The D/S Experience Ch. 04

Lori excused herself for a moment saying that she did not have a drink yet. Which was true. She got a glass of white wine from the handsome bartender dressed in a white suit. She randomly joined a conversation.

"...All I'm trying to say is that an orgasm will always make you feel better, no matter what the situation is," A short bald headed man was speaking to a group of three other people.

"Even when you're sick?" Someone else questioned.

"Yes, especially when you're sick," he replied. "You could be dying with the flu, but as soon as you cum. You will instantly feel better! Even if it's only short lived."

"So if you were recovering from surgery, sex will speed up the recovery?" someone else joked.

"Okay, now you're just being silly..."

Lori's phone vibrated. She took it out of her clutch purse.

Catrina: Where did you go!?

Lori: Got in a conversation.

Catrina: OMG! Not with that guy! He will talk your ear off about total shit!

Lori: Thanks!

Lori got out of that group, but she still felt like exploring some more. She wanted to see what others had to say. She found another knot of people.

This time it was a young woman with deep purple hair speaking. Her top was crimson velvet and sleeveless. She had a short, but voluptuous body. Her exposed arms were covered in tattoos to the elbows with very colorful flowers and something that looked like it might be a My Little Pony character. "Look this is the thing about all relationships," she was saying. "When you're in the lifestyle, like we all are, it's spelt out right from the beginning. You know what I mean, like this person is a dominant and this person is a sub. However, what the vanilla world doesn't understand is that they are also divided. They might not call it that. Heck, most of time they don't even see it for what it is. However, I believe that in every relationship there is no such thing as equality. You are either the dominant one or the submissive. Sure, some people may switch occasionally, but one person is always in charge and the other one is always taking orders, even if it has never been explicitly stated. I've had people say to me but were both equal partners? To that, I would say if you're not the dominant than I have news for you. Whether you know it or not, you're the submissive!"

Lori nodded in agreement with this. She didn't say anything, but she definitely understood what the woman was talking about. Moreover, in every relationship she had been in, she was the submissive whether she knew it or not. She didn't think that this was a unique situation. She would not be surprised to find that most relationships work like that. Other people went around and added to the conversation more or less agreeing with the initial theory. When the woman looked at Lori, she just nodded in agreement. Once again, it didn't seem like this conversation was actually going any further. Lori bowed out. She went looking for Eric.

She found him involved in a much larger conversation with half a dozen other people. This was an altogether different discussion.

Eric was speaking. "Look, the whole reason we are having this movement is because the people who make the laws have never been on the receiving end. They don't understand because they've never suffered the kind of harassment that some people suffer every day. So how do you write effective laws to keep people from having their consent violated when you've never experienced that yourself? It makes sense then that we need a change in government before more effective laws can be created."

"By God!" Said an older gentleman dressed in a fine grey suit. "You're not suggesting that we should vote for the NDP in the next election, are you?"

Everybody in the group laughed. Lori was not sure why everyone was laughing. She had voted for the NDP before. She didn't think it was such a bad political party. She had talked to them when they came to her door during election time and she felt that they actually stood up for working-class people. I guess most of the people here just weren't working-class, she thought. To her, it wasn't much of a joke though.

There was a tall woman there, tall as Eric. She had long black hair and dark piercing eyes. Her skin had a bit of an olive complexion, as if she might have been Mediterranean. She wore a long black dress made of leather and she had a martini glass in her hand. Lori had seen a similar dress at that leather shop Eric had taken her to the weekend before. She noticed that this woman kept looking over at her and not in a nice way. She was getting a weird vibe from this one.

"I don't think it matters which party gets elected, we just need people in there who have a better understanding of the situation," Eric replied. "The metoo movement is not going to go away anytime soon and so it's going to have to be addressed at a government level at some point."

"I think you have got this all wrong," this came from another man in the circle who was dress more casual than the others were. "Speaking as a lawyer, I can tell you that the laws already exist. The problem isn't making new laws. The problem is that the current laws are not being enforced as they should be and that is a combination of things. On the one hand, more people need to come forward to the police if something is going on and on the other hand, the police need to take these cases seriously. Right now, everyone is being tried in the court of public option. Look what happened to a certain provincial politician. That is not right, if the accusation are for real, press charges. I do not trust the opinions of the media or their twitter followers. Don't even get me started on Facebook! All of these opinions are bullshit. You need a judge and jury hearing the facts and making an informed decision. You are right about the metoo movement. It isn't going away anytime soon and it's probably only going to get worse. There has been an increase in the number of complaints to the police, but I think that is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. These cases need to be brought before the law."

"Well, I think this is feminism finally coming home to roost," the woman with leather dress said. "This is because of the president of the United States. When that country elects someone who thinks that it's funny to grab a woman by her pussy, then you got to expect a backlash. I think this movement is all about women that have finally had enough. They are not going to take it anymore and they are not going to stay silent any more. They are finally talking about something that has been the closet all this time. They figure that if this is how it's going to be, if this is who is going to run the world, then it's time to expose them for what they are. To me, the movement is without a doubt a feminist movement."

"Not at all," Eric counted.

"Oh, you would have to disagree with me, wouldn't you?" She said.

"Excuse me," Eric replied. "This isn't just about women. There are men involved here who have been harassed as well. Men who have also been quiet because of the stigma that they might face, just the same as any woman. Kevin Spacey wasn't harassing women and he wasn't the only one doing it either. There are other stories of men come forward because producers and directors have harassed them and they too were forced keep quiet because it might affect their careers. Don't turn this into a case of men versus women."

She scowled at Eric. "Women are still the driving force behind this movement. I don't care what you say, this is still a feminist movement, that who is driving this. Now, if you don't mind, I think my drink is empty!" She finished the rest the martini and a single gulp. She walked away from the group.

The lawyer took up the argument of police enforcement again, but Lori wasn't really interested in that. She had finished her drink as well. She looked around for Catrina, but she seemed occupied by other people. There would be plenty of time to talk to her later. Lori was actually enjoying this party. She liked hearing the various conversations. She wasn't sure why she had been nervous about coming here. It was not what she had expected at all. She decided she wanted another drink. She went back to the bar where the woman in leather was taking a seat.

The woman turned to her and said. "So, you're the new one then?"

"What?" Lori was startled. She had not expected the woman to say anything to her.

"Eric's new woman," she said. "You're his new submissive right? Lori is it?"

"Yes," Lori replied hesitantly. She must have saw them arrive together. However, how did she know Lori's name? Did Eric say something to her? Lori said. "I'm sorry. I don't think we've met."

"Oh, I'm Catherine. You know? Eric's ex-wife," the woman replied with a smirk.

"What?" Lori was stunned. She wanted to wipe that smarmy look off her face.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Catherine said flippantly. "I'm not surprised. He can be tightlipped about many things. Are you the only submissive he has right now?"

"Yes," Lori said through gritted teeth. She did not like what that question implied. If she wasn't the only one, would she know? Would Catrina tell her? She could feel her face getting hot with embarrassment and anger.

"Well, as far as you know, right? You're not the first and I assure you, won't be the last," Catherine said to her. To the bartender she said. "What do I have to do to get another martini over here?"

"Excuse me!" Lori said. She was feeling a bit overheated. "Do you know me?"

Catherine sighed. She turned to face her. "Okay, you're right. No need to get all defensive. I'm sorry. It hasn't been a very good week for me. I am not trying to take it out on you. Can we just start over?" Catherine extended her hand to Lori. Without her previous attitude, she said. "Hi, my name is Catherine. Nice to meet you."

That was a little more like it, Lori thought. Her thoughts were jumbled around. She had no idea that she would run into Eric's ex-wife here, at this party. In fact, she didn't even know that his ex-wife was involved in the lifestyle at all, let alone that they ran in the same circles and would often run into each other. This was strange situation. Lori wasn't sure what to make of it. The fact that Eric had an ex-wife was not a secret. They had talked about that before. However, meeting her in person was a bit unnerving because she was so forward and blunt. Clearly, she was a dominant. Despite her trepidation, Lori was intrigued. She wanted to know more about who this person was. She decided to indulge Catherine. She shook Catherine's hand and said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Lori."

"What are you drinking?" Catherine asked her. "Actually, don't worry about it. Bartender, make that two martinis."

"Ah, okay," she didn't really drink martinis, but whatever.

"Have you seen the balcony in this place? The view of the city is fantastic!" Catherine took out a cigarette case and pulled out one of the cigarettes. "Come on, let's take our drinks outside. It's a nice day and I need to have a smoke."

Lori looked a little conflicted.

"It's all right! I'm not going to push you over the railing!" Catherine laughed. "Relax! We will chat and have some fun. Promise!"

They were both handed a drink. Lori followed her to the balcony door. Along the way, Catherine saw a Google Home sitting by itself on a nearby table. She stopped and leaned over to it and said. "Hey Google. Play some Britany Spears! Maximum volume!" She laughed as the stepped out onto the balcony. Catherine slid the door closed behind them.

"That was bratty!" Lori said to her.

"I know, right!?" Catherine giggled. "It's so much fun! You should try it sometime."

Lori didn't really pay attention to Catherine's comments. Instead, she was impressed by the size of the balcony. It was easily three or four times the size of the one that Lori had in their condominium. There was a long table with six chairs at it and another side table next to the railing in the corner. Catherine grabbed the ashtray off the side table and brought it over to the main table. She bid Lori to sit down in one of the chairs and then Catherine took a seat opposite her. She lit up a cigarette. Lori didn't smoke. She declined when Catherine offered her one. Eric didn't smoke either.

"I'm sorry if I was a bit abrasive earlier, honestly that's not me," Catherine explained as the smoke swirled around her in the breeze. "It's not about Eric either. I am not bitter. He can date whoever he wants."

Lori nodded. She still didn't really know this woman. She didn't care to say anything just yet. She was content to let Catherine do the chatting for now. Catherine seemed content to do most of the talking anyway.

"I just haven't been having a very good week. I don't want to cap it off by insulting someone I don't know. Eric knows how to get under my skin and I didn't mean to take it out on you," Catherine was rambling a bit.

Lori wasn't sure how it was that Eric had gotten under her skin, but whatever. She saw the opportunity to ask a question and decided, why not? "So why hasn't this been a very good week?"

"Well, two things really. First, this submissive that I've had for the last three years... Well our contract was up this week and he decided not to renew it. After three years of being together, he decides that he wants to pursue other opportunities... With someone else," Catherine put a lot of emphasis on this last part.

"Oh, okay," Lori said. That could make anyone a little upset.

"I did not see that coming and I hate to admit it, but it does sting a little," Catherine continued. "But there is nothing I can do about it. My contract with David was up. He was free to leave if he wanted to, I just didn't think he wanted to! I didn't realize something was wrong. I thought everything was fine. Anyway, at first I thought, oh, no matter. I know other submissive's. There other men who were interested in me. Not such a big deal right? But I feel it now. Right through the heart, do you get that?"

"Yes, of course," Lori replied. She was interested in the contract that Catherine mentioned. When she was reading about this lifestyle on the Internet, the subject of contracts kept coming up. She didn't read too much into the details because she thought the idea was strange. In fact, at first she thought it was just a joke. There is no such thing as a legally binding contract like that, was there? When she started to talk to Eric online, before they met in person, the subject came up once. He simply said that it was sort of like a framework for the relationship.

"What you mean by contract? I've heard of this before is this like some sort of relationship agreement?" Lori asked her.

"Relationship agreement," Catherine said almost choking on her cigarette smoke. She laughed. "This isn't in the Big Bang theory! And before you ask, no, the contract is not legally binding. However, it does spell out the terms of the relationship both the sub and the dom's responsibilities as well as the rules and protocols. You don't have a contract with Eric?"

"No, not yet."

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"Just over a month."

"Have you seen his dungeon?"

"What!?" Lori blurted, but in her mind she was thinking, what the fuck!?

"Oh, okay," Catherine replied. "You're not that far along yet."

"What do you mean by dungeon?" Lori questioned.

"That's not my place to say anything," she was sly that way. Catherine put her cigarette out and took a sip of her martini. She set it down and took out another cigarette from the metal case where she kept them. "You should start negotiating a contract. You're going to need rules before you get into the heavy play."

"Okay," Lori said. She felt inexperienced and foolish.

"Interesting collar by the way," Catherine commented. She took a long haul on the cigarette. "Is that a collar of consideration? Doesn't look like a training collar."

"I don't know," Lori replied. She wasn't entirely sure. It wasn't a permeant collar like the one that Catrina had. Eric had never really said what it was supposed to be. Lori just thought it looked pretty and it made her feel like a she was Eric's submissive. She added. "I think so."

Catherine didn't seem to care one way or the other. She said. "Anyways, I was telling you about how bad my week had been, wasn't I?"

"Oh, sorry," Lori replied. "I did ask about that, didn't I?"

Catherine nodded. "Anyway, I was picking up my daughter from school earlier this week. I was waiting for her when I saw her come out. She couldn't see where I was at first, so she must have thought I was late. Well, that's when I saw her holding hands with some boy I had never seen before. Then they did something that totally shocked me. She suddenly kissed him before they parted and he walked off the opposite direction. After that, I pulled the car up so she could see me, but I was in so much shock that I never mentioned what I saw to her. I mean, okay, I get it. She's a teenage girl, but she still only 14. She's my only daughter and I have no idea who this boy is! So I'm only guessing that she has a boyfriend. Someone that she is obviously keeping secret from me."

Lori was stunned. She was only half listening what Catherine was saying. Finding out that Eric's ex-wife was here the party was a bit of a surprise, but Eric had never mentioned that he had any children. Obviously, Catherine was talking about Eric's daughter. Clearly, she was living with Catherine full time, because otherwise Lori would have known about her by now.

Catherine must have noticed her expression because she said. "Let me guess, Eric hasn't told you about Katie yet, has he? I'm not surprised. It is a little early in your relationship to introducing you to his child. I would be dating somebody for a few months before I would introduce her to them. Wouldn't you?"

"Oh, I don't know," Lori replied a little thrown off by the question. "I don't have any children."

"You have no interest in children?" Catherine questioned.

"It's not that," Lori replied. "I'm just not that interested in having my own children."

"Oh, I see. Sure, there's nothing wrong that," Catherine replied. She took another sip of her martini.

Lori didn't feel like Catherine was totally being honest with that last statement. She took a sip of her own martini. It was strong. She wasn't use to this kind of high-end vodka. It had quite a bite. The burning alcohol made her a little bolder so she sat forward and in a lower voice she asked. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you and Eric divorce?"

Catherine laughed. "That question is actually very simple. When we started to get into this lifestyle, about 12 years ago, it dawned on us that we were both dominants. I mean, it was somewhat obvious even before that, but still... Anyway, from there it was simple. You cannot have two dominants in a relationship. It just does not work. You can have two switches and you can have a dominant and a submissive. Once I saw two submissives, but Eric can explain Cameron and Denise to you later. Anyway, we were both dominant personalities. This created a continuous power struggle. Maybe we could have come to an arrangement, but I did not want to do the open marriage thing. In hindsight, maybe that is what we should have done, but I could not see myself as swinger. However, I also could not be submissive, so I just had to get out. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, I think so," Lori thought about what the purple haired woman had said. Maybe that was what she had been talking about? There has to be a dom and a sub. Nothing else really works.

"It didn't end badly. I'm not the crazy ex-wife. Eric sees his daughter almost every day during the week. Eric can do what he wants with whomever he wants. I guess you seem nice enough," Catherine said to her. "You're certainly submissive enough."