"It's better to try things first if you can, so I have some set aside as testers if you'd like…" Beca got up and opened the drawer underneath the stand they were all gathered at when they met.
"I try to make sure everyone knows the proper use given the opportunity - but more important to me is safety, so any allergies?" She busied her fingers rearranging the sample items at the desk in the centre while the women shared an impressed nod with each other. Picking up the taper she set it alight and took the flame across each wick. Beca was nearly done lighting the entire row of 10 before Jessica confirmed there were no known allergies.
"Right then," pointing to the stools she pushed the tray over to the women as they sat down. "Pick your poison." she smiled a wink, then carried on. "They're all handmade, so I'm afraid you'll see the odd imperfection, but then we can also order any scent you might want - or can think of. No spices though!" She visibly cringed, her yikes face in full force. "They sting uncontrollably in all the important places."
Shuddering, Beca recalled back to her early community days, a particularly traumatic experience of spice afflicting her body once more… she really didn't like it then, and not much has changed since. "You can stick to figging if you want spice. Options from me today would be down to colour, scent, temperature, and ease of clean-up. These are all paraffin, but each candle has a soy alternative that isn't as hot on the skin, STOP-" Her volume raised as she leaned out her seat and pushed a hand onto a candle - snuffing it immediately. Wonderfully red locks falling short of folding over the wick, but only barely. "The flames are real, and you're flammable, so, hair-bobble please." She resisted the urge to pull her hand back out from under Chloe's hair as it gently tickled her skin.
Chloe's eyes widened first at the volume and abrupt movement, then doubling again when she saw her own hair resting against Beca's fingers: she'd been too distracted trying to smell each fragrance and listening to notice the danger. Blushing out a smile, she checked her wrist and frowned, then followed Beca's pointing finger to a bobble on the tray for her - either she was clearly a health risk, or women do that all too often. She mumbled her thanks, hoping for the latter, but suspecting she'd been pegged as clumsy all to easily.
"Here, try that." Beca lifted up a deep amber candle to Jessica, a mix of honey and orange drifting up to her.
"Either of you played with wax before, do you know what to expect?" Both girls shook their heads, smiling at each others' eagerness. "That's fine, everybody has to do everything for the first time at least once right, so let's have at it - arms out." She got up and walked around, taking their coats and hanging them up on an extravagant corner rack before passing through the corner door she'd indicated to earlier, and back again, the sound of a kettle starting following shortly behind. "You like the amber scent?" Mainly to distract the woman as she picked up the antiseptic wipes, giving one to each, she cleaned her own hands and forearms - inclining for the women to copy.
Listening to them both talk about the candles, she unfolded a cloth and placed it on the counter between their elbows, then picked up a bottle and dripped some oil into her hand before gently placing it too across the table top toward them.
"Well Chloe, want to help me here?" she held up a candle to her, watching her eyes light up and gaze flick to Jessica quickly, the largest smile Beca thinks she's ever seen grew across her face. Chloe nodded keenly, then sobered a little, and watched Beca place a forest green candle in front of her - the mocking choice of colour was not lost on the redhead. "Put some oil on your forearms, it'll act as a light protective barrier and help allow the wax to lift off when you're done… Not to mention how rubbing it in gets the blood flowing to activate the nerve endings early." Beca walked back again to stand between them, a smile that promised enjoyment clear on her lips. "You too Chloe."
"Okay, so the simple science: fire melts wax, gravity pulls wax down, air cools wax. The time the wax falls through the air makes a temperature difference: further away from the body for cooler, closer for hotter. So to start off you want cooler wax and as your partner's skin gets used to it, you might want hotter sensations. Understand?"
They nodded. "Wait, will it leave a mark?" Jessica looked panicked.
"It can do. Only reddening is acceptable, but yes, done improperly you could be burned - or even scarred. But don't worry, this is why I like to talk people through it… make sure you know how to stay in safe hands. Please don't use household candles for instance, they tend to be made with beeswax which melts at a much higher temperature meaning you're more likely to damage the skin."
"It's not that, though good to know - I just don't think the boyfriend will appreciate someone else leaving marks." Chloe tilted her head at her friend, confusion clear on her face, while Jessica looked smaller somehow. Beca had a feeling she knew what Jessica was mentally going through, and knew that Chloe didn't.
"Hey Chloe, through that door is the wonderful sound of a kettle, and some biscuits if you rummage in the cupboard above the first aid box." She smiled encouragingly. "Would you be my favourite person of the day and bring through a pot of tea for us all?" Nodding gently; silently asking her to give them a minute before Chloe nodded in return and made to move. "Thanks, you're a star." She took Chloe's seat and waited till she left before smiling more gently to Jessica. "It's okay Jess, there's nothing to be ashamed of, I'm in this lifestyle too and I completely understand what you mean… And to be honest - where he's probably coming from."
Jessica only gave a small smile, mostly fake, in return so Beca continued. "I think it's fair to say that the majority of our population values monogamy, and when you add something like this in the mix, it's often just another dynamic to be precious over; jealous over - particularly with a sexual relationship and skin privileges already promised, it's easy to feel possessive - especially when we worry someone else has enjoyed what we believe is reserved for us alone."
"I guess."
"We can all go a little frantic at the notion of not being there when someone else is… doing things we know they enjoy, or even scalding them - which frankly isn't the other persons' job, that body is reserved for us alone. Jealousy is a very potent thing Jess, and in this lifestyle there's just more triggers available. So I'm saying it's okay for you to be worried, it's respectful to him and his emotions even - as long as you're not afraid of a backlash or outburst, because that's a different kind of worry that we can talk about?"
"No, not exactly… I just: he is possessive, easily jealous, and this is his thing that I'm trying for him, for us. But I don't really have a clue what he expects me to do today, you know?" Jessica sort of shrugged, sort of slouched - it was a weird movement to watch and the dominant side of Beca wanted to set her at ease without delay.
"I get it, it's a shame he's not here. He could've left you with a little bit more guidance on how he expects you to consider things before taking them home… But ultimately, he didn't, and hasn't been clear - and that's his oversight he'll just have to accept if he's not at all happy. I am here though, and please believe I know what I'm doing well enough to minimise any marking potential". Beca gave her best reassuring smile, "and Chloe doesn't have to learn all the ins and outs if you'd prefer, but I think it's important to have someone else to talk to - however much you're comfortable with."
She watched Jessica physically relax and blow out a steadying breath before she could nod her acceptance. "So, is it just marks, or does he have a no-touch rule?"
"Just marks I think." Her eyes flitted to the doorway at the sound of jars and cups moving.
"Do you have to declare your day to him in any detail if ever he asks?"
"Urm, I don't know, do I?!" Her eyebrows scrunched up.
"Only if you've agreed to it prior to now, if not, you're entitled to your normal relationship level privacy." Again she watched Jessica relax more. "Did you want to test the feeling out before committing at home, or do you want to save the sensations?"
"I think I'd like to try it first - Just in case I really don't like it and I'm already in the middle of something with him." More clonking reached them before the kettle clicked off loudly.
"Okay…" Beca again had that sinking feeling: even if she was simply gathering items to try out at home with her partner, she expected that Jessica - anyone - would trust in their spouse enough to not be held in a moment where they felt uncomfortable. I'm stuck in this now, fuck Bree. "Do you have a list for today?"
Her head spun up, "Yeah, how…"
"It's cool, Aubrey phoned me to make sure I could see you. Want me to take a look, we can test anything you're not confident with and by the time the day is done any marks would've faded?"
"Yes, please, that would be… amazing actually." Finally Jessica relaxed. Just in time for Chloe to bring the tea and biscuits through, albeit a little slowly. Beca scanned the list but mostly noted the addresses, deciding that this was definitely an active community guy - and as such she would impose her own no-touch rule to Jessica, just in case.
"Oh my god, thank you, you're an angel!" Beca beamed, taking the tray and moving for Chloe to sit back down as she approached. "Right, as I was saying: ANY and ALL first times should be at the lowest sensation, regardless of what it is, before increasing through to ensure no boundary is crossed." She waited for them both to nod. "Think of everything like fragile sex, where it needs careful foreplay before full penetration… Safe enjoyment is the goal… Same goes for wax, and anything else here." She waited for the women to grasp that notion more fully before continuing.
"Chloe, raise the candle over the bowl, shoulder height, arm out." Beca watched on, more than pleased and a little surprised by how easily she took direction. "Good. The person pouring should always be sure of their aim too… we're not simply lobbing paint on a wall, safety and precision is vital. Can I help?"
She moved her hands in when Chloe nodded once, taking a steadying breath she gently took Chloe's wrist and bicep in her hands, adjusting the muscles slightly. "Don't extend so far to lock your elbow, you want to be able to move freely. There. Grip the candle on the lower half only: Great." Chloe smiled, a small blush appearing but still with that eagerness about her. "Now, if we rotate from the shoulder to tip the candle - see how your elbow curves out? Make sure you have enough room to move wherever you find yourself playing with wax."
Chloe watched as Beca moved her arm in her hands, the wax gathered to one side, then spilled over directly into the bowl. "Well done. See how the flame stays straight, but melts more of the candle to one side? Always make sure your grip is at the base, you never want to feel the flame near the top else you might drop it suddenly from the intense heat - remembering you'll be over another person, or at least a material, that's obviously a major hazard with an open flame." She reset Chloe's arm so the candle was no longer dripping and let go. The sensation of loss made itself known, but she continued on. "Now you try."
Chloe managed it straight away, a flawless smile on her face for her efforts.
"Perfect. Keep practising, lower your arm so your closer to the bowl, and then up again… make sure you know the feel of it, how your arm feels moving and rotating, the weight of it… Get to really know how you move, and how an object feels and moves with you; intimacy breeds confidence, so explore yourself as well as what you're doing."
Pausing, she allowed Chloe a moment to concentrate on her muscles more closely. "Practise controlling the wax between a steady shoulder-flow and small wrist-flicking drips. Keep stopping in between - you must be able to stop immediately if asked, so get used to stopping before you go near a person, okay? Now, how do you have your tea?"
Beca made the drinks as Chloe kept practising, her and Jessica talking, laughing and watching the candle constantly.
"So we have what I call 'Shop Safe' areas of skin that we can try things on that will give you a pretty good idea of the sensations, but not require me to change my licence," she winked, "so the naked forearm, inner wrist, top of the thigh, tip of the nose for instance; and I have plenty of items here that you can meet and try out before having to buy them first. Books and guides too, if you wanted to learn things on your own time - they're relatively expensive compared to the internet, but not every site is good advice so let me know what you might want to read up on and I'll give you the better links." She smiled brightly. "That's perfect Chloe, when you're ready: place your arm on the cloth and try again - it's important to know how things feel on your own body before you potentially inflict others."
Chloe's eyes bugged wide a few comical times, before she remembered how to breathe and set herself up. Chloe watched the candle, Jessica held her breath and watched Chloe's arm, while Beca studied Chloe's face with enough intensity to see even the slightest reaction play across her features. As the Candle moved and wax dropped, it felt like an eternity: anticipation, a glimmer of hope, a tiny dose of fear and self-doubt; as the wax landed time seemed to catch up. Ultimately everyone was pleased, a smattering of embarrassed giggles to help them through it, but all Beca could do was watch how Chloe's eyes dilated, pulsing her enjoyment like a badge of honour as she carried on - the candle moving closer as she tried out drips and flows as she'd practised.
"Wow, this is really nice actually." She beamed at Jessica after a few indulgent moments, before setting the candle down and turning to Beca for more guidance.
Beca recovered from the sight of it all, though not as quickly as she'd have liked. "Good right?" She went to touch Chloe's arm, thinking better of it half way through the motion. "Sorry, try running your fingers through the wax, feel how the heat lessons in one place as you spread it out a little, but others grow warmer in turn. As the wax gets colder you can drop more onto it to keep the temperature up - multiple wet layers will self heat though, so make sure you can spread it around if it gets uncomfortable for anyone. Pushing your fingers through the wax until you can see the skin beneath is good practise when you're starting out anyway, it means you can check for the acceptable pinking, a sign that your canvass is feeling the warmth, or worse: a blotchy white, or red edges… if you see that, stop immediately - regardless of pleasure - because that's the beginning of a burn… Understand?"
"Yes. Ooo, it's silky… and messy, eugh." Chloe's face twisted a little, torn between the pleasure of it and the gunk now under her nails. "But only a slight pinking - and no white or red". Jessica leaned closer to verify Chloe's claim at 20/20 eyesight while Beca sipped her tea to subtly allow her the time to check.
"It's okay Chloe, we'll do clean up after Jessica's turn. You ready?"
Jessica nodded, shifting on her stool a little. "Drip on me woman." The two had their fun, then Chloe took up the candle once more.
She held her arm out, made to move then stopped suddenly, dragging her torso round, she found the bowl and took another practise shot. "Sorry, just wanted to make sure." A sheepish smile, but Beca was proud of the careful steps Chloe approached the moment with.
Turning back, she started over and it was Jessica's turn to feel the warmth and stimulation afforded with wax play. Chloe took it upon herself to run her fingers through the liquid silk on her friend's skin, dripping in small intervals to miss her own hand. Perhaps only a minute slipped by, but it was enough time for them both to decide that candles would make a definite appearance in both their separate sex lives.
"So, how was that? Not so scary?" Beca knew the answers but asked anyway. "Okay, so for clean-up a good way is to flog the wax, but that's a chat for another day I think, mostly, laying on a flat-sheet will do: You can just push the wax off with your fingers once it's cool, it lands on the extra sheet, you bundle it all up and out for the wash, then collapse on your normal bedding. Please take a moment later to research a term called 'aftercare'… I really can't stress the importance of, at the very least, considering what you might need before a session - realising afterwards that you should've bought a cold compress - and now the store is closed - is irresponsible and frankly unacceptable."
She smiled brightly then, lecture over. "There's a larger wash basin in the toilet through that door - Chloe, these are for you." She handed her a packet of small disposable nail cleaners from the tray. "I'll pack these away and clear this up if you ladies wanted to take a moment to talk about it without me."
Beca busied herself tidying and replacing the items she'd used with clean ones, snuffing the candles and wiping the table down. There were a few wax crumbs on the floor and stools - it really does get everywhere - which she swept up before returning to her computer to make some notes. She replied to an email order with an acknowledgement then printed it off. She'd just boxed up those items as the women were coming back through. "All sorted? Ready to fake a bathroom break and dash out the door?"
She chuckled with them for a few moments as they shook their heads playfully before they all went back to their teas. "Okay Jess, what's next?"
Jessica was much more comfortable now, appreciating how caring and attentive Beca was, without sensing judgement, she simply proffered forward her list again and explained she's to get one thing from each line.
Beca held out her hand gently, "May I? Perhaps I can help pick the easier, softer options to get you started with?"
Jessica smiled gratefully, "please, as you can tell - this is all very new to me."
"And you, anything you want to look at yet?"
Chloe wanted to do it all, but today wasn't about her, "Not yet, moral support remember." She promised herself she'd be back though, if ever she got a partner in the near future.
Beca looked at the list in more detail this time, taking in each kink and cataloguing what she stocked: actively thinking about items, sizes and intensities verses vanilla suitability. "Crikey, let's get cracking then." She glanced at the clock, deciding it was going to take quite some time to show them everything in detail. "Sorry, let me just make a call, then I'm all yours."
Jessica heard her phone through a favour as she asked someone to come and cover the store. While Chloe made another tea for everybody, Beca moved around the rooms, pulling various items from drawers under numerous displays, placing them in bags and a box before moving on. Chloe nudged Jessica's leg under the desk, "what do you think of her?" She asked under her breath.
"Beca? I think she's great. I didn't realise how scared I was, but she's really set me at ease here, you know? I was a little embarrassed about the whole thing, but I think it's lovely here… Don't you?"
"Oh, totes, she's been really great at making me feel included. I feel like most shops would ignore me and follow the credit card, trying to force a bigger sale or something, but she seems more concerned with spending time teaching, rather than just sending us on our way without a clue but having made a decent profit." She took another second to rake her gaze over Beca's form. "I think she's amazing." Chloe's smile was large, doe-eyed, and framed with a blush.
"Oh my god, Chloe, you like her!?"
"Well, what's not to like?" She tilted her head and unabashedly appraised Beca's slight body; notably shorter than Chloe, with long brown hair to contrast her own red waves, a smattering of ink that sparked a desire to see if more were waiting to be discovered, those tight skinny jeans, "Ow!"
Jessica pinched her. "You're drooling: perv."
"Shut up." But it was all smiles and harmless banter.
The door opened with a flourish then, a whirlwind of boobs and legs bursting through. "Do not fear, I am hear!"
Beca didn't miss a beat. "My hero." Dry, sarcastic, perfect. "Thanks though, wave to Jessica and Chloe… This is Stacie, ignore her, she's on day release."
Everyone said their hello's and Stacie helped herself to a tea and a handful of biscuits. "Right, we're disappearing to my office, that box is for account 3:15 in the tray, I've not tracked it yet, if you feel like doing more than eating."
"Ooo, that an offer?" Stacie winked salaciously.
"You couldn't handle me." Beca's smile was full, all charm and pearly whites. She seemed to naturally pulse with confidence, but when Stacie was here the room held something more, bigger; as if they both privately sparred with a pressure bubble under their words. If you paid attention, it felt like the room took in more static, or less oxygen, perhaps a lethal mix of the two.
It reminded Chloe of being on a plane through ascent, feeling the pressure build and culminate till it threatened to be unpleasant, the reminder that it could be turbulent ahead - the promise of unmatched views that could take your breath at the top. She could bask there before getting exactly what she wanted when she went back down.
Now that Chloe was paying attention to it, she could feel how the energy could ratchet up, or dispel just as easily. She couldn't identify it, but Chloe could feel that whatever it was, she was more attuned to whatever Beca was putting out there - considered how readily she could get on that plane with a one way ticket. She awaited each pulse as it coaxed at her skin, or tickled it, depending on what Beca would offer out at any given moment.
She watched her turn on her heal, sweeping the box into her hands as she went and stood by the kitchen door. "Jessica, you still want moral support to come along?"
It was a friendly enough tone, but she understood why Beca was asking: if Chloe came along, there'd be no hiding her sexual explorations once the box was unpacked. She debated for a moment too long.
"Hey it's cool… I can drink tea, maybe keep practising in the kitchen?" She furrowed her brow, then quickly added, "or read a book, or something?" She didn't want to impose on Beca's space, after all.
Beca nodded. "Anything you like, I'll show you to my study where the books are free to read."
"No, it's fine, we're all learning right?"
"Well Beca's top shelf, so not her." Stacie called, the others not quite sure why she sing-songed at them.
"You sure? Genuinely, this is your thing, and if you're comfy and don't need me…"
"Come on, you liked the wax, so why not? Just, no judging?"
Beca stood taller. "I don't tolerate any judgement: not here, not anywhere near me." Suddenly stern, she hit Chloe with a heavy gaze.
One that she felt in every fibre of her being… Beca's private airline suddenly pressed tight against her chest. "I would never…" Chloe shook her hands, her voice soft and breathy. Hurt at the thought, and feeling chastised despite her unwavering loyalty.
"Come along then." Beca's tone was back to normal and they both shuffled after her - Chloe quicker to move than Jessica.
Stacie tutted then smiled to herself, muttering into her cup of tea. "And into the forest went little red riding hood." Bad Beca.