Here's a new one I've been working on. I'm not exactly sure if I'm going to keep going on here, so if you like it please review and let me know if I should continue!

I stand at the door, checking and rechecking the address on the card as I try to force myself to go in. I'd always tried to suppress these interests, and when I couldn't anymore, they spread into online fantasies. There, behind my computer screen, I was safe. But this is real. This is dangerous. And I'm terrified. Taking a deep breath, I push myself inside the dimly lit club, sticking close to the wall with a desperate hope to go unnoticed. I can smell alcohol, sweat, and something deeper and ore enticing that makes me blush. Along to my right, the walls are lined with tools of play, the ceiling criss-crossed with ropes and chains from which various restraints dangled. In the middle of the floor, where people would usually be dancing, there is an entirely different kind of scene, the kind that haunts the deep recesses of my mind and the ones I haven't been able to ignore; the reason for me coming tonight. Across the back, I can make out a staircase that leads to a balcony, where other rooms hide God-knows-what. Some of the people on the floor look up at me as if they can smell fresh meat, and part of me things they can. I avert my gaze, taking a seat at the bar and ordering a drink, trying to convince myself that coming here was a good idea, trying to keep my pounding heart inside my chest. On some level, I want this. I had to see that there were other people who did too. But now that I'm here, I can't stop my racing heart. A soft voice to my left startles me so much I almost jump out of my seat.

"Your first time here?" A man sits next to me at the bar, his green eyes shimmering in the low lights. I find myself nodding slowly as I take the rest of him in. No leather. No toys. Just jeans and a t-shirt. He looks like he could be sitting in any bar. Except he's sitting in this one, and I want to know why.

"W-Was I that obvious?" I stutter.

The man smiles kindly, and I find myself leaning towards him. "Just a little. When you've been around long enough, you start to notice the signs. I'm surprised you didn't attract a crowd yet. I'm Edward, by the way."

I take a breath. "Seth. And I really don't want a crowd."

Edward nods sympathetically, and his eyes flash to a point behind me. I glance back quickly to see another man approaching as if he were starving and I was a juicy steak. I turn back to Edward just in time to see him lock eyes with the man and shake his head once. The man sighs, but turns and walks back to the floor. Edward smiles at me again. "I understand. So what brought you here tonight, then?"

"Well, I…I guess I've been interested in…this sort of thing for a while, but I always thought I was so wrong…I thought I was the only one. And then I met some people online. One of them told me I should come here, but this…I'm not used to this. I guess I just came to see what this is all about. But it's a lot more intimidating in real life."

He nods again. "It's good that you came out to see what it's like." He pauses for a minute to ward off another person. "Sorry about that. They really are nice people. They just get excited when they see a new face who's unattached. They don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I know. I guess I'm just kind of nervous. I don't really know what I want. I mean, I know what I want, I just don't know how to…it's a little overwhelming."

He smiles. "I understand. I remember when I was new. But you're doing alright so far. Getting an idea of your interests is a good first step. Have you looked in any of the other rooms yet?"

I shake my head. "I've barely looked at this one. I feel weird walking around by myself. You said yourself I'd draw a crowd."

Edward chuckles, a low, comforting sound. "They mean well. They just really like sharing their passion with others, especially handsome young people like yourself. But you should check it out, just to give yourself some ideas of things you'd like to try, seeing as you're here because you want to get into something a little more real. If it makes you feel better, I'll go with you and make sure no one bothers you."

"Why do they listen to you?" I can't help but ask. "When you say no, they back off. Why?"

"I've been here a long time. I've earned their respect. And they know that I understand them," he explains. "They understand that if I'm with someone they've never seen before, and I tell them to back off, it's because you're not interested in playing right now. They're good people; they wouldn't force anyone to do something they didn't want. There's a lot you don't know about this life. But let's start with what's behind door number one, shall we?" he offers his hand, and I take it, following him through the crowded floor. Though I still get glances, no one approaches me now, and I manage to focus a little more on the scenes playing out before we head upstairs. Edward still holds my hand. "Whenever you're ready to move on, let me know." He opens the door and steps inside, waiting for me to follow. "This is a mixed room. There's a little bit of everything going on. Feel free to look." In my head, I start making a list of things to do research on, things that I can almost feel incorporating themselves into my fantasies.

In my peripheral vision, I see a man walk up, and my grip on Edward's hand tightens a little. "Catch of the day?" the man asks in a teasing tone.

Edward smiles. "This goofball is Emmett. Emmett, this is Seth. He's new to the scene, so I offered to show him around."

Emmett grins, and I relax a little as he holds out his hand to shake mine. "Welcome Seth. It's always nice to see new people around. Don't let it intimidate you, we're all friendly here. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"I just hope I can figure out what I'm looking for first," I say, managing a smile.

Emmett laughs, louder than Edward's. "That's always a good place to start. Let me know if you need anything."

With that, Edward and I return to the balcony. "He was…nice," I say. "Really big. But nice."

Edward chuckles. "He is. He's a good guy. He'll help you out with anything you need." We travel to the next door, and I've barely stepped into the room before I'm shaking my head at Edward, stepping out again. I start another list in my head; one of things I never want to do. "That room tends to be a little extreme. It's not everybody's thing, but different strokes for different folks." He shrugs. "Ready to move onto the next one?"

We continue like that all the way down, and both of my lists expand, but the one containing things of interest is much longer by the time we're finished. Edward smiles. "There you have it. There's more, of course, but that's the basics." I nod, everything I've seen swimming around in my head. Edward looks me over for a second. "You're looking overwhelmed. Would you like to go somewhere else to talk? There's a coffee shop down the street. It's easier to hear in there."

That sounds like exactly what I need, so I nod and follow Edward out of the club and down the street. In the bright lights of the coffeehouse, it's much easier to examine him. And the more I do, the more I think he's made some sort of mistake talking to me tonight. He's perfect. Looking at him now, he's a lot younger than I imagined him. We sit down at a table, and I can't help but blurt out the question on my mind. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

He smiles. "I just wanted to help. I wish someone would have guided me when I first showed up here. And I think you're interesting. I'd like to get to know you."

I nod slowly. "Okay then. What would you like to know?"

I expect a question about my own person kinks, but instead all the questions Edward asks are normal and vanilla. He really is trying to get to know me. "You can ask me whatever you'd like," he offers.

"You haven't asked me about what I'm 'into'."

He chuckles. "I haven't."

"Why not?"

He takes a sip of his coffee before answering. "That's only a part of who you are. I want to get to know all of you. I'm hoping that conversation will come, that tonight won't be the end of our conversation. But right now I just want to know who you are."

I smile at that. "I do have a question. You said that finding things I'm interested in is the first step, right? What's the next step?"

He thinks for a moment. "Well, considering you've never done anything for real before, if I were you I'd get trained."

I look at him, puzzled. "Trained?"

"Yes. It helps you get a feel for this, to see if it's what you really want. You find a mentor, someone who's been doing this for a while, and they'll teach you what you need to know, the details you have to learn before you can start. It should be someone you trust, of course. It's like taking an introduction course to a subject. I think that will help you."

I nod. "And how do I find a mentor?"

"You talk to people," he replies, shrugging. "You've already talked to me. It's not so hard."

I get a sudden image in my head; kneeling before Edward. A shudder runs through me. "So," I say, changing the subject, "When you said you hope this isn't the end of our conversation, what did you mean? What are you looking for?"

Edward smiles. "Why don't we start with friends, and then see what happens from there?"

I nod, smiling back. "I think I'd like that."

There you have it, chapter one. If you want to find out more, drop me a line!

Love,

TheSongSmith