Shadows in the Dark (Dark Lotus #1)

9. Brynn

It was 10:42pm and I’d been sitting in front of my laptop for the last twenty minutes. I didn’t want to be late. I couldn’t be late, because that would mean I would screw up the only potential connection I had to Lotus and to Blair.

Making sure I was ready to go, I had taken the liberty of typing in my login details but had not yet submitted. I was waiting for…there it was. 22:43. Just as I’d been instructed.

Hitting ‘Enter’, I held my breath when the Olympus screen showed up. I was in, and I was on time. I didn’t even have time to wonder if EREBUS69 knew I was there because an invitation to a private chat room popped up immediately.

EREBUS69: Good evening, Karma. You’re right on time. Shall we begin?

Well, shit. Nothing like getting right to the point, was there? The man wasted no time.

Karma _is_a_B : Good evening, Sir. I am ready to begin, but I will admit, I'm not entirely sure where to start. I feel like I should apologize for that.

EREBUS69: No apologies are necessary at the moment. I’ll be sure to let you know when they are. I will warn you now that I am blunt. I say what I think, and I expect the truth in all of your answers. As we get to know each other, I will be able totell when you are lying to me. That would not be wise to do. Am I understood?

Karma _is_a_B : Yes, Sir.

EREBUS69: I will get right down to it then. Are you a virgin?

Good god. He really was blunt. What the hell kind of question is that to ask someone right off the bat? Were all Dominants like this, or was it just him? If the conversation was starting off this way, I was beginning to get nervous about how the rest of it would go.

Karma _is_a_B : No, Sir.

EREBUS69: Very good. I have neither the time nor desire to ruin a female in that way. I have other means to do so, and prefer them. Have you ever been with a Dominant or had kinky sex?

A strangled noise left my throat and I was glad he wasn’t able to hear me. What exactly did he mean by kinky? Like swing from the chandelier kinky? Sex in public kinky? How was I supposed to answer a question like that? And what in the hell did he mean by ruin? Letting out a deep exhale, I typed slowly and purposefully. It was important that I chose my words to make sure I was believable.

There was so much I didn’t know about BDSM, but I certainly would by the end of the week. I would research and read everything I could get my hands on.

Karma _is_a_B : I have never been with a Dominant, Sir. I only recently realized that I preferred... more... from my partners. As for kinky sex... kinky can be a relative term. I do like to be watched, though, and I enjoy things that are not considered vanilla.

I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like my response displeased him. I chewed my lower lip while staring at the three dots on the screen which indicated he was typing.

EREBUS69: Being watched is child's play in the way that you mean it. And when you speak of enjoying things that are not vanilla, how dark do you want to go? Do you want to just have someone one watch you have sex while tied up? If so, I can assure you that we would not be compatible. I, too, enjoy being watched, but our audience would watch you bowing to the stinging strike from one of my whips while clamped and cuffed. Is my style more of what you desire?

My mouth fell open and I shivered. I did enjoy being restrained, but clamped? I knew what nipple clamps were. My body was already on edge for this entire line of questioning, so I was not surprised to feel my nipples tighten at the mere thought of sharp metal teeth digging into both taut buds. What did that say about me?

Karma _is_a_B : I have been restrained before, as well as spanked and I enjoyed it. I have also been marked by a leather belt and wanted more. If you are trying to scare, me, Sir, I assure you I am not scared. I am intrigued and interested. Very interested.

EREBUS69: Turn on your camera. I want to see you.

Shit. He wanted me on screen? What was I… well, I had to turn my camera on. If I didn’t, I know I’d never hear from him again.

Normally at this time of night, I’d have taken off all my makeup and been dressed in a ratty college shirt that I opted to wear for sleeping. Tonight, though, I had kept my makeup on.

EREBUS69: I'm waiting, and you’ll soon see that I am not a patient man.

I felt my stomach do a somersault while I hastily undid my bun to allow my hair to fall loose around my shoulders. Somehow, that felt more formal than sitting on screen with a messy bun on top of my head. Finally, I clicked the option to enable video and spoke directly to the screen.

“My internet is being difficult this evening, Sir. As you can see, I am here. Were you going to turn your camera on as well?”

I saw the three dots pop up on the chat window.

EREBUS69: I will turn my camera on when you've earned it. As of this moment, you have not. I asked you to turn yours on because I want to make sure that your words match your reactions. I need more confirmation that we’re compatible so I will ask you a series of questions, but don't think about the answers too much. Study long, study wrong. Shall we begin?

I frowned briefly, then nodded.

“Yes, Sir.”

EREBUS69: Good girl. I’m going to name off some types of play and I want to know if you are interested in any of them. First, let's heat things up. Wax play?

Out of nowhere, a feeling of pride washed over me when he called me ‘Good girl’. Was that normal? I had no clue. A visual of molten wax covering my skin in colored rivulets had me feeling a bit warm.

“Yes, Sir.”

EREBUS69: Shibari, or what we call rope play?

Oh, my. I felt the need to squirm in my seat but ignored it.

“I--I've seen pictures of Shibari. It's very beautiful. Yes, I would be interested, Sir.”

EREBUS69: Temperature play such as with ice?

I bite my lower lip harder this time. What the fuck was this guy into? What the fuck was I getting myself into?

“Y-yes, Sir.”

EREBUS69: And you mentioned spankings with a belt. Are you opposed to floggers, paddles, canes, whips, or other implements of pain?

My eyes go wide, and I feel my heart rate go into overdrive now as visuals of myself being struck with a flogger enter my brain.

“I—No. No, Sir. I’m not opposed.”

EREBUS69: You have a nice mouth on you so I doubt you have any problem with someone filling it. You would look stunning gagging on my cock. Moving along... What about anal play? Double penetration?

I nearly gasp aloud at his words. I wasn’t the sort of woman to be easily shocked, but I had never had anyone talk to me so directly, much less so graphically.

“I've not experienced either of those things...but I would like to, Sir.”

EREBUS69: Are you opposed to more dangerous types of play such as with knives, blades, or other sharp objects?

“Holy fuck,” I whispered under my breath, wringing my hands together out of camera range.

“I imagine there is a lot of trust between the involved parties when weapons come into play. I would not be opposed, Sir.”

EREBUS69: It takes a great deal of trust which I hope the two of us are slowly building. Lastly for the moment, what about electrical or fire play? I could certainly make you feel whatever kind of spark you need, Karma.

My panties were growing more damp by the second. I had no idea why talk like this was a turn-on, but I was flushed and my skin felt like I had touched a light socket. Every nerve ending tingled.

“I'm not opposed to either of those, Sir. And before you ask, I do have a hard limit.” I think I surprised him a bit by mentioning a hard limit. “I'm not a fan of golden showers or human excrement. Sir.”

I saw the three dots appear, disappear, then reappear again, staying longer this time while he composed his reply.

EREBUS69: That's not a problem. The only thing other than blood, sweat, and tears you will feel dripping down your skin would be my cum.

EREBUS69: I think there’s a lot that the two of us could explore together. I’d like to carry on this conversation another night. Before I tell you when, I’ll give you a few easy instructions that I expect you to follow. I’d like to meet back online on Wednesday evening at 23:25. Be here in nothing but a coral nightgown. I prefer lace with small straps. Will that be an issue?

His messages came one after the other which gave me little time to react to this first one. That was a good thing. I studied the second message and felt a slight bit of panic. Coral? Was this even the right season for coral? Why did he have to be so specific?

“The only issue I foresee might be that I am unable to find that particular color, Sir. I am hopeful, though, since it is a summery shade,” I said, hoping he might give me a backup lingerie option.

EREBUS69: I trust you won't let me down this early in our acquaintanceship. I’ll see you in a few days, Karma.

With that, he was gone and I found myself back in the general channel. I wasn’t interested in speaking with any of the other women tonight, so I logged off and began researching lingerie stores close to the office. I would go every night until Wednesday to improve my odds of finding that damn nightgown.