Entangled

Author's Note: This is a work of fiction, and an exploration of fantasy. I hope you enjoy. Comments, critiques and stars are appreciated.

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Emily raised an eyebrow, "Do you consider yourself Dominant, Richard?"

I nodded, "Yes, it's where I'm comfortable; being in charge, setting the pace, the mood. I'm not sure about ropes and whips and pain, I really don't have much experience with that stuff. What about you?"

Her eyes kind of glowed at the mention of ropes, but she lowered her eyes, a bit before raising them up to meet mine.

"I'm a submissive at heart," she said, "I also admit to enjoying the rougher things."

"By the way your eyes lit up at the words ropes and whips," I teased, "I kinda figured."

"Well it's not all that I am," she smiled over her glass at me, then lifting an eyebrow "Tell me, Richard, you have any place to be tonight?"

"No place really," I stated, with a tight twist in my gut, "Are you fixing on getting amorous?"

"What do you think?" she asked, putting her glass on the coffee table.

For the first time in a long time, I let my actions speak before my mouth, and I leaned into her and kissed her tenderly. She kissed back and opened her mouth and let her tongue drift along my lips. I deepened the kiss pressing into her, my beard tickling her chin as our tongues touched and entwined.

She lifted her hands behind my shoulders, and pulled me closer and I wrapped my arms around her back. As we kissed, I slid my hands down and under her pert bottom. I leaned down into and pressed her into the sofa. She pulled me close to her, letting her legs slide around my thighs as we kissed.

I was just starting to enjoy myself with her under me, when she moved her hands from behind my shoulders to the front of my chest. She pressed back, a strong push, as we broke our kiss. She blinked slowly, then looked up into my eyes.

"How do you feel about long hot baths?" She asked with a smile.

"Big fan," I said, a bit breathlessly.

"The bathroom is down the hall, I'll go start the water, if..." she started.

"If..." I replied shifting back from leaning over her and wondering what was coming next.

"You need to go down to the basement and get the black duffle bag and bring it with you. It's right next to the door."

I shrugged, "Okay, no problem. But what is in the duffle bag?"

"Ropes, a vibrator, other things." she drifted off, almost shyly.

I grinned slightly, and blushed a bit, "I might need help with the knots, I've never really done anything with ropes."

"Well, we'll see," she said and slipped from the sofa with feline grace and strode down the hall, "Don't dally long Richard."

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When I first saw her, she was sitting innocuously a few seats down and looked over at me and smiled. I'd never seen her before, which was strange, because I'm sure I would have remembered her. She was dressed casually in jeans and a black turtleneck top that with sleeves that ended at her elbows. She wore diamond earrings with her shoulder length hair tucked behind her ears, the only other piece of jewelry was a single ring on her right ring finger. Her makeup was tastefully understated. Her neat and simple look set her apart from the regular Munch attendees that usually wore their kinks on the sleeves with tattoos, piercings and garish jewelry.

As my gaze lingered, I was a bit surprised when she got up to come sit with me. My focus lowered to her midriff as she stood which teasingly exposed a toned abdomen. Her lips curved in a slim smile as she walked over with a practiced grace that only made her seem more alluring. She was shortish, but not short. Not skinny, but fit, her movement betrayed years of athletics. She had brown hair that danced around her shoulders like a curtain. Her breasts were small, maybe b-cups, but on her frame they were just perfect. If I'd seen her before, I would have remembered.

"You're a troublemaker, sir," she said as she slid next to me, leaning in close..

The thing about Munches is the people are fairly comfortable with being close to others, so it wasn't rare for strangers to slide up to a stranger and share a secret whisper, giggle a bit then wander off to someone else. It's part of the culture, I'd found these slight casual points of intimacy, followed by an empty space a few moments later strangely comforting.

"Bah," I replied, "I'm a bit grumpy this morning. Just felt like stirring the waters a bit."

She slid her hand under my arm, and reached for my hand, entwining her fingers casually, but giving my stomach a flip flop with her casual intimacy.

"Yes, I enjoy seeing them get riled up over something so trivial." she countered leaning into my shoulder.

"Ah, but see," I enjoined, "to them the whims of the characters in The Song of Ice and Fire isn't trivial. Which is why they are easy to rile. Just don't bring up Christian Grey."

She drew back from me as if I told her I had the black plague, he eyes narrowing in disgust.

"You don't like those books?" she asked the disgust dripping from her words and almost palpable in her posture.

"Never read 'em, so I don't have an opinion one way or another." I countered, casually, trying not to drive her away, "But ask any of them, and they'll go on, and on, and on."

"I'll consider sitting with you, if you vow, right now, that you'll never touch those ..." she couldn't even speak the words.

"Deal," I quickly said, clinging inside to anything that would keep her close and talking to me.

She slid back beside me, leaning into my shoulder and reattached her fingers to mine.

"You scared me for for a moment," she laughed, "I had you pegged for someone with a keen intellect, and I'm rarely a poor judge of such things."

We quieted down and enjoyed the closeness of just being in each others space. We watched the others at the table take sides, and battlelines were drawn. The arguments grew heated, turning a bit rambunctious as they insults started to flow. I felt a bit bad at causing the disagreement and heated language. I released the younger lady's hand and stood up abruptly.

"My god, Who cares! It's really not such a big deal, they are characters in a book, for fucks sake. I'm sorry I ever said anything." I wheeled on my heel and walked away from the table, and around the corner, just wanting to get clear of the noise.

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After she had gone down the hallway to the bathroom, I exhaled and pushed my hand through my hair, wondering a bit what I'd gotten myself into, then I stood up from the sofa and walked back through the kitchen and looked for a door to the basement. After finding the pantry and the water heater, I struck gold on the third door, and found a set of stairs. I flipped on the light switch and stepped down the steep narrow staircase.

I got to the bottom, and looked around. There were various things strung around the room, an old steel framed bed with a twin sized mattress. Rows of ropes hung from the wall. There was a workbench with many drawers, some various bondage implements were scattered on the top.

I looked a bit closer and the floor was studded with folding tie-down spots, neatly embedded in the concrete floor. The ceiling was similarly arrayed with eyebolts, and even an industrial chain hoist. There were various benches and tables lined up neatly along the side of the large room, and the light was stark from a couple of single light bulbs, casting long shadows into the corners of the room.

"Whoa," I said outloud, "a dungeon."

I'd heard of such things, but had never really thought it was anything more than bragging. Do people really enjoy being tied up, whipped, tortured? I felt a chill run up my spine as I remembered why I was down here and looked for a black duffle bag. The promises of her kisses were overriding the uneasy sense that I might be a bit over my head. I found the bag, and picked it up. It was heavy, substantial. It felt serious, like a professional kit, or something a SWAT team would take with them to carry gear to a scene.

With a deep breath, and carried the bag back up to the main floor, and found my way to the hallway that Emily had vanished into. I paced down the hallway and heard the sound of water and reached for the door handle to open it.

The room was lit by candles, the large tub filling and the warm steamy feel of the room was palpable. Emily was naked, her back to me and bent over lighting a candle on a shelf behind the tub. Her body was flawless, fit, trim, muscular. He bottom round and firm, her hair pulled back into a simple pony tail that flung around as she turned to see me come in.

"Oh I see you found it." she smiled putting the candle lighter down.

"Umm, yeah," I said, then paused, "... and a few other things?"

"Oh?" she asked curiously, not at all embarrassed that I'd found her dungeon, "What do you think?"

I ran my finger through my hair and exhaled, then looked up at her, "I think I'm in a bit over my head, I'm not much one for inflicting pain."

She smiled, and slid across the room to me, "I enjoy pain, it's true," she said, "but it's not all that I am."

I dropped the duffle bag and pulled her back to me. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew I wanted to pull her close and feel her against me. I leaned down and kissed her lips, and ran my hands down her flanks to her bottom, and cupped the round firm cheeks and squeezed as she kissed me back.

She pulled back and asked, "Do you like my ass, Richard?"

I nodded, and spoke huskily "Yes." before pulling her back to me and kissing again.

I reached my hand up and cupped one of her small pert breasts, and squeezed firmly, my fingertips pulling at her hardened nipples.

She slunk back with a hiss of arousal then pulled her hand up and grabbed mine with surprising strength, pushing it away from her breast.

"Richard?" she asked, lifting her eyes to mine, not retreating and not advancing.

"Yeah?" I asked my eyebrow raised in curiousity.

"Do you mind if I top from the bottom a bit? Ask for things?" she asked with a small voice.

"No, actually I'd like it if you helped me find out where I'm comfortable."

"I'd like you to tie my arms behind me, it's called a box tie." she said, turning around and placing her arms behind her above the small of her back, wrists against her elbows.

I pulled a length of rope from the duffle bag, and ran it through my fingers. It was a sturdy nylon, with some teeth to the round edges, flexible but with little stretchiness. I was familiar with some nautical knotting techniques from my time in the Navy, so it felt familiar in my hands. I doubled the line and pulled the ends through and then laid the bight of the line around her wrist and wrapped the doubled line around her opposite forearm. Pulling the line through and securing it with a knot, I pulled the length across her forearms and wrapped another loop through the center,,secured it with a half hitch, then finished with another wrapping around her opposite wrist and elbow.

"There." I said simply and let go of her arms.

She pulled with her arms, the sinewy musculature of her shoulders rippling as she tested the knots, then relaxed with her shoulders pulled back. I looked at her in the mirror and saw how her arched shoulders presented her small breasts nicely. Her nipples had become hard as rocks as I had secured her arms. I lifted my eyes to hers in the mirror and saw her feline like grin.

"Very good. Richard," Emily said with a grin, "Do you like the way my ass looks?"

I let my eyes drift down past her bound arms lying horizontally at the small of her back, then shifted to the curve of her round bottom. She wriggled her bottom and leaned into the counter a bit as if offering it to me. I slid my hand over the smooth skin, then pulled my hand back and smacked one cheek firmly, and lifted my eyes back to the mirror.

I heard her gasp and her head flipped around as she moaned from the sting of the slap, her eyes found mine for a moment, before I lowered my own to focus back on her bottom. I shifted my hand and swatted the other cheek, a bit harder. I saw the flesh redden under my fingertips then her feet shifted simultaneously with another breathy gasp.

She settled against the counter and asked is a soft voice, "Was I bad, Richard?"

"You teased me all damn day," I said looking back up to her as my hands rubbed her bottom, becoming familiar with their curves.

"I had to!" she said with a light voice, "you kept walking away!"

"What made you set your sights on me." I asked lifting my hands to her bound arms and lifting. Raising her arms stressed her shoulders and levered her body further over the sink.

Exhaling a bit at the new strain on her shoulders, Emily said, "It was whimsy to start, then as we talked more, I liked the way you thought and figured you were worth a chance."

I looked down at her, bent over the bathroom counter, her legs spread her ass to accessible and lowered to my knees to kiss and nibble on her bottom.

"So you're a bit of a sapiosexual?" I asked as I kissed and bit at her round cheeks.

"I suppose," she laughed bent into the backsplash, "dullards bore me."

I grinned at that remark and leaned over to grab more rope. I figured I could do something to keep her in this position, then find something new to apply to her backside. I wasn't sure what, exactly, but I figured I'd find something in the duffle bag to try. So I stood up and looped the line through the center wrapping between her elbows and pulled it up tight. I looked up and pulled the line around a lamp above the mirror, doubled it over and pulled some tension, lifting her arms up and applying more tension to her shoulders.

"That should keep you... positioned." I said in a low confident voice then pinched her bottom and moved to the duffle bag and bent over and started searching through it.

I heard her say, "Keep me my ass," as I had my back turned and heard some sounds of scuffling behind me. I smiled to myself sure that she was just testing my work. I found a nice leather handled flogger, with sturdy leather straps bundled at one end, and pulled it from the bag and turned around. I found her standing on the counter, the rope I had tied lying slack from the lamp and still connected to her bound arms behind her back.

"Silly man." she said with a mischievous smile

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After I abruptly walked away from the breakfast Munch, I sat down at the coffee counter near the entrance and waved to have a refill. I barely had time to sip on my fresh cup of java before my new shadow walked over and sat beside me.

"I can't believe you just walked away," Emily said smiling, "I don't think it changed the conversation much, though."

"Meh, I don't much care for the drama of it, let 'em bicker, if that's what they want," I grumbled, "I got tired of listening to them yammer. Besides, it's easier to talk with you out here where it's quieter."

She nodded and leaned against me, and looked up at me, "So, what do you do, Mr. Dark and Broody?"

"I mostly tug on Superman's cape," I deadpanned, "when I'm not saving damsel's that think they don't need saving."

She laughed lightly, "You know, that's like a perfect picture of me."

I looked over at her, a good excuse to let my eyes drift up and down her trim form, "Huh, you don't look very cape like."

She slapped my shoulder lightly, "I mean, I don't think I need saving."

I raised an eyebrow and caught her eye, "I'll have to add you to my agenda."

I got up and reached around for my wallet to pay the tab, and slipped my Visa card over to the waitress. My new friend looked up at me a slight frown on her face.

"Are you leaving me, handsome?"

That sorta put me back a bit, because handsome is one of the last words I'd use to describe myself. I'm not ugly, I know that, but I carry a bit too much weight around my belly than I'm comfortable with. But her voice didn't betray any hint of sarcasm, and that left me momentarily speechless.

"Got a bunch of family stuff to do today," I explained honestly when the words returned, "kids gotta be places and do things."

"Oh, you're married then?"

"Nope, not any more," I replied as I signed the receipt for my breakfast.

Before I was able to turn and leave, my new friend grabbed my wrist and the pen I'd just used and wrote a phone number on the back of my palm, and then the name 'Emily'' in a neat steady hand.

"Call or text me, handsome," she smiled, then moved back to the group, "I like the cut of your jib."

"It's Richard," I said, as she walked away, "not handsome."

"Okay, handsome Richard!" she sang back looking over her shoulders as she walked back to the group and shot me a dazzling smile.

I just shook my head and walked out the door smiling, making sure to put her number in my phone before I started my car and drove away.

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I looked up at her and placed the flogger on the countertop next to her feet. "Well crap, how did you get up there? and more importantly how can I get you back down?"

She looked down at me, then past me to the flogger, "Do you want to flog me?" she said with an even voice.

"Yeah," I admitted, "I'd like to learn how to do it right, and you seem like you're willing to teach me."

She edged forward on the counter, and leaned down a bit, "Hold my hips, and help me down please?"

I reached up and supported her weight and eased her back to the ground, the line around her wrists staying slack as she faced me, her back against the countertop. She lifted up on the toes and craned up to kiss me again, as if thanking me for not slamming her to the ground when I had the chance.

"Look down under the edge of the counter." she said simply eyes looking up into mine.

"See the eye bolts there?"

I leaned down and looked and sure enough there were two eyebolts spread about 3 feet apart. I grabbed one and pulled, to check how well it was anchored. It was a sturdy tie down, and in the back of my mind I wondered how many of these things she had installed around her house, just hidden from plain site.

"Yeah," I said, "I see them."

She slid one ankle over to where I had just pulled, "Tie it please?" she asked in a small voice, "the other too."

I pulled out another length of rope, and fashioned an ankle shackle using a loops around her ankle, then secured the knot to keep her ankle firmly wrapped, then threaded the bitter end through the eyebolt and pulled it tight wrapping the loose end back around her ankle and securing it with a quick-release not. The repeated the same pattern on her other ankle then stood up and looked back down at me.

"So, I had too much confidence in thinking that a bit of strain would hold you in place?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Pain isn't going to hold me back, sometimes I lean into the pain. Now, remove the tether from my arms and wrap the rope around my neck, like you did with the ankles, then tie it to the faucet, pulling me back"

I squinted my eyes and frowned, but then set my jaw and went to work. First I leaned over as she leaned into me, her skin warm against my shoulder, and untied the tether from the middle of her arms. Then I reached up and pulled the line free from the lamps above the mirror. I doubled the line then wrapped it around her throat as she tilted her chin up and looked in my eyes. I finished wrapping about three times, leaving six lines of rope around her neck, then pulled the slack end through all of the loops and secured it with a knot so the loops would not tighten under load, then pulled it back and around the faucet, pulling tension and forcing her to arch back over the sink. I secured the line to itself to hold the tension in the line.

She closed her eyes and a moan escaped her lips as her mouth opened slightly, her body tense but relaxing into the position. "Do you like this pose, Richard?" she asked with a purr in her voice.