"What is it?" I ask her, concerned that in spite of astronomical odds, she's seen someone we know.
"It's like the Bacchanalia, like the Satyricon, like something out of the history of Caligula," she breathes.
Whew! I relax. She's just overwhelmed by what she sees. I can deal with that.
"Okay, now that you've demonstrated you studied the history of Western Civilization, what in particular are you referring to?"
"Everything. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before."
As I look at her, I see the flush on her face again. I notice her nipples poking through the fabric of her dress and I drape her pashmina around her shoulders and over her chest. Even though no one is near us and no one can see us from downstairs, I still don't like her being so exposed.
"Talk to me, babe," I tell her as I pull my chair closer and wrap my arm around her. "Ask me anything and I'll try to explain it to you."
"I know you've told me about some of these things but seeing it live and in person is so different from just hearing about it. Like that couple over there." She subtly indicates a woman and man at the near side of the main floor. She's sitting at a small table, watching the cover band on stage, and he's on his forearms and knees at her side in nothing but a thong, a martini glass balanced on his back.
"Mm-hmmm, what do you think? My guess is that theirs is a Mistress / Slave relationship. He's there to do her bidding, no matter what."
"I…I…I don't know! I just can't imagine. He hasn't moved a muscle."
"He's learned control of his body."
"But still, doesn't he have to pee at some point?"
"She's supposed to know his limits. She should recognize the signs and take care of his needs if she's a good Mistress."
"And what about the woman on the pole over there?" She nods toward the far end of the room where a blonde in tanga pants is tied to a pole, her hands high above her head. A man in black jeans and a black silk shirt is slowly flogging her.
"Theirs could be just about any kind of arrangement: Dom/sub, sadist/masochist, it's hard to say."
"And they don't mind doing this in public?"
"We're not exactly in public, babe. We're in a private club and these are all consenting adults. One of the things you learn here is to tune out what doesn't interest you. The exhibitionist aspect of her flogging is part of their scene."
Ana shakes her head. "I just never imagined it like this."
"Does it do anything for you?" I'm really interested in the answer to this question.
"I don't know," she responds. "Surely you wouldn't think of flogging me here, would you?"
"Uh, no, not on the main floor. No one sees my wife's body but me. Well, and her doctor, but that's different. I don't think I'd even trust the private rooms here."
"They have private rooms?"
"They do, in addition to the theme rooms."
"Theme rooms? Oh, god, Christian, this is all so foreign to me!"
"Relax, babe. This is your first time here. Just take it all in. After the kinbaku show I want to see the theme rooms and then we can leave if you want."
She still looks apprehensive but her body language seems to indicate that she's relaxing somewhat.
"Mr. Cross, is there anything you need?" The Clubmaster appears at our table; he looks like Joel Grey in Cabaret, right down to the mannerisms. He's subtly checking me out, which is all right by me since that means he has absolutely no interest in my wife. She, however, stakes her claim by putting a hand on my thigh.
"Thank you, everything is fine. I think we'd like to order some appetizers."
"Oh, Mr. Cross, we have a wonderful appetizer sampler plate; shall I send one to your table?"
"That would be great, thank you."
He disappears to take care of our order and when I look at Ana she's got a bemused expression on her face.
"What?"
"He was checking you out!" she giggles. "And what's with the 'Mr. Cross' bit?"
"I used an alias when I made our reservations, just as a precaution. And I told you before, men aren't my scene so you have nothing to worry about."
She shakes her head and looks at the stage. The lights dim, indicating the show is starting, so everyone quiets down. A woman (or someone dressed as a woman, it's hard to tell in a place like this) walks out on stage; she looks like she took fashion advice from Lady Gaga. She's dressed like one of the queens from Through the Looking Glass except that there are spikes on all the hoops. She's wearing a black leotard under the hoops, (which are also black except for the spikes) and her crown is a ring of spikes
It's a bizarre outfit but when she opens her mouth and starts singing I completely forget about it. The first two notes of "At Last" come out with such an ethereal purity it's hard to believe it's human. She's accompanied only by a piano so I can appreciate the full effect of her voice. She sings a few more sultry torch songs before the demonstration. Had I known what a good a singer they have, I would have come here for her voice alone. After she finishes her set, stagehands set up for the next show; this is what I really came to see although I may come back here just to listen to that singer again. I make a mental note to find out if she travels to the States.
I'm hoping the kinbaku show is as good as the singer. I've played around some with Japanese rope bondage but I've never achieved the mastery that some people have. I'm hoping Ana finds it as interesting as I do so we can practice it at home. While we wait I check on her and see that she seems to have relaxed quite a bit.
The show is put on by a Westerner who's studied extensively in Japan. He has four subjects with him, one of them male. He goes from one to the other, tying them in intricate patterns and when all four are bound, he suspends them, one by one, the male last, from a specially designed rack. As they spin, the ropes form a shimmering design with a focus on the male and the overall effect is stunning. I look at Ana and she's watching intently with her hands in prayer formation over her mouth.
After they spin for a while, he unhooks them, then just as artistically unbinds them. When the show is over, we sit for a while, speechless. I turn to Ana and ask her, "So, what did you think of that?"
She's silent for a few seconds and then whispers, "There are just no words to describe it. It was absolutely beautiful! But…" and she stops.
"But what, babe? Tell me," I urge.
She looks me in the eye and says, "There's no way in hell you're ever going to suspend me like that, Grey."
I laugh out loud and shake her gently with my arm around her shoulder. "That's okay. I'm nowhere near the level of this guy and even if I were, I don't know if I'd trust myself with you like that. I just wanted you to see it so you'd know what it's about."
"Well, thank you, Christian, I'm glad you talked me into this."
"Good! Are you ready for a tour of the theme rooms?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. We're just observing, right?"
"Right. Like I said, I'm not sure I'd want us using the rooms here, not without my security doing a thorough inspection of the place and I'm not sure the club would allow that."
"Okay, then, lead on, Macduff." And with that we head downstairs and to the hallway leading to the rooms. I explain along the way that some of them may not be available for viewing. If the people using the room don't mind being watched, the blinds on the windows will be up.
The first one we observe is called The Classroom. A woman dressed in a schoolgirl uniform (minus panties) and wearing pigtails is bent over a teacher's desk. Her Dom, dressed like a professor, complete with elbow patches and bow tie, is punishing her with a pointer. I'm reminded of when Ana first stayed with me and I whisper in her ear, "See why I told you pigtails wouldn't protect you?"
She giggles, a little too loudly, so I shush her and we move on. The next room is The Examining Room. A man dressed as a doctor is between the legs of a woman on an examining table, complete with stirrups. We watch as he takes out a speculum and then proceeds to go down on her. I feel Ana shudder and I turn to her, "A little too clinical for you?" She just shakes her head and we walk on.
We pass a few more theme rooms like The Confessional, The Cockpit, The Harem, some of them with blinds shut. There are also several dungeon type rooms, outfitted like our room back in Escala. As I understand it, while visitors may observe the rooms with open windows, all theme rooms are monitored by security staff, even the ones with blinds shut. The private rooms are supposed to be completely private but without my security staff saying so, I wouldn't trust them.
The room that piques Ana's interest is called simply Eden. It's unoccupied at the moment so we go inside. We're assaulted by the warm temperature and high humidity; it feels like Florida in July. There's no furniture at all; instead there are rock formations and waterfalls. Plants are everywhere, even live trees. Birds are flying around; even though they look lifelike I suspect they're mechanical – live birds might escape to the general area.
I gaze at Ana and notice she's got that look of arousal. Wrapping my arms around her waist from behind her, I murmur, "So, would you like to be the Eve to my Adam?" "Oh, yes!" she whispers, so softly I barely hear it. I kiss her on the neck and let go. She continues to explore the room. There are some passages behind the rocks that weave around. As we come out the other side she looks at me with her hands clasped.
"Would you like to build something like this at home?" I ask her.
"Oh yes! Think of the fun we could have!"
"Then I'll get right on it when we get back." I take her in my arms again, this time facing her. "Don't you think it's time we replaced those silver balls with something better?" I whisper in her ear. "Mm-hmm," she purrs as I feel her nod.
We make our way back to the main floor. I check to make sure she doesn't want to stay for another show but no, she'd rather leave. I tell the Clubmaster to get our car and when Sawyer arrives, we head straight home.
Back at the house, I delay her (and my) gratification a little longer, primarily using her favorite silver tie. When the time is right, I plunge into her and we both find sweet release. After an evening full of sex and sensuality, we fall asleep in each other's arms.
I'm back at the club but Ana's not with me. I think I'm looking for her, checking each of the theme rooms. I look into one of the dungeons and notice a chocolate cake on the table there. There's a tall, half-naked man in the middle, flogging a woman who's bent over a whipping bench. I can't see who she is but there's another woman on the floor next to him on her knees and elbows, a petite woman with long dark hair. She turns towards me and gives me a lascivious grin. No! No! No! It's my birth mother! I look at the man and he's got copper hair, like mine. He starts to turn around and I don't want to see his face. I run screaming down the hall, "Anastaaaasiaaaa!"
"Anastaaaasiaaaa!" I wake up screaming. Ana wakes up immediately, oh thank fuck she's there! She crawls on top of me and envelops me in her arms. I grab her and hold onto her like the life preserver she is.
"It's okay, it's okay, you were just having a bad dream. It's okay, Christian, I'm here." She holds me tight and starts rocking me and slowly I start to calm down. Once she senses my heart rate return to normal, she eases off of me but continues her embrace.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" she asks.
"Not right now," I reply, "We've got a busy day tomorrow with my parents' arrival. Let's just go back to sleep."
"All right. I love you, Christian."
"I love you, Anastasia." I kiss the top of her head and we spoon. It's a while before I fall asleep but this time there are no bad dreams.