I got my ass beat for nothing. I could've got out a long time ago." "I told you." Joe started to get up. "Hang on a sec, Hon." Elvira told him. "We've got a few minutes. Let me put another bit of lotion on your bum. I think you need it." "I need something... Whatever happened to 'I won't hurt you'? We were supposed to have fun." "We did, didn't we? I let you lick me. You got laid, didn't you?" "Yeah, but after that... My ass hurts like hell." "I didn't hurt you. You're not injured. You got a little dose of pain is all. Some discipline. A good old fashion ass whipping." Joe moaned as she applied the balm. "Feels good now doesn't it?" "Ooh, yes. Oh hell yes." "Without the pain you wouldn't have that pleasure." "HmMmmmm." "I think maybe I would make a good Dominatrix." "HmMmmmmm." "I'd need a new wardrobe though." "Hmm." "That get-up last night was an old Halloween costume. A pair of cut-offs, halter top and pair of Birkenstocks is about as sexy as I get usually. And fake nails? No way. Not in this business." She looked up at the clock. "Okay, Joe. I've got to hop in the shower and get ready for my first client of the day. You can let yourself out when you're ready." "Hey, wait." Joe pushed himself up on his elbows. "What's your name? Can I see you again?" "My name's right there, Dummy." Pointing to a framed certificate: Dora Keller, Certified Massage Therapist. "Take one of my cards on the way out and give me a call later if you'd like. I'd let you hang around but I don't think you want to see who's coming in." "Why not?" "It's the lady that pointed you out to me yesterday at the coffee shop. We were running errands together and happened to walk past the window. That's one of the things I love about my job. Sometimes a client becomes a friend." "Who is she?" "A very nice woman. She told me what a nice boy you are. Obedient. Fun loving. And hung like a horse. Your Mom's great."