Dawn Davis slid the Buy Now tab across the screen of her smartphone. Her response to Megan’s gifts now was complete.
She started a text to give her friend a warning but stopped. It was best to just let the gift arrive. A surprise reaction would be great.
Dawn was on a business call a day later when she received the response.
Don’t know what’s in your f’in mind! Where am I supposed to use this?
In the middle of the discussion on an upcoming bridge project, Dawn had trouble controlling her giggling.
The man, who was leading the discussion, noticed. “Ms. Davis, is something wrong?”
“No, no, everything’s fine. I apologize. Back to business.” She set aside her phone, face down.
She worked to pay attention to the subject at hand, but she wasn’t directly involved, which made it harder to reengage with the men and not with Megan.
When the meeting had veered far enough off topic, Dawn excused herself.
Out of the boardroom, she texted Megan.
Thought it would help EXPAND your openness!
Megan texted back.
We’ll see! ???
Over drinks, Megan told Dawn she had dinner plans with a guy at the end of the week. She said he was good-looking.
“I mean he’s no a GQ model,” Megan said, “but he’s a guy who’s worth talking to. Can’t go wrong with that, right?”
Dawn shrugged. “I guess not. There are so few good ones out there for us. The 80/20 principle falls to about 51/49.”
“Actually, 49/51. Anyway, I’m trying to avoid immediately identifying the 49 percent of him that I don’t like until later on.”
Dawn laughed. She had been there too. “Ever been successful?”
“Nope, but I can hope.” She crossed her fingers on both hands for double good luck.
Their conversation began to lag. Megan scanned the wine bar where they often met. She then looked back at Dawn.
“Why do we come to this place so much? Nothing’s here for us.”
“I don’t know why. It was a new bar when we first started. We can talk and look, and it’s close enough to both of our offices.” Dawn became skeptical, eyeing her friend after the comment. “Although, with that random statement, you may have somewhere else in mind already. Am I right?”
“There’s a place on Branson Avenue.”
Dawn noticed Megan focused everywhere but on Dawn.
“You’re talking slower, Megan, so you know more than you’re letting on. Have you been there already?”
She forced a smile. “No.”
Megan then sat back in her chair and fiddled with the silverware, which had been wrapped in a linen napkin.
“I’m sort of shy about going alone,” Megan said.
“You, shy? That’s crazy. You command any place you walk into. Megan the Fearless.” Dawn laughed at the statement and patted her chest to quell herself.
Megan swatted Dawn’s hand. “You don’t have to make me feel bad.”
“Don’t feel bad. Don’t. It’s just that ‘Megan’ and ‘shy’ are opposites. You’re a bold woman, willing to take on anything and anyone. That’s why you are where you are right now.”
“But look where I am. A boring wine bar.” She raised her arms and looked around at the few older patrons and shiny wine glasses.
“I’m here too.”
“And neither of us should be. We should find something new.”
Dawn saw Megan staring through the white wine in her glass. She was gazing at either the table or, more likely, what was philosophically beyond this bar.
“Tell me about this place you’re ‘shy’ about going to. You’ve got me imagining weird things. Got anything to do with ball gags?”
Megan didn’t say no. She rolled the rounded base of her stemmed glass in a circle of condensation.
“Are you serious?” Dawn asked. “What are you talking about? Wait—I’m concerned about even asking what goes on there.”
“Just come with me one time—only once. I’ll buy the drinks when we go.” She clasped her hands, begging. “Um, I may disappear for a few minutes—maybe. I’m not sure about some things—anything. It’s just …” She again avoided Dawn’s confused face.
Dawn raised her hands, as if stopped by a policeman. She shook her head. “I’m already not so sure.”
“I need support, Dawn. A friend for support.”
“You shouldn’t do stuff like this. It’s not good. Keep yourself where it’s safe. Well, not necessarily ‘safe’ but avoid the ‘weird.’ Remember TLC—Don’t go chasing waterfalls? Don’t go chasing whatever’s at this place.”
“We’re reverting to 90s music philosophy?” She waved off Dawn’s comment. “I get these urges to try things. It’s just a part of me.” She again forced a smile.
“Where is this place—downtown or by the docks along the water? Is a ball gag necessary?” Dawn asked.
“Not in the way ‘Ms. BDSM’ is thinking.”
This time, Dawn swatted Megan’s hand, and said, “I am not Ms. BDSM.”
“The ‘gag’ is because the place is secret.” Megan stopped herself, redirecting her statement. “No, wait. That’s not a good description. It’s elite. Yeah, that’s a better way of saying it. Membership and special invites only.”
Dawn’s initial tension eased at the thought of this not being a crummy joint infested with heroin addicts and stinking drunks. Or, worse, over-weight, sloppy men in tiny skivvies tied to a wall by domineering women in knee-high, heeled boots and tiny latex underwear.
“I haven’t received an invite, so I can’t go,” Dawn said. She felt better that she couldn’t. A technicality had disqualified her from supporting her friend in an odd situation. She was fine with it.
Megan reached deep into her Kate Spade tote bag. She lifted out a large envelope and handed it to Dawn. “For you.”
Dawn was astounded. It was wrapped in a black lace and had a faint scent of jasmine.
“We’ve been granted invitations, and we can get memberships anytime we want.” Megan forced a weak, worried smile.
“How did you, er—What have you done?” Dawn asked.
Megan only shrugged. Her demeanor lightened as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“Who connected you to all of this? Sir?”
“Not him, no. He has released me. He says I met my original intentions.”
“‘Released’ you. Original intentions—what do you mean?”
“Sir is not about keeping control of us but about opening our fearful, closed-off selves. I thought you knew that.”
“I’ll have to think about it but later. Back to this place you’re interested in. Is it related to the guy you’re going out with? Does he have some strange side?”
“It’s not so much ‘strange.’” She pursed her lips and tightened her sculpted brown eyebrows. A moment later, she exhaled blatantly, frustrated. “I did a really bad job conveying all this to you. You’re imagining nasty basements and gross, fat men tied up and a dominatrix belittling them.”
“I was not.”
“Dawn.” Megan stared dully at her friend.
“Okay, okay, you’re right,” she admitted. “But I only have the experience of insane erotic stories and bad porn movies.”
“Poor, baby.” Megan pooched out her bottom lip for a moment. “Now, I really need you to go with me, and, as you can see, I have obtained the invitations.”
“‘Obtained’? That’s not an endearing way to put it. This is all safe? No images will be taken that may be leaked to ruin my business?”
“People—executives in mine and your positions—will be there too. So I trust everyone.”
“Do you know ‘everyone’ there?”
“No, but they are like us—me and you. At the top and not wanting to fall. They want a break from their type of life.”
“I need to think about it, Megan. I’m, er, just not sure. A lot of the details have not been given. I don’t make moves without a clear assessment of what’s ahead.”
“That’s one reason why you’re a top-notch CEO.” Megan winked. “I need a confirmation now though. You willing to go?”
“What’s the attire? That may tell me more.”
“Latex suits and a whip as an accessory.”
“Ha!”
The two women laughed.
Dawn subconsciously jostled worry off her shoulders. Megan helped further.
“Business dress or the outfit you’d wear on a date,” she said. “What did you wear when you went out with the engineer?”
“That outfit came off way too easily. I’ll be in a blazer and business pants.”
“Wear a skirt, not pants.”
Dawn eyed Megan skeptically. She said slowly, “All right.”
“So you’re going!”
Dawn raised her finger. “At least to the front door. If the place looks strange when I get there, then I reserve the right of refusal. Fair?”
“Yes.”
“By the way, will your date be joining us?”
“Yes.”
Dawn studied Megan. She was still skeptical. “He must be a character.”
“Straight out of an erotic story.”
For days later, Dawn remained mistrusting. She had an impression that this place—and the entire evening—would be dark and dystopian. Ugly. Gritty.
On the night of the event, Dawn and Megan left Megan’s house in a plain Uber car. The two women were quiet. Dawn had helped to calm herself with a shot of vodka. And then a second. It slowed her pumping heart and the pulsing vein at the base of her neck.
Any high-priority business event or presentation for sales would not make her feel this way. Now, this one night out was turning her stomach.
Dawn leaned toward Megan. “And you’re okay with this. You’re sure this is safe.”
“Yes. And he’s meeting us there. Should see him as soon as we arrive. You’ll be happy.” Megan patted Dawn’s bare knee.
“Me, happy?”
“Okay, you’ll be pleased,” Megan said.
“That’s a little better. But I think satisfied is best.”
“Satisfied is exactly right.”
Dawn puffed out her cheeks as she released a deep breath.
A half-hour later, the car stopped at an intersection. Dawn listened to the steady click of the blinker. This part of town wasn’t by the docks or near a typical Mafia “drop-off.” It was an industrial area of nondescript, one-story buildings. None of them were abandoned and forgotten, but it was just an underutilized area of the city.
The Uber driver brought them to a building that had two waist-high fir trees on each side of the door, like guards, and a rectangular, manicured lawn stretching the length of the front of the facility.
Honestly, Dawn felt better—somewhat.
Before they left the car, Megan asked Dawn. “Feeling good? This isn’t at the docks where the mob kills snitches and dumps the bodies.” Megan gave a quick laugh.
“I’m feeling okay.” She patted her knees lightly, as if psyching herself up. “This place is at least better than what my mind had conjured.”
Dawn had dreamed of a rundown warehouse and the smell of days-old fish.
The front door opened. A tall, African American man stepped from the front door. Megan waved to him.
Dawn recognized the man too. Stervon.
Megan quickly slipped out of the car and rushed to him. Dawn followed much slower, as she felt a mix of awkwardness and excitement.
Dawn and Stervon got along with each other when they met at a political event a year ago. They had drinks, a few laughs, and a unique connection. In fact, that evening, Dawn had to fight her desire to go farther with the tall, thick beast of a man. His shirt was tight against his chest and his thin waist. It was the shape of a pure athlete. Even more, he was handsome and smart. A toxic combination for breaking down her sexual resistance.
She felt awkward, as she hoped he would remember her and might feel the same excitement even a year later.
“Dawn, I believe you have met Stervon.” Megan patted his large arm and then ran her palm from the round shoulder to his elbow, like she was a long-time friend. Dawn noticed that Megan stood only as high as his shoulder.
“Good evening, Dawn.”
His voice was cool and deep.
“Stervon.” Dawn reached out her hand, business-like. “Glad to see you again.”
“Megan told me you’d be here.”
Dawn glared at her friend who was in glee. “Oh she did, huh.”
“When I heard that, I postponed all my appointments to be here,” Stervon said.
“You have a lot of events on a Saturday night?”
“None that I can’t cancel to see you.”
He took her hand.
Dawn loved the touch, how he handled her—even if it was simply her hand. The massive size of his hand reminded her of holding her father’s hand when she was a young girl. A gentle and safe memory.
“You’re so kind.” She batted his arm this time.
He held the door for the two women. Dawn glanced at the sharp collar of his button-up and the slim gold chain around his neck. The outfit added an intriguing dimension to a cool, jazz voice.
“Drinks, ladies?” he asked.
Megan requested a Long Island Iced Tea. Dawn, a vodka tonic.
As he left, Dawn immediately turned to Megan.
“What is this all about—bringing me here and Stervon?”
“Dawn, you talked about him weeks after meeting him. You know you liked him.” She wagged her finger. “Well, I bumped into him a couple of weeks ago. He asked about you, how you were doing.”
“He did? Asked right away?” Dawn could have kicked herself for answering so quickly. She felt like a pre-teen with a crush.
Megan touched Dawn’s wrist. “Almost before saying hello to me. I was disappointed, so offended.”
Dawn exhaled but with a brightened face. She glanced toward Stervon as he waited for the bartender, leaning an elbow on the bar, relaxed.
Dawn liked how his dark slacks were tight around his thighs. He wore dapper shoes with a glossy shine. Still most intriguing were his hands.
A lean man with a receding hairline came up to the ladies. Dawn’s defenses went up, but Megan stood.
“Jack! Finally.”
“I stayed back as long as I could.” He set aside a large tote bag.
Megan hugged him. Then she introduced Dawn to him.
Stervon returned with the drinks. Megan thanked him. Jack shook his hand. And then, as if the three had a scheme, Megan dismissed herself with Jack. Dawn was left with Stervon.
“How have you been, Dawn?”
“Fine. And you?”
He pursed his lips that Dawn could only describe as juicy.
“You’re only going to say ‘fine’? There’s something else going on in life that makes it better than ‘fine.’”
“Well, it’s going better than I thought it would be. Tonight had me worried. I’m not fully at ease. But having you here has helped a lot already.”
“Glad I could do my part. These get-togethers can be … They’re new.” He put his arm on the back of the couch. His hand holding his tumbler rested on his knee.
“Is that how it is tonight?”
“Not tonight. It’s not my first time attending. But there was the news about you coming.”
Dawn’s cheeks warmed. She was glad the room was dim, so Stervon wouldn’t see everything. It was that preteen reaction again.
“Do you know how hard Megan had to work to get you and me here on the same night?” Stervon asked.
“Not that hard.”
“Okay, well, not me after hearing about you. But you are hard to convince, according to her. You’ve been wishy-washy and made Megan twist your arm.”
He gently squeezed her arm several times in several places. “Just making sure it’s not broken.”
They laughed. Dawn liked feeling his hands.
“I was not wishy-washy.”
“That’s what Megan conveyed to me at least.”
“I’m gonna get after that little witch,” Dawn said, with just enough muster not to mean it.
Stervon gave a cool, easy look and raised his tumbler to his mouth. It relaxed Dawn to the point where she resettled in her seat.
Dawn knew Megan should have known she would have met this handsome man without making up some elaborate scheme. Because of Megan’s bad description, the night began as confusing and uncomfortable and now was intriguing all the same time as Stervon was inches from her.
“So business is going well?” Dawn asked.
Stervon placed his finger over his lips to quiet her. “No talking business. We’ll likely get booted.”
Dawn shrugged apologetically, knowing they would have to do so much more than mentioning their jobs to get kicked out.
“What are you drinking?” Dawn asked.
“Just scotch.”
“Dawn.” He spoke her name slowly.
She adjusted the conversation. “Been doing anything fun lately?”
Stervon sat back and glanced at the dark ceiling. Then he looked again at her.
“Let’s cut the useless conversation. I mean do you really care what ‘fun’ I’ve been doing?”
Her shoulders slumped slightly.
“I’m just feeling weird, awkward, okay? That’s all. This is not a place I typically frequent. I feared ugly, sex freaks. They could still be here.” She stared directly into his marble eyes. She saw gentleness and fatherly kindness. She felt the same peace as with Sir.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Dawn said.
“If you had known?”
“Well, to be honest, I still would have been worried.”
She saw his restraint.
Dawn quickly added, “Megan didn’t explain it well. And, uh, by the way, where did she go?” Dawn twisted and turned to see everywhere.
“She left with Jack. You saw them go,” Stervon said flatly.
“Don’t worry about, as you say, ‘sex freaks’ being here. This is upscale. You and I are upscale. We are on the same level—you, maybe a little higher than me. This is a place where you and I can relax. If you will allow yourself. I wanted this. I wanted you to be here. I’ve thought a lot about you,” he said.
The comment stunned her.
“About me?” She placed her hand on her chest. “That’s so nice to say.”
“It’s not nice. You and I had a great time and a strong connection, right?” He raised his eyebrows, brightening his face. His tone of voice conveyed his interest in Dawn. “I know you felt it too. You can’t convince me otherwise. We couldn’t get enough of each other. And when you kissed me—”
“Whoa, whoa!” She leaned back with a surprised face. “Me kiss you? I think you have the night mixed up. You kissed me,” Dawn corrected.
“Whichever your perspective, the evening was quite good.” He winked at her as he sipped his drink.
She smiled, but then the conversation stalled. They began to look everywhere except at each other—the bar, other chatting couples, the curtained gazebos lining the outer walls of the giant, open building. The rows and rows of gazebos reminded Dawn of vendor tents aligned at a fall festival.
“Let’s look around.” She stood quickly.
Stervon stood slowly, eyeing Dawn and studying her curves.
She had just shifted her attitude as evidenced by the change in the subject and the decision to walk away from it.
“I want to see what’s around here, and maybe find Megan too. Wherever that little witch went.”
“All right.” He lifted his tumbler and stirred the melting ice. “Just beware.”
Dawn turned to him. “Of what?”
“Not all of this place is, um, normal, typical. There are some people who let loose—you know, cast off cultural mores and do whatever urges them.”
“And you’re saying?”
“Don’t get weirded out.” He gently laid his arm across her shoulders. “Smile and divert your eyes if you see anything shocking. Ignore odd sounds.”
She stared up at the tall man. He gave her a gentle squeeze.
But he had suddenly worried her. A moment ago, this place had become nice, less awkward than she had first imagined. Stervon had been the catalyst for her easiness. Now he had turned the table. The venue was dark again. It was cramped, like the walls had shifted inward. She even thought there was the scent of smelly shoes, of giant white onions.
Dawn made a forced step forward. She was going into the depths of something. She grumbled silently, “I hate you, Megan. I hate you.”
Straight ahead was a long row of the curtained gazebos. Each was lit by different lights. Reds. Blues. Purples. Pinks. Whites.
Most curtains were drawn so Dawn couldn’t see inside. But there were the sounds that Stervon mentioned. Low moans, bright giggles, muffled conversations. They were nice compared to the screams of horror she had conjured.
Dawn came to a gazebo with a daybed, which was the same as one alongside a large upscale hotel pool. On it, a man and a woman lounged and chatted. A sign hung on the wooden roofing of a pergola. It read If You Seek Amy.
“I like that song,” she told Stervon. “It’s by Britney Spears. Ever heard it?”
Stervon only grinned slightly. Dawn frowned with skepticism.
“What, you hate the song or Britney?”
“I think we need to continue on.” Like a father, he gently touched her lower back to guide her away from the If You Seek Amy gazebo.
A decent way down the narrow aisle and a turn to the right, what was happening in the private gazebos became more active. The people weren’t as quiet and subdued as the others had been. From the rooms came flashing lights that changed colors with twists and twirls. There were soft, deep club beats. It was like a controlled dance floor.
Dawn was getting a little urge to dance. She bumped Stervon with her hip and shimmied in front of him. He moved against her. Dawn stopped when she glanced into a gazebo.
A glittery gazebo was filled with men in tiny underwear and cowboy boots. In the center, naked, was a heavily tattooed Latino man dancing on a pole with the guys hooting for him. He wore a rainbow-colored wig and a long tail of the same rainbow.
Dawn was confused for a moment, wondering how he danced and kept the tail in place. Then the answer came to mind. She urged Stervon forward.
“What’s up?” he asked after her push.
“Let’s find a place all our own.”
“Already have one. I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”
He took her hand and led her to a gazebo. It had a white curtain in a quieter area.
Inside, there were two lounge chairs and a long couch. There was a stocked bar at the rear.
“Sit. Enjoy yourself.” He went to the bar.
Dawn did as he said and sat in one of the chairs.
“Need a refill?” he called over his shoulder.
“Sure.”
He brought back a fresh glass for her. He sat on the couch.
Dawn took a sip. “You’ve helped me handle tonight so much. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
He drank his drink in one gulp.
“I don’t want to sound sappy-romantic, but I don’t know what I would have done either.” He shrugged.
“Plenty of women would gladly take a handsome man like you.” She leaned forward to pat his knee.
He grabbed her hand. “There’s only one Dawn Davis though.”
He pulled her toward him while leaning forward. He kissed her.
She closed her eyes and melted with the simple kiss. She had to regain her overwhelmed senses.
“Stervon.” And no other words followed.
He took her drink from her weakened hand.
“Let’s remember that, tonight, I kissed you first and that you didn’t stop me.”
He pulled her to him. She climbed onto the couch as well as him. They made out. Their kisses were not of a man and a woman who were timidly feeling out the other’s intension and willingness. They kissed as two people who knew what they both wanted and had waited too long to let the want wait any longer.
Her hands moved over his broad shoulders and down his muscular arms. She picked up one hand and set it on her breast.
She then unbuttoned his shirt. The fine muscles appeared slowly, tantalizingly, with each undone button. She had the urge to rip open the shirt, although she held back due to its quality. Sense remained somewhere in the midst of the swirl of this sexual tornado.
He undid all the buttons on her blouse, and she helped by shedding it. She undid her bra and tossed it. It landed on the chair and dangled from the arm.
“Suck my titties,” she ordered. Her hands mashed her breasts against each other to offer them to the man over her. He dove in. No second request.
Her neck twisted and arched as she basked in his lips nursing each one and his tongue licking her pronounced nipples. His mouth was large enough that it consumed everything. She yipped when his teeth nibbled on her. She grabbed his ears to keep him close.
“Yes, yes,” she encouraged.
Her hands slid down his body to yank his shirt from his pants. This time she didn’t consider the shirt’s quality. She grabbed the waistband of his slacks with one hand and dug the other inside.
She found a hardness, waiting to be unleashed. Stervon rose up, letting her breasts fall loose. He took off his shirt, unbuckled his belt. The leather thwacked against the metal buckle. He took off his pants. His dick was obvious against his jockeys.
“You’re…” she began but stopped speaking. She moved to explore him instead.
Like a shared birthday present, the two tore off the wrapping paper around the great gift.
Once out, Dawn admired it. Her hands gripped it. Its brown length contrasted with her fair-skinned hands. It was thick and matched the greatness of the rest of his form.
He shifted so his cock was inches from her nose.
“Open,” Stervon said. “Open wide.”
Dawn’s lips stretched around the large head and took a portion of the shaft inside too. She slowly moved her mouth to massage Stervon. He gripped the crown of her head so she would continue her blowjob.
“Good god, you are good,” he groaned.
Hearing the compliment, Dawn upped her actions, dragging her tongue along the underside of his cock and drawing circles around the tip.
He pulled from her mouth his dick that was shining with her lube.
She wiped her mouth and took a deep breath. “Amazing.”
Stervon pushed her flat on the couch. Her hands held her wobbly tits, rubbing her fingers over her nipples.
He worked her skirt off and then her lacy, red panties.
“So nice,” Stervon said astounded.
“What is?” Dawn rose up to looked down her body at the man who was now on his knees.
“This.” He lifted her legs, so her heels pointed upward and then spread them wide as her hips allowed. Her pussy peeled apart, opening to display its glistening pinkness.
Dawn squealed loudly as his face plunged into her, led by his broad tongue. She basked in his exploration while tugging her nipples harder than she had been before.
Her orgasm formed inside of her and grew to a terrifyingly wonderful rollercoaster that took her away. As Stervon ate, Dawn pushed his face away from her soaked pussy. He had a mask of her juices surrounding his mouth, from chin to nose.
“Fuck me, Stervon, fuck me.”
He moved quickly. He easily slid inside of her. Unlike her mouth, Dawn’s pussy swallowed up his large cock. He rocked in and out, slapping against her thick thighs. He soon grunted. His muscles tightened.
“Come on! Give it to me. I want you!” Dawn shouted, glaring intensely into his eyes.
He drove harder and faster. He pushed in deeper to the point Dawn sat up, her eyes wide. Stervon tried to warn her about his peak but couldn’t speak. He rammed her and stopped. His cum filled her up.
The pair hit their peaks together and floated back to reality next to each other on the couch.
“I was not expecting that at all,” she whimpered, trying to steady her breathing. “You just … wow.”
They lay next to each other.
Stervon brushed a stray hair from her forehead. “We need to see each other again soon. Dinner and drinks on me.”
“Let’s make it happen.”
Later that night, Megan appeared at the gazebo. She kissed Jack, and he left, with a quick wave.
“Dawn, there you are,” Megan said.
She set her large tote bag on a chair. She picked up Dawn’s bra.
“Need this now?”
Dawn snatched it away. “Give me that.”
Stervon put on his shirt.
“Had a good time, eh?” Megan said, smiling. “Your cheeks aren’t usually this rosy.” She turned to Stervon. “Thanks for being here.”
He sat on the arm of the other chair, his shirt still unbuttoned. “It was my, my pleasure. And thank you for connecting me and Dawn.”
“By the way, where did you go?” Dawn asked as she clasped the bra in place.
“You sent me a gift so I had to use it.”
“That gift?”
“I got the package on my doorstep two weeks ago or so. It works like a charm. All the men loved, loved, loved me in it.”
“Glad I could help.”
Dawn hugged Stervon and said goodnight with a short, sweet kiss.
Getting into the Uber car, Dawn nudged Megan.
“You know we already set our dinner date. I may have beaten the 80/20 principle—a good, all-around man.”