Carson and Alex

Carson watched as Ellie, the last of his girls to leave for the day, eased her dark blue sedan down the long driveway of his estate. He turned and walked into the empty mansion, his sneakers thudding gently against the hardwood floor. He looked around the large, well-decorated entrance hall and let out a slow breath. "Wow," he thought as he moved into the kitchen. In the silence of the mansion, the footsteps sounded almost like distant thunder on an otherwise calm summer night. "I never noticed how quiet it is here when no one else is around. "It’s almost creepy."

He went to the cupboard that held the glasses and coffee mugs, grabbed a large white mug, and then turned to where the coffee maker sat on the counter. "This is what I get for staying in bed after Monica gave me my morning blowjob," he said to himself with a slight laugh as he looked at the empty coffee pot. With a shrug, he placed his mug on the grate under the single-serve dispenser, opened the top of the coffee maker, and selected a pod from a tall, narrow glass jar next to the coffee maker, filled with a variety of flavors. "Smokey vanilla, sounds interesting," he said as he opened the top of the coffee maker and placed the pod in the proper slot before shutting it tightly. He then turned a dial on the coffee maker until the 10-oz indicator lit up on the machine's face, then pressed the knob in. About a minute later, the machine beeped, signaling that the coffee was ready. He picked up the mug and took a long, slow, deep smell of the dark brown liquid inside. It had the strong, sweet scent of vanilla with a slight undertone of an earthy-smoky smell. He took a sip of the flavored coffee and slowly swished it around his mouth. The vanilla hit first—thick and almost syrupy—before giving way to something darker, like charred wood left to cool in morning air. Sweetness coated his tongue, then receded as a bitter, ashy note crept in from the back of his throat. The coffee was smooth but complicated, tasting of caramelized sugar cut with something like burnt cedar. “I don’t know who picked you out or where they got you, but damn.”

Coffee in hand, he headed out of the kitchen and up the back set of stairs that led to the upstairs hall, just outside of his office. He stepped through the door and looked out the French doors leading to the balcony. The sun was just beginning to peak over the distant jagged peaks of the Rockies, and he smiled before taking another long drink of his coffee, before turning his attention to the painting of the Fool that Alex had given him. He opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony. He set the steel-and-tempered-glass table before stepping back in, unplugging his laptop, sliding it off his desk, and taking it back to the balcony. He sat and began to write. He was already ahead of the deadline he and his publisher had agreed on, and he planned on using a day of total silence to keep it that way.

An hour after he started, he moved into his office and kept working. It was almost noon when he was interrupted by the sound of a gentle knock on the door frame of his open office door. He let out a short gasp and jumped slightly in his chair. He turned and saw Alex sticking her head around the door frame. Her long, dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. “Sorry,” she said with a slight laugh. “I knocked and rang the doorbell. For a minute there, I didn’t think anyone was home. I called you and got no answer, so I tried Josslyn. She said you were home and working. She also warned me that when you got in the groove, you could tune out World War III.”

“I must have left my phone in the kitchen, and Josslyn is right about that. When I get absorbed in writing, it can be really hard to break my attention from it.”

“You can say that again,” Alex said as she stepped around the door frame and into his office. She looked flawlessly radiant, dressed in a white V-neck T-shirt, dark blue jeans with a dark brown leather belt, and tan ankle-high boots with a three-inch square heel. “I watched you work for like ten minutes. I don’t think you looked away from the screen once.”

“Again, guilty,” he said, putting up his hands in mock surrender. “What brings you by?”

“I was hoping that you’d want to get lunch,” she said before glancing at the painting of the Fool. “That looks great there, by the way.”

“‘Lunch?’ It’s only…” he began as his eyes drifted to the clock in the bottom right corner of his screen. “Holy shit. I did not realize it’s 12:30 already.”

"So, lunch?"

"Sounds good," Carson said as a sudden wave of hunger overcame him, and his stomach growled loudly. "Have anything in mind?"

"Yeah, there's a great little Cafe I know not too far from here. They've got a big menu, but their big thing is breakfast anytime."

"I could go for some breakfast for lunch," he said as he saved his work and closed his laptop.

"Did you even eat breakfast this morning?"

“No.”

After a nearly thirty-minute drive, Carson and Alex arrived at a cafe that was relatively small and rather worn compared to the buildings surrounding it. The rest of the buildings were all glass-fronted, framed in metal, and textured and colored concrete, done in colors and geometric shapes meant to capture and guide the eyes of potential patrons. The cafe, however, was tan stucco with a Spanish tile roof. Above the single dark wood door, with a half-moon-shaped window hanging from a wrought-iron sign holder that jutted out from the building, was a surprisingly small wooden sign that read: Elana’s.

“Kind of a hole in the wall place, isn’t it?” Carson said in a tone that was far more statement than question and carried no judgment. Instead, it carried genuine enthusiasm. “I like it.”

“Elana’s has some of the best food around,” Alex said with a smile. The endless enthusiasm Carson seemed to have for just about everything was something she admired in him. That, and he had been the only dominant man she had ever met who not only didn’t try to dominate her, but also trusted her not to try to dominate him.

“Well then, after you,” he said as he pulled the door open.

Inside the cafe was larger than he had expected. It was lit in a way that was both bright and vibrant and cozy and inviting. Dark brownish-red tiles covered the floor. Booths with dark red leather seats were placed along the walls, with one large captain’s table in the far front right corner. Several tables, some with only two chairs, but most with four, dotted the open floor of the cafe in a neat, but oddly pleasing, irregular pattern that allowed the patrons and wait staff to move about with relative ease. Carson’s eyes moved to the walls. He was surprised not to see a collection of movie posters or pictures of L.A. landmarks, or even framed photographs of famous stars who had come in for food. Instead, the walls were covered in several small murals that showed several cultures that called L.A. home, as well as some of Hollywood’s most iconic stars from the past and present, and several icons from all of L.A.’s sports franchises. Mixed aromas of eggs, hamburgers, coffee, and pastries hung in the air, combining into a tantalizing smell that made Carson’s mouth water.

“Good afternoon and welcome to Elana’s,” a redheaded waitress said as she walked up to them with a warm, welcoming smile. “Just the two of you today?”

“Yes,” Alex said with a nod.

“Follow me,” she said as she took two menus from the menu holder near the door. The two followed the waitress through the occupied tables, arriving at a small table for two near the entrance to the kitchen. “Miguel will be right with you.”

“Thanks,” Carson said as the two sat down. "This place has got character," he said as he flipped his menu open.

"Yeah, it's definitely one of L.A.'s hidden gems."

About a minute later, a tall, slender Hispanic man dressed in a red shirt T-shirt, black denim jeans, and black dress shoes came to their table. "Good afternoon, and welcome to Elana's. My name's Miguel, I'll be taking care of you today. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Coffee for me, please, black," Alex said, smiling at Miguel.

"Same for me, please, Miguel."

"Two black coffees, I'll be right back with those."

"Thanks," Alex said, smiling at the man, before turning her attention to Carson. "See anything you like?"

"Quite a bit, actually. I wasn't expecting the menu to be this varied."

A couple of minutes later, Miguel returned to their table. He carried a coffee pot in one hand, and balanced on the other was a small tray with two large coffee mugs on it. He carefully set the tray down, then placed one mug in front of Carson and the other in front of Alex. He then filled each mug until there was about a half-inch distance between the top of each mug and the coffee.

"Do you know what you'd like, or do you need a couple of minutes?" Miguel asked as he retrieved his pad from his back pocket.

"I think I know what I want," Carson said as he took one last look at the menu. "Alex?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied. Miguel gave each a glance.

"Ladies first," Carson said with a smile as he gestured to her.

"Thank you," she said before turning her attention to Miguel. "I'd like the three-egg platter, please. Eggs over easy with bacon, wheat toast, and a blueberry muffin."

"Excellent choice," Miguel said as he jotted down her order. "And for you, amigo?"

"I'd like the six-ounce steak and eggs, please, rare for the steak and eggs over easy, for the toast, I l'll do wheat as well."

"I'll get these right in for you."

“So, what’s your plan after lunch?” he asked before taking a long, slow sip of his coffee. I was hoping that you’d like to come over and give me some pointers, I guess, and then maybe join me for dinner at Mom and Dad’s.”

“I’m curious what kind of pointers you need,” he said as he leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face before leaning in close so he could keep his voice low. “I’ve dominated your mom, helped you punish her, if you’ll excuse my great grandmother’s expression, ‘Why do you look as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs?’”

“Your great-grandmother actually said that?” she asked with a laugh.

“So I’m told.” Carson took another sip of his coffee before giving Alex a reassuring look. “Relax, take a deep breath, and tell me what’s going on.”

“My sister Dominique and her wife Cynthia are visiting, and Mom and Dad suddenly floated the idea of inviting you to dinner tonight.”

“So you're nervous because you thought I’d say no?”

“Yeah, kind of. I mean, meeting my sister and her wife seems like a big step, and I wasn’t sure where you stood. I know we’ve slept together without trying to dominate each other, and we’ve shared submissives, not to mention we’ve had fun hanging out. I just…”

“Wasn’t sure how serious a thing I think this is?”

“Yeah.”

“The funny part of this is,” Carson began before Miguel returned with an enormous serving tray with several plates on it. A second waitress followed close behind with a folding stand. When they reached the table, the second waitress unfolded the stand and set it beside it, allowing Miguel to place the serving tray on it.

“Three egg platter,” he said before putting a large plate with her order on it, except for the toast in front of Alex. Once he placed the plate with the eggs, bacon, and muffin, he placed a second, smaller plate with the toast, butter, and a variety of flavors of jelly in small packets. “And the steak and eggs,” he added, placing Carson’s order in front of him. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you,” both Alex and Carson said before Miguel and the other waitress walked away.

“You were saying?” Alex asked as she used her butter knife to slice open her muffin, causing a pocket of steam to roll out before she placed a small pad of butter on the lower half.

“Right,” Carson said as he stuck his steak with his fork, causing juices to leak from it slowly. “I was kind of wondering where things are myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love what we’ve been doing, it’s been fun, and I like spending time with you. If it’s a casual thing, great. If you want something more serious, I’m here for it.”

“I definitely want something more serious,” she said, watching as Carson cut a piece of his steak.

“Good,” he replied, before popping the piece of steak into his mouth, and finding it perfectly cooked.

After their impromptu lunch date, Carson followed Alex to her home. Just like the first time he had been there, he found the mixture of modern architecture and lighting mixed with vintage and antique furniture to be a perfect fit for her. “So, what is it exactly you wanted pointers on? I know you know what you're doing when it comes to dominating Penny and Kira.”

“It’s not about them, but they are waiting for us,” she said as she led him into a small room with a square table at the center. Four straight-backed chairs were arranged around the table, and on it sat ten of the cards from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot deck he had given her, laid out in a traditional Celtic Cross spread. “I wanted to see if I was doing this right.”

“‘Right’ might be a bit of a subjective term. For starters, I’d work with no more than a five-card spread right now. Admittedly, I’m self-taught between books, instructional videos on the internet, and self-readings, but it took me like a year to get comfortable enough to start working with this spread, then I had to find the variant I thought worked best for me.”

“Okay, walk before you run, right?”

“Right.”

“What do you mean by the ‘right variant?’”

“Depending on what video you watch, or book you read, while the spread looks the same, some lay the cross out in a slightly different order and have a couple of different ways of interpreting what the position in the spread represents,” he said as he looked at the spread and admired the artwork on the cards. “May I?” he asked as he motioned to the seat that Alex had clearly sat in while doing the reading.

“Absolutely,” she said as she sat in one of the open seats.

“Again, when you get more familiar with the cards, and if you come back to the Celtic Cross, you’ll have to experiment and see what works for you. I see here you didn’t use a significator, which I never have either.”

“Yeah, I read a little about that. I didn’t feel like any of the court cards really fit me, I guess, and I think I’d rather leave it to chance or whatever if I end up drawing any of them.”

“Same,” Carson said with a nod. “After the second card is laid,” he said, tapping on the four of stakes, a thematic replacement for traditional wands, “I prefer to finish the cross in this order,” he added as he touched the ace of pentacles in the bottom position, temperance on the left, the ten of chalices above, and finally, the magician to the right.

“That’s the order of the little graph I found on the internet, but it didn’t give any kind of significance to the positions.”

“Yeah, don’t use that guide,” he said with a slight laugh. “Again, this is a bit subjective. The interpretation I prefer has the bottom card representing your subconscious mind, on whatever it is you’re seeking insight on, the left is the recent past, the top being your conscious thoughts, and the right being the near future.”

“Thanks, that helps. I’ll start taking baby steps and work up to this,” she said with a thoughtful look on her face. “I never realized how complicated this could be until I tried.”

“I don’t know if I’d say ‘complicated,’ more like intricate. Kind of like bondage techniques and power exchange dynamics. Intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, and start building on basics,” he said with a shrug.

“Beautiful simplicity that makes up an often misunderstood art form.”

“Bingo,” Carson laughed as he pointed his finger at her.

“Thanks, this has been a big help,” she said as she stood, moved to him, and sat sideways in his lap. “How about a little fun with my girls before you go home, change, then I’ll come pick you up for dinner?” she asked before they shared a long kiss.

“Sounds like a great idea to me. Lead the way.”

Alex led Carson through her home until she reached the entrance to her dungeon, which was in her library, and hidden behind a secret door disguised as a bookcase. The door was unlocked by pressing on a switch hidden at the center of the underside of the third shelf from the top on the section of shelves to the door’s right.

Alex’s dungeon was everything Carson believed it would be. It was large, spacious, perfectly climate-controlled, and exceedingly well equipped. The floor was made of ebony hardwood, the walls were old, but very well-maintained red brick linged with shelves and racks filled with restraints, gags, collars, and implements, and the soft lighting gave the room a welcoming glow as it reflected off of the floor and the polished dark wood surfaces of the bondage furniture that had been meticulously placed around the dungeon.

In the center of the dungeon, kneeling side by side were Penny and Kira. Both women had left their long hair down; Penny’s blonde locks cascaded down in soft waves like a golden waterfall. Kira’s black hair was perfectly straight. Both were dressed similarly. Penny wore nothing but a black leather collar, a red lace garter belt, black sheer stockings, and red open-toed shoes with six-inch stiletto heels. Kira wore the same, only in pink instead of red.

“Welcome home, Mistress, welcome, Mister Henning,” both said in perfect unison as if they had done it hundreds of times.

Carson watched as Alex walked to the two kneeling women. “Very well done, girls,” she said before bending down and kissing Penny’s forehead, and then Kira’s. “Stand up, face each other.” The two submissives smiled at one another as they stood and turned to face one another. “Can you grab a couple of pairs of handcuffs and a couple of floggers, please?” she asked, shifting her gaze to Carson.

“Absolutely,” he said as he wondered what Alex had in mind. He quickly gathered the items she had requested, then stood next to her. She placed one cuff from each set on each of the two submissives’ wrists, leaving them cuffted together, facing one another. She then took one of the floggers from Carson and ran the supple leather tendrils through the fingers of her left hand.

“Make out,” she ordered. Penny and Kira began to kiss passionately as Alex began to circle them. Once she moved behind Penny, she smiled at Carson and gave him a nod as she gently flogged the blonde’s back twice and began to circle them again. She stopped and did the same to Kira. “Join in, they’ve been looking forward to having some playtime with the two of us, haven’t you?” she said as she gently tugged back on Kira’s hair, making them break their long series of passionate kisses.

“Yes, Mistress,” they said together in lustful purrs.

“Well, I’d hate to disappoint you,” he said as he began to skillfully flog Kira’s back and ass. He rolled his wrist in a perfect figure eight and made the supple leather tendrils dance across her smooth olive skin. The two dominants circled until they traded places. The dungeon became a symphony of quiet moans and the sound of leather meeting flesh, just hard enough to tease.

“How about we add a couple of sets of nipple clamps?” Alex asked after they spent several minutes flogging the pair.

“A great idea,” he said before going over to where Alex kept her selection of nipple clamps. He quickly picked a pair of matching chrome clamps. “May I?” he asked as he held up the clamps.

“Please do,” Alex said before kissing Penny’s cheek. “These two will look so good with their wrists and their tits bound to one another.”

“Ready, Penny?” He asked as he held one end of one of the sets of clamps open, near her right nipple.

“Yes, please, Mister Henning,” Penny said as he slowly closed the clamp.

“Do you want a clamp?” she asked, whispering in Kira’s ear.

“Yes, Mistress,” the dark-haired beauty replied before Carson closed the other end of the clamp on Kira’s left nipple. He then placed the other set of clamps on their other nipples.

“Sadly,” Alex said as she reached between Kira’s legs and began to rub her pussy, “we’ll have to cut this short if you’re going to have time to go home, clean up, and change.”

“Yeah, too bad. I guess we can always have more fun later,” he replied as he did the same to Penny.

“Go ahead and cum, you’ve both earned it,” she said as she increased her pace.

A few minutes later, both women moaned in unison as Carson and Alex brought them to climax, their bodies trembling between skilled fingers and against the restraints that bound them together. Carson watched as Penny’s eyes fluttered closed, her lips parting in a silent gasp as pleasure rolled through her. He could feel her wetness coating his fingers, her inner muscles clenching rhythmically.

“Good girl,” he whispered, his voice low and husky.

When both women had finished, Alex carefully removed the nipple clamps while Carson unlocked the handcuffs. The submissives leaned against each other, catching their breath as Carson and Alex stepped back.

“Thank you, Mistress, thank you, Mister Henning,” they said in unison, their voices slightly breathless.

Carson checked his watch and frowned. “I should probably head out. What time should I be ready for dinner?”

Alex ran a hand through her hair, straightening it from where it had fallen during their play. “Mom said around seven. I’ll pick you up at six?”

“Perfect,” he said, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips. “I’m looking forward to meeting your sister and her wife.”

“They’re going to love you,” Alex replied, her hand lingering on his arm.

What will happen at dinner? Answer in comments.

A) Carson is surprised by Dominique and Cynthia's relationship

B) Carson and Alex's dad bond.

C) A night of fun for all involved

D) Something else, what?