his empty glass down on the bar and mumbled, “Good night.”
And then the man at the bar drained his Bud and looked Travis right in the eye.
“You’ve always wanted to be stripped naked and given a good whipping, haven’t ya?”
Travis gulped at the forward question. “Um…huh?”
The man grinned. “I know what you want,” he said. “And I can help you. Nobody has to know. All you have to do is say yes.”
Travis blushed and opened his mouth to say something…but no words came out.
“What are you looking at there?” the man asked, pointing over the edge of the bar to the magazine.
Travis opened his mouth again, but still said nothing. The man reached over him and pulled Bondage Monthly out and waved the cover of a man in a black leather mask at the bartender.
“I…” was all he could say.
“Close the bar and come with me,” the man said again. “I know a place where you can go and live this magazine. Women in leather, men with whips…it’s what you have dreamed of. It’s what you sit here reading about every night.”
“How do you know so much about me?” Travis asked.
“They have been watching you. They want you to come and join them.”
“Who are they? Where is this place?” Travis asked, looking interested and scared at the same time.
“NightWhere.”
Chapter Eight
Home Alone
When Mark pulled the car into the garage at 4:00 a.m. after their evening at NightWhere, Rae was out the door almost before he put the thing in Park. She had said nothing the entire ride home; she’d simply stared out the window, as if she were watching a movie.
He followed her into the house and kicked his shoes off as she went to the fridge and tilted back a bottle of water. He saw something sticking out of the middle of her purse on the table, and he stepped over to see what it was. The paper was red, with black writing on it.
“What’s this?” he asked while pulling it out.
Rae shrugged and set the bottle down.
He looked at it and held it out to her. The front had a simple illustration on it—a black snake, twined in a circle until its mouth met and ate its own tail. Around the image, in black letters, it said simply, “The Red”.
Rae looked at it and then reached out to take it and shove it back in her purse. “Just a flyer,” she said. “Someone handed it to me at the club.”
But Mark knew better. He heard Selena’s voice in his head: “Has she mentioned The Red yet? If she goes in there, you will never have her back, I’m just warning you.”
An hour later, Mark watched her sleeping and knew that something was different. In all of the times they had played the switch-partners game, Rae had never come home to him so silent. So elsewhere. The first time at NightWhere, she had returned to their bedroom excited.
The second time, she returned, but did not really return . On their ride home she had stared out the window. He’d asked how she’d enjoyed her night, and she’d sighed a distant, “Fine.” She didn’t ask about his experience. And she wouldn’t elaborate on her own.
When she’d joined him in bed, she had given him a smile and a quick peck on the lips—the way old people might say good night. Then she had rolled on her back and groaned slightly, before closing her eyes. That was it. She was gone.
Mark was scared to death about what would happen the next time they went. Would she come home with him at all?
“I’m worried,” Mark said the following night. He’d met Randy after work up at the Quigley’s. “It’s never been like this between us.”
“Have you talked to her about it?” Randy asked, lifting a Guinness from the bar and taking a long swig. “You know that making this thing work is tricky. It’s not like a normal relationship, but the key is still communication.”
Randy was a friend that Mark had made at one of the swingers clubs he and Rae had spent many a weekend at over the past year. In fact, Randy had slept with Rae
And then the man at the bar drained his Bud and looked Travis right in the eye.
“You’ve always wanted to be stripped naked and given a good whipping, haven’t ya?”
Travis gulped at the forward question. “Um…huh?”
The man grinned. “I know what you want,” he said. “And I can help you. Nobody has to know. All you have to do is say yes.”
Travis blushed and opened his mouth to say something…but no words came out.
“What are you looking at there?” the man asked, pointing over the edge of the bar to the magazine.
Travis opened his mouth again, but still said nothing. The man reached over him and pulled Bondage Monthly out and waved the cover of a man in a black leather mask at the bartender.
“I…” was all he could say.
“Close the bar and come with me,” the man said again. “I know a place where you can go and live this magazine. Women in leather, men with whips…it’s what you have dreamed of. It’s what you sit here reading about every night.”
“How do you know so much about me?” Travis asked.
“They have been watching you. They want you to come and join them.”
“Who are they? Where is this place?” Travis asked, looking interested and scared at the same time.
“NightWhere.”
Chapter Eight
Home Alone
When Mark pulled the car into the garage at 4:00 a.m. after their evening at NightWhere, Rae was out the door almost before he put the thing in Park. She had said nothing the entire ride home; she’d simply stared out the window, as if she were watching a movie.
He followed her into the house and kicked his shoes off as she went to the fridge and tilted back a bottle of water. He saw something sticking out of the middle of her purse on the table, and he stepped over to see what it was. The paper was red, with black writing on it.
“What’s this?” he asked while pulling it out.
Rae shrugged and set the bottle down.
He looked at it and held it out to her. The front had a simple illustration on it—a black snake, twined in a circle until its mouth met and ate its own tail. Around the image, in black letters, it said simply, “The Red”.
Rae looked at it and then reached out to take it and shove it back in her purse. “Just a flyer,” she said. “Someone handed it to me at the club.”
But Mark knew better. He heard Selena’s voice in his head: “Has she mentioned The Red yet? If she goes in there, you will never have her back, I’m just warning you.”
An hour later, Mark watched her sleeping and knew that something was different. In all of the times they had played the switch-partners game, Rae had never come home to him so silent. So elsewhere. The first time at NightWhere, she had returned to their bedroom excited.
The second time, she returned, but did not really return . On their ride home she had stared out the window. He’d asked how she’d enjoyed her night, and she’d sighed a distant, “Fine.” She didn’t ask about his experience. And she wouldn’t elaborate on her own.
When she’d joined him in bed, she had given him a smile and a quick peck on the lips—the way old people might say good night. Then she had rolled on her back and groaned slightly, before closing her eyes. That was it. She was gone.
Mark was scared to death about what would happen the next time they went. Would she come home with him at all?
“I’m worried,” Mark said the following night. He’d met Randy after work up at the Quigley’s. “It’s never been like this between us.”
“Have you talked to her about it?” Randy asked, lifting a Guinness from the bar and taking a long swig. “You know that making this thing work is tricky. It’s not like a normal relationship, but the key is still communication.”
Randy was a friend that Mark had made at one of the swingers clubs he and Rae had spent many a weekend at over the past year. In fact, Randy had slept with Rae
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