Liars and Tigers (8 page)

"Because you are a
wonderful, smart, and very special lady who I enjoy spending time with. I'll be
right back."

"Alex?" Misha
called. He stopped and turned. "The stuff I said about, you know, about
playing…"

"Don't worry about it.
You just had too much to drink."

"No. I mean, yes, I
drank too much; but, it gave me the courage to tell you I was intrigued. I
still want to maybe try something."

"You do?"

"Yeah, but like I said,
maybe. Coffee first," Misha said, reminding him of her badly needed
beverage.

Alex nodded and rushed to
retrieve the coffee and a plate of fruit and cheese. He handed the items to her
as he sat down on the swing opposite her. "Are you sure you really want to
try this?"

"Yeah. Why? Are you
having doubts?" Misha looked worried.

"Doubts? Hell no, this
is a dream come true for me. The ex wasn't into it at all and I haven't played
much since the divorce. Just a couple of lame parties and a few gals I met
online. I just realized that I wanted something more. Something with substance,
you know what I mean?"

"There are
parties?"

"Yeah, they can be a
lot of fun, but I prefer one-on-one, and not being dictated to on how to
exercise my skills."

"See? I knew you didn't
play well with others," Misha chuckled.

"It's
exactly how you feel when you go to work-related events and there are people
supporting our purpose but who aren't really involved. They don't really
understand the true depth of commitment you put into the work—but, they
serve a purpose that also helps satisfy their own needs. It's mutually
beneficial, but rarely do the two sides intermingle."

"Meaning
that they will donate their money or volunteer to help out, but never set foot
in the middle of a pride?"

"Precisely."

"Well,
I want to see what you are talking about."

"It
will mean some exposure. Mainly to your ass," Alex warned.

"As
long as you don't make me get naked, I'm good."

"Well
then, after dinner, I will introduce you to my world."

***

"So, what do I
do?" Misha asked nervously, as they sat at the table eating Alex's 'famous
X-tacos'. He had poached chicken breasts in homemade tomatillo sauce and served
them in soft, flour tortillas with salsa fresca, cheese, and sour cream.

"Right now, you finish
your dinner and then go take a bath. I want you to be relaxed. Put on something
loose and comfortable that allows me easy access."

"Can I have some
wine?"

"One glass. A small
glass. I need you to be completely coherent."

"I'm
sorry I'm so nervous."

"This
is a big step in trust, Mish. I would be worried if you weren't nervous. I
would never harm you. You know that."

"I
do. That is why I wanted to take you ballooning. It's because I am trying to
learn to trust you with my fears. It is something I need to do."

"Should
I ask how you came to that conclusion?" Alex questioned kindly.

"Jack.
He's been on my case about me being too young to be such a loner, and that I
need more friends than just him," she mimicked his voice.

"You
know Jack loves you, right? You are the closest thing to a daughter he has ever
had. He wants you to be happy."

"I
know. I'm just not very good about people telling me what I need in my
life."

"None
of us are, but we all need people like Jack to show us what we can't see for
ourselves. I get it from both Jack and my dad." Alex laughed.

"Am
I ever going to get to meet your father?"

"Yep.
He comes back from his trip in a few weeks, and then we can set up a time to
get together."

"Where
did he go?"

"Honestly,"
Alex began to clear the dishes, "I have no idea. He loves to travel and is
always on the go, ever since he retired. I'll clear up here. Go get
ready."

"Okay.
My wine?"

"Remember,
just one glass. Sip it slowly. Come into the living room when you're
ready."

Alex
quickly cleaned the kitchen, took a shower, and changed into his black sweat
pants and snug-fitting muscle shirt. He had been sitting on the couch for over
thirty minutes before Misha emerged. She was dressed in loose lavender pajama
bottoms and a Tinkerbelle tank top.

"Is
this okay?" she asked, twirling in front of him.

Alex's
face broke into a smile. "Hmm, let me see. Come here." He patted his
thigh and spread his knees so she could stand between them.

"For
what?" Misha asked, obeying.

"Turn
around so I can see your bottom," Alex ordered, placing his hands on her
hips and making her turn in a slow circle. "Very lovely. Because we are
just playing, and this is your first experience, you have the option of a
safeword. You can stop me at any time with it."

Misha
paled. "Will I need to?"

"Since
neither of us know your limits, you might feel safer having this bit of
control. But this is the only time. After I discover your limits, and if we
pursue this again, I'm in full control."

"I've
never been much of one for safety, according to Jack." Misha shifted from
one foot to another. "No."

"No
to what, baby?"

"I
don't want a safeword. I want to try to trust you without me being in charge. I
know it's stupid, but…"

"Not
stupid at all. I promise not to take you farther than you can handle on your
first time. I do want to keep you wanting to come back for more."

"And
no sex, right?" Misha began to look nervous.

"Nothing
unless you ask for it. I will need you to communicate with me openly, too. Can
you do that?"

"I
can try."

"This
is your last chance, then. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Misha bit her lower lip and nodded. Alex patted his right knee.
"Excellent. Bend over my lap and put your hands on the floor. Try your
best to keep them there if you can."

"It
this going to hurt?" Misha asked, obeying him.

"I
hope so," Alex stated, patting her thinly clad backside. "Here we
go."

The
first smack landed squarely across the top of her pajama-covered bottom. Misha
made a slight, surprised 'oh' sound, and dug her fingers into his calf to hang
on. His hand fell again and again, one spank after another, and he rejoiced in
the sounds of her squeals. He was not smacking her particularly hard, just
enough to let her feel the pleasant sting of the impact. Her squirming
suggested that she was starting to enjoy the experience. Alex decided to take
it to the next level, and skimmed her pajama pants down past her rounded
globes.

"Hey!"
Misha protested, reaching behind to grab her pants.

"Hands
on the floor, young lady," Alex scolded, quickly reddening the jiggling
mounds under his palm, "reaching back for any reason is off limits."

"That
hurts!" Misha complained.

"Give
it a minute, and then tell me how it feels," Alex laughed, spanking her
again and turning her sit spots a flushed rose. He paused to rub her flesh.
"Well?"

"I
guess it's not
that
bad," Misha
admitted. "I don't want to be naked."

"Your
panties are still up. I do recommended thongs instead of these boy shorts. It
makes it easier for me to get to your backside without taking them down."

"Ow!
Not so hard," Misha squealed, as he landed another series of swats across
her bottom.

"Stop
whining. Go to my room and lean over the edge of the bed."

"What
are you going to do?" Misha asked, quickly yanking her PJ pants back up.

"You'll
see," Alex promised. While Misha got comfortable over the edge of the four
poster, pedestaled bed, Alex rummaged through his closet. "Mish?"

"What?"

"Are
you up to trying some restraints?"

"Like
tying me up? Yeah!" Misha nodded eagerly. "That sounds like fun.
Unless you are going to hit me real hard—then, no."

"I'm
going to introduce you to something wonderful, but I need you to stay put.
These are Florentine floggers," he showed her. "They have seventy-two
falls each and are made of bison and deer hide. I'm about to show you how loud
I like my music—in the house."

He
tied a soft rope to both of Misha's wrists, and secured the ends to the posters
of the head and footboard of his bed, stretching her out horizontally across
the mattress. He pushed a stool under her knees to allow her to kneel
comfortably, and then slipped her shirt over her head to expose her back.

"I'm
not wearing a bra," Misha said. "Don't look!"

"I
am only interested in this lovely canvas right now." He ran his hands down
the warm skin of her back and then up again. He pulled her pants down to her
thighs, noticing four long, thick scars that ran horizontally across her right
thigh.

"How
did you get these?" he asked, running his finger along the irregular
edges.

"I
was sitting on a chain link fence and slipped."

"I
was guessing that they were claw marks."

"If
I had been mauled like that, I wouldn't have survived," Misha said.
"Please don't look at them, they are ugly."

"Is
this why you won't wear a bathing suit?"

"I'm
very modest, that's all. I don't want anyone looking at my body. I have
personal reasons."

"Well,
I think your body is perfect," Alex said
. Lux Aeterna
by the London Ensemble started to play, and he
lowered the lights to enhance the mood. He dragged the falls of the flogger
across her bare back, over her buttocks, and down the backs of her legs. Every
inch of her exposed skin was caressed by the leather as he repeated the motion.
"Now relax. Close your eyes."

The
music began to introduce a strong down beat, and he let a flogger fall across
her shoulder blades. Misha tensed for a moment as her mind and body absorbed
the new sensation.

"Well?"
Alex asked, running the flogger fingers gingerly across her flesh.

"Mmm.
More!" Misha exclaimed. He struck her again, letting the heavy leather
splay open across the full span of her bottom. "That is incredible! It
feels like a massage."

"I'm
going to work up to full force. Lift your foot if it's too much."

Alex
began to strike her in time to the music, alternating hard strokes with
caressing ones, and gradually introducing the use of two floggers at once. The
falls fell rapidly, moving over the exposed skin without pause, gradually
turning it a bright pink. Misha moaned with delight as the whipping motion
increased.

"That
is amazing," she purred.

"This
is called a pinwheel technique. Try to remember what you enjoy."

"Can
you strike harder?"

"I
certainly can," Alex said, circling the right flogger overhead and
splatting it across her back. He moved the left hand flogger in a figure eight,
continually striking different parts of her body, breaking the sensation up
with occasional sharp swipes from overhead. As the music progressed, he
initiated a Florentine rhythm using both hands.

"Wow…"
Misha stated, "What are you doing now?"

"This is
called Florentine flogging. I use two matched floggers and rotate my wrists so
I can do a faster rhythm and more frequent strike. Add some music and it
becomes ethereal."

"I'll
say," Misha purred, relaxing into the leather. "Please, don't ever
stop."

"This, my
dear, is only the beginning," Alex promised. Without losing contact with
her, he snatched up another flogger and ran it down her back to introduce her
to the implement.

"Oh,
my…" Misha gasped, as the thick, leather 'roses' impacted her skin.

"This is a
rose flogger," Alex explained, landing the next blow across her shoulder
blades. "It's really more of a cat-o-nine tails with leather roses on the
ends. What do you think?"

"It's deep
and thuddy. It feels like you're getting into my muscles with the pads of your
thumbs. Lovely."

The music
changed and Alex upped his game a bit, grabbing the Viper. Misha screeched as
it bit into her bottom.

"Too
much?" Alex asked, striking her again.

"Yes… no…
maybe… fuck!" Misha arched her back. "I don't know if I want more or
if I want less. It's so weird!"

"Your body
is awakening itself to the pleasure of pain. The Viper is a nasty little thing.
It's a martinet with triangle shaped leather teeth on the tips. The fact that
you are ambiguous about it tells me a lot. I'm going to use two of them. Tell
me how it feels."

"That
smarts!"

"Breathe
through it," Alex coaxed, lightening his strokes slightly and running his
hand over her, "take it in. Let me know when you want more."

"I'm
good," Misha announced, several seconds later.