wasn't going to happen any time soon. I texted Tom's '?' back with an explanation.
' Lol.'
'What are you up to? Wanna hang?'
' Working all weekend, closing. Free Monday.'
' Don't get caught with your phone. Text me Sunday?'
'Ok. Ttyt.'
I zoned out, not wanting to actually exercise, or risk watching shows I'd see with Tom. Opening my laptop, I played brain games online while wondering what to do with the rest of my evening. Until my phone rang, the ring tone foreboding and generic.
“ Hello?” I asked, wary of numbers I didn't recognize.
“ It's Samuel Druitt. Is this Claire Gillian?”
“ Clara, yes.”
“ Good. I'm calling from Rack's . I've read through your Checklist.”
“ What do you think?”
“ You could make a lot of money.” He laughed, the kind of laugh I heard at work when we got a big client. “Are you free at all tonight, or sometime this weekend? I want to talk to you about it, in-person.”
“ When this weekend?”
“ Tomorrow evening, any time Sunday. Tonight, if you can.”
“ I can't tomorrow. You said you're free tonight? Or Sunday. It's up to you.”
“ We might be able to have you start this weekend. Can you get here sometime in the next hour?”
“ Yes. I can,” I felt swept along by dangerous energy. “I'll see you soon.”
Waiting for Samuel, I listened to the dulled pain sounds that vibrated through the floor. The downstairs rooms were being used by two s/m groups. It was eerie, seeing how empty and dark the upper floor was when the club wasn't open.
“ Really glad you could make it.” His office door opened and he ushered me inside. “I only have a few questions, no need to worry.”
His black desk chair hissed when he turned in a half-circle to face me. There was a comfortable, black leather couch in the corner. His computer and monitor looked new, but he definitely needed a new desk. The scratches on it's surface went down deep into the yellow oak.
“ You can submit to a female or male Dominant?” he asked, looking through my Checklist again.
“ I prefer a male Dom. It doesn't matter for demonstrations,” I decided. “I'd like to work with Rhys for a while, at least until I get a better read on the other club Tops.”
“ Of course. You've been a submissive for the past, what, four years?”
“ At least, yes, but before you ask anything else-? My other job has to come first, I'm not sure what the schedule is like here.”
“ What's your schedule like?”
“ I have weekends off, but I can't do anything Monday to Friday, sometimes Saturdays.”
Samuel was already nodding. “The only real rule I have is, if you say you'll be here, I expect you to honor the commitment.”
“ Of course.” That made things easy. “If I schedule a pain session, I'll be here for it.”
“ I've seen you perform here before. I know you like taking pain. We don't allow penetration, of any kind, on club grounds. We do allow the use of vibrators over fabric. That, you can discuss with your Top.”
“ That won't be necessary.”
“ I'll give you copies of the employment papers to take with you. Read them before you sign.” He put a thin manilla folder in front of me. “Your third interview will be a private Session, here. With Rhys, I assume. After that, you can start with whatever event interests you.”
“ Sounds fair.”
“ Do you have a ny questions for me?”
“ Not yet. None that I can think of.”
“ None? Well, while you think about it, do you want the insider tour?”
I followed him out of his office, down a short, wide hallway with three doors, one to my left and right, one with sliding double doors directly in front of us. He opened the left door, painted black, which led into a square storage closet.
“We keep things for pain, for pleasure, and for sensory play in these trunks.” There were five of them, three vertical and wide, two long and horizontal.
The larger, metal door to my right opened. “Cushions