Lessons From the Professor (4 page)

“A little R&R is never a bad thing,” Sutton said.

“You should take your own advice.”

“Okay, enough lip from you.”

A chime sounded, and Sutton furrowed her brow. Who would be
texting her right now?

She picked up her phone and smiled when she saw Leigh’s
name.

:Hey
I know it’s late, but
given we work second shift I figured you’d still be awake:

:Yeah
I was just doing some
reading, then the little sister showed up:

:Oh
lord, what’s up now:

:The
usual, arguing with
Mom:

:One
day, that girl is going
to have to grow up:

: I know, but try telling her that. So what’s up
?:

: I wanted to see if you’d be up to some company:

: Always when it’s yours
!:

: Sweet, see you in ten minutes:

“Who was that Sutton? Do you have a boyfriend you haven’t told
anyone about?”

“No, that was Leigh. She just got off work, and she’s coming
over to hang out for a while.”

“Oh, in that case I’m going to get settled in the guest
room.”

Sutton shook her head as Carissa set her mug into the sink
and made her way out of the kitchen, and down the hall way to the guest room.

“Don’t worry about cleaning up, Car. I got it,” Sutton
said.
 
Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

 
A knock sounded on
the door ten minutes later, and she slipped from her stool, eager to see her
friend.

Sutton opened the door and grinned at her friend’s butterfly
covered scrubs.

“Hey girl, come on in.” Sutton stepped back and allowed her
to enter before she locked the door. “How was your shift?”

“Ugh, busy. I swear the full moon brings out all the weird
ones,” Leigh said.

Sutton laughed as they made their way over to the breakfast
bar.

“Do you want anything to
eat?”
 
“Yes, I’m starving.” Leigh said.

“How does a sandwich sound?” asked Sutton.

“Like manna from heaven.”

“Sit down. You’ve been on your feet for twelve hours, so
I’ll make it.”

“Thanks, girl,” Leigh said as she sank down on to a stool
with a sigh.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Leigh, but what are you
doing here? You usually head home after your shifts unless you have plans. ”
Sutton opened the stainless steel refrigerator and pulled out turkey cold cuts.

“James is away at a convention for work, and I haven’t
gotten a chance to really talk to you since we went out to eat a couple of
weeks back.”

“You mean pick my brain.
Mayo?”

“Yes, please. I wouldn’t say pick exactly.”

“
Mmhmm
,” Sutton said.

“Okay, so I admit I’m transparent. I just
want to see you get out of the house more, and
Sidney
is a great guy, who’s interested by
the way.”

Her heart raced as she spun around to
face her. “Wait, he said he was interested?”

“Yes, he did.”

“What else did he say?” Sutton asked.

“Oh nothing much, that you were
interesting, gorgeous… the usual.”

Sutton couldn’t coral the giggle that
escaped as she cut the sandwich into halves, placed it on a plate, and set it
in front of Leigh with a bottle of water. It felt good to be wanted.
Sidney
was older,
well-traveled, and established.
 
He was
as different from ex,
Jackson
,
as night and day.
 

“Did he really say that?” she asked. She
paused to tilt her head to the side before she cleaned up the counter, washed
off the knife and set in the dish washer.

“He did.
 
Does your mad-hatter grin mean we’re done pretending you aren’t
interested in Sid?”

“You know what… it does.”

“Good! I was thinking we could all get together
again and let you guys get to know each other a bit better.”

“Sounds good, Leigh.”

“I can’t believe how easy going
you’re
being about this,” Leigh said around bites of her
sandwich.

“
Sidney
is different from all the other guys you wanted to set me up with,” Sutton
said.

“You have no idea how true that statement
is.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that he’s not like anyone you’ve
ever dated before.”

“Good. I could use a change of pace.”

“Honey, you aren’t even in first gear.”

“Shut up, not everyone meets their Mr.
Right and lives in blissful co-existence early on,” Sutton said.

“I know,
hon
,
but not all guys are like your old fiancé.”

“This hasn’t really been about him, more
about me needing to get to where I was comfortable before I could relax enough
to think about a relationship. You know my Father died when I was twelve, but I
never really talk about what happened after that. My mom and dad married right
out of high school before he headed off to boot camp. She spent the majority of
her life at home with us. This was fine, great even, until he had a heart
attack, and she was forced to try to provide for the five of us on her own. It
was hell watching her work two jobs to scrape together to make ends meet while
I took care of everything at home. I promised myself I would do everything in
my power to avoid ending up in that position.”

“Wow, Sutton, I’m sorry.”

“I did what had to be done, and I’m okay
with that. Most people don’t understand why I’m so
driven,
now you know.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being
focused. I just don’t want you to miss out on everything else going on around
you.”

“I know, Leigh, and that’s why I love
you.”

“And I love you, too.
 
I have to admit I had an ulterior motive in
mind when I stopped by.”

“Why does that make me nervous?”

“I don’t know?” Leigh said, as she
laughed. “I want to get some new toys and an outfit to surprise James with when
he gets back in town. There’s a new BDSM store I’ve been hearing good things
about called Tie Me in Knots.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Awesome! It’s always more fun to go to
shops with someone else.”

“You know I’ve never been to a sex shop.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No.” Sutton said.
 
She ducked her head, embarrassed.

“I thought you had a fiancé?”

“I did, but he was a doctor, and I was a
nursing student.
 
Between classes, and
hospital rotations we missed out on a lot of things most couples get to do
together.”

A shudder went through her as she
remembered the things she’d let the man get away with. She was young,
inexperienced, and unable to recognize the manipulation and abusive tactics
Jackson
had used on a
daily basis. Thank God they’d never married or procreated, or she’d be in hell
right now.
 

“Well, I’m glad I get to be the one to
pop your cherry,” Leigh said.

“You are such a filthy girl.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Leigh wagged her eyebrows, and they both
burst into giggles.

Chapter
Three

Sutton felt her eyes grow wide as they
entered Tie Me in Knots. Vinyl suits of all shapes, sizes, and colors assaulted
her eyes. The slick material was draped over mannequins that were positioned in
tantalizing poses. Some had their hands tied behind their back; others had
their hands tied in front of them, with their heads down.
 
Intrigued, she moved to examine the French
maid outfit. She ran her fingers over the cool material.

“You into the French
maid thing, Sutton?”
Leigh asked. Her voice broke the trance Sutton
had fallen into, and she glanced up and shook her head.

“No, there’s just so much to take
in.
 
The outfit was so shiny, I had to
touch it.”

Leigh chuckled. “Honey, you haven’t seen
anything yet. This is just the entrance.”

Sutton nodded as she stepped away from
the maid, and they continued to walk deeper into the store.

“Do you like vinyl?” Sutton asked.

“On a corset
it’s
okay, but I’m not into the full suit. I like James to have more access.”

Sutton’s mouth formed an O of surprise,
and her nipples hardened at the image her words conjured up. It was all too
easy to picture Leigh’s arms bound behind her back as James teased her.

“If we’re talking costumes, this is more
my style,” Leigh said. A sly smile lined her lips as she fingered a playboy
bunny school girl outfit that hung on a rack. The tiny pink plaid skirt came
with white knee high stockings, and a form fitting white t-shirt.

“You like role-playing?”

“I do, but for obvious reasons we both
have a soft spot for the teacher and student personas.” Leigh put the outfit
back onto the shelf. “I have plenty of school-girl outfits. I think I want
something different this time.”

“You never worry that he’ll do something
you don’t like?” Sutton asked as they continued to make their way around the
shop. She knew they participated in BDSM, but they’d never really had an open
conversation like this one.

“No, that’s why we have rules. I trust
James implicitly. That’s a number one requirement when it comes to your Dom.”

“I don’t know if I could give someone
that much control over me,” Sutton said.

“Well, it doesn’t happen all at once. You
start small and work your way up.
 
It’s
freeing really.”

“How so?”
Sutton asked
as they moved on to an area bursting with corsets.

“Well, after we set the guidelines, I was
free to experience sensations. No more thinking or worrying, and then, you hit
sub space.” A look of pure bliss came over Leigh’s face.

“Sub space?”

“A paradise where all you can feel is
pleasure and bliss. It’s like you’re floating in a bubble in another
dimension.”

“Another dimension?”

“It’s really hard to describe.
 
But trust me when I say it’s amazing, and the
closest to flying a human could ever come to.”

A shiver spread up Sutton’s spine. What
would it feel like to have no worries, to feel weightless and truly free, if
only for a moment?

I think I’m
starting to see the appeal in this lifestyle.

“Have you always been into BDSM?”

“When I look back on it now, I’d say
yes.
 
Though at the time, I didn’t know
to put a name to it. It started off with small things, being tied to the bed
post with scarves, playful spankings, and being ordered around. Dominance games
that I think everyone dabbles into from time to time.”

“How so?”

“Telling your significant other they
can’t touch you until you say so, and teasing them until they beg you to put
them out of their misery.”

“That’s BDSM?”

“Yes, not everything is extreme.”

“Do you get into extreme things?”

“By whose standards?”

“Good point. Do you think anything you do
is extreme?”

“In the world of BDSM,
no, but to a newbie, maybe.”

“Do you mind sharing?”

“No. I’m actually really enjoying having
someone to talk to about this. I mean there are other subs within the lifestyle
we’re friends with, but I’m not close to them like I am you. I never really
went into detail before, because I wasn’t sure if it’d be something you wanted
to talk about.”

“Leigh, I’m always here to listen whether
it’s about stress at work or your kinky love life.”

“Thanks, girl.
What do you
think about this one?” Leigh asked. She held up a black and red corset
accompanied by a black G-string.

Sutton let out a low whistle and nodded
her head.
 
The bustier was red with a
lace overlay, and the tapered waist alternated in stripes of deep red, and
black.

“That’s hot, Leigh.”

“I like the burlesque vibe it has going.”

“I’m sure James will, too.”

“Now that we have that done, it’s time
for the fun part, corrupting you with my knowledge of toys and accessories.”