As they parked near a local café, Megan felt very nervous. She had no idea what to expect from this blind date her friend Sophie arranged for her.

“I’m going to stay here in the car. I just don’t want him to see me, right? I mean, he knows me, but I don’t want him to think we’re creeps setting him up or something, you know?”, said Sophie as she turned off the engine, moving a strand of her long black silky hair away from her face.

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”, Megan replied as she was getting out of the car. She straightened her long sleeves knit wrap red dress and looked at her friend for approval.

“Sure! I’ve got some reading to catch up on for school so don’t worry about me. I’ll give you a call in about 30 minutes to check in, but I doubt you’re going to need it. He’s really a nice guy.” Sophie eyed her friend from head to toe. “You’re perfect! You go get him!”

Megan sighed at the eagerness her friend displayed. Sure, she hadn’t dated in over a year. But this blind date was a surprise. Did she seem so desperate to be paired that even her friend picked up on it? She agreed to meet the man mostly so Sophie would stop nagging her about it. She had no expectations other than maybe having an interesting conversation with a cup of tea. That’s all she wanted from this, and then go home to her cozy bed and Netflix.

As Megan headed towards the café, Sophie pulled out her phone and started typing a text message.

Sophie: We’re on, she’s on her way.
M.: Well done. Talk to you soon. For now...why don't you sleep

“Well, here goes nothing.” Megan pushed the door and entered the café. The aroma of coffee beans and freshly baked pastries filled the air as she walked in. She remembered the countless hours she spent here, studying for finals.

She noticed a man fitting the description Sophie gave her. Tall, dark black hair and wearing a purple dress shirt and black dress pants. She also noticed the blue tie he wore, with a pixelized pattern to it, which was the way she was told she would recognize him. The man’s gaze turned to her and he waved. Megan smiled and nodded. She ordered a cup of mint tea and joined him at his table in a quiet corner of the establishment.

“Lester I presume?” Megan presented her hand awkwardly to the man, who stood up.

“Nice to meet you, Megan. You look lovely!” The man shook her hand gently and they both sat down. He already had a cup of coffee and put aside a book he was reading when she came in.

The nervousness was eating her up. His light blue eyes felt mesmerizing to look at. She noticed the book, and asked “If you don’t mind me asking, what were you reading?” She figured it was as good as any way to start up the conversation.

“Oh, I’m just doing a third read-through of this book on hypnosis. It’s an interesting read!”

Oh gosh, what kind of weirdo did Sophie hook me up with? Hypnosis isn’t real, it’s just parlour tricks. This is going to be a long 30 minutes…

“Hypnosis, huh? I usually read fantasy novels. Sometimes I enjoy a good detective story too! But I haven’t had much time to read lately. Work is so busy!” Megan felt like her nervousness could clearly be seen with the pace at which she was talking. Hopefully, he didn’t catch on that!

“What do you do for a living? “said Lester, sipping his coffee.

“Oh…self-employed?” Megan giggled. “I’m a sculptor. So, if I want to earn a living, I have to keep busy. It’s been hard, so I do some odd jobs here and there to make ends meet. Painting, babysitting, gardening. Whatever fills the bank!”

“An artist! That’s interesting! I teach nursing and health sciences at a local college. The marvels of the human body!”

“That must be how you and Sophie met, then?”

“Good guess, but we met at a book launch event. As a matter of fact, the same book I was reading when you came in.”

Wait…Sophie is into hypnosis? I didn’t know that… thought Megan, visibly surprised.

“That’s nice. I’ve known Sophie since childhood. Our parents called us the inseparables! Silly, I know. We were always together, doing all sorts of things. And we’ve always been close, almost as sisters. Being an only child, I consider her family.”

“She sure seems to like you a lot, to set you up on a date like this!”, teased Lester.

Megan’s face turned a deep shade of red. “She just wants what’s best for me, I think. From her point of view, anyways. I told her I was fine on my own.”

Lester smirked. “If this makes you uncomfortable, I can always leave. But I feel like you’re an interesting person. Let’s see if we can get along. I could use some friends around here.”

He seemed so genuine. And Megan knew what it was like to have very few friends. Her busy schedule didn’t leave much time for socializing. While she wasn’t necessarily looking to date long-term, having a new friend couldn’t hurt.

“Well, we’re here after all. So uh…better make the most of it I suppose?”

Lester looked at her and smiled. He had such wonderful blue eyes. Easy to get lost in. Easy to just stare at. And stare, she did. What she didn’t notice, however, is the metronome-like sound of his fingers which had been tapping on the table since she sat down.

“So Megan, tell me a bit about yourself. What do you like to do for fun?”

“Lots of things! But since I have so little time, I choose how I spend it carefully.”

“More reasons for me to appreciate the time you’re spending meeting with me.”

“Sophie really insisted on my meeting you. She said you were light years away from any other person I dated before.”

“Bad experiences with dating?”

“You could say that. But I don’t want to bore you with that. Wouldn’t want to ruin what looks like a good date so far.”

“But you do want to tell me though?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea to talk about this on a first date.”

“But it would help alleviate your worries if I knew about them, wouldn’t it?”

His voice, mixed with the tapping of his fingers, resonated in Megan’s mind. She didn’t notice the tapping, but her mind did. She felt safe to talk about these things with him. He was right, it would make things easier for her.

“You’re right. It would help. I met a lot of self-centered individuals who didn’t really care to know me. Or the care-bear type, you know? Too soft for my liking.”

And there was the opening he was waiting for. That one moment where she would hint at her secret lifestyle. He knew everything about it, of course. Sophie had volunteered the information when he asked about it.

“I understand. It’s hard sometimes to find the right person to match our intensity. I noticed you have a nice tattoo there, on your forearm. May I see it?”

“Oh gosh, you saw that?! That’s…embarrassing.” She said, as she lifted her sleeve.

“That’s a triskelion, right?” The door was now opened. She would know they share a common interest.

“You know about that? Wait, are…are you…?” Megan was stammering. She suspected her secret was out. But if he knew what the symbol represented, it would mean he had the same secret.

“If you’re asking if I know what it means, then yes, I do. I frequent the local dungeon about once a week. I never saw you around though. I’m sure I would remember someone like you.”

“Someone like me? I’m sure you use that line with all your dates.”

“Did it work?” Lester grinned. “I don’t really do dating, really. Sophie suggested this blind-date for this exact reason. She knew I never take the time to meet people and I was a little lonely, so she thought we might hit it off or something.”

“Oh gosh, same here! Sounds like we’ve both been set up here. Well, not that I don’t, you know, well, appreciate it. I mean, you’re nice and all. I’m having a good time. And I guess, what I mean to say…it’s not a bad thing!”

“I’m glad to hear that, Megan.”, said Lester with a warm, genuine smile. “I’m enjoying this date as well. It feels so nice to be in good company. To not think about what to say or do. To let the words simply flow and have a good conversation. Doesn’t it, Megan?”

He was right. Why even think about this? She was safe. Lester was nice and had been saying such nice things. Sophie would never introduce her to someone bad. She’s like a sister to her. She felt like she could say anything that’s on her mind with Lester.

“You’re right, Lester. It does feel nice! You’re nice and I’m enjoying your company. And I feel like we could talk about anything.” Megan’s voice sounded a little drifty. She was a little tired, she thought. It had been a hard week for her, after all.

“That’s good, Megan. That makes me happy. Why don’t you tell me the story behind that tattoo of yours?” Lester’s voice sounded so soothing, so velvety. Like a cozy blanket on a chilly night, warming you up.

“I got that tattoo when I was in a relationship with my first Dom. I didn’t know, at the time, exactly what it meant. I thought it looked nice. When I found out what it was, the week after, we sat down and discussed about it. I was annoyed he didn’t tell me, but when he started explaining his kinks to me, I got interested. We decided to start a dynamic, with him as my Dom. And then I fell down a rabbit hole on the Internet. I started chatting with people online and exploring what my own kinks were. He found out I was chatting with people. It wasn’t play or anything though. It was sharing knowledge, experiences. In the end, it didn’t work out with him, and we split up. But having that first taste, I decided to keep exploring. I was way too shy to meet someone local, so I kept going online.”

“I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you. I should tell you, I’m not monogamous. I am in a relationship with a submissive. I’d rather be upfront about that. That won’t be a problem though.”

Why would it be? True, she had always been monogamous. She’d always been a little jealous whenever past partners would hint at finding someone else attractive. But that couldn’t be a problem with Lester.

“It…won’t be…a problem…” Megan stated, in a low, monotonous tone.

“Very good, thank you Megan. I think we're off to a very good start, you and I."

"A...very...good...st...start..." Megan's voice was trailing off, a little slurry.

Lester stopped tapping his fingers, cleared his throat and dropped his spoon on the table in a loud clanking noise, which startled Megan.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that! Did I startle you? I'm such a klutz sometimes."

Megan felt a little foggy, as if she'd just woken up from a nap.

I'm a lot more tired than I thought, I guess. I should probably turn in early and get some sleep.

"Oh, it's completely fine! I must have been daydreaming or something. I'm really sorry, I think I should cut this short and turn in early. I'm really tired, haven't been getting much sleep lately. But it was lovely meeting you today. Thank you for a wonderful time, Lester."

"My pleasure, Megan. Maybe we could meet up again? If you'd like, I could show you the local dungeon and introduce you to my sub? I'm sure you'd get along really well."

Megan's face flushed in a flash at the thought. Meet his sub? Go in a dungeon? She had never been to one before. 

"I...well...umm..."

"You'll be safe, I'll make sure of that. You have my word. I'll keep you close and you don't have to do anything at all. We'll only go for drinks and to chat. Nothing will happen, unless you want it to."

"Well...ummm...okay then. Sure. How does Thursday sound?"

"Thursday it is. I'll wait for you at the front door at 9:00 PM. The place is called The Cellar. Looking forward to it."

Megan got up and nodded and smiled.

"As am I! See you Thursday!"

As she left, Megan checked her phone. She had been there for 2 hours? And no calls from Sophie? What happened to her friend's bailout?

As she made it to the car, she saw Sophie fast asleep in the passenger's seat. Well, good thing she didn't end up needing that call after all.

Back home, Sophie received a text message.

M: Things went better than I anticipated. I trust you enjoyed your little nap?
Sophie: It was wonderful, thank you so much Master.
M: Good. Free up your schedule of any plans for Thursday evening. We're going to The Cellar.

Sophie thought to herself. She usually has dancing lessons on Thursday evenings. She thought she should refuse, but something in the back of her mind changed that thought. After all, good girls obey their masters.

Sophie: Yes Master. I will be there.
M: Good. See you then. Rest well.